Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

About us

Full service auto repair and service in Austin Texas, computer diagnostics, tires, alignments, state inspections, electrical diagnostic and repair, emission repair, factory scheduled maintenance. Free shuttle service, free alignment checks, free brake checks, free trouble code checks, free a/c checks. Free 31 point courtesy check

Business highlights

Emergency services offered
28 years of experience

Services we offer

Full service auto repair, alignments, computer diagnostics, electrical diagnostic & repair, emission repair, factory scheduled maintenance., state inspections, tires

Amenities

Emergency Services

Yes

Free Estimates

Yes

Accepted Payment Methods

  • CreditCard
Reviews
4.955 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
87%
4
11%
3
2%
2
0%
1
0%
Showing 1-25 of 55 reviews
Kathryn B.
Sep 2018
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
You seem determined to get a review from me about a place I don't recall ever having used. I frequently take my car to Dave's North location on Howard Lane, but you haven't ASKED me about it! This survey doesn't offer me an option to correct that! Dave's North has been good to me. I'm sure the Central shop is fine, but I haven't used it in memory. You're driving me crazy!!

Kathryn B.
Oct 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
They did it while I waited. I guess I was there about half an hour, and when they finished, it seemed to be running fine.

Ted W.
Aug 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,760
I think the fan malfunctioned or something. I had to get a new radiator and hoses. All of that had to be replaced. Dave's ultimate is one of the top companies. I found out about them through Angie's List. They always do great work. In all fairness, they did a lot of work and it took a lot of work to get it done. It wasn't cheap, but they do great work. I think the price was fair for all the work that was done. But I don't like paying $1700 to have my car repaired. They are a good company. For example if I had to change a flat tire or have a blinker fixed, they would do that for free. They do little stuff for free, so that when it comes to the big stuff, you would take your car over there. They won't cheat you. I just wasn't excited about paying $1700 to get my car fixed, that's why it's not an A. I'm Not in the sense that I thought they charged too much. I'm just never going to be happy about paying $1700 to have my car fixed. Other than that, I was happy with everything else. They do good quality. When they fix it, you never really have to worry about bringing it back because they overlooked something. I've never had any issues with it. Never had to bring it back for anything they've done. Never had to bring it back for a recheck or re-do. They always do it right the first time. They have a shuttle service, so you can drop the car off and they'll take you home or to work or where ever you need to go. It's a full service automotive company. I would assume they don't really have to cheat anybody. No need to cheat people when you've got good business. It's a good company. They're not up to nothing - they shoot straight. There was no issues with keeping the car longer than they said they would. They gave it to me, when they said they would give it to me. The shuttle service makes it convenient for you to drop the car off and they'll give you a ride where you need to go and then they'll come pick you up. It's really the only one that I use in this area.

Carolyn H.
Aug 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
.

Anthony V.
Jul 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$400
They did a great job with this old car that carries my daughter and granddaughter. The grinding sound is gone now that the car has the new wheel bearing. When I picked up the car they explained all the work and answered my questions. They also gave me a 20% discount as a new customer ( I didn't have to ask). They also emailed a full status report on the car. I crosschecked the bill with some friends and also comparable on-line estimates for the same work. I am very pleased to do business with this company again and I certainly recommend them.

Nancy G.
Apr 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Very professional and easy to work with. I will definitely go back if I have any car repair needs.

Lance C.
Feb 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
It took them three hours to complete the job. The guy was fine. He was good. They itemized what they did and told me how each item cost. They were thorough and fast. The area was very clean.

David O.
Dec 2016
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,500
Their service is good, but there is a lot of up selling. They ended up recommending new tires, and struts. I got the tires, but did not get the struts.

Kathryn B.
May 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
unknown

Jessica N.
Apr 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,700
The problem with the a/c was so extensive they took their time to diagnosis it properly.  But the staff at Dave's made it as painless as possible.   Essentially my entire a/c system had to be replaced, which was an unpleasant surprise.   Once they informed me of the extensive issues with the a/c system, they were incredibly accommodating.  Dave's not only provided me with a loner car while my car was in the shop, they took mine the same day I went in for diagnosis, and also gave me the name of another reputable shop that would be able to repair my exhaust problem at a lower rate.  This was my first time in there and I have to say the entire staff was very helpful, friendly, and the employee that took care of me specifically helped me to lower the costs in whatever way he could.  I must say that particularly as a woman, this shop was one of the better experiences I have had.  I highly recommend them to anyone and their good reviews on Angies, Yelp, and AAA are definitely legit.

Stephen C.
Feb 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$100
unknown
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"Thanks so much for the opportunity!"


Selena P.
Jul 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"Thank you so much for posting a review of our company. We appreciate the relationship."


Jarett J.
Jul 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$550
Great service, very flexible and prompt for an "emergency" window not rolling up.  Creative of finding a solution for a Hummer part not available any longer.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"Thank you so much for recognizing our efforts. We really appreciate the opportunity to serve you."


Michael S.
Jul 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$200
unknown
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"We really appreciate you taking the time to review us. Thanks for giving us the trust in your vehicle."


GILLIAN H.
Apr 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,000
Went well. They did a thorough inspection and gave me an itemized breakdown of the condition of my car, including photos. I chose to do some, but not all, of the recommended work at that time, but plan to use them again in the future for the remaining work.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"That's great! We really appreciate you putting your trust in us. Thank you for the detailed feedback."


John B.
Apr 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,300
Excellent work, very professional approach.  I had been trying to get this problem taken care of for quite some time, including visits to two other facilities.  I did not get a confidence-inspiring impression from either of them, so I decided to try Dave's.  The experience far exceeded my expectations.  I knew the repair was going to be expensive, but with Dave's I had confidence that it was a fair charge for necessary work.  Fernando took care of me, and I was provided a detailed diagnosis in advance with a plan A/B approach to the repair in case of contingencies.  I will certainly come back to Dave's with any repairs in the future.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"That was awesome feedback! Thanks so much for choosing to do business with us and posting such a detailed review. We are happy to have you as a customer."


Mary A.
Feb 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$69

The oil change and inspection were completed in @ 1 hour. No hitches, no problems, friendly service people and a pleasant waiting room with good seating, basic refreshments and best of all WiFi!


Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"That's awesome! Thanks so much for the review. Please try us out for any mechanical repair needs you might have in the future. You certainly won't be disappointed."


Elaine B.
Jan 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$200
.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"Thank you very much for taking the time to review us. We look forward to helping you in the future."


Kevin K.
Nov 2014
1.0
I'm a first time customer and had called to make an appointment after buying a coupon. The person that had answered the phone was very rude and discourteous. I asked if he had a referral for someone in San Marcos when I found out his location was no where near me and he said "I don't live there, I wouldn't know."
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"We apologize for the perception that was created over the phone. Positive phone relations and professionalism are always our goal and we are sorry that you did not experience that from us. Thank you for making us aware of areas that we can improve."


Brian C.
Sep 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$250
unknown
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"Thank you so much for taking the time to review us."


Rita G.
Sep 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,700
I have used Dave's for automotive repair three times.  The first experience earlier this summer was very good.  They promptly returned first my phone call,  repaired the car with 2 days, notified me when it was ready and when I arrived to pick up the car, the cost was the same as the estimate I was quoted on the phone.
I think they are starting to get too busy to provide the same level of service because the second time in early August did not go as well.  We dropped off on Thursday and they called back later that day with an estimate and said they needed to keep the car overnight.  Dave's is not open on the weekend so Friday afternoon my husband called and left two messages asking if the car was ready.  No one returned the calls but when my husband called a third time (right before closing time), someone answered the phone and said the car was ready.  When he went to pick it up the cost was $400 more than the estimate quoted to us.
We were disappointed by that experience, but still believe that Dave's is a good place to get your car repaired.  The third and most recent experience was better.  They were not able to take my call during business hours when I was trying to schedule the service.  I had to leave two messages and my call was not returned until the next day.  Even then they were so busy they could not accept the car until the day after that.  Once I dropped it off, though, they called back with a very thorough analysis of the problem and went way out of their way to help me to decide a reasonable course of action.  They listened to all of the details of the problem and there was very good communication between all of the points of contact.  This time the estimate quoted did not change and the price was reasonable.
Overall, we think Dave's is excellent, but our experience has been mixed due to their struggle to accommodate the high volume of customers they have.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"Thank you for taking the time to document your feedback. I know you have seen some new faces on your recent visits and while training our employees to our Dave's standard, we have fallen short a couple of times. I assure you that we are putting all of our effort into the team and our processes to be able to handle the traffic volume and ensure our customers the best experiences on the planet :) Much better experiences to come!"


Tyler G.
Aug 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
They did a great job for me. It has been a year but that's the only time I've ever had to go. They fixed my problem and I was on the road. I needed service quickly and they were able to provide it to me and I was happy to pay it. I needed it done and they came in and knocked it out. I had no bad feeling about my experience with them. I wasn't waiting around like in a car dealership type place all day. It was just really easy to do what I needed to have done.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"It really means a lot that you took the time to document your experience from so long ago. We appreciate you and look forward to helping you in the future if needed."


Kevin M.
Jul 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$90
Dropped car off in the morning. They provided a free shuttle to my office. Had to call to find out if my car was done, but no big deal. Shuttle was not available for the return trip but they offered to pay for a cab. I just had a co-worker give me a lift to their shop. Wasn't as expensive as I expected even though a lot of people have said they are expensive.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"Awesome feedback! Thank you."


Julie M.
Jul 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$789
They repaired the problem quickly and my car was ready to be picked up the following day.  They are pricey, but I think it is worth the money to have the right car repairs done and done well.
Response from Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central

"We thank you for your feedback. Using the best possible quality parts that we can stand behind with a great warranty along with seeking out the best possible technicians in the market does allow for our overhead to be higher than most shops but it is all in the effort to provide the best possible experience for our customers. While we don't claim to be the least expensive company in town, we promise you will always get what you pay for with us."


Richard B.
Jun 2014
4.0
$70

Dave's provided an estimate to make the repairs.  They were very thorough in their evaluation of my Suburban.  I declined to have the work performed by Dave's as the cost was too high.  I took the Suburban to a shop that specialized in differential work and they performed the rebuild at approximately 1/2 the cost.  I then went to a third shop who replaced the water pump again at 1/2 the cost of what Dave's quoted.  They appear to take great care of their customers but their prices are too steep for me.


Showing 1-25 of 55

Licensing

State Contractor License Requirements

All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.

*Contact business to see additional licenses.

FAQ

Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central is currently rated 4.9 overall out of 5.
Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
Yes, Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central offers free project estimates.
No, Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central offers emergency services.
No, Dave's Ultimate Automotive - Central does not offer warranties.

Contact Information

Located in Austin, TX

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