Martin was referred to us by an old friend who has used him for many years. We have since had him work on our vehicles several times over the past few years. No major overhauls , but a couple of brake jobs and replacing some belts if I'm not mistaken. Our experience thus far is that he has always come across as honest and trustworthy. For instance, he'll let you know if only your front brakes need to be changed and the backs still have a couple of years left on them. He does not seem to be one to gouge. We are about due for another brake job on a new vehicle and will be giving him a call soon. I would expect for the same level of service and professionalism to continue. One final thing, you have to keep in mind that he is basically a one man show, sometimes with a helper, but no secretary or front desk help. He's a man trying to make an honest living and has carved out his niche in South Austin, mostly by word of mouth referrals. With that said, cut the guy some slack on the call-backs. read more

Needed my front brake pads replaced and Sawyer recommended new bearings and discovered an urgent motor mount replacement as well. I love my Cadillac and very happy with Manchaca Garage for getting her back in shape. read more

Sawyer took excellent care of my car. I was in a jam, and he knew just what to do in a timely manner!

I am new to the area, and a friend referred me to this place. Sawyer, the owner is out in the garage and working on the cars. He was friendly and to the point... The repair went great, and just as he had anticipated. I will be coming here regularly. All thumbs up on the recommendation. read more

Took our 1999 Toyota Camry there for analysis. They looked our car over for a day or two and recommended several repairs to update engine quality. They were very professional, efficient, and reasonable. We are very pleased with their work. We highly recommend this garage for your cars. read more

I've been going to Manchaca Garage for years. We lost Martin, the owner, a few years ago, and as Martin wished, Sawyer took over. I worried at first, but Sawyer has turned out to be just as competent and honest as Martin. Even though the Garage is in Menchaca, and 14 miles from me, I won't go anywhere else. I don't know much about cars, but Sawyer has always been willing to patiently answer every question I have. Finding an honest mechanic that I fully trust not to take advantage of my ignorance is rare, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sawyer to anyone. (Yes, I know this will probably make him even more popular than he already is, but he's earned it.) Btw, for those already familiar with the Garage, it has moved just under a mile further south down Menchaca Rd., to12208 Wirt Dr. read more

A business is only as good as its employees. Manchaca Garage has gone above and beyond to make sure their employees are respectful and decent people. read more

My family and I have been going to this place for years and I would always recommend them to anyone! Fast and honest service, car inspection took only 15 minutes! You can trust them to be honest and give you a fair price, I always trust them to take care of my car and not take advantage of customers. Great, reliable place that you can trust and will help you in a quick/timely manner! Plus cute dogs to pet too while you are waiting :) read more

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Quick work, no nonsense and courteous service. Came here for an inspection after the Valvoline up the road said it would be a 2 hour wait. The proprietor had me in and out in 20 minutes. Really appreciated how fast the process was completed. Will definitely be back for any of my car needs. read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. We went there trying to get an inspection. It was raining. He started to inspect the trailer then he threw a fit because he said he couldn't write anything on a paper and he's, "got other shit to do." He was very rude, I could've held an umbrella for him but he ignored us. I guess he doesn't like getting a little wet? He gets really frustrated easily I guess. This was the worst customer service I've ever witnessed I feel really bad for him. Update: you said he asked if you could fix it. You said no so he fixed it. Nobody was trying to get anything illegal. The truck was unlocked for you or how else could we get inside to the keys since you said so yourself the truck was running! It one thing that you treated us so rudely but to lie about it is just disgraceful. Here is a great tip if you don't like doing inspections DONT offer them as a service to people. read more

Awesome, honest, and fast service. I came in for a state inspection at 2:30pm on a Friday when all the local chain shops said they didn't have an inspector available. The location of the shop is a little hidden behind warehouses, google maps takes you right to it though. The owner is not super friendly, but his assistant is. This is an honest little shop. I definitely recommend. read more

First time customer and appreciated dealing directly with Sawyer. He was able to repair my vehicle sooner than he expected. Great communication. I will not hesitate to come back again. read more

Well, I went to Martin's today for an inspection, after getting scammed by another establishment and received excellent service. He was recommended to me by a guy from an auto parts store so I figure they must know what they are talking about if they take their own vehicles to him. Mr. Martin was courteous and professional and answered all my questions. Unfortunately, I got there right before 6:00 in the evening and he never once tried to hurry me out or make me feel that I was imposing. I definitely will be going back to see Mr.Martin the next time my vehicle needs work. As far as Yelper Chris H. goes, I don't know what the deal is with her/him other than obviously s/he has personal ax to grind. There is nothing in that review to lead one to believe that person has ever even had service at Martin's therefore it isn't at all helpful. So yeah, thanks for nothing, Chris H. read more

Today is Day 4 of my 5-day grace period to renew the inspection/renewal on my husband's car. It's Saturday and tomorrow is Easter Sunday. How I got to this point really isn't relevant, so if you want to insert some fan fiction here, be my guest. Just know that I got bored with vampires in the 90's -- the zombie apocalypse makes a much better tale. One other thing I forgot to mention: It's almost 1pm and I'm two hours away from Travis County. Options are rapidly running out. A quick Google search of inspection stations in south Austin gave me Manchaca Garage. I called the number, and Martin answered. I asked him what time he closed. "We're really not open today; I'm just in to do a brake job." My heart sank. "What do you need?" Not daring to hope, I said "I just need my car inspected." He said "I'll be here for a while, come on over." Already trying to figure out whom to call next, I said "I'm two hours away." "This job will take more than a couple of hours," he said. "Come on up and you won't have to wait in line." I was a low-flying aircraft all the way up IH-35. Fortunately, everyone else on the road was too...normal Texas drivers when unencumbered by traffic jams. I got there in two hours, just like I promised, but it turned out that there was indeed a price of admission. A large, copper-colored dog was flopped against the door refusing entry without payment of ear scritches and a belly rub. Fortunately, my manicure was just what Lucy (that's the dog's name) ordered, and I was granted passage into the sanctum sanctorum. I handed my keys and insurance card to Martin, and he made a quick test drive to check the brakes while Lucy and I kept each other company. By the time I'd gotten leave from my canine customer service agent to Google the location of the nearest HEB (Manchaca and Slaughter, if you must know), Martin was done, my vehicle passed, and I could go to HEB and pay my vehicle tax with a couple of hours to spare. After that , the application of my new one-sticker registration on the windshield, and a quick trip through the car wash, I was no longer "riding dirty" -- in any sense of the word. South Austin -- you've got a hidden gem! Martin ROCKS! Literally...I was jamming to Rush's "Subdivisions" while he was working. :-D read more

Let me start by saying that Sawyer at Manchaca Garage is not only a great technician but also a true "mechanic" in the classic sense. I consider myself a "shade tree mechanic"and do the vast majority of my own repairs as I'm hesitant to trust others with my vehicles. I took Sawyer a Trans Am that I've had for many years. He went above and beyond with my car and not only repaired the issues, but found things that I completely missed in many years of ownership. His prices, honesty and attention to detail are second to none. Highly recommended read more

I had my Texas vehicle inspection done here just yesterday, and it was a great experience! He had me in and out in only 20 minutes while several others garages I had contacted told me I would need to wait an hour before they even got a chance to inspect my vehicle. Martin even helped me get an old sticker off my car that I had been trying to get rid of for months! He mentioned that he also does auto repairs, so I will check back with him whenever I have any future car issues. read more

Received a message from Sawyer requesting a updated review, so doing such. Lying still doesn't get people anywhere, especially when it comes to a business. read more

After reading all the great reviews for this garage, I drove over here around noon for an inspection. My registration expired in August of last year. I walked in and Martin, the owner, told me he could have me out of there in 15 minutes. While I waited, I flipped through an old book sitting there, "I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like" and petted the sweet shop dog. He came back in 15 mins or less, as promised. Gave me some good tips for my 98 Honda. You just get a great feeling from this guy. Honest. Fair. Hardworking. Reliable. I left with that old-Austin feeling we all know...and love...and MISS. 5 stars all the way. Definitely will be back. read more

I've known Martin since I was 3 years old, maybe younger. He does all my inspections and inspections for the rest of my family as well. His shop is a little hidden, but you can google it:) He is honest and trustworthy. He does inspections and mechanic work. read more

Martin was great! Quick service, nice to talk with, and his dog, Lucy, was a sweetheart. I will be back next time I need an inspection or a repair. read more

I moved to Austin three years ago. My luckiest find so far is Martin's vehicle inspections. He has never once tried to cheat me, over charge me, or play any sort of game. I have gone back half a dozen times for every thing I have needed since. I had to get my wife's Acura inspected as soon as we got here to south Austin. That down town Acura dealership, that one that sounds sort of like a type of silver tried to scam me with the classic scam dripping fluid on the steering casing and telling me it was both leaking and shot. They wanted me to spend almost $1500 to pass inspection. I was really worried. I care more about my wife's safety then I do my own. I told Martin that if it was shot that was fine, but I wanted to know. He told me it was totally fine and safe. I drove myself for quite some time just to be sure. I had just moved in and didn't know Martin then. I could have saved myself the worry. That was three years ago, and the steering is PERFECT. Just today I thought I had busted my electrical system trying to jump my wife's battery. I have had places that you tell them you are worried about something and EVERY time they will tell you its busted. Not Martin. He finds whats wrong, fixes it, explains what was wrong and gets your car back to you for a very reasonable price. Finding a mechanic you trust is better than finding a gold mine. I trust Martin completely. read more

I took my car to Martin because someone refered me to him. At the begining he was somewhat pleasant, however he took almost two months to get us our car back and each week he had a different excuse. He was beyond rude. I would not even let my worst enemy take their car to Martin. He needs to learn how to treat customers in the service industry. This was one of my worst experiences ever in fixing a car. He never aplogised for the insane amount of time he had my car. I was without a car for almost two months. In fact, he made it clear to me several times, that my car was a burden to him. He also changed his quote twice with me, each time making it more expensive. He refused to fix the just the main issue and kept adding things that he "wanted" to fix. He was very unpleasant. DO NOT GO HERE, unless you want to be disrespected and be without a car for weeks and weeks. read more

Nothing to complain about there. Friendly staff, in and out under 20 minutes for an inspection on my 04 c5z. Thanks guys

After being ripped off 2 years in a row by Groovy Automotive, I took my Blazer to Martin's. Honest, straight talk, fair pricing, quick service.... who could ask for more? read more

I've been taking my vehicles to Martin's for vehicle inspections and auto repair for several years. First and foremost, he is honest, which is worth it in itself. Martin is exceptionally knowledgeable and is ASE certified in all aspects of auto repair. He always calls to explain the situation and costs BEFORE he starts working on it. read more