I've been a customer of Pepe's for the last 10 years, I've spent thousands upon thousands of dollars with this company with multiple different vehicles and so it pains me to write such a dismal review after my latest and final experience with Aus-Tex Transmission.
I took my vehicle to Aus-Tex on April 6th, 2021. In spite of being a repeat and very loyal customer, I got the worst service I believe I have ever received from a mechanic.... or maybe any business for that matter.
My truck is my second vehicle, so I called Pepe and asked when a good time to bring it in was, so that it wouldn't just sit there waiting on a tech and I was told to go ahead and bring it in. So I had it towed in that day and they received it the same day.
Generally speaking they always keep me up to date, but over the years they have grown too big/busy, and the contact with customers has stopped....actually all customer service has stopped. If I didn't reach out to them, I would never have known what was happening with my truck. When I called on June 10th (like two months later), they said it was ready except they couldn't fix something with the fuel gauge because they had "no tech availability".... 2 months, and no techs avail?? To give u an idea, the truck went in because rodents had chewed through some wires..... this should've been a couple of day job.
When I got there the bill was $1000. They had replaced my alternator (which should've been under warranty, but they didn't bother to communicate with me about it) and they had spliced some wires together. On top of that, while it was there it either was damaged by the shop or left in the hail.....neither of which was communicated to me.
When I got in the truck, the battery indicator was on...... they told me that was the fuel gauge they couldn't fix. Now my fuel gauge has been inaccurate for years, but the battery indicator light has NEVER been on. So obviously wiring was done incorrectly. They said they couldn't fix it.....so I left. Halfway home on my 15mile drive, the check engine light came on, the ABS light came on and the stereo system completely shut off. Needless to say they didn't come close to fixing the truck. 2 months and $1000 later and the truck is not even close to fixed. I would've been better off just splicing myself, because what they did do looks like a child did it, and to say it isn't fixed is an understatement. At one point I was told they are moving away from general mechanic work and only want to do transmissions...... if this is the case, why did they take my truck in the first place?
So when I let them know, I then get a call from Pepe (owner).... through this whole ordeal, Pepe had never bothered to update me himself, apologize for the length of time it was taking, etc. Pepe didn't call me to discuss the truck or a solution to fix it.....he called and text multiple times because he said "I am going to need to fire someone over this, so you need to call me". Sorry Pepe, but your employees, and how you handle this is not my problem, and you should've been calling to figure out how to come get my truck and fix it right! Since June 10th, I haven't heard another word from them. I disputed the credit card charge and will be looking for a new mechanic. So I wasted 2+ months and still don't have a truck that I can use.
I pride myself on being a loyal and repeat customer, so it pains me to leave this review but my hope is that I can spare others the costly and frustrating heartache caused to me. My recommendation: take your business elsewhere! They scaled up and forgot that customers is what drives their business. Maybe one day they will figure it out again, but I will not be there to find out. read more