Best mechanic in Austin. Always professional and prompt. I refuse to go anywhere else.

I had an issue with my car failing inspection due to a faulty light. Sam reset my car's computer without charge and explained what may have caused it. Either, the computer is just being glitchy or is going to need costly repairs. He walked me through some steps I can take to hopefully take care of the problem without the repairs but also gave me a straightforward quote if I do need the repairs. I'll definitely take my car back there for future repairs after this last experience. read more

These guys are great. No hassle, no trying to do work that's unnecessary. It's very clear that they value their customers and want them to come back. read more

I took my 2009 Subaru in here for some squeaking at the front passenger side strut tower area. They brought my car in, took off the wheel, tightened some bolts put it all back together and at the end they didn't charge me and just said come back in if it starts to make any noise. So far its going good. Thanks. read more

Omar was super helpful explaining the issues and solutions for my car. He stated what needed to be done and the car runs as advertised. He also said the car would be done in the time it was done.Overall a good experience. read more

I take my car to Sam's Auto Care for EVERYTHING. They are always honest and fair with their service and work quickly to get my car back on the road. This is definitely a place where you can feel comfortable knowing that your car is in good hands and that you are being charged a fair price. read more

I would hope that after spending just under $1300 to change all 8 of the coils and spark plugs as recommended over two visits, that your shop would take responsibility for the new engine code (for the leak that occurred during the second repair). The engine light turned on not even one minute after leaving your shop. Your response to my earlier review makes it sound like this happened later, which is deceptive and dishonest. And just because the mechanic pointed out the new leak in the crankcase valve when I turned around and returned to your shop, doesn't make it ok.... It wasn't there when I came in for the coils/spark plug repair earlier that same day. I just want people to know the truth. read more

I was referred by a friend who had great service, so I took my old Chevy PU to Sam. I watched the mechanics go over the truck as if they were NASA engineers going over the space shuttle - they checked every nook and cranny. They replaced the water pump, radiator fluid, freezer plug, and two big radiator hoses for $495. I was afraid it would be double that. The other place beginning with a K, had replaced the water pump several years ago, and I swore to "K's" then that the waterpump was leaking right after replacement causing the engine light to come on. "K's" said nope, water pump fine... For years I've had to poor water into the radiator on a regular basis, convinced the leak was right at the water pump. After Sam's replaced the water pump, the engine light is now off, and I'm thrilled with the work. The engine light is still off after @ 400 miles :) I then returned to have front and back break job to $298 with tax. I got home, and a cylinder on the back tire began to leak. I took it right back to Sam's and they replaced the cylinder at no charge. I'm thrilled with Sam's Auto Care, and I feel like I have my truck back. I have the heater core, AC, and other little tidbits to repair, and Sam's is where I'm going!!! read more

Fixed my radiator inexpensively and quickly. I am new to Austin and I hate going to a new garage. These guys made me feel a lot better, and Sam's now going to be my go to garage. read more

I was looking online for my next vehicle, and I couldn't find anything good in San Antonio. I expanded my search to Austin and immediately found a marvelously looking Infiniti sedan. I immediately reached out and found out it was still available. I was promptly provided additional photos and VIN number. Besides being a great guy to talk to, he made me feel like I was a family member being looked out for. The car was in awesome shape, just as described. Regardless of the distance, they have my business for life! read more

Bought my first used car a few days ago and although I did end up needing a new battery, they were very helpful with explaining everything and making sure I walked out with the best deal possible read more

As the owner of a VW with 100,000+ miles, I'm constantly fixing things with my car. Upon moving to Austin I searched for a trustworthy shop that would get the job done RIGHT and yelp didn't lie. I brought my car in at 9AM expecting them to give me a call a couple days later and much to my surprise they called me within the next few HOURS! Many things were wrong with my car but they didn't push me to get anything fixed that I didn't want/couldn't afford (which is a usual problem I am faced with). I'm so relieved to find a place that is great and honest with what they do. Sam's will have my business for as long as I'm in Austin! Thank you! read more

So after about nine months of relying on Capital Metro to get around Austin, I finally was able to afford to have my best friend, my trusty old Jeep, shipped to me. One day shortly thereafter she and I were having a grand time cruising for dudes on the east side, blaring crappy techno, and feeling oh so awesome, when I noticed a loud noise coming from under her hood that was, well... disconcerting. (And at first I thought that cute guy was looking at us because we were just SO cool. But no...) We made it home relatively unscathed and the next day I consulted Yelp to find a mechanic who wouldn't take my tiny bank account for a ride. As a woman who doesn't know much about cars, I usually consider the phrase "honest mechanic" to be an oxymoron. But going on the favorable reviews from Yelp, I decided I'd give Sam's a call. I dropped off my dear Jeep and they kept her for about a day and a half. They drove her around and couldn't find a problem. I wasn't surprised because the disconcerting noise only seemed to happen after we'd been driving for awhile. Now, other mechanics could easily have made up some B.S. problem and charged me tons of money for bogus repairs, but Sam's admitted they couldn't find a problem and didn't even charge me! A couple of days later, I got my Texas plates, but lo and behold, there was no place on her front bumper to easily install a license plate and I didn't really have the tools to attempt a job that appeared to require more than a screwdriver. I gave Sam's a call and they said they could help me that very afternoon. Within an hour of that phone call, the Jeep and I were back at home, with her brand new plate securely attached to the front bumper. It wasn't a huge job- it just required drilling a hole and a couple of screws, but I asked what I owed and was told "nothing". Since it seems like everyone charges for everything these days, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm only giving four stars because I haven't had to get any major work done yet, so I can't attest to that, but so far I'm impressed. I'm pretty sure I have found my go-to car guys at Sam's. read more

Very, very poor customer service. Would not recommend this place, simply based on the attitude of its staff.

I bought a 2005 toyota 4runner from this "shop" back in 2010 and it has been hell ever since. Sam is a car flipping scammer with his flashy BMW's and Audis out front. Don't let this place fool you. I paid 10 something and have had to put a little over 10 grand in to it fixing all the corners these dudes cut. First it was the a/c. I took it back the first week because it would barely blow even on high. Sam and his son said "o it's just a blend door" and claimed that they put a new one in. Picked it up, same problem. 2011 I purchased a complete a/c unit from lkq and had rising sun auto (a real, trust worthy, reliable shop) install the new/ used unit. I showed up at rising sun to find the old a/c unit had been stuffed with walmart bags (the old ones austin doesn't have anymore) because a front impact had smashed the unit to pieces and the "mechanics" at SAMs thought plastic bags and foam would seal it up and keep the air flowing. The mechanic at RS had to beat the firewall back in to place because it had been smashed in 4 inches. So much water had leaked from the box that the carpet had to be stripped, cleaned, and cleaned again because it stunk so bad. So there was no new blend door and SAMs worthless mechanics stuffed the holes with plastic bags and some kind of insulating foam. 2012 the SUV started running like crap. Went back to the awesome guys at rising sun and had all four, yes four catalytic converts replaced and the air switch valves because they had gone bad too. While fixing all that I had them check the airbag light that had come on. There was a short in a firing squib under the dash from some crap wiring job. A couple months later I replaced the injection pump, $1,200 from toyota for just the part. Getting that up close to the motor I found the majority of the engine wiring harness has been cut, spliced, rerouted and taped back up. There are bare wires hanging out of the harness in multiple spots just laying there. The metal of the body under the fenders and other spots of the front end is crinkled, rusted and spot welded together. Hardly any of the paint matches and the painted parts clearly weren't prepped just painted right out of the box. I had to replace the bumper brackets because the old smashed ones were reused and screwed back in to place with metal self tapping screws. The bumper reinforcement and multiple support bracket are missing on the radiator core support. They took a metal handle off something and bolted it to the hood latch to try and support it. This is a salvage title vehicle, Sam said "oooo my friends it's just a salvage title because I put a new motor in it." Psh ya right son let me tell you they don't salvage a vehicle just for needing a new motor. No this thing got smacked so hard the firewall was pushed in. Peek under the front bumper and you'll find a massive amount of butt connectors, wires twisted together, some crap welding on the radiator core support, etc etc. now in 2014 the a/c has stopped working, the motor from god knows where is hesitating and not to mention who knows how many miles are on it. You fools are running a shop pumping out ticking time bombs, my 4runner is a rolling death trap. Sure it's my own dumba$$ fault for not checking it out completely but I was in a pinch and these guys seemed nice enough to deal with me and not fool me around. You sorry sacks of crap need to stop doing business before you sell some jank car to the wrong person who could possibly hurt themselves on the road because your crap is unsafe for anyone to drive. You sell LEMONS. Look it up because I'm sure you don't know what it means. Believe me I've scoured the web looking for ways to get my money back and file a lawsuit but you got me. You got me this time but karma is well you know what it is. I suggest no one buy a car here or even let them touch your car. They're scammers just looking for a quick buck to make off some crap car they threw together with whatever they could find at autozone. Sam you are worthless and your son, durka durka or whatever his name is he's worthless too. Go to a trade school, learn how to be a real mechanic, and fix stuff the right way instead of cutting every corner possible. I've been stuck with this 4runner ever since because no one will buy it or even test drive it after looking under the front end. I'm probably just better off parking it at SAMs auto care and letting them have it back and sell it to some other poor soul. If you want a piece of crap car SAMs is the place for you. Come to SAMs, we've got a car for you. But we bought it at an auction for a smokin deal, taped some things up, plugged some holes with plastic bags, ragged it out on Lamar a couple time and just to show our customers how much we appreciate their business we aren't going to tell them anything that was ever wrong with the car. Here at SAMs we're gonna hurry you through the car buying experience, take your money, and refuse to fix anything you find wrong the next day read more

I have used Sam for a number of repairs over the last 5 years. I have found him to be super honest and fairly priced. The honesty part is the most important for me. He never tries to upsell or do maintenance earlier than required. He is willing to check things out for free or minimal charge. Definitely recommended. read more

It is hard to find a good and honest auto repair person these days but this is the real McCoy. Sam and his crew have been nothing but honest and their prices are way below dealers and their service is first rate. As a newcomer to the Austin area, I am really happy to find this shop and highly recommend it anyone. Their work on our Acura has been excellent and very affordable versus other shops. Keep up the good work Sam! read more

Had new brakes and new rotors (at their recommendation) put on here a few months ago. Brakes started squealing so I went to brake specialists plus (yes the ones with the awful jingle) and they told me the pads Sam's put on my car were cheap after market pads. Came here originally because of yelp so I thought it only right to warn others. read more

This is my second time going to Sam's Auto. I called on a Monday afternoon to get pricing on new front and back break struts, and found that Sam's was $300-$450 less then the major auto shops (Firestone, Kwik Kar, etc.) I was able to get my car into the shop that day after work, pick up the FREE rental car, and have my car back the following day, and they are normally pretty busy. When I pick up my car they showed me what was broken and explained everything they did in detail. I recommend Sam's to all my friends and family! read more

Good service. Very friendly. Reasonably priced. I had to get my brakes changed and they got my car in and out within a few hours.

Sam's Auto Care has been helping me and my family with our cars for over 10 years. My son introduced us to him when he was working for a car dealership who had been using Sam for years. We have all found him to be honest, cost effective and very efficient. Trust me when I say, he has saved us all from many an "auto disaster". Friends that I have referred have been very pleased and have become repeat customers. There are a lot of auto shops to choose from, but give Sam a try - you won't be disappointed! read more

Just moved here. Called one day, in the shop the next to do an oil change, teams fluid change and brakes. Very helpful. Very fast service. And prices were great. Definitely bringing my beater car here again. read more

I had my A/C compressor replaced. Sam did the job the same day and for $200 less than anyone else I could find in town. He has definitely earned my business and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a hard working honest mechanic. read more

I came here based on the yelp reviews and was not disappointed. I bought front brake pads for my 2009 Altima to replace them myself but I got lazy. So I took them to Sam's and it was no problem. I paid $100 in labor to replace the pads and machine the rotors. My car was ready 4 hours after I took it in. read more

First off, Sam took my call on a Saturday, when they were closed. Then, proceeded to fix my car(install new belts) first thing Monday morning. And he charged well under what another shop quoted me. Bottom line -- I'll be going back to Sam's when I need a great mechanic. It's a good local shop. read more

I brought my car here twice in the past three weeks. No hassles and was offered a ride home while my car was being repaired. He quoted me less than half of what the dealer had quoted, and finished changing my brakes within 2 hrs. Great service. Highly recommend, read more

I just moved to Austin from Denver and I needed to find a reliable shop to get my Subaru Crosstrek worked on. I drive about 45k miles/yr for work so I get my car serviced often. The Subaru dealer is always over priced. They quoted me over $300 for front brakes. Sam's auto not only gave me a much better price but they took care of it same day which is important for me since I travel M-Th. I highly recommend Sam's Auto. I'll definitely be a regular customer. Thanks guys! read more

I just took my car to Sam's for the second time in a year. Both times, I had great experiences. They are incredibly honest and really seem to want help you out. Omar usually works the front desk and deals with costumers. He's got a contagious smile, is incredibly genuine, and is happy to answer any and all questions! Experience 1: I got in a pretty bad fender bender and ruined my front bumper. I don't have insurance on damage inflicted upon myself, and I'm a poor college student, so I needed a place that could fix it for as cheap as possible. I found Sam's on yelp and took it in. They got it done quickly, for hundeds less than what other shops had estimated. It looked brand new. The ONLY reason I'm giving it four stars is because when I went to pick it up, there was a gap between the bumper and the body. They said a part they had ordered hadn't come in time. Um....nobody had called me to tell me this. I would have had no problem leaving it there a little longer if I had known I was getting a partly finished job. They assured me the bumper would stay attached even without the part and I could bring it back once the part came in. My car is a piece of crap anyway, so I didn't really care, but I would have appreciated a call or some notice. Speed is important when fixing a car, but so is completely finishing the job! It has held up almost, a year, as promised, so it's more of a cosmetic problem. Experience 2: I recently was hit, totaling my back bumper. Around the same time, I severely starched a side door on a pole. I took the car for estimates at Aamco and Ellis & Salazar. They estimated 1,2000 to fix the door, and another 800 for the bumper. Again, poor college student here. So despite my less than awesome service last time, I took it back to Sam's. They estimated $1000 for all of it. YES PLEASE. They got it fixed quickly, around 3 days. It looks perfect, this time no forgotten parts. Overall, I'm very pleased with their service. If you have a 50,000 car and can afford to take it somewhere that charges an arm and a leg, then I'm not exactly sure if I would trust Sam's to do the best job. But if you are looking for the cheapest prices in town and a decent job, Sam's is the place to go! read more

I had initially a good experience with this shop and its staff and after having to return because my car was not fixed, I definitely would go back again. The only negative portion was a part that was replaced being bad. The manager, John, took the time to try to figure out the problem before I even brought my vehicle in. That fact that he was going to save me the time and money taking it in to his shop when it was going to be a dealer only fix showed me that this was a different shop than most. Upon returning the vehicle the next day because of the same symptoms which turned out to be a faulty replacement part, I got the chance to meet and actually ride with my car's mechanic, Wayne. Wayne was great. He fixed the faulty part and returned my car to me, without my having to go get it, in just a few short hours. I really felt that he cared about his work and bad that I had to bring my vehicle back. I want him to be my car's mechanic in the future. It was quite an expensive venture and knowing how tight money is in our world today, John took extra steps to make sure he kept the repairs as affordable as the situation would allow. Those extra steps meant very much to me as a consumer. Because of Wayne and John, I will definitely recommend this location and their services. read more

I've known Sam since I was 16 with my first truck. I'm 26 now. My mother's known him for probably 10 years longer, and she would post the same review as me if not better. Sam has provided me with excellent service every time, him and all of his staff. He's been able to fix a wide variety problems, from everything under the hood to once helping me fix my door when the locking mechanism was broken/off the hinge. It hurts to see "people" posting bad reviews and as I see Sam replying to them, I can obviously see he's STILL trying to solve their "problems." To me that shows even more that he's a honest, caring mechanic. He should not have to waste his time with "social media" like this and be able to continue the top quality service he and his staff perform. YET, he know's reputation is important and has realized that you cannot ignore social media anymore, ESPECIALLY WHEN PEOPLE ARE WRONGFULLY BAD MOUTHING YOU. Like one guy posted, most people tend to assume small shops like this are "sketchy" or are not trust worthy but NOT SAM'S AUTO. From my experiences all of his staff is honest and has done excellent work on all my vehicles, ranging from a 2001 Dodge Dakota V8, to 98 Ford Explorer, now to a 04 Chevy Malibu. Every vehicle has gone in his garage and came out just the same, fixed and or lubed up and ready to go. Timing is efficient but sometimes can take a while because boy this guy get's alotta customers sometimes, a lot. If I ever had an issue I could come back to Sam with no hesitation and no conflict and he's ALWAYS resolved anything, with the great politeness and respect. I DO NOT BELIEVE THESE REVIEW SAYING SAM WOULD YELL AT THEM, THAT IS JUST OUTRAGEOUS. This man is one of the NICEST men I've ever had to work with, he has NEVER shown a SIGN of rage or that he would even yell at his own employee's! To believe ANY of the bad reviews towards Sam's Auto I would have to meet the person and really get to know them to believe things they say. Some reviews I can tell are just bull. Some can say that it is expensive but WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? THAT'S LIFE! STUFF AIN'T CHEAP LIKE "THEY SAY IT USED TO BE." Either way, when it comes to getting you car repaired or tuned I believe it's important to pay the price for excellent quality because this isn't like getting your lawn mower repaired, you want your vehicle in top condition when driving in AUSTIN TRAFFIC and on our highways!! UNLESS I'M CHANGING MY OIL MYSELF, SAM'S IS MY NUMBER 1 CHOICE FOR ALL AUTO WORK NEEDS. THANKS FOR THE GREAT SERVICE SAM, I HOPE THIS REVIEW BRINGS YOU MORE LOYAL CUSTOMERS BUDDY, WE'LL SEE YOU SOON FOR ANOTHER OIL CHANGE! THANKS SAM! read more

I have been to just about half of the Automotive shops in Austin, Pflugerville, and Round Rock! I have also changed just about every part on my car because of it! The people who diagnosed the problem at first was 3 points! They went through my car with a fine tooth comb and absorbed a lot of labor to help me fix the problem! They treated me like a queen, but my car still had the same problem that evening. When I brought it back they could not believe that it was still giving me problems and they were just as upset as I was! They were extremely concerned! They did another check and they told me it had bad gas! That had to be it because the car had set still for some years! There was no telling what was in that tank!!!! Even though they were nice and sweet and were going to do all of the extra details, i could not afford the estimate they gave me. I had already taken my car to Sam to replace the brake pads and resurface the rotors, so I called him for a quote. I took the car to him and he told me to take it to Honda or an electrical person before he fixed it because he wanted to know everything inside and out before hand. He was right! It did not make sense to just keep replacing parts that did not need to be replaced. We needed to fix the problem! I took it to Honda and got a thorough check. The mechanics there were also generous by absorbing labor and going through it with a fine tooth comb. They too, gave me the same diagnosis as 3 points did! Now check this out! 3 points wanted $390 to dispose gas, clean out tank, re-install the tank, clean the injectors, reset my codes, and clean out anything in the car that was clogged! I said to myself that was a pretty good deal! If only I had the money. Honda wanted $200 just to TEST the gas and see if it was bad! When I asked him how much they would charge me to do the rest he said "It would be very costly!" So I guess you know what happened next! I went and got my car and sputtered all the way back home! I called Sam back and he gave me a rate of $175! I had the car towed there this morning. When Danny cleaned the gas out, it had rust, grass, and all kinds of crap in it just like 3 points said. He finally drained it all out. When he started it, the doggone car was still doing the same thing! I was about to have a nervous break down! I was directed to go get lunch or walk around and check out the surroundings. I guess they could not concentrate with me standing around crying, talking about putting the car on Craig's list. Sam & Danny started off working with it, then Danny and Jerson tag teamed on it. Danny replaced all 4 of my injectors even after him and Jerson had gas in their faces from testing them. And poor Danny was nauseous from trying to get out all of the gas I had in the tank! All and all they FIXED MY CAR!!!!! Guess what my total bill was? Drum roll please........ $325.25!!!!!!! That was disposing of the gas, cleaning out tank, re-installing the tank, resetting my codes, cleaning out anything in the car that was clogged, plus the four injectors! I am by no means being negative about the mechanics before. They were all very good to me, just a little too pricey for my budget. All that I am saying is if you want your car fixed correctly, don't want to pay alot of money, and want to be spoiled to death, then go to Sam's Automotive. read more

Read the reviews on here, and took my Jeep there today. Great service! They fixed a loose wire that was causing my hot/cold controler to stay on hot. Great price too! Would definetly go back!! Thanks!! read more

Sam, Omar and their crew are the best in town! I rack up a lot of miles through my mobile job, so over the past four years Sam's has taken care of my Toyota's brakes, fuel pump, struts/shocks, drive belt and motor mount. They are honest, explain exactly what's going on and provide a solid estimate before starting any work. Sam's has always had my car ready for pick up the same day. I have never needed an appointment and twice had it towed and dropped off overnight with no hassle. I have referred coworkers to Sam's with nothing but positive results and my boyfriend loves them as much as I do. This morning Sam's saved us both: My car wouldn't start, despite the battery being charged. After sweating it out in 90% humidity over a corroded battery and a wrench that just wasn't cutting it we determined that a bolt that had cracked and we couldn't get it off ourselves. Rigged it up with enough power to get it to Sam's and they had it up and running (free of charge!) with enough time for me to finish out my work day. These guys are amazing and we are so fortunate to have them in the neighborhood! read more

When I first walked into their shop, Omar and Sam were very nice. Their friendliness was a welcomed relief. I decided to buy a BMW they had on their lot. I was assured that the car was mechanically in excellent condition. It needed some cosmetic repairs and that was it. WELL not really. the first problem started when i picked up the car and the paint job was really crappy. Then they did not change a couple of parts in the engine compartment because "SAM" (the owner) decided they were not necessary to change. I was told that the front air duct and the hood catch were not needed for the functionality of the car. I should have known then that they were hiding issue with this car. I decided to take the car to their body shop and repaint and installed the missing parts on my dime ($1,100 parts and labor). A couple of weeks later the transmission started acting up. I called Omar and explained my problem. He told me to bring it in and get a transmission flush performed on the BMW. They did the transmission flush (later to find out they used the WRONG fluids), the problem persisted. This is when Sam became very unpleasant and actually rude. My wife was there to witness the humiliation of being treated like CRAP. They sell JUNK CARS. They are the kings of CUTTING CORNER. They can not be trusted. DO NOT BUY A CAR FROM THIS PEOPLE!!!!!!!! So far the estimates to fix my car that i just bought three weeks ago is in the neighborhood of $4,000.00. Please do your self a favor and don't buy a car here. read more