DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO UNIVERSAL. It's by far the worst repair service I've had in Austin. I will say that Deanna, the office manager, provides excellent customer service - she's friendly, no attitude, and tries her best given that the shop and mechanics are either dishonest, incompetent, or a mixture of both. The short version is that they charged me $500 to 'fix' my AC, only to find that the AC doesn't actually work unless you're moving. Otherwise, the car now stalls when decelerating and stopping!!! The mechanic's advice was: "Just don't use the AC in stop and go traffic." Seriously? Unbelievable. I was totally ripped off. For the specific details, keep reading. I decided to try Youniversal based on some Yelp reviews and the fact that it's in my neighborhood. I was also lured by their "free AC check" promise, but it turns out it's only free to a point. After not finding anything wrong in the general system, they said it would cost $80 to do an electrical diagnostic test (and the cost would be waived if I got the work done there). They said the fix was fairly simple - replace an electrical relay and clean up some corroded wires. I picked up my car the next day, paid $220 and started it up, only to find that the AC didn't really work - only one vent was blowing and it wasn't that cold. Deanna sent the mechanic back out there and 5 minutes later he came back saying that the condenser had "all of a sudden" failed while he was out there. At that point I became very suspicious that this was a scam job. But Deanna was very nice and said they'd waive any labor fees and just fix it for the price of the parts. So, it took them about 3 days to get it fixed due to some mixups on getting the parts (my car is old - 1986 - so they ended up having to jimmy rig just a replacement of the condenser clutch and the actual condenser wasn't replaced.) I picked up the car and after spending a total of FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS, they promised everything was working great. I drove off and got to the first stop sign and the car STALLED out. I kept going and every time I decelerated or stopped, the car stalled. After 6 stalls, I turned around and drove straight back to the shop. Deanna brought the mechanic out to talk to me and he admitted that he KNEW it was stalling but said it wasn't an AC problem specifically. He said they fixed the AC, which was what I asked, and it basically wasn't their fault that my car 'couldn't handle' the extra voltage. His advice? "Just don't use the AC in stop and go traffic." REally? In Austin in summer, where there's nothing but stop and go traffic? That's the reason I wanted the AC fixed!! Deanna agreed with the mechanic, saying they'd have to do more diagnostic tests to figure out the stalling issue. So basically Youniversal Auto charged me $500 to 'fix' my AC and then told me that I can't actually use it. The mechanic even said that I'd have to "make a choice" between using the AC or having a car that stalls. This is the most unprofessional response any shop could give. In the case of a reputable shop, you'd expect them to say, "We're sorry, you've just paid alot of money and we haven't done our job in getting you your car back in the same shape it was in, with the repair done as requested." And then they'd finish the job and no extra cost. Well don't expect this from Youniversal Auto. I left in tears and now have nothing to show for my $500. I've been unemployed for 4 months and this experience has been heartbreaking. I will never use Youniversal again and I'm going to be sure that everyone I know in my neighborhood and neighborhood association are aware that this is a place to avoid. read more

Recently took my very rare vintage Italian project car to them to get the exhaust done. I am a guy who actually does know a little bit about everything about most cars and can work on anything myself when I have the tools. Which I did not on this occasion. This car is rare and most people have never even seen or heard of it so I am very particular with who works on it and what they do. I recently moved to Austin about 1 month ago and do not own a welder so I decided to see if they could take care of my custom exhaust on my modified vintage FIAT. I actually did my homework and went to a few other muffler shops around Austin and explained to them what I needed on the car. The the first one was on Oltorf neare the 35 and quoted me about $100 less than Youniversal but just seeing how they worked and the way the manager spoke to me and other customers, I got a feeling that this guy was not trustworthy. When I checked online, I confirmed that it was not worth the risk! I found Youniversal by accident after checking another shop closer to Downtown and thinking about taking it there. I had a good feeling when I saw Youniversal had great ratings online and now I know why.... When I spoke to Johnny, and we both took a look at where the exhaust would go, how to mount it and the type of pipe and welding involved. Here was a guy who has never even seen a car like mine but he was open minded and willing to hear me out about what I know about it. { For those of you who do not have much experience with mechanics, most of them have a know-it-all attitude and do not want to listen to you, only tell you what you need.} This was not the case here. Johnny and I both were able to agree to the solution to what my car needed to have done and he was very persistent on getting the job done right no matter how long or what he had to do to make it right. It is vary rare to find any mechanic who is this detail oriented and set on making the job right. He quoted me one price before the job and even though the job ended up taking much longer then we thought, he didn't try to tag on extra money like most people would do. Believe me, most mechanics always try to tag on extra money when the job is hard. Didn't happen here! In the end I happily paid what the job cost and even tried to give them extra but they wouldn't even accept it! The car runs great and I couldn't be more happy with the job that was done! Thanks guys! read more

This place is an absolute disaster! Please keep reading. Youniversal is a terrible garage for at least 3 reasons. 1. The used tires they sell are not fit to be put on a car. I took my car here to have it inspected, and they said the front two tires needed to be replaced. The tires they ended up putting on my car, according to a technician at Leal's, were incredibly bald on the inner edges - way less than 1/32 of tread there. 2. The work they do is entirely superfluous. I paid OVER $800 in repairs to get my car up to snuff for the Texas state inspection, and it turns out that the car didn't even need to be tested because of an exemption for that year and model! 3. What they say they will do to your car and what they ACTUALLY do to your car are not at all the same. There was an evap code - 455 that continues to go off (because Youniversal won't give me a straight answer, I've had to buy an OBDII computer to see what codes the car's computer is giving off). After at least $800, this code is still here. In addition to that, they wouldn't do the drive cycle that is required to make the engine's sensors reset so that the state inspection could be done. As a result, I spent the better part of an evening driving around trying to get these sensors to reset. I'm so done trying to give Youniversal chances to redeem themselves. I've been there over 5 times, and can't ever get a straight answer out of Deanna, Johnny, or any of the technicians there. PLEASE find someone else to work on your car. read more

Youniversal is AMAZING! I had an oil change and the price was fair, Dianna was kind and friendly and I was provided with a lot of valuable information about my car. Specifically, I learned from Youniversal that I needed front and rear struts so I priced out other mechanics against Youniversal and Youniversal beat everyone hands down. They even beat a shop which let me buy my own struts! I was wowed by this! And then the surprises just kept coming at me. The day Youniversal was replacing my struts, Jessy called me to tell me that they were UPGRADING me to Factory Manufactured (Mini Cooper) struts (as opposed to the KYB brand struts) at NO ADDITIONAL COST! As I am writing this review, I still cannot believe Youniversal offered me this unbelievable deal! Oh and one more thing, Youniversal provided me with a ride to and from work the day of my service. I am so happy that I found Youniversal! Thank you for all of the GREAT work you do and the AWESOME service you provide! read more

Take your car here! I've been fortunate enough to live right down the street from Youniversal since the day they opened. I've taken two different vehicles into them over the years and have always received excellent service. Dianna, who usually helps customers at the front, is absolutely wonderful. She always explains everything the shop is planning to do and why. I never feel like an imbecile at Youniversal. When possible, they've always given me options to save money, and have even blessed me with some free services over the years. When in doubt, one of the technicians will jump in the car with you and ride around so you can tell them your concerns. The list of services they provide has grown, and I'm happy to say they seem to do almost everything nowadays, including state inspections. I now have a new vehicle and plan to take it to Youniversal should I need anything done at all. read more

I drove here after having my Honda diagnosed by another shop. They said I needed a catalytic converter replaced and they couldn't do it,so they recommended me to Youniversal. They took my vehicle in, scanned it on their machine to confirm that is what the other shop found. I couldn't believe it because I had it replaced not even 6 months before. I asked why this would happen and the owner/tech Johnny explained why catalytic converters fail prematurely. He explained in great detail why this happened, he also checked my vehicle for underlying causes and actually found that my car required a "heavy loaded" converter and the other shop installed a cheaper lower quality converter. He had my car back to me within the 1 hr and a half he quoted, gave me my 5yr warranty, and now I feel I know something more about my vehicle other than how to put gas in my car. I have made this my one stop shop!!! read more

I recently had some auto repair work done on my 2010 Chrysler Sebring at Youniversal Auto Care and Transmission. I had been putting if off because my check engine light had been on for several weeks which to me meant I would be broke due to car repairs. I was wicked surprised to actually feel like I was being treated like a customer instead of a mark like I have been at other car repair businesses. The man who helped me explained exactly what was wrong and went over my estimate carefully. I felt as though he was honest and he even called me during the process to keep me informed. The transmission work that was done really helped my car perform better. When I got it back I screamed heck yeah because the car actually accelerated as well as it did when I bought it. I would say that everyone who wants an awesome experience should get their repair work done here. read more

The service here is marginal, although they do try hard. The staff is friendly enough, but their technicians don't seem that qualified. When I went in for some routine maintenance - a tune up, an oil change, and a tire rotation - they gave me two used tires that they said had 90% tread. Later on when I was having my brakes worked on at shop out of town, the tires they replaced were incredible worn, according to the mechanic. This shop didn't sell tires, so I feel like I could trust what he was saying. Additionally, there are other issues, but I don't want to rant here. Message me if you'd like to know more - I'm not trying to be a troll. So, Deanna, Johnny, Butch, and the rest of the guys at Youniversal are friendly, but not very knowledgeable. Maybe I just had a bad experience there, but I definitely won't be going back. read more

CAN"T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM! Johnny is the man he has helped my family repeatedly. Most recently the flooding of Halloween 2015 my Nissan 2000 frontier went threw some BIG puddles trying to get to work. She got sputtery and cut out on me so i sent it to Youniversal. I was Expecting the worst.... they looked her over $AVED me money letting the wet electrical parts dry out! They didn't try to sell me all kinds of stuff i didn't need and got the truck running at NO cost to me!!! I only payed for the tow. Honest mechanic shop???? could it be true? I my self am shocked. But I will tell you what free buys, next time i need anything done on my truck or cars i will not go anywhere other that Youniversal. Thanks Guy's. read more

I got my first car two months ago for a graduation present and the damn transmission went out on it in the first week. My mom promised that she would have it fixed but it sat around for a few weeks and I got tired of waiting for her to pay for it. I took it down to the guys at Youniversal Auto Care and Transmission and was able to get an estimate on how much it would cost to repair. It was pretty cheap considering the car was a clunker anyway and I didn't really want to put a lot of money in to it. They offered to rebuild the tyranny and said it would take about 5 days for everything to be complete. I have my car back now and thanks to the guys at Youniversal Auto Care and Transmission my car runs as smooth as can be! read more

Great service. I dropped my vehicle off after having it at the dealership the day prior, and just really feeling un easy about what they were telling me. let me say Long story short the dealer never recommend anything or once told me to have heads up may be needing something near future.Knowing I did not have a ton of money to spend but they were looking out for my safety. They gave me a great deal and did excellent work. If you ever have any doubts about mechanics taking advantage of you, you have no need to feel that here. They will explain in detail to you whats needed and why and make the whole process as smooth as possible. I will absolute return and recommend them to friends and family. read more

I hate it when I need to get my car fixed. And believe me I ain't going to the rip-off dealer even if they paid me. So going to this auto repair shop for the first time was like a pain in the butt, because I figured like my tires were old and I'd have to get new, you know. So like when I got to this shop I didn't trust a thing they said. I had a chip on my shoulder and it's a wonder they didn't like throw me out. They finally calmed me down, they like checked my tires and after they told me how bad they were I ended up buying 4 new ones plus an oil change. I'm still leery of auto repair shops but this one's OK. read more

I'd give more stars if possible. I'm just passing through Austin and was reluctant to get an oil change somewhere I'd never been, but the team here killed it. Super quick, friendly staff, and Danny helped find where a slow leak was happening in one of my tires. Another one of the mechanics even took the time to vacuum my driver floorboard while they were wrapping up the service. 10/10 would recommend, and if I'm ever in the Austin area again this will be my spot. Bravo, 776 Auto team, and mahalo for the southern hospitality. read more

I want to thank the owner for his honesty and knowledge of automotive care. I have been taking my car to them for years and have received great service. They have explained thoroughly of what is needed for the problems the car is displaying. Just recently I stopped by with an issue with my car and the owner knew exactly what was wrong. Didn't have time to have it fixed right then but will be taking it in real soon. I am very happy with this shop and its mechanics. Highly recommend them. read more

Went by for an inspection today and everything was good except for my two front tires. They offered me a couple of used tires for $25 each , and installed them for no additional charge! Cheaper than Leals and just as quick. They told me I needed an alignment because the insides of my tires were really worn, but they said they have yet to invest the $15,000 in an alignment machine. Nonetheless, another great experience! See you guys when I need my next oil change! read more

Amazing experience! - Very courteous and gave me a thorough explanation of all the repairs I needed done and how they are priced. - Gave me a VERY fair price. I needed some parts replaced and I shopped around to other auto repair places and was quoted $100-$180 higher for each part at other places. - Stuck to the quoted price !! Really, I'm so impressed and happy. I didn't feel like I got taken advantage of. I'm definitely coming back! read more

I've been going to youniversal for years and there is no one I trust more. I have three vehicles that I've had work done everything from brakes, oil changes, a/c, and they've always done the job right. It doesn't matter how many questions I may have the owner Johnny Valerio is always honest and dependable and always answers with a smile. Youniversal is my go to shop. -Inocente Ramirez- read more

Johnny is the wors kind of person I've ever met. Idiot to sum it up. Does not know what the hell he is doing. Not ase certified but wears the patches. Has no business sence and can't see how he has lasted this long paying your workers shit and keeping the rest. Charged me 800 dollars and my car is doing the same things it did when I brought it in. Stay away from this shop. Bad business!! read more

Awesome experience! My car was having some transition problem. I thought it would cost me a fortune to rebuild the transition, but the folks at Youniversal had it fixed with much lower price than I expected. And the work was done really quick with good communication. It will be me regular car maintenance shop and I will recommend it to my friends. Good job, Youniversal! read more