My wife's car was acting up after I had brought it to a local shop to have a transmission flush on it. When I brought it home, I noticed that it was overfilled. So after getting home, I went ahead and drained 2 quarts overfilled. Obviously this was concerning to me considering that I had brought it to what I thought was a reputable shop and they didn't do it correctly. Shortly after draining the overfilled transmission and checking the level, my wife started telling me that the car would flash it's neutral light and free rev without moving. This was upsetting considering that I had just "serviced" the vehicle. Here's where Mike comes in... I did some research and found Suburban Transmissions. I was browsing their website and was completely surprised at how honest they were on their webpage. They were giving away what most shops would probably consider "trade secrets"! I called Suburban and Mike spent 30 minutes talking to me about the history of the transmission, some known issues, and things I could do to troubleshoot the transmission. The way Mike talked about the transmission, I could have sworn that he designed it! My conversation with him floored me since he took time out of his busy day to help me out and was giving me some ideas of things to check for (potentially resulting in me fixing it and not doing business with him). I felt completely comfortable with sending my car to Suburban and that they would not rip me off. Mike repeatedly stated that he's not a parts guy and that he wants to properly diagnose the car rather than throw parts at it to fix it or just sell a new transmission. Mike answered every call. He answered every question. Mike even held the car an extra day to double check the transmission after I told him a symptom that he thought was anomalous. Mike even offered to use what I paid for my repair towards future repairs if my wife's car continued to have problems! Most shops would probably make you pay full price without considering their previous work! I feel that more shops should follow Mike's lead in working with the customer, talking to them as a peer, taking the time to listen to the customer's concern and make sure that the diagnosis is correct, and to not take the shotgun approach of just throwing parts at the car. Working with Mike was such a pleasant experience that it almost makes me wish that I had some other transmission woes. Transmission issues tend to be a huge cause of stress, but Mike is like a guide helping you through the process and helping you take on the burden. Great job, great customer service, great people. read more

This business is now sold to a used car dealership company called Automax. It is not the same group of people who used to run it. Notice how the good reviews are over a year old, it's from the old owners who were honest. The new guys are scammers and tried to sell me completely unnecessary work on my transmission. I took it to another shop in Laurel and it was fixed in 2 days. These guys wanted to rebuild the transmission. They also charge a diagnostic fee of $165. Other transmission shops will scan the codes for free. My advice is go to North Laurel Transmission right down the street. They will diagnose your transmission for free and won't sell you a fluid service when the transmission has a code for a sensor that needs replacing. read more

I would highly recommend this auto shop if you are looking for honest mechanic to work on your vehicle. This is by far my best experience with an auto shop. Talk about transparency and honest pricing with a honest mechanic. I'd give them an extra star! Kudos to Jason! read more

The guys at Suburban Transmission did excellent work on our aging 2005 Mercury Mariner SUV after it left gears 2 and 4 somewhere on I-95. Any shop can bolt in a remanufactured transmission, it's the details that make great shops stand out...and Suburban is a great shop. They found a corroded metal fluid pipe that hadn't failed yet, replaced it for no extra $ while they had it apart. I gave approval to replace the wheel bearings if needed, they inspected them and said they were fine. No up-selling, which is a rare surprise. The team at Suburban went the extra mile to have it done on schedule, it runs like new, I can't say enough good about them. read more

The clutch was slipping on my 2010 Honda Accord with about 84K on it. I was impressed by Suburban's web site, warranties, and comments from customers. I was given an estimate for clutch replacement and 5th gear repair of $2000. I was told he couldn't get a Luk clutch (his normal supplier) and had to get an OEM clutch from a dealer. I asked about the web site warranty discussion, and he said that only applied to automatic transmissions -- I guess I should have asked about manual transmission warranties specifically before the repair. Mike sounded extremely knowledgeable and, while it took longer than expected (my wife thinks it was about 2 weeks), I was happy enough. They're very busy. Nine months and 12K miles later, the clutch is slipping again (just occasionally this time), and I bring it in on Tuesday. That afternoon, I get a call from one of someone in the office that my clutch is burned out and I need a replacement. I'm shocked a clutch, driven primarily by my wife who has driven a clutch for 30 years, would wear out so soon. The guy (not Mike) said he was sure they could cut me a deal on the labor -- maybe charging me either nothing or their cost of labor, about $200 -- but nothing was said about charging me for parts, which sounded like it was covered under warranty. When would it be done? He'd try for late Wednesday, maybe Thursday. On Wednesday, I get a call from Mike, telling me that everything in the clutch was operating perfectly and the wear was caused by driver error. I was upset. He asked for a copy of my original receipt, so he could see where he got the clutch from (I guess to try to get a replacement under warranty). I thought it was strange his shop didn't keep records of the parts used in his jobs, but he said his Quickbooks system didn't keep that information and they don't keep paper copies. After I scrambled around to find our receipt (which didn't have any information about the parts or supplier) and faxing it to him, I waited. Later Thursday, he calls back and says he can order a new OEM pressure plate but it wouldn't be in until Monday, or get a new Luk clutch kit sooner. We agreed to use the Luk kit since he wasn't sure there might be something awry with the OEM product and that he rarely had any trouble with the Luk kit. He thought he could get one for about $350 or $400 (which he would pay himself) but I would be charged $400 for the labor -- about the full cost of labor. Could be ready Friday. On Friday morning I call, and he says it will be done Monday. When I pick up the car on Monday, I see Mike but someone else shows me the old clutch plate and why they replaced it. He says they used the OEM parts (made in Japan) for the job, which surprised me. The new receipt says "Replace Clutch, Pressure Plate" with $400 under the labor column. Now I'm not sure what parts of the failed clutch system got replaced, since we had discussed a partial replacement of the OEM system vs. complete replacement with Luk. Did he get the replacement parts under warranty from his supplier (arguing that the parts were defective?), and did I end up paying the full cost (just labor) of the replacement? Based on our agreement to use the Luk system and then finding they had put in OEM parts again, that sounds plausible. The clutch is much tighter than it was before, engaging more decisively, so I hope I won't have the same slipping problem we had before. It's clear that this installation is different than the original one. If I had problems again, would I go back. No. Was I happy with their customer service? No -- Mike argued it was all driver fault, and I can't tell if he bore any of the cost of the replacement. I spent a lot of money on the original repair, and I guess I'm happy I didn't pay another $1000 for a replacement, but my experience with Suburban was not a happy one. P.S. When I picked up my car, there was a new gouge in the front door (small scratch down to the metal, no dent) -- it's a small and crowded parking lot. Also, my battery had been disconnected and reconnected, since my radio was asking for its security code. read more

All I can say is these guys are great!!!! I was having an issue with my 2005 Subaru and I called them on the phone to see what needed to be done. They talked me through several things, staying with me on the phone as I went out and looked under the hood. They told me what needed to be done, I did that and now the transmission is working. I can thank them enough for that kind of service. I need some additional work done and I will 100% bring the car to them for the necessary work. read more

I have an 08 Saturn Outlook and they are notorious for having bad transmissions. I was hearing a clunking while shifting between gears and was concerned I would need a new transmission. I took it in to Jason at Suburban Transmissions off the recommendation of a co-worker. He got me in 2 days later and after diagnosing the problem informed me it wasn't the transmission as that had actually been rebuilt before I purchased the vehicle. It was the motor mounts. I shopped around a little to get estimates for the repair. He was right on par or below what 3 other shops quoted me. I have not had the clunking issues again and he saved me almost $4,000 by actually doing his job and diagnosing the problem instead of just saying I needed a new transmission. I have returned to him again with the vehicle for another issue that he determined was a broken bracket. He could not find the part immediately and searched around to find it at an old GM warehouse and had it shipped to him which took a few days. The place may be a transmission shop but excels at all troubleshooting and maintenance! Highly recommend bringing your vehicle here. read more

We had a transmission that unexpectedly starting spewing fluid during a road trip. Mike was able to figure out the cause and give us a good strategy for addressing the problem without spending a lot of money. In sum, they have friendly staff, good diagnostics, and no pressure to pay for what you do not need! read more

This just set a new high water mark for car repair interactions/service. Mike, the owner, personally took my car out and test drove it with me as he talked me through his entire diagnostic process. Rather than speaking in a convoluted language of car terms, he made sure to break down the issue so I could understand what was happening as well. He also knows precisely what he is talking about, this guy could have a M.D. in transmission repair. As for his prognosis, it's honest and not self serving. He gave me the facts and let me make a decision for myself. There was no pressure or impending sense of doom if I decided not to have the work done. Everyone I know is getting recommended to Mike. read more

Mike & Eddie - What lifesavers! My 00 Mustang was sitting for awhile (I have another car for work, so the Mustang isn't not much of a daily driver now) & when I started it up, it had trouble going foward & in reverse. I initially took my car to Koons Ford Silver Spring (they were the closest to me & I didn't want to take it to a tire/oil change place). Koons said I had multiple leaks & recommended a rebuilt transmission ($2885), automatic transmission overhaul ($2586), new radiator ($734), transmission cooler line flush ($112), & cooling system flush w/coolant ($165) - those quotes are the DISCOUNTED quotes they emailed me after I declined their services & picked my car back up. I was low on transmission fluid, they added some in to get me back home. I really thought my car was a total loss considering the age/value of the car! If it isn't obvious by now, I know absolutely nothing about cars so I googled & called around to other places to get info & quotes. Mike (the owner) by far was the most thorough - he talked to me for at least 20 minutes explaining why he strongly doubted Koons recommendations (especially the two different quotes for the transmission, he said that would only be one repair IF I even needed it, and the radiator repair). He never made me feel dumb while talking to me & he didn't rush me off the phone - I brought in the car the next day. Mike and Eddie explained the services they performed throughly. They diagnosed the transmission & checked for leaks (didn't find any) - all that was needed was a servicing of the transmission adding filter & fluid! That & an oil change totaled $340 out the door! Within a timespan of 3 days, I've driven almost 500 interstate miles round trip. No issues whatsoever. Mike also gave me (yes, GAVE ME, not sold to me) his personal can of Fleetwax (it's a running joke to everyone I know about how my car has zero shine), a towel to use it with, & also recommended Turtlewax to get some shine back to my car...yall, my car has unintentionally looked like black matte with a side of dirt for YEARS. I basically gave up on car washes because 15 minutes later it looked like it needed another wash. He demonstrated the products on part of the hood...it's still shiny days later. He didn't have to do that, he's not Autozone or Pepboys with a shelf of those items for sale. I don't think I've ever left a review for car repairs/service, but he is certainly great review worthy! Mike said he doesn't advertise, just goes off word of mouth. His online reviews & detailed initial phone conversation is what made me bring my car to him. Thank you Mike & Eddie for your honesty, patience, & tips. If anyone has potential transmission issues, just go to Surburban Transmissions. Trust me. Also, I don't know why there aren't more Yelp reviews, but there are plenty of Google reviews for Surburban Transmissions (Mike's webpage also has very helpful tips & info). read more

Early last week, thought I had some slippage on a new transmission they had installed back at the end of Sept-2018 for a Nissan Altima 2010. Turns out they were able to diagnose a separate sensor failure that was tripping the electronic systems (ABS, Vehicle Dynamic Control) and causing the issue. They fixed it and then really showed their integrity. It turns out that some rear wheel work performed 2 weeks ago by another repair shop was faulty. They took the time and opportunity to tell me exactly what the issues was, how they isolated it for confirmation, and then encouraged me to give the other place a call to fix the issue, instead of asking for the job. This secondary but related issue was fixed under the other shop's warranty guidelines for free. Can't ask for anything better than trust when working with a mechanic. Suburban Transmissions in Laurel has mine. Give them a call. It's worth your time. By the way, the transmission they put in, works like a charm. Thanks, from a grateful consumer. read more

Thank you, Suburban Transmission! I was dreading the cost of replacing my transmission and called them for an estimate. They gave me a very reasonable quote, but asked me to bring it in for a test ride before worrying about the cost. In a few minutes, they diagnosed the problem as a sensor had detached. They replaced it, sent me on my way, and it has been running smooth since. I thank you and my wallet thanks you! read more

This guy said that he will do some check, diagnosis and some external work, including sensors, solenoid and change of fluid for the transmission on my Honda Odyssey 2003. He asked me to leave the car for two days as he want to drive it while the transmission is cold early in the morning. I left it with him and I think he was driving the car for the whole 2 days in an unpaved muddy roads and there are 2 dents that I discovered later. I don't think he did anything to my car except he drove on it for 2 days and he charged me $360. In the beginning he told me that if it appear that the problem can not be fixed, he will replace the transmission for approximately $2500-2800 and the repair fees will be deducted from the total price. After he took the "repair fees" he changed his mind. He said that he want more than $4000 to replace the transmission. Please avoid dealing with this guy. I don't recommend him to anybody. read more

Nothing is worse than dealing with car issues, especially when it comes to Transmission. Apparently Nissan Pathfinder's has this known issue of leaking radiator and anti-freeze getting into the Transmission. Once my car got diagnosed with this issue from the dealership, I started looking around for other mechanics. After reading so many good reviews, I wanted Suburban Transmission to take a look at the car and get it fixed, but that never happened. Very poor customer service/communication. When I say very poor, below is the timeline of on example. I have called Thursday 3 times, to get a quote for the service. No one called me back. I have taken the car to the shop on Friday and saw Mike. He told me to call him Friday evening to get his availability for Monday which I did. I was told to call him back on Monday to find out if I can take my car back to the shop on Tuesday. Called him twice on Tuesday and spoke to him once. He wrote down my number and 2 days later, still no call. Took my car to another shop in laurel, NLT. Took 4 days to fix my car even with one of the worst snowstorm of MD history. Maybe ST would do a good work IF they would work on my car, but with that kind of Customer/Communication issue, I can only tell STAY AWAY. read more