I needed some help with an auto transmission as part of my restoration of a 1989 BMW 325i Convertible (e30) that was daily driven for many years. Long story short- it suddenly would not go into gear and nothing I tried worked. Spoke with Sean and Brian and got the transmission diagnosed, fixed and reinstalled in just a couple weeks. This was not an easy task- since not many know these older ZF automatics, but Gars figured it out and fixed it well. I am now able to finish the rebuilt engine break in and enjoy top down, spirited driving this summer! I Recommend this team! read more

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Absolutely Horrible Experience. I took my truck in with high hopes to be treated with respect and get a solid understanding on what happened to my truck, but instead i was met with extreme rudeness and smart ass comments by whatever women answers the phone. I was told they couldn't even run a proper diagnostics but were requesting to be paid. The owner could not decide on a price, just for the diagnostics ( which was just plugging in a scanner ) and the lady took it upon herself to shit talk me to my partner when he went in. What a rude egotistical lady! read more

granted this was many years ago,,I have a 1/2 ton chevy work truck 4x4,,that needed a new rear end,,the damn out of state supplier shipped the wrong differential(I warned them it was a unique ratio),,gars went ahead & installed it,,knowing full on that it was the wrong one for my specific truck,,when I questioned them about that,,the owner said..."well its almost summer...you wont need your four wheel drive",,well here it is almost 20 yrs later,,I still have this truck,,and the rear end is all fd up & sometimes it locks up on me,,,very unprofessional in my opinion,,they got 2 stars cuz it lasted about 18 yrs,,,but still the whole experience there was not a pleasant one read more

While visiting Paso Robles, our truck had issues. Gars was recommended by a local friend and they got our truck in immediately. We cannot express our appreciation enough for the level of care that they gave our truck. Being from out of town, we had nowhere to park our 5th Wheel and they allowed us to park it on their property, free of charge, while they diagnosed and fixed our truck. Everyone was fantastic and our truck is running great. Thank you so much. read more

Met with Sean to line up doing transmission, rear end rebuild and other work to restore my 1967 Camaro. He seemed very interested and wanted to do the work and I was motivated to pay whatever the cost was. This was back in July 2024. He was going to contact me back and never did read more

Too expensive... Used to be the "Go to for transmission repair" not anymore. Doesn't have that small town vibe anymore. read more

Gar's saved my car!! Had a few offers from other transmission shops and gars offered the best price and had me in and out in less then a week!! Thank you read more

Excellent work, I was told they were going to beef up my transmission on my Ford diesel. It's been 18 months since the repair and it's still runs like a timer watch. Thank you Sean. read more

Ok guys. If your transmission gives up in the Paso Robles area and you want a great repair (and not looking for cheap or quick) Gar's is the place. Family run business with a great (well earned) reputation. Very responsive to us and our 03 Ford Excursion. Built a great tranny for towing and helped troubleshoot some after repair issues. Very easy to work with. I'm lucky I found them. read more

I brought my truck into have the transmission rebuilt. I informed them that the 3rd gear syncros were out and repair those and anything else that was needed. They did only part of the repair. When I called to talk to them about my issue they took my info and said they would have the owner call me back. It has been at least a month and no return call. I do not recommend them, read more

The Guru of Classic Car transmissions is in Paso Robles, Ca! I took my 1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn with a factory four speed GM style hydramatic transmission to Gars for service. The transmission was having what seems to be a linkage problem. This style of transmission is robust, but does have its quirks. Only a seasoned and knowledgeable transmission expert has the skills to work on such a complicated piece of machinery. The experts at Gars quickly diagnosed the problem and executed the repair. The Rolls now operates as if it were new. Best of all the cost was minimal considering the potential for what could have been at a lesser shop that fiddled around until finding the solution. if you have a classic car, with a vintage transmission that needs service, Gars is the shop that can do the work! read more

I've had my truck into gars twice in the last 4 months. The first time it was there almost 3 weeks and when they gave it back to me they said I would have to come back after the holidays to swap out my torque converter for $125. Since then my torque converter went out or something. It's been at the shop for 3 weeks again and they keep asking me about a water pump and oil leak. And they haven't even got it in the shop yet. Best part is in November when they didn't have time to go through my transmission that they installed in 2019 was still under warranty. Now 4 months later it's no longer under warranty and they are most likely gonna charge me an arm and a leg to repair something that should have been covered and taken care of the first time I was in there. Unless you have a lot of money to rent a car for a long time I don't recommend taking your vehicle here. I've already spent more than the trucks worth just on rental cars while my truck just sits in their yard and I havent even gotten the bill yet. read more

I have been getting my transmissions repaired and serviced from Gars transmission for years. Just had my jeep in there yesterday for some problems and they had me in and out in one day. My jeep is running great now! Thanks read more

I have never personally taken a vehicle but the owner of Gars is the reason I am giving this review. I am a college student from Cal Poly and was headed to my hometown 4 hours away. I was at the Auto Zone in Paso because my truck had been having issues and my dad told me to get my engine codes ran. I was crying and very clearly stressed out, scared that my truck was going to leave me stranded on my way home. Shawn noticed i was in distress and introduced himself and offered to take a look at my truck. He was very thoughtful and caring and I really appreciate that he took the time out of his day to help me out. He was able to explain to me what was wrong with my truck and told me that I would be able to get back home to Slo safely. If I wasn't worried about driving my truck back up the grade, I would take my truck to get it fixed here in a heartbeat, but for safety reasons, I need to stay local. Shawn, thank you for all of your help today. If you had not been at Autozone today, I think I would've ended up stranded on I-5. Thank you so much, it is greatly appreciated. Brooke D read more

Best transmission shop around for sure, have been going here for years. In everything from a autocross setup Honda Civic to a 1963 4 speed Ranchero. Best customer service and they not only know what they are doing but also love cars and want the best for you and your ride. See ya guys on the next project, thanks!!! read more

After telling shop I had a hybriid vehicle with a hole in the transmission they said to bring it in. After pushing them to look at the vehicle after a few days, I was told that they don't have the expertise to fix a transmission on a hybrid as there are concerns with battery electrocution. etc. Car was barely driveable there and barely got it tot he next shop who admitted it can be a challenge for a hybrid but they can do it. Much smaller shop but they fixed it and Gars lost out on a $3,500 job. How can you be the best transmission shop in paso if you cant do a hybrid? read more

I won't be able to write a high enough review for these life savers. We came from out of town and our Jeep went down right as we got to Paso Robles where we were coming for vacation. We found Gar's, a family owned, honestly run, salt of the earth, transmission shop and we were lucky we did. Sean, one of the family members who own the shop, went through the Jeep and found the problem right away, suspected another problem that he recommended an inexpensive welding job for the repair (instead of buying a new $900 part) and also found an issue with my axles. This was on a Friday afternoon. I called back on Monday morning to check the progress and he informed me that the weld job was unnecessary (turns out it was a water pump leak, saving me $), the axles were almost done and the transmission issue fixed (a $65 sensor). I went to the shop to wait for the car to be finished up and while I waited in the lobby I watched the shop dealing with customers on the phone and in person. They were consistently friendly, honest, and sympathetic. A local radio ad saleswoman was there selling air time to them, and once she was finished, she proceeded to arrange to get her car repaired. Another man showed up with his Land Cruiser without an appointment and asked for Sean who proceeded to put his car on the rack and figure out the issue on the spot. I actually spoke to the mechanic who fixed my Jeep and he was this down to earth guy who showed me what he did to fix my Jeep. Witnessing all of these little interactions added up to show me that this was a shop that you want to deal with because people really trust them to do the right thing at a fair price. Sean told me he often feels like it's his job is to ruin people's days by giving them bad news on the expenses of repairs. But, Sean, you made my day by not taking advantage of me and doing a great job on my Jeep to get me going again. The Jeep is running better than it has in years. Thank you Gar's!! Highly recommended. They will treat you right. read more

I hate letting other people work on my Jeeps, but I just haven't had the time lately. I blew up my ring and pinion, and my jeep sat in the garage for too long on jack stands, so I brought it to them, and they rebuilt it for a reasonable price. They also let me bring my own parts which I was able to get cheaper elsewhere, and didn't get all pissy about it. They tested my ARB afterwards, and made sure it was working right. I'd go to them for any transmission or axle work I don't have time to do in the future. read more

Gars Transmission will make a bad day into a good one. Shannon is just simply the most phenomenal person you will ever have the pleasure of doing business with. This family is there for you and is absolutely essential to our community! read more

Had my 07 Dodge Ram 3500 transmission serviced. They had a hard time getting a gasket but persevered. Truck with 288,000 miles shifts so much better! Will get my other vehicles in there for service too! Nice family run shop. read more

Word's are not even good enough to describe how good this shop is. This is a Family run Business! From start to finish these guys and gals make it happen. They beat the dealership price by well over a thousand bucks and were able to offer as good if not better warranty. We didn't have all the money up front and they were able to offer a third party finance plan that was affordable. We can't thank them enough for getting us back on the road! read more

Gar's Transmission has restored my faith in a mechanic shop. This is a family owned business and they treat you like family. Gar's transmission holds themselves to high standards, integrity and honesty. I have absolutely been blown away by the customer service I have received at their shop. I had a minor issue with my truck not shifting perfectly and Sean reached out to me personally to fix the small issue. Sean is extremely knowledgeable and will take the time to talk with you about your needs. Seans sister and John behind the counter are just some of the nicest people you will meet. John left detailed messages throughout the process to let me know exactly where we were at. Just all round home town service!! In my opinion hands-down the best transmission shop on the central coast if not in California. My Dodge 2500 is now a beast and I feel like I could pull a bulldozer up a tree. Thank you so much Gar's Transmission!!! read more

Gar's auto is the best! They were very friendly and hospitable (we hung out there all day using the internet trying to find used parts). They helped us find the salvage yards around and called a bunch of places on our behalf. Turns out we just needed some loosening of the transmission's governor. They test drove it with me and loosened it up, tensioned a transmission cable, and then refused to take any money for it. Lovely place. Open and honest. One of my best experiences at a mechanic. read more

They were all very friendly which is partly why I trusted and waited as long as I did. But I find it poor form to begin repair on my vehicle before being able to do the job at hand. read more

FIVE STARS FOR GARS! (Would be ten stars if I could make it so). We came in from waaaay out of town and got stuck at Lake Nacimiento on our vacation - huge bummer! But luckily for us, we found Gars - what a wonderful shop! They had us up and running again in no time, and were more than fair in their pricing (when it would have been just as easy to take advantage of a couple of out-of-towners instead). Everyone at their shop was so kind, efficient and wonderfult, and went out of their way to make sure that we were well taken care of.They literally saved our vacation, and I couldn't be more grateful. If you're in the area and need a GREAT tranny shop, I couldn't think of anyone else on the planet. I just wish they were closer to us - we could sure use them in Ventura County! Gars, you rock!! read more

Gars Rebuilt my transmission for just under $4000 using the top grade parts in order to pull my car trailer and race car at roughly 7500 pounds behind my 1 ton. From leaving the shop it never shifted right very hard to a point the tire would chirp. Taking it back to them they stated it was my computer and not their shop. Running across the desert in Nevada they tranny gave up with 45,000 miles since the rebuild at gars. In Elko Nv. there was a big transmission shop and two days later they got me in to rebuild the tranny. All the part were correct and it blew out the valve body, the mechanic shoed me where the shifting plate was drill out too much and they welded over the holes and re drilled them through the welds to a smaller size. Mechanic told me he has seen this in the past but it is very unprofessional, when you damage the plate you should replace it with a new one. After the rebuild it is like a new truck where I run down to santa maria every weekend for the races like the trailer is not even behind me. I would ask around about transmission shops in the area if you are to have a real truck transmission built which I should have done. I would recommend the upgraded tranny cooler also read more

I can't recommend Gar's enough. Our volkswagon vanagon broke down outside of Paso while on a road trip from LA to NY with our two kids - leaving us basically stranded. Feeling totally despondent we brought it to Gar's first thing monday morning. They instantly got under the car and started checking things out, assuring us they would do whatever they could, with as much haste as possible. A couple hours later they had diagnosed the problem. Unfortunately, a rare part was needed (in addition to a brand new clutch), one that is no longer manufactured, but they were able to track down a part online and have it overnighted from St. Louis. Two days later we were back on the road. To everyone at Gar's - THANK YOU! We would not have made it without you. read more

Gars Transmissions deserves the highest marks!! My 1962 Impala transmission went out in a cruise night in Paso Robles and I was from Santa Maria so you can understand my frustrations. Luckily I had a ride home but my baby was towed to Gars for transmission repairs. Everyone I spoke with that lives there in Paso and even the tow truck driver recommended Gars. Sean called me and let me know exactly what was going on with my transmission he talked me through it step-by-step and he came up with a plan on how he wanted to repair it and gave me some options to go with I've had my car worked on by other shops and I was not happy with their service and Sean at Gars immediately jumped into it he got my transmission repair he did a lot of extra stuff that wasn't required and he made my 62 Impala look how it should look and feel how it should feel when it's driving I cannot think Gars enough for their excellence and service and for the fact that they went above and beyond and taking care of my classic car which to me is priceless. I would recommend them to anybody who wants to get a great job done with professional service these are the people you want to work with!!! Thanks again Gars my baby is driving smooth!!! read more