GULF AUTO CLINIC

I would recommend Gulf Auto for fast, professional mechanical repair to you vehicle.

They were fantastic. Their customer service went above and beyond. They even took you where you needed to go, and came and got you when the work was completed. I'm a coach and somehow I lost my stopwatch. They found it and they called me to let me know they found it and made sure it was returned.

took car in expecting to have to book it in to get brakes fixed - they diagnosed problem (warped rotors) and fixed it while I waited. Very pleased with the level of service, the expertise of the mechanic, price and friendliness. I will definitely go back.

Thanks so much for saving us a LOT of money - you were honest and let us know that we were not needing to replace a transmission on our sons 2007 Nissan Sentra when other centers stated it needed to be done. HONEST, INTEGRITY - SUPER

According to two leading cost calculation websites, plus my old mechanic in Orlando and my new(est) mechanic here, this job ought to have cost less than $260 total. Labor alone at this shop was billed for that amount. Here is what they charged: DOT4 Brake Fluid (1 quart) $36.00 Wheel Cylinder (right) 23.05 Wheel Cylinder (left) 23.05 Shop Supplies 18.86 Labor 258.00 AAA Discount -25.80 Sub: 333.16 Florida Sales Tax: 21.65 ------------- Total: 354.81 But they were very nice about it. They washed and cleaned my car inside and out. To be completely truthful, Nikki did call to tell me what their inspection had found and approximately what the job would cost. I voiced my concern about the price. However, when you fear the brakes might fail if you drive the car, you feel pretty much over a barrel. So I did authorize the work. After paying for it, though, I couldn't help feeling I was overcharged. My follow up research confirmed those suspicions. Professional mechanics have told me, too, that the roughly $286 I paid last November for a transmission flush on our 2007 Dodge Caliber was similarly overpriced. I am sorry to have to report this, because the folks at Gulf Auto Clinic are friendly, courteous, and they do good work. It's just that, in my experience, they charge luxury dealership prices.

I have lowered my score after recently learning from two mechanics I trust that we were overcharged about a hundred dollars for this service. It has happened again, too, with brake work performed on our Honda Civic last week. See my separate report on that. Updated 1/25/2013. We were planning a trip from Florida to New Jersey for Thanksgiving. I was concerned that, at roughly 70K miles, the car might be due for brake replacement. New to the Bradenton area, I searched Angies' List and chose Gulf Auto. Nikki greeted my wife and me. After making notes about why we were there, Nikki asked whether the car had been running properly. I said yes, except that once in a while it stalled at red lights. I said this was happening with increasing frequency. We left the car for service and drove home. A couple hours later, Nikki phoned. She said the brakes were fine. But when she asked whether the transmission had ever been serviced I said it had not. She said the mfg. recommends servicing every 30K miles, and urged me to consider doing so before our trip. She gave me a quote and I authorized Gulf to go ahead. Throughout the process Nikki was affable and knowledgeable. She made our experience pleasant. My wife and I were pleased that the car ran much better after the transmission servicing. It shifted more smoothly. There was no more rough idle or stalling at stop lights. It performed without trouble throughout our trip. But the service didn't end there. What happened subsequently, puts Gulf Auto in a league of their own. We were in the middle of our trip when my cell phone rang. It was Nikki, checking up on us. She said she just wanted to make sure we were satisfied with their work. Then, when we returned home and picked up the mail we'd had held, there was a postcard from Gulf Auto Clinic. Not only did it thank us for our business, it concluded, "To view your service history, go to http://gulfautoclinic.com and enter Access#" followed by my personal access code. As a retired public relations professional, I have to tip my hat to Gulf Auto. The classic definition of PR is "doing good and telling about it." Not only to they do excellent mechanic work. They go above and beyond to make customers know how much their business is appreciated. I will definitely use their services again.

We brought our 2000 Toyota Celica with 160,000 miles on it to Patrick expecting to replace the engine. After really checking out the car they discovered mistakes made by other mechanics. They diagnosed the cylinder misfiring, fuel injector seal issue, engine oil leak and that the engine was mechanically sound. Having restored our faith in our daughters car they also performed some needed preventative maintenance by replacing all the hoses, thermostat, and coolant. Now the car runs better than ever. As a bonus they detailed the car and it now looks better than ever. Gulf Auto is now my Car Repair Center of Choice!

Our appointment was very prompt and well greeted by receptionist, Nikki. Waited few minutes for diagnosis. Nikki took us to our car and showed us the problems. She was very knowledgeable when we asked a lot of questions. She gave us an estimate of the cost and approximate time frame of the work. It would take 4 hours to do the work and about $675.00 Had a ride home by a very nice lady, Kyle. They called us a little more than 4 hours later and said car was ready and Kyle was on her way back to get us. To our surprise when we got our bill, it was $593.00! Not only that our car was serviced, it was cleaned! I must say we were very pleased with the service and their honesty. We definitely will pass the word. We will use them again!!

Very professional and made good recommendation for future care. Showed me what I needed and what wasn't worth fixing. Honest reasonable, and knowledgeable. My favorite characteristics in an auto service company. Shop is a little off the beaten path and not easy to spot.

took car in expecting to have to book it in to get brakes fixed - they diagnosed problem (warped rotors) and fixed it while I waited. Very pleased with the level of service, the expertise of the mechanic, price and friendliness. I will definitely go back.

I called and got an appointment quickly. The receptionist was very friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. My car was serviced and ready the same day. After an inspection, two other services w ere recommended, but I chose to wait to have them done due to cost.

As I remember, I got service the same day I reported the problem. They always ask if you need a ride home so you don't have to wait a long time in the garage. They give a good explanation of what they have to do, or what they have done. You never feel like you're being pushed through quickly. They are friendly, respectful, and thorough. When you go to the dealer, none of this happens.

They diagnosed & replaced an ac actuator on my 2008 Impala. they performed lube service , diagnosed , repaired & charged my AC. , REPLACED REAR BRAKES & CALIPERS, CHANGED POWER STEERING FLUID AND CHECKED 27 THINGS ON MY 2001 GMC.

I contacted Gulf Auto Clinic to tell them what problems I had with the vehicle. They scheduled me for the next day but I had other needs for the vehicle on that day so we scheduled it for the next day. They were very accommodating in scheduling the repairs as soon as possible. When they inspected the car they found the shock absorbers were worn out. I was not surprised at this and therefore agreed to have all of them replaced. All repairs, except the brake pedal system were repaired/replaced in one day. The brake pedal had to be ordered from the Ford dealer. It was available two days later. We scheduled the repairs for that time. My new tires were delivered to my home that morning and they were therefore available to be installed at the same time as the new brake pedal mechanism. They did a great job in repairing the car. They were timely, professional, and very reasonable in their charges. They transported me back to my home on both days of the repairs. They also picked me up after the repairs were completed. This was greatly appreciated since I had no other car and I did not want to wait at their garage while the repairs were done.

I was a ASE certified Master Auto Technician and automotive service manager for 15 years before earning an engineering degree and changing careers. Whereas I used to do or oversee all of my own automotive service, I do relatively little of my own work now. Since about 2002, I have relied on Pat Roberts and Gulf Auto Clinic exclusively to service my family's cars. Gulf Auto Clinic has well-trained and experienced staff members and maintains up-to-date tools, training and shop resources, as evidenced by its AAA approval. When it comes to automotive maintenance, I look for good value on reliable, courteous service and a long-term relationship with skilled practitioners, not discounted prices on slapped-in, mediocre, high-volume parts or high-profit, low-value packaged services that may not constitute comprehensive maintenance. Gulf Auto Clinic provides me with the service I expect in a timely manner at a fair price, backed up by a written guarantee, a willingness to redo work that fails to meet their standards and with a positive spirit that proves their effort is sincere.

They test-drive vehicle, but were not able to re-create my intermittent problem. They performed the oil change and replaced the fuel filter completely and quickly. I've driven car about 10 miles, and I am hopeful that the hesitation problem has been fixed - I will need more time &miles to be sure. I will schedule some of the other service/repairs later. I was happy with the experience. They seem like a professional, quality shop. I would never have found them without Angies list, since they are located a half-block off 41 business (14th street).

Professional and honest. We will be using Gulf Auto for our service needs from now on.

Went very well. See above comments. Would recommend them as the price is good, the quality is there, and they are customer focused.

Not much to tell. In the past we would have taken car to dealer who had been serviceing it regularly but we no longer trusted dealer so we wanted an alternative and got Gulf Auto Clinic's name from you. Gulf turned out to be an excellent choice and I rate them excellent in every category. The people were friendly, professional did top notch work.

Gave me a realistic estimate, asked for a small down payment, ordered the parts and did the job in a timely manner. I new what I was signing up for before they ever started and they gave me a couple options. It was done on time and they kept the car clean. Saved all the old parts to verify they did all the work needed.

We have had very good luck with Gulf Auto and will use them in the future.

Very well. Nikki and all of the folks there were very helpful, friendly and offered help were ever they could.

My 2000 Toyota Camry slowly committed suicide, the electrical system shutting down item by item as I was driving over about a 10 mile stretch. Lost the CD player then radio then clock then heater then direction signals then headlights then tachometer then automatic transmission's ability to shift, then entire engine. What the heck?? Called AAA, got a tow to Gulf Auto. They diagnosed the problem as a "mouse attack" - mouses had gotten under my hood, shredded insulation on a wire to the alternator, and eventually chewed thru the wire itself. They got on it immediately, made the repair, added coolant to my radiator reservoir just because it looked low. I was charged what I felt was a fair price, and I was on my way. They recommended a cloth baggie of moth b**** under the hood to prevent future mouse-terrorist attacks. A TOTALLY professional experience.

Pat and his team did an excellent job in repairing our Volvo V70XC. We were unhappy to be spending so much money for a nearly 10 year old car, but the dealership was really killing us so we thought of trying someone else. The folks at Gulf Auto Clinic took the time to show me the issues, explain the situation, and review several options, including estimates for all recommended and optional elements. They really made you feel like a valuable customer. Granted it was expensive, but that comes with the territory and the amount of work necessary. I would heartily recommend them to anyone looking for service. I am sure to be visiting again if we need more service.

I own a 2002 Ford-Windstar SE purchased new from dealer. In the last year I began to have a problem with the driver side front door. I took it in to a Ford dealership auto clinic center to have it repair. I was told that they could not repair it because they could not get the part anymore because it was an old model. Their solution was to purchase a whole new key less entry system for the door, which would run me approximately $500 - $700. My reaction was "Holy Cow! thanks but no thanks". So I continue to drive the vehicle as is, until I became a member of Angie's List. I started looking at the auto listing and I decided to give Gulf Auto Clinic a try. I like the way you could go online and setup your appointment with them. They were very quick to response to my request. When I arrived for my appointment I was greeted by a real gentleman who listen to me and seemed knowledgeable. I felt comfortable knowing my vehicle was in good hands.