Stay Away!!!!!!!!
It started the beginning of November 2017. I took my car in due to jerking (like driving over a washboard road) when starting from a dead stop. Cottman's said the transmission needed some work, but wouldn't know exact details until they opened the transmission. They also claimed they couldn't tell me the cost until they opened the transmission. The next day I'm told the transmission needs a rebuild and that I currently owed $850 if I opted not to have it rebuilt. I tell them to rebuild it and am told it would be ready in a couple of days. On the 3rd day (Friday) I call to find out the status and am told they are awaiting parts and they would be in Monday (hmm, why didn't I get a call?). Tuesday I call to find out about my car and I'm told the catalytic converter was glowing cherry red and it is clogged up. I ask what had they done to my car. Of course they deny doing anything. I am going out of town, so I reluctantly give them permission to replace the catalytic converter and am told it would be ready Thursday. I return to town on Friday and since I haven't received a call I call them. I'm told the catalytic converter has been replaced, but now the car is missing on #4 cylinder. Again, I ask what they had done to my car, but I'm told they often see this when a car sits and they believe the seal between the spark plug well and the valve cover is leaking and needs to be replaced. I tell them I will come get my car. I pay them almost $5,000.
I limp the car home on 3 cylinders and call a mechanic in the neighborhood that I've used in the past (he does side work out of his garage). He looks over everything including spark plugs, coils, fuel injectors, replaces the valve cover (I insisted). Nothing fixed the problem. He told me my fuel pressure was low and while he didn't think this was the problem said it could be, so I had him replace it. Didn't fix the problem. He exhausted everything he could do in his garage. Pay $510.
I call another mechanic I use that is an hour away and rent a trailer to tow my car there ($60). I tell him everything that had been done and that I think it might be the computer. He agrees, but wants to check everything before replacing the computer. I pick up the car ($591) and am told a wire had been pulled out of the computer and something is wrong with my transmission. I start driving home and immediately can tell the transmission is not working (high rpm before it would "shift"). I call Cottman's and tell them I need to bring my car in and explain what it is doing. I also tell them I did NOT want the same shop working on it, so I'm told to take it to the Round Rock shop (now closed). The next morning (December 8th) I go to drive the car and it revs really high rpm before it would "shift" if it would "shift" at all. After driving about 5 miles I call Cottman's and they send a tow truck. At Round Rock Cottman's I talk to Steve, who I tell about the computer. He denies that it could have been caused by them (Hmm, the wire just jumped out of the computer on its own). I'm told the car would be ready in 2 days. The 3rd day I haven't received a call, so I call and am told they are still troubleshooting the problem. This goes on until December 18th and each time I have to call. On December 18th I'm told a rebuilt transmission has been ordered and it would be in on December 21st. December 21st comes and goes and when I call I'm told the transmission hasn't arrived. Again, no contact unless I contact them through December. January 3rd I'm told the transmission has arrived. I receive my car back January 5th.
Car runs good even when I take it back for the 10 day test. So, we take the car on a Florida trip the 3rd week of February. Car runs good on the way there, but on the way back while traveling 65-70 mph the car at times would surge like it was "shifting". I call Cottman's and am told to bring it in the next day, but the Round Rock shop has closed.
February 28th I drop the car off at Cottman's. Again, no contact or updates unless I call them. I am told the pump has gone out, but it is on backorder. I explain I can't sit around indefinitely until one comes in stock and said to have them send a whole transmission. I also explain that I am spending a lot of money having to rent a car and request reimbursement. I'm told they couldn't do that. I call the next week and am told the transmission is on backorder. So, I e-mail the parent Cottman's. Next day I get a call that my transmission will be rebuilt. My wife picks up the car March 13th when I'm out of town. She tells me it is not shifting right. I drive the car and about 40-45 mph the car revs high rpms before it would "shift". I call Steve who says he will make some calls to see if the computer could be the problem. I'm in and out of town for 2 weeks and can't take the car in, but never hear from Steve, either. I take the car back the first week of May, go through all the non-communication, and finally get my car back on June 6th.
Update: Well, it has been a year since I finally got my car back from Cedar Park Cottman Transmission. The car never "felt" like it drove "right", but it wasn't something I could take back in to be fixed because I couldn't explain what it was beside , " It just doesn't feel right". But, just a couple of weeks ago while driving to Lake Buchanan (Hill Country), the car started slowing down on hills. Even when I would press the gas peddle almost to the floor. So, for all the money I paid, the 8 months of frustration waiting for the car transmission to be worked on numerous times I now have a car with the transmission going out after 1 year. Yes you guessed it, the warranty just expired. Stay away from this business. This is by far the worst experience I have ever had with a car repair or even any business. Learn from my mistake and stay way.
