I found myself pulling my "warranty expired" Chevy 4x4 Av into E-Z Transmission 4 hours after Mike, the mechanic, (see my review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/burbank-pit-stop-burbank) informs me of my vehicle's demise. I track down Eric, the owner. I tell him that Mike recommended me to him & he says, "...well, let's jump in & take a ride. After turning a couple corners around the block, I see the RPMs jump as the engine & tranny wailed in agony. I witness him go through all gears manually as my "girl" surged & gasped for air. She finally found a gear she was happy with as we pushed into the shop's driveway. I wanted to yell out "take it easy, you're hurting her!" before he exclaimed, "Oh yeah, this is a COMMON problem with these trannies. This isn't a solenoid fix." He rattles off what is needed, including a $70 "shift-kit" that GM would need to install to fix the problems this particular transmission is having (Google: "GM transmission problems"). Unfortunately, my model vehicle is not on the recall list. He gives me the estimate cost, takes down my info & says "when would you like to leave it?" "Well...how about right now, champ?" I reply (w/out the "champ" part). His shop is bustling with cars on lifts & people STILL comin' in after me & didn't look like he'd be able to take my car until the following month! He says, "Ok, I'll see if I can get this done quickly," (It's Thursday 4:30 p.m.), "..call me or I'll call you Monday afternoon."
Fast forward 11:30 Monday morning. (ring ring) "Hi, this is Eric, your truck is on the lift ready to come down & should be ready to go right after lunch." 5 hrs later we're filling out the paperwork. I look over the invoice with it listing all the parts replaced, including labor & tax. It's EXACTLY what he quoted! I'd expected tax & labor added to the quote but, no! It included his usual 1yr 12k mile warranty. I was elated to hand over what I owed, especially after discovering that I had paid 1/3 less than the dealership would've charged.
She runs like a charm & I can feel the smooth shifting in the auto-transmission. I'm really happy that our mechanic, Mike, had this awesome recommendation.
Bottom line: I don't have anything to compare Eric & the shop to, but I'll go ahead and say, just from a customer standpoint, E-Z Transmission & its owner treated me like a valued customer & not once did I feel like I was getting cheated out of something I didn't need. If you're in the Burbank, North Hollywood area, and you've got transmission problems, take your whip to see Eric.
The E-Z Transmission shop shares property with 3-4 other automotive shops, so getting your car in & out of the lot @ peak hours could be a hassle. If you find the lot full, it's best to park your car on the side street, walk in & wait for them to maneuver cars around in order to get yours in.
4.5 stars
I'm deez® & you deserve to be informed. Trust. I'm out. read more