Downtown Automotive

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I didn't have any problems. They diagnosed a vibration I was having driving and no one else was able to do that, not even the dealer. That’s what I was impressed about.

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To be fair, when I dropped my 2001 Toyota Echo off in early October, I told these folks I was more interested in finding an inexpensive solution to my transmission problem than in getting it done quickly. However, it took over 3 months of me calling them repeatedly to get my car back. They were good about answering the phone and very polite, but then they just wouldn't call me back. They did give me a good price on the used transmission. It is running ok (with some minor problems), but the weird thing was, when I got it back there was no oil in the car. This is not something I have ever had happen--my car doesn't burn or leak oil. Maybe this wasn't their fault--it is an old car--but it was strange.
If you want a good price and are willing to wait a LONG time for an ok repair, go to these guys. Otherwise, find someone else.

I have only had one experience with Downtown Automotive. I went in for an oil change for my 2014 Ford Fusion. I asked the price difference between a basic oil change vs. synthetic and the gentleman (who was very nice) told me that he did not know, but it would probably be $50 vs. $100. I told him that I would prefer the basic oil change. After waiting about 40 minutes (pretty standard), another gentleman said my total came out to $62.34, which is pretty steep for a standard oil change. As a young female, I felt taken advantage of, so I had a male friend call to inquire about pricing. They told him that a standard oil change on a Ford Fusion would be $45. I wont be going back and would not recommend using them.

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I was impressed by these guys. The location itself is a bit chaotic with cars everywhere but we got my car towed here and they were able to investigate and fix the problem by the following lunchtime.

Very reasonably priced and no nonsense.



Will use them again.

Once again, Mark and the staff at Downtown Automotive left me VERY satisfied with this MAJOR repair job! He was very professional, up-front and on-target with estimates and completed the job in a very reasonable amount of time. The truck which has 150k miles now runs like new and I truly believe Mark when he says that I shouldn't have any major problems for at least another 100k miles!
Great job! Great experience! Couldn't be more satisfied! It's so refreshing to finally have found an HONEST and reliable mechanic in the Houston metro area!

My 1999 Ford Ranger XLT very suddenly began having MAJOR transmission issues. It drove perfectly the day before but when I got in the truck next day, the transmission began to shift very roughly and the OD light was blinking. Then about two days later I completely lost reverse, thus rendering the truck not drivable. In trying to figure out what to do (i.e. sell the truck or fix it) and in looking for advice, I went to Auto Zone in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston to seek advice from one of the employees who had never steered me wrong with his advice in the past. This time he highly recommended Mark at Downtown Automotive who turned out to be the answer to my prayers. For quite some time I'd been searching for a mechanic in Houston who is honest, affordable and reliable. These types of mechanics are rarely found in a city this size! Not only is the work done by Downtown Automotive top notch and backed by a 12 month 12K mile warranty, but Mark and his staff also took the time to explain everything in great detail, correctly diagnosing my Ford as having a broken reverse band which required the transmission to be overhauled and rebuilt--all for less money than I expected to pay! The transmission now shifts like new (considering the truck is 14 years old) and I've had no further transmission problems whatsoever! Kudos to Mark and his staff for a job well done! I've finally found my mechanic here in Houston and I'll definitely be using Downtown Automotive for all of my future repairs!

The owner is Mark Garcia. He seems pretty straight forward and honest about what we need to do and what we don't need to do. It cost less money than actually replacing the catalectic converter. He understands that everyone has financial constraints and automotive repairs are expensive. So he will be pretty upfront with us on what needs to be done and what we can wait for. I feel like he is honest. He was referred to us by someone we knew.