There are mechanics... and then there are the tired saints standing at the edge of civilization…read moreholding together the fragile emotional ecosystem known as "people who need their car to start tomorrow." Buddha's Garage is the second one. Dave has the energy of a man who has looked directly into the screaming mechanical abyss of humanity and simply sighed, grabbed a wrench, and fixed it anyway. I swear half the vehicles in that shop arrive after being spiritually wounded somewhere else. Other mechanics will look at your engine like medieval doctors diagnosing ghosts. Dave looks at it once, tilts his head slightly like a jazz musician hearing a wrong note, and suddenly knows your alternator was installed backwards by somebody named Tyler in 2019. And here's the wild part: he's honest. Like deeply, suspiciously honest. The kind of honest that makes you uncomfortable because you forgot businesses could still operate without trying to sell you seventeen imaginary emergencies. Dave will straight up tell you cheaper alternatives, better options, things you can wait on, things you DON'T need. I almost wanted to ask him if he understood capitalism. The customer service feels less like a business and more like your truck wandered into a monastery where everyone took vows of kindness and diagnostic accuracy. Meanwhile other shops are out here playing roulette with socket sets: "Hmmm yes, perhaps your issue is... all of the parts." Then Buddha's Garage fixes it in an afternoon and somehow charges you like they still believe in human dignity. Also -- Dave knows an absolutely terrifying amount about vehicles. Not "guy who watches YouTube tutorials" knowledge. I mean ancient-library-hidden-under-the-desert knowledge. The kind where you start explaining the noise your car makes and he already knows the answer before you finish making the sound effect. At this point I'd trust Buddha's Garage with anything mechanical. My car. My lawn mower. A damaged submarine. If NASA called and said a shuttle was making a weird clicking noise, I'd probably hand them Dave's number. I'm going there no matter what. If I move across the state, I'll crawl back on flaming rims like a pilgrim returning to holy ground.

Dave was the best price in town for my 2017 Volvo to get an oil change and potentially get an air…read morecabin filter replaced. A warm and friendly greeting was my first impression by the office manager. Amazing service from start to finish. Thorough communication from the technician and owner about the processes and service rendered. Transparency on all prices quoted over the phone and during checkout. Location was easy to find and close to convenient stores or a coffee shop for waiting nearby. Honest, professional, competitively priced, I have no complaints. It's a locally owned family owned and run business that seems to always give to the community through other charitable endeavors. I feel pretty lucky to have found an ethical place to get my car repaired. They really are a breath of fresh air for the automotive repair industry.

Frank was great! Very thorough and fair pricing. I'll definitely be using his services for all of…read moremy future repair needs.

Frank of course I knew you would have your side to tell. That's why I offered for those that would…read morelike to listen to my recordings and I will personally show other stuff. As for my financials you couldn't afford to cover me for most of anything. You're supposed to fix the car THEN i pay you. I was hesitant every time you asked me to pay for stuff. Here's another red flag for anyone looking to hire Frank. On my recording you came to ask for payment because you were late and having problem paying your taxes. I told you over and over I didn't want to take you to court because I am not that guy. You lie about the transmission issue. You didn't cover squat or offer the towing out of your pocket or pay for extra oil to be generous. It's because I was direct with you and. It happy and told you I would be reviewing this kind of post. This is why you flipped and started offering me these things because you knew I was going to take you to court. You offered free labor on the transmission as a way to negotiate with me to keep from going to court. I kept record as I said of you and I talking when you offered immediately to have my car towed. I have a completely well recorded and documented list of other things I will not share but in court that show you dropped the ball over and over. No I did not want to pay you money until jobs were completed . I showed pics of how bad my car was when I came to pick it up. The hat is why you had it detailed as you absolutely should. I'm done here and will update after court. I've asked you over and over the last couple weeks for a detailed receipt of charges and repairs and you've yet to give me one. What kind of business can't give an actual normal receipt of repairs. This is another red flag .

Took my car there based on a co-worker referral and yelp reviews. Very pleasant experience. Very…read morefair and honest pricing. Communication was A+++ Car was repaired and now runs smooth as butter. Will be back soon for AC repair. Thank you Mr. Danny!

I went to Luu's Auto repair for a routine oil change and vehicle inspection and they did a thorough…read morejob and charged me less than what the dealer would have charged had I taken the vehicle like I have been to them. A few weeks after that during the rain, I ran over something and a screw from the back tire well came loose and I took it to Luu's again. The owner just screws it back on in two minutes and didn't charge me anything and told me don't worry about it. If that's not a five star experience I don't know what is.

Wow! I received same-day service. My dealership quoted me a price for axle replacement, but Auto…read moredid the job for $800 less. I dropped off my car, and Mark quickly called me back to explain what was needed and provided an estimated cost. By 4:30 PM, it was ready! I hope the mechanic stayed warm--I happened to choose one of the coldest days in Austin for my service. When I arrived at 6 PM, right at closing, Mark still took the time to explain the issue and how it was fixed. Thank you for your excellent service! I'll be recommending you to everyone. In fact, I found out about you through a friend who goes to All Tune Auto.

This was my first time there, and i had a great experience. I found there was a big screw in my…read moretire, and they were able to get me fixed up same day. Would definitely go back.

I don't really leave reviews, but this is the worst mechanic shop I have ever been to. I came in…read morefor my transmission to get replaced then come to find out two months later my transmission is missing 6 bell housing bolts. The owner Bobby denied that he or his team didn't leave my truck like that, knowing dam well they did. Then Bobby tried gaslighting me saying it wouldn't cause any danger/internal or future issues with my vehicle. On 6/19/26 I came in to get a refund/bolts and he denied the refund saying he didn't leave my vehicle incomplete and basically said the job was done properly. After he denied my refund he only handed me 4 bolts when I told him im missing 6 of them. I have pictures and videos of the missing bolts. Now taking it to a professional mechanic Im missing more than just bell housing bolts and come to find out again they used the wrong bolts for the transmission which caused 2 bolts to break and needs to be extracted. They said they'll replace all the bolts im missing but wont extract anything. Now they're ignoring me for asking why wont they extract anything bolts. He also lied on the invoice stating installation of new bolts but there wasn't any bolts. Lying on a invoice is against the Law. Incomplete auto care Romans 12:21

Yes if u need an engine rebuilt, then Bobby is your guy. He will have it torn down & rebuilt in 3…read moredays. Eagle Transmition quoted us $5,400, to put a rebuilt Transmition in. LSCA charged us $3,500. We saved $1,900

I sweet baby SL was screaming at me…read more The folks at German auto fixed it quickly and with a high degree of professionalism. They were especially accommodating about the timing which Chris I really appreciate. My baby doesn't scream anymore unless I open her up on the highway which is frankly more of a growl. Thanks guys Cars are more than pieces of metal and being able to leave them with someone is trusted wonderful.

Chris is the best... always takes good care of our beemers.. good communication and quality service!read more

I don't trust many places with my car so I came here by referral. Eric checked me in and he was…read moreawesome and let me know everything would be ready for an oil change and general maintenance in short time. They had to order a few parts so there was a little wait but they took my across the street to pickup some food for lunch which I was so grateful for. When I got back, Thu the owner talked to me a little bit and let me know my car was good. They gave me amazing prices for what I needed done and I didn't feel ripped off at all. I would definitely come back here for regular maintenance!

Five Star Auto- was highly recommended to me by a sister of mine and let me tell you she doesn't…read morelet anyone near her vehicle only Five auto. My 2008 LR2 SE was leaking antifreeze. I arrived at the shop at 10am on a (Friday) morning 2/20/26. I told them what was happening and immediately they took my truck in and around 2:00pm it was ready! Boy was I so ever great full. I had taken it to two different places and both said something different. they replaced my water pump and the serpentine belt I think that one). I highly recommend Five auto. Very very affordable.... I am going to bring in my other vehicle as well. Jae. B

Long story short, Be aware of how they calculate your "estimate"...it's not for the actual time of…read morework put into your car...its based on arbitrary time calculated by a software program. They are honest...but they are honest about how they are going to overcharge you for work. In this economy, it isn't right. I recently brought my 2019 Buick Encore here for an electrical issue with the cooling fan and relay. The owner was polite and responsive, which I appreciated. The hourly rate of $110 is fair and standard, but what I can't overlook is how the shop calculates time and parts costs. The estimate showed over 2.5 hours of labor for a job that takes about 30-60 minutes to complete. When I asked for clarification, the owner said their pricing comes from a software called PRODEMAND, which sets "national standard" labor times. That may sound official, but it doesn't reflect how long the work actually takes. It's a flat-rate billing system that inflates labor on simpler jobs. In other words, you're paying based on software, not the real effort or time spent on your car. The parts markup was also steep. I was told that I needed a new relay sensor and that the cooling fan ***RESISTOR*** was the problem in my quote notes. But I kept reading and on the list below the notes he quoted me the cost for both a relay sensor fuse (way over the market price) as well as a FULL COOLING FAN/ ASSEMBLY ***way*** over the market price. Not simply a resistor. What? Let me rephrase: A relay sensor/fuse that costs $15-$20 at retail price was quoted to me at $42.82 by this shop, and when I asked for transparency on the "local cost," I never got a clear answer. Likewise, I was told the sole cooling fan resistor part couldn't be replaced separately and that I would have to buy a ***full brand new fan unit*** even though RESISTOR replacements (only) for this model clearly exist. When I asked why? That's a shop policy, he says. I even TRIED TO NEGOTIATE a lower price by offering to BUY THE PARTS MYSELF, but he was unwilling. Here was his response to my questions: "To answer your question, 1. Any part you search online will always be cheaper than the local cost. The price you are quoted is the local cost plus shop mark up. 2. The resistor has failed, and the resistor is connected to the fan motor. We will not be able to use your parts. -Every shop works differently, in regards to replacing parts. For us to do this job we would replace the full fan assembly. We cannot replace the resistor independently. 3. We charge $110 per hour and the calculated rate is based on PRODEMAND which is a national software estimating guide. 4. Replacing only the relay will not fix the problem. You have two separate issues. Thanks," I'm not saying they're dishonest; I believe they follow their own internal system. But customers should know how those estimates are built, especially when money is tight and car repairs are essential for work and daily life. I would search for a different mechanic if I were you. However, If you go here, ask for the PRODEMAND labor hours up front, ask for the part's pre-markup price up front, and confirm whether a part is truly unserviceable or just replaced by policy. The transparency matters...because without asking, you'll pay more than the repair actually costs. I don't like it one bit. You shouldn't either. Good luck.

I no longer live in Austin, have moved out to the country in Bastrop county. But when I was in a…read morebad collision in December 2025 & my car was totaled, I had to scramble to find a used car that the insurance payout for my wrecked car would cover. I looked for a month before finding a good used Prius. I had 7 business days after purchase to change my mind, so I needed trusted mechanics to check it out in that limited timeframe. I took it to Danny Luu bc he was my trusted mechanic when I lived in austin. And though he's not a hybrid car mechanic, I wanted a thorough check of all the nonhybrid components. I took my Prius to him, met a friend at Kim Phung next door for lunch, and he finished the inspection in a little over an hour. This was a whole car exam, the kind like you might get before going on a long road trip. Danny gave me a 2-3 page report on all the systems and components (except the hybrid stuff) which pointed out a couple of things that would need attention sooner rather than later. This was exactly the kind of very useful exam I wanted for my car and it gave me peace of mind about buying an older used car. Then 2026 arrived and hello high gas prices! I'm so glad I went with the Prius--best car purchase I could've made! And Danny Luu made it possible--thank you Danny So glad you're still working after all these years! He's one of the most honest, reliable, trustworthy mechanics in Austin.