Transmission repair service near Capitol Heights, MD

Went there on Oct 16, 2015 for a simple oil change, have already filed with the BBB, car was running fine, told me I needed a qt of transmission fluid, I said fine, the minute I left the car began bucking, that was a Friday, please also note I am a female, on Saturday really didn't drive much as my son took me to PA in his car but when I did in the early am still the same problem, bucking and not shifting appropriately. On Sunday took the car to Walmart, much worse, it actually shut off, check engine light came on, cruise control light came on, had to turn off car, wait, gingerly start back up and ease my way back home. I called my mechanic. He came over. Let's start with the fact that I was 1 1/2 quarts low on oil (2 days after an oil change) and my transmission fluid was bone dry), he put 2 1/2 quarts of transmission fluid in, told me to go to work the next day have the guys pull it in the shop and hook it up to see if it throws any codes and then go over it with a fine tooth comb. See what Charm City didn't know is that I really hate to bother my mechanics for an oil change so I go there, but I've been working with mechanics for 16 years, so they pulled my car in the shop went over it and still had to add another quart of transmission fluid. My certified mechanics have told me that either charm city pulled the transmission plug and drained the tranny fluid or they used a fluid evacuator, when I confronted the owner who took offense to my language and really who wouldn't be pissed, he could have blown up my transmission..he lied, he said a fluid evacuator takes an hours...sorry bud....5 to 8 minutes....his mechanic lied and said he put 6 quarts of oil in my car...first off...why would you put 6 quarts when you only need to put 5 and you didn't put 5...liar...I don't care that you've been in business for 26 years, you saw a female coming in who never uses you for service and you thought you could get some service work from me, so you drained my tranny fluid and then had the gall to ask why I didn't come back, because you are untrustworthy, BEWARE ONE AND ALL. I have 2 certified mechanics that will testify to my story. This place needs to be investigated!!!!

Good local shop...I like supporting local shops. I don't want to pay for donuts and fancy wait rooms. These guys are honest and hardworking....they are friendly and most important inexpensive. I would highly recommend.

I wanted to wait to see how the repairs I received here worked out. Good news! My car is still running great. My car broke down nearby this place and I limped in to their parking lot and left the key in the drop box. They have a website that shows that they accept overnight and weekend vehicles, which was a reason why I dropped my car off there. I lucked out, because these guys did a great job. They were very clear about what was wrong when they called me, and they gave me good advice about the timing belt being changed. It's been a few long driving trips and my car is still running well and not overheating. They did a great job and if I lived closer to them, I'd take my car there again. John Kennedy

This shop is awful! They did not communicate with me, took 2 weeks longer than they promised and provide poor quality work. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT bring your car to this shop.

I just want to tell anyone that is planning to go there to buy a car..my advice to you DON'T DON'T DON'T.. it will be the biggest mistake you do in your life. The sales people are very pushy and they will give you a very rude behavior once you say give me a minute to think. And also asking any question is a big NO, they want to sell the car that's all, I went today for an oil change and I told them about a noise I hear from day one and the customer service MANAGER DOUG started yelling telling me how hard his life with dealing with customers and just walked away after that creating a big scene. I will never go there again and we will never ever recommend this place for anyone.

All Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care centers abide by Cottman's complete service philosophy, which calls for your vehicle to be repaired properly the first time, so that you don't have to lose either time or money. Cottman's Service Philosophy is the reason why millions of customers have trusted us to repair their vehicle's transmissions over the past five decades. You see, at Cottman, we know you have more important things to worry about than your car. Cottman will never compromise its standards just to make a vehicle "superficially drivable." We will never perform a low quality service that would result in increased costs, inconvenience, and possible hazardous driving conditions for our customers.

Poor experience with this location. Brought car in for engine diagnostic and they told me i needed a complete transmission rebuild costing $2000-2500. I took car to another mechanic and found out i only needed transmission leak repaired costing $150. Glad I got 2nd opinion. I'll never go back there.

Overall a great place to go. I wouldn't take my car anywhere else. That said, they WILL up-charge you signifcantly to change your engine and cabin air filter. The guy said that to change a cabin air filter, it takes 30 minutes to access the filter itself, thus necessitating a charge of $50 for parts and labor. I knew that was patently false, as it can be easily accessed on my vehicle (2013 Accord) through the glove compartment, which unhinges without any tools. I bought the same cabin air filter from NAPA auto parts for $15 and installed it myself. Essentially the same speech was given for the engine air filter, and I did the same thing. BLUF: Know about how much something should cost and how easy the job is to do it.