HARTMAN AUTOMOTIVE INC

Transmission in our 08 Saturn Vue (with only 58k miles) started failing with no prior warning and got progressively worse as we neared home.  I limped the car to Hartman Automotive located nearby.  The shop is closed on weekends but Gerry, the owner was there doing some work on Saturday.  He brought the car into the shop over the weekend for safe-keeping and on Monday his transmission specialist ran diagnostics.  The codes indicated that a wave plate failed resulting in internal damage to the transmission.  It was determined that the transmission could not be repaired and required replacement.  Gerry called me to let me know my options, their costs, and the likely timing if I was to proceed with the work.
We decited to proceed with the work because doing nothing would leave us with a vehicle of essentially salvage value.  Because GM was the only source for a remanufactured transmission (costing $2,500) Gerry had to wait until Friday for the transmission to arrive from the factory.  His transmission specialist installed the transmission which need to be programmed by John Elway Chevrolet (local GM dealership) for $114.
The car drives like new.  The GM remanufactured transmission has a 3-yr 100,000-mile warranty and Hartmen's labor has a 1-yr warranty.  Through it all, Gerry was extremely professional, kept me appraised of the likely costs, applied no pressure and ultimately was within $100 of his original estimate.  The price was steep but new transmissions are never cheap.  Total:  $2,600 parts + $1,800 labor + tax.
Gerry even sent us a thank-you not a week later.  We'll look to Hartman to do our other regular auto maintenance too--not just transmission work.  Gerry is a straight-shooter that I look forward to working with in the future--just not too soon.

It is just a small shop but I like the work they do. I have toured the shop. I have talked to the mechanics and I am confident that they know what they are doing.They are a little less expensive than the dealer. I like to support people in a small business like that. I was impressed with the competence of the mechanic and of the owner who is also a mechanic. Some friends recommended them. I was completely satisfied with their service. My wife just bought me a car and we are taking it to the dealer. We stopped seeing him because our cars were covered under warranty item. They made commitment. They met all of those commitments.

Previous service visit to Hartman's revealed a slow transmission leak. I was advised to keep a check on the fluid level and that I would need a new gasket sometime in the future or there was a possibility of damage to the transmisswion if the oil level fell to far. At the next service period I had decided that I was going to drive the vehicle for several more years and instructed the manager to do that work along with the periodic service. All costs were discussed beforehand and then final cost delivered by phone before proceeding to conclusion. The work was completed in one day and call made to me that it was ready for pickup.