Georgetown & Round Rock Auto Repair

I have had problems with my '05 Dodge Dakota pickup overheating. I took it to one shop about a year ago -- they looked it over, flushed the radiator and did a few other minor things, and that seemed to take care of the problem. This summer it started overheating again. I'm talking about the temperature gauge going ALL the way to the hot side and having to turn off the AC to try to keep the temp down (this is NOT fun with the typical central Texas heat in August!). I took my pickup to JC Automotive Specialist since they had a lot of good reviews and they're just a few blocks from my house. Ray waited on me when I arrived and asked pertinent questions. My 87-year-old dad (a former mechanic) had tried several things he hoped would fix it, including cleaning out the radiator and replacing the thermostat. I told Ray about all of that and left my pickup in his hands. Ray called me the next morning and told me the problem was the water pump and how much it would cost to replace it -- a price that was pretty reasonable -- and I told him to go ahead with the repair. He called me that afternoon and told me the technician had accidentally dropped the water pump on the radiator while working on my pickup, and the radiator cracked. He said they would replace the radiator free of charge since it was their fault. I'm sure there are other shops that would probably have charged me and just said the radiator needed to be replaced. My husband was a Dodge/Chrysler mechanic who was one of those honest guys who told customers the truth about what was wrong with their vehicle and what needed to be done, so I really appreciate finding a place with that same type of ethics and care for their customers. It's been a real relief to have the overheating problem fixed and to be able to use my AC again!! I will definitely be taking my vehicles to this shop again. On a side note: I showed the invoice to my dad, and he said he thought it was the most detailed and professional-looking invoice he had ever seen from a repair shop! I agree -- lots of detail and has recommendations for additional work that I might want to have done in the future (although Ray never mentioned these things, much less pressured me to have additional work done).

I found JC Automotive Specialist from their excellent Yelp reviews, and after a round of phone calls to other well-reviewed mechanics. On my call with this shop, I learned that they were familiar with some of the problems specific to these cars, and that they could take me _same day_. Diagnostics begin with the first full hour's labor, at $125, and I quizzed about whether they would fix simple problems in the first hour. Yes, they do. I dropped my car off, and after walking Ernie through the work I'd done myself, where I figured the next problem might be, then said, "actually, if it takes only a little more than the first hour to fix, can I pre-authorize two hours to get it done in one shot?" He said certainly I could, so I signed for two hours. I got a call two hours later that they were done with diagnosis, had fixed the first issue, and wanted authorization for just $30 more for parts to replace the vacuum hoses that were at the root of the second issue. I had my car back in full working order, five hours after dropping it off, with detailed documentation of the work performed, for a very favorable price. I have found my San Francisco mechanic, hands down.

Very happy with the resolution of a transmission problem on my Mazda RX-8. Will continue to use them, and recommend them, as my go-to shop whenever my car won't go!

I was recommended Auto Spec by a coworker who had a friend who took his Mazda there. So, a suggestion from a friend OF A friend must be pretty trustworthy since it was word of mouth, and not a firsthand account. Anyway, I had regularly taken my car to the dealership to have oil changes and repairs, and when my check engine light came on, they told me I needed a new engine ($4k-$6k) and I would be better off just buying a new car. Hmmm... I wanted a second opinion, as the car had no other symptoms of a problem. I went to Auto Spec and they looked into the problem a lot further, and as it turns out, the dealership was wrong. Mike was super friendly, and was very up front with me. He is definitely the personality in the shop. A few other reviews on here say that Ray is more laid back and sounds uninterested on the phone. You know what? He knows his stuff, and all I care about is that he is knowledgable, trustworthy, and dependable, which is not only him but everyone else in the shop. The shuttle service is a REALLY nice perk. I took advantage of it once and they picked me up from work, brought me back to the shop, and we had a nice chat the whole way back. Since it is a FREE service that they are nice enough to offer, you need to be flexible with your time, just like if one of your friends was giving you a ride. If you have time restrictions, call a taxi. Come on people, its common sense! Some lady commented that she was annoyed the shuttle wasn't available one day. Are you joking? The prices are more than fair. Now that I'm going to them, I feel like I have been getting ripped off at the dealership this whole time. They care about their customers, they remember you, they remember your car. You're not just a dollar sign to them, you are a person, which makes such a huge difference.

I brought my car in minutes after the shop had officially closed (yes I know I'd have to be a jerk to do that sort of thing). I had picked up my car from a certain tire shop that had managed to strip one of the studs on my wheels. I was nervous because the next day I was supposed to make a trip to Dallas, and doing that with 3 lugs on a drive wheel worried me. Anyways, JCAS could have easily said "We're closed", but they didn't. They opened the garage door grabbed a tool box, and cleaned up the threads while I was outside. The guys at Automotive Specialists will bend over backwards for their customers. It's rare to meet a group as appreciative and honest as this bunch. I've been bringing my 91 Miata to them for regular maintenance since I bought it. I would recommend them to anyone, and especially those with Mazda Miatas.

Picked this place strictly off YELP reviews. I called and spoke to Ray, he seemed like a nice guy on the phone. Ray was awesome in person, he was straight forward and seemed to know exactly what was going on. I brought in my vehicle and since I am from out of town I waited around for it till the work was done. Very pleased now that my AC blows cold, and that it was less expensive than I thought. I think the reason some people rated their experience with Ray less than 5 stars is because he doesn't BS around... He gets a 5 from me, as does the rest of the staff I dealt with.

My experience with this shop has been a very mixed bag, VERY mixed bag. My husband went there a few years ago to have our cr-v serviced and thought they did an amazing job. He's not a car guy but he loves good customer service so I kept them bookmarked. When my dad had a fender bender during a visit here we went by there to get a referral to a body shop, which also turned out to have some good and bad employees but they worked out in the end. My real-life yelp friends Katie and Nathan seemed very happy with their experience too so whenever someone asked about a good mechanic up north I would send them here. I think I even sent Susie there, who also had a good experience. Flash forward to this week. I called on Tuesday to see if I could get an appointment to finally get the ac in our subaru fixed. Mr. Man had survived a year without cool air but he'd finally had it. We also needed the brakes looked at. When I called I was told to just bring it in early Wednesday morning. So bright and early Wednesday morning I drove the subaru over there. The guy at the desk told me they were backed up. I said I'd been told to bring it in, that we didn't even necessarily need work done on it right away, we just wanted to know how much it would be to fix. This guy didn't give a shit - just stared blankly at me and said they don't have time they're all backed up. No attempt to help, no suggestions. In fact he discouraged me when I asked about making an appointment. Great. Then another guy who was dealing with another customer turned around and said that he'd spoken to me and told me to bring the car in, that he'd make it happen. YAY! A nice person! So I left the car there and got a ride home from the very nice man who drives the shuttle. I knew there was a shuttle since it's on their website, in reviews, and my husband had used it to get back and forth to work before. About an hour before closing I called to check in on the car and spoke to an incredibly nice person named Mike. My car was being looked into right that very minute. So he called me back and told me the details of what was wrong - the brakes needed to be fixed immediately and the ac needed more freon and they were going to put dye in it to see if there was a more serious problem with the compressor. Money's been very tight with us since we're still working on crawling out of the big vet bills. So we decided to just get the brakes fixed and get the ac fixed with the next paycheck. Mike said ok and that the car would be ready by noon Thursday. I said that was great because I had a doctor's appointment at 3:30. A few minutes later Mike called back to tell me there had been a misunderstanding with the mechanic who had already put the freon in the ac. But he would work it out and give me a generous discount to cover both jobs on the car. I was incredibly surprised and happy with this. Mr. Man and I were both surprised, to the point that we decided I'd take a look at the bill and see how much of a discount it had been and offer to pay a bit extra so the discount wouldn't be too much. Because that's how Mr. Man is and that's how much he thought of their work. Since Mike had assured me several times the car would be ready by noon and I assumed there was a shuttle every day I planned to get ready for my doctor's appointment, take the shuttle, get the car, then drive over to Seton Northwest. Ray called at noon on the dot to tell me the car was ready and I could come pick it up. I asked how much notice I would need to give the shuttle to come get me. "The shuttle isn't running today. The guy who drives it isn't here." And not in an empathetic, "Oooh sorry it's not running today," kind of way, more like he was solving a math problem: no emotion, it was my problem. "Oh," I said, "I thought it ran every day I have an appointment to get to." No apology, no empathy came from Ray. He didn't give a crap. Wow. So I said, "Ok, thanks I'll find another way over there." To which he said "Ok, bye." So a day I knew was going to be unpleasant, a big bill, and a visit to the lady doctor has been made into a big annoying cluster***. So now, instead of being able to go get my car I have to make my husband leave work to come take me to my appointment then we'll get the car. He's in training today so he won't be able to come get me for a few hours. Giving me plenty of time to sit and reflect on my experience thus far with JC Automotive on Yelp. Which is good, I'm way behind of my reviews. So we'll see how it goes when we go pick up the car later this afternoon. I have a feeling the bill will be very different if Ray is the one who hands it to me. So we're going to ask for Mike.

I found a better price for the same work at another highly-rated auto shop.

I stopped in to check the place out close to closing time 5:15 pm Thursday. Frankly, I don't see why ppl say they're friendly. When someone finally acknowledged me, I was told to drop it off tomorrow & I would HAVE to leave it there. What? I was told I could get a ride home via shuttle, but I didn't like that that was my ONLY option. Last thing I want is for my van to sit all day for nothing. I like to stay and see what they are doing. The fans stopped working, that cool the radiator, and so I hate to drive it. I asked if I could leave it now, and get a ride, two miles away. It was 5:15, so he said no. I asked how much to diagnose, and he said $65. Wow. Too high just to diagnose, and I couldn't allow myself to be treated so...carelessly. Guess they got all the business they need...I am unsure what to rate them, so 50/50 seems fairer than how I was treated.

They have been my mechanic shop for about 5 years. Ray and Matt and John have been so great to work with. They communicate well and their information is honest and accurate so I have no surprises when the work starts. Recently I purchased a used truck and asked the owner to take the truck to this shop for a pre purchase inspection. A couple of items were found and the owners paid to have the repairs completed. After the truck came out the owner told that she liked the people so much that they were now her new auto mechanic shop. She even planned to take her Infinity to them as she preferred them to the dealership. Nuff said. These guys are great and I recommend them without reservation.