This place was so helpful for me in my time of need! I went to another auto repair in town that told me I had a bad transmission, but they were slightly pushy. I came here after hearing about the possible transmission issue, and they gave my car a test drive. They found that transmission was not the issue and then had my car lifted up and tried to narrow down the issue. They then recommended I go to the nearby Independent Honda repair place down the street. All this took around 30 minutes, and they did it all with no charge to me! read more

less than 40'000 on alphonso's rebuilt transmission . alphonso said, it had been to long for any guarantee. i thought he might work with me on a descent cost for him to rebuild it again . he told me it would be $3,500 . i did not expect that ! i was bummed ! read more

After my husband's car broke down, it was towed to the local dealer who inspected the car (that alone cost $210!!) and told us that the transmission was out of commission, and that it would take $9K to fix it... as well as an unknown amount of time, because the necessary parts were backordered. So, we sought a transmission specialist and we found Alphonso. Thank goodness we did! He confirmed that the dealers were right about the problems, but he could provide us with a newly built transmission at nearly half of the price, and that included a 3-year warrenty! Both Alfonso and his wife (also his secretary) were incredibly friendly, helpful, and Alfonso did the job faster than we expected - thank you so much for your good work! read more

To anyone who has ever had a good experience here, I would say that you are either lucky or you already got ripped-off. I came here in November 2022, because my vehicle had been shifting hard at times between 1st and 2nd gear. I came to Alphonso's for a transmission inspection. They inspected my vehicle for about 30 minutes and concluded that my car was in the early stages of transmission failure. The owner laughed and said that because I had so many problems with the car that he wasn't even going to charge me the $40 for the inspection. He told me to either buy a new car or replace the transmission ($7k). I spent that next few months trying to decide what to do. I wanted to get a second opinion because these guys gave me a bad vibe, but I also did not want to spend a bunch of money just to get the same answer elsewhere. I went to A&E Automotive (they are just down the street from Alphonso's). A&E inspected my vehicle for 2 days. There were no check engine lights or codes, so they couldn't easily figure out what the issue was. Make a long story short, the Adaptive Learn Drive Cycle needed to be reset, and now my vehicle shifts as if it was brand new. The car just needed to relearn how to shift. It was never a transmission issue. In addition to this, A&E gives you a complimentary inspection. They take pictures of every part of your vehicle. They don't just tell you what needs replacing or maintenance, they SHOW YOU with actual proof. That is something that I have never seen any other shop do. So if you have issues with your vehicle or need to do any maintenance, I recommend that you give A&E a shot and ask for Mike. He was a great and honest mechanic. read more

Alphonso's Transmission - Transmission Repair Near Me - Goleta, California

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Had a great experience at Alfonso's. They got me in to take a look at a leak in my transmission, explained there would be no fee until they called with an estimate and got my concent. They called with an update and took the time to answer all my questions over the phone before I approved the cost and then they did the work that same day. I felt the cost was reasonable. My car has been running great! Also very cute mascot keeping the staff company read more

Alphonso's Transmission - Transmission Repair Near Me - Goleta, California

This place is not just for transmission issues! Ive had a hard time finding honest mechanics. I've even had dealerships try to sell me stuff I don't need for my car. Came here because one of our cars started to have a strange smell. Alfonso took it for a test drive and knew what the issue was - we had run over some plastic bag on the road and a piece got stuck on the exhaust...never knew that could happen- he even showed us where it was. If you're looking for an honest mechanic I highly recommend taking your car here read more

Alphonso Transmission 1 star I don't advise anyone to take their vehicle to his shop.. 2 months ago to look my 2007 Yukon to him to look at, I had explained to him that it was leaking transmission fluid because everytime I would take it to Jiffy lube transmission fluid was low, he laughed and said their not mechanics... he had my car for whole day test drove it looked under the vehicle and stated there was nothing wrong with my transmission with no leak and advised me to get a transmission service done and oil change, I paid over $300 dollars and reassured me that he has been doing this for years and nothing was wrong with my transmission and to drive my vehicle, because it was meant to be driven and not sit and that it was fine and I had nothing to worry about! 2 weeks ago my transmission was over heating and slipping out of gear and to shift... I called him this morning to tell him what was going on and he laughed and said sounds like your transmission is going out! I told how could this happen if your the one who looked at it 2 months ago! Alphonso replied and stated how am I supposed to know at the time it was fine and never offered to look at it... He checks by sight and he calls himself a professional... he's a con I trusted and took his word and now I have a blown transmission upset customer! read more

Incredible service. Lovely family run business. If more businesses were run like Alphonsos, the world would be a better place. Inconveniently, I needed a transmission rebuild for my old Jeep Grand Wagoneer while I was on a roadtrip. But I now consider it serendipitous that I started having issues near his shop as I would not have been able to find an honest mechanic with his expertise back at home. They charged a fair price for the amount of work and time that went into rebuilding my old transmission and sourcing the hard to find parts. I've had a lot of bad experiences with mechanics, sloppy work, terrible costumer service, talked down to because I am a woman... but I experienced the complete opposite with Alphonso. He took the time to answer all my questions and even shared photos of the transmission during the rebuild. Its been over a year since the work and my Jeep is shifting and running so smoothly. read more

I was the classic case of a person that a dishonest mechanic would try to take advantage of: out of towner, having transmission problems on the long drive to California, with a vehicle model known to have transmission failure problems, and stressed about the return home. But luckily for me, Alphonso is the most honest mechanic I've ever met. Alphonso took the time over the phone to talk over the issue with me and discuss potential problems and options. When I came in, he took more time with me to look over the car, check the condition of the fluid, and diagnose what was going on. He could have easily lied to take advantage of my situation and told me that my transmission was failing and wouldn't make it home, and he would be happy to replace for $$$. But he didn't. After looking at the vehicle and fluid, Alphonso deduced that the transmission fluid was old and the mechanics that serviced the car right before we bought it about 15,000 miles ago did not change the fluid. All we needed was a fluid and filter change. Alphonso did it quickly and efficiently, at a fair cost. Afterward, he took more time with me to show me the condition of the old fluid and filter, and what I should look out for on the drive home in case we encountered any other problems. We made it home with no problems, thanks to Alphonso. read more

Definitely the best place for anything transmission. Great local business and have been going here for years. Most recently he helped me source and rebuild a hard to find transmission for my El Camino. Highly recommend! read more

it's been a long time about 14 years but I would say his business ethics and competency were the best I've seen over 50 years of having cars repaired. he actually charged less than his estimate which I've not seen. wrote this because I remember it after all that time and hoping he's not too busy. read more

Excellent, informative, personable, fair, tremendous work done timely. Getting work done on a transmission can by scary, but Alphonso made it perfectly OK. He phones regularly with updates, and very prompt. I brought my truck in on a Friday and it was done Tuesday. Highly recommend. read more

Alphonso's Transmission is the best shop in the Santa Barbara area. One never knows when or what town you'll be in when the transmission goes out. I lucked out when I ended up at Alphonso's. He's referred by all the tow truck drivers too. Great clean shop. Nice people. Good work. Fair priced and fast. Thanks for getting me back on the road!! read more

Alphonso's Transmission is a life saver! You can't go wrong putting your vehicle in the hands of Alphonso and his family. He was prompt, gave same day calls back, and even docked off money for parts coming in a few days later than expected. Feeling relieved my truck is back up to par. A 3 -year warranty on any transmission with roadside coverage and a rental car. Can you say "legit" I can. Thanks so much read more

Alphonso and his son are smart, honest mechanics with all sorts of tricks up their sleeve. Went in for some wire repair, they finished same-day and let me watch under the car too. :) They have lots of friends and colleagues they will refer you to for non-transmission issues. read more

Alphonso was quick courteous and honest in his assessment of my vehicle. He was very friendly and knowledgeable and explained everything thoroughly. One of the best experiences I've had with a mechanic. Highly recommend read more

Alphonso is a professional all the way! He replaced my transmission at a reasonable price, and within a short period of time. His wife always was nice on the phone too. read more

Went here for some transmission work on my '85 Toyota and was not disappointed. Problems were diagnosed on the spot. Alphonso was super knowledgeable and really helpful. Would definitely recommend these guys! read more

Incredibly helpful, knowledgable, and kind. Great customer service. We were helped by Alphonso himself (and his son) who went above and beyond what we paid for. They had a part no one else in the area seemed to have on hand. Everything one could ask for from a repair shop! read more

Took my th400 transmission in for a bench job rebuild towards the end of last year. This was the only shop in the Santa Barbara & Goleta area that was recommended to me. I took it in on a monday morning and by wednesday afternoon it was ready for pickup. Very knowledgeable and had the best price in town. (I checked prices around just for kicks). He built it the way i wanted it .... with a shift kit, high stall torque converter, and heavy duty bands. So far so good, hopefully it will last me for many years to come, as i rarely drive the truck it is in. I had Bruno from BC Auto (mobil service ) remove and install it. read more

This place has been in business for a long time. They know what they're doing. Very friendly and very family oriented. They do a really good job and have honest prices. read more

35-40 years ago, my car broke. I was young and so was Alphonso! He did an amazing job back then and I remembered him as helpful and trustworthy. RECENTLY, the transmission went out on my daughter's car. Finding a mechanic I could trust was extremely difficult. I got all kinds of misinformation and "deals" that seemed sketchy and were not backed by guarantees. I was so exhausted by the experience that I nearly junked the car. During a quiet moment, Alphonso's name popped into my head and I called the garage to see if it was the same person that helped me so many years ago. Happily, yes it was! Alphonso is straight forward and wouldn't recommend anything he wouldn't do for his own family. I gladly paid a little more for his solution rather than going for one of the other quotes for repair services from other garages I would probably be regretting now. He replaced the transmission in no time and the car was washed and polished when we went to pick it up. Alphonso passed down his legacy of honesty, integrity and good customer service. His sons now work with him. They are good at what they do and really take pride in their work. I truly believe that the entire family (including his friendly wife who answers the phone) not only cares about cars, but about people and long term relationships. I wouldn't take any of our cars anywhere else. read more

I had a problem with my truck while towing horses from Northern CA. Alphonso and Alphonso Jr. fixed the problem with my transmission in a very timely manner, and I didn't feel taken advantage of because of my situation. I would highly recommend giving them a try!! read more

Great family business! Alphonso, his father, and his mom are all great! Your car is diagnosed and taken care of, no trying to sell you services that you don't need. Pricing is extremely reasonable and the service is outstanding and high quality. I highly recommend this shop. read more

This is the place to go to have your transmission checked, serviced, or replaced. I have been having my transmission fluid replaced at the quick lube places, where all they do is replace the fluid. Well, for just a few dollars more, Alphonso, or his son, Alphonso, will do it right. They drop the pan, change the filter, and really look things over before adding new fluid. They are so nice and friendly, but more importantly, they don't try to sell you something you don't need. WOW! Thanks Alphonso. read more

Alphonso was very nice! looked at my car for free and even drove it around the block to figure out what was wrong with it. Very honest guy, recommended not fixing, since it wasn't worth it. I appreciated him giving me an honest assessment and not trying to convince me to fix a lemon! read more

Really Nice Family Run Business.... they also charged me waaaaaaaaaaaaay less then i was quoted at other places for a replacement transmission and later a transmission flush. good people good practices. read more

I was on a weekend visit to Santa Barbara from San Francisco when I blew out my clutch. I thank my lucky stars that one of the places I called referred me to Alphonso. He's wonderful! He came in to the shop on Saturday to check out my car, and replaced the clutch at a very reasonable price. He's a delight to work with and is very knowledgeable--the very best! read more