Cottman Transmission Ctr

Do not buy a transmission from this man! Very shady and untrustworthy. Save yourself the headache, money blown and run! more

Took my 2004 Nissan Maxima to Cottman for help with a transmission fluid leak diagnosed by my regular mechanics. They felt that my transmission would soon need major repair. Daniel Simon, Cottman Transmission owner, was able to determine that the leaks my car was experiencing were not actually from the transmission, but rather that the sources of the leaks were a front axle shaft seal, valve cover gasket, and oil pressure switch. He completed those all those repairs and I have had no further leaks. Daniel patiently explained the work needed, and he did this at a very fair cost, too. I would certainly return here for future repair work and I thank Daniel for his help this time around. more

My ford Eco 2002 van could not pass its inspection. Talked with Dan and told me to bring it in. I did just that and they found the problem and was able to get on it right away. I was told to come get it the next day. Had to drive it for about 100 miles before I could get it re inspected. Like clock work from the time I called the Cary store and talked with Dan. A+ thank you all very much. Simon Hardwood is driving legal again.... Thanks for a great experience..,. more

I would not recommend Cottman to anyone. The man who identified himself as the owner, Daniel Simon, was very rude and unpleasant to deal with. He made comments like ""I can't deal with this lady"",”Oh my God"" and few other very rude remarks while I was explaining to him my concerns over the phone. The man behind the counter who identified himself as Jason was new and highly inexperienced. Finally able to get my car after 3 weeks of being stressed and disrespected and not valued as a customer!!! more

Great service! They were not only very nice - they had my oil change and tire rotation done in about 30 minutes and they didn't try to sell me any other junk I didn't need. Great coupons too! I'll definitely come back! more

Hands down, this company provided me with one of the worst experiences I've ever had with a repair shop. Regrettably, they reaffirm every negative stereotype that exists about mechanics and repairmen.\r \r My car broke down on me on a Thursday evening. From the signs and symptoms that it displayed, I assumed it was a transmission issue. First thing Friday morning, I called Cottman and spoke with Daniel, who identified himself as the owner. I explained the situation to him in detail and informed him that the cost of repairs may be an issue for me, as money was a bit tight at the time. After hearing my concerns, Daniel invited me to have my car towed to his shop, assuring me repeatedly that he would work with me on price and payment, no matter the cost. He also assured me that his staff would diagnose the exact problem with my car that VERY SAME DAY at NO COST to me.\r \r I had the car towed to the shop, where it arrived at about 9:30 AM. Five hours later, I still hadn't heard from Daniel or more

Hands down, this company provided me with one of the worst experiences I've ever had with a repair shop. Regrettably, they reaffirm every negative stereotype that exists about mechanics and repairmen.\r \r My car broke down on me on a Thursday evening. From the signs and symptoms that it displayed, I assumed it was a transmission issue. First thing Friday morning, I called Cottman and spoke with Daniel, who identified himself as the owner. I explained the situation to him in detail and informed him that the cost of repairs may be an issue for me, as money was a bit tight at the time. After hearing my concerns, Daniel invited me to have my car towed to his shop, assuring me repeatedly that he would work with me on price and payment, no matter the cost. He also assured me that his staff would diagnose the exact problem with my car that VERY SAME DAY at NO COST to me.\r \r I had the car towed to the shop, where it arrived at about 9:30 AM. Five hours later, I still hadn't heard from Daniel or anyone else, so I called to inquire as to the status of my car. Daniel answered and informed me that he hadn't had a chance to get to it yet, but he assured me that he would before they closed at 5:30 that day.\r \r At 5 PM, still not having heard from them, I called back again. Daniel once again answered, but this time he informed me that he would not be able to diagnose my car's problem until the next day. So much for his previous guarantee that he would identify the problem the VERY SAME DAY - despite having had my car for almost 8 hours.\r \r The next morning at 9:30, Daniel called to inform me that he'd performed diagnostic tests on my car but couldn't identify the exact problem. He asked me to explain what had happened, even though I'd given him all that information the previous day. He then informed me that he would perform additional diagnostics on the car and get back to me after he'd identified the problem.\r \r Two hours later, Daniel called back to inform me that after performing additional diagnostics, they'd identified the issue with my car as it ""jumping timing"". When I asked for more specifics, he couldn't give me any; he did, though, inform me that in order to confirm the exact diagnosis he'd have to perform a minimum 3 additional hours of diagnostic testing - at a cost of $95/hour. So much for his previous guarantee that he would diagnose the exact problem with my car at NO COST to me.\r \r I informed Daniel that the 'Check Engine' light had come on when my car initially broke down, asking him to at least research that matter before conducting extensive testing; he ignored my request and insisted that I'd have to pay in order to find out exactly what was wrong with my car. Again, so much for the NO COST diagnostic guarantee.\r \r After reflecting over the sum total of my experiences with this shop, I declined to authorize them to perform any additional work on my car and arranged to have it towed back to my home.\r \r Needlessly to say, I would definitely NOT recommend Cottman of Cary to anyone in need of car repair assistance. more

Hats off to a business that could have taken advantage of a consumer but instead delivered good old fashion customer service. Recently I had transmission problems with my BMW so I took it to Cottman for repair. I had initially assummed that it was gonna be a costly bill since I was dealing with a transmission problem. I received a phone call shortly after dropping it off and was updated about the repair cost. To my surprise my vehicle was repaired that same day and the cost was more than fair. more

Beware of Quality of Transmission Work. I had my transmission in my Honda CRV rebuilt by Cottman in Cary in January 2010 (approx $2900 Ouch). When I picked up my car they told me the noise I was still hearing was a bad wheel bearing. After driving it for few days I was not convinced the noise was wheel bearing. Returned the car to Cottman and they had to conduct additional repair to transmission. Everything fine until a December 2010 I noticed spots on my driveway which turned out to be a transmission fluid leak. Returned to Cottman's told me they would need to pull the transmission to determine source and since it was just outside the 12,000 mile warranty it would cost me at additional $500 just to find out source of leak. Very disappointed with their response and not standing behind their work.\r \r UPDATE: MY TRANSMISSION HAS NOW FAILED AFTER JUST 33,000 miles and 3 Years! I WAS TOLD BY THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER COTTMAN'S HAS A POOR Reputation \r in our area. more

This is my 2nd time to go to Cottman for my Camry since I moved here from NYC a year ago, brad is very nice and honest, not only he matched price other dealer offers for old change, but he also did a free check up for my car and assured me that I can drive for a long distance for the coming holiday. He did point out a minor problem my car has for future reference, no push like other dealer, really appreciate that. It's the 1st place to go if you have a problem with your car or truck. Highly recommend! more

They cost me $130 caliper replacement because they told me by brakes had plenty of wear. I went to them because of squealing brakes and they replaced the front ones (did a fine job) and said the back ones had plenty of wear. There was still a slight squeak which got progressively louder over a couple of months so I brought the car back for them to recheck the back brakes. They said they were still fine and hardly worn. A couple of months later I had my car repaired elsewhere for another issue and they noticed the brakes squealing. They were so worn that they ruined the calipers. After replacement of the brake pads and calipers it's now completely quiet for the first time in several months. I definitely don't recommend them. more

Brad is easy to work with. Good turn-around time. So far so good on the repairs. Happy with their work. Pros: null Cons: null more

I have been taking my car to Cottman the past 3 years. When the dealership for my Hyundai told me that I needed new transmission fluid for my car, I took it to Cottman and they indicated the transmission fluid would not help out my car because the transmission was already burned out. They could of told me to replace the fluid like the dealership but they have honest feedback and saved me some money. When I had brakes to be replaced, I took it to Cottman, and same when the air condition in car needed an expensive part. They give reasonable prices compared to the competition. more

Brought my 2002 vehicle in when transmission was acting up. My initial concern was time for a new car. I decided to go to Cottman Transmission in Cary. I brought my car in so thye could look at it, Brad said we will take it in and evaluate and have results back directly, which he did. Brad reviewed the test result with me.. It was not the complete transmision but a component failure and gave me an estimate. Brad said we could have this back to you late that day. The car was ready and I was ready to pay the estimated price. Brad said the estimaye came in lower. Which in itself rarely happens today, let alone in the auto repair business. I commend Cary Cottman for their honesty and quick service. The car runs perfectly and this was a great experience. Thanks Tom more

They were great in every aspect, quality work, timing, and they helped out greatly with affordable pricing more

I took my car in for a transmission check. Brad, the manager, seems to be an honest, approachable mechanic, so I trusted my car with them for a while. In the end, I paid to tow the car to a shop I trust in my hometown (hours away) because the cost was exorbitant and the owner said a lot without saying anything at all (he was slimy, condescending, and reminded me of every negative used-car-salesman stereotype in existence). AND when the car arrived at the new shop, my mechanic told me that there were parts missing AND they had taken out the pump, which is the last thing you do when dealing with a transmission in my model because it's rarely the problem and it's the most expensive thing you can do! I regret paying them to even look at the car, but hopefully someone else can benefit from my negative experience. more

My car had three transmission overhauls from Cottman of Cary in less than a year but still was not fixed correctly. Each repair attempt took at least a week longer than first estimated. I have spent many hundreds of dollars on unreimbursed car rentals. I still don't trust my transmission enough to take my car on weekend trips. more

My wife's 2004 Mazda MPV mini van started developing a really loud rotational noise from what seemed like the transmission. I was pretty reserved to opening my wallet to the tune of thousands to get this fixed. Vision of a whole new tranny flashed through my head. Had no idea of where in Cary to go. Did a Google search and decided to give these guys a try. I called and made an appointment for the next day. more

It's 9 pm when the BIG RED IN YOUR FACE battery light starts flashing, not now for cripes sake, I'm driving to Michigan in 3 days!!! I just had a new battery and altenator installed 6 weeks ago when I was stranded in Michigan and I had no idea what was happening now but I sure wasn't liking this. Only one thing to do, call Brad at Cottman in the morning. Brad says bring it in and we'll check it out. Within 30 minutes I am back on the road with no blinking red light and a tightened battery cable. It's really nice to have someone in the area that you can trust with your car repairs, they are honest and a great bunch of guys who do excellent work. more

After living in the area for a few years and looking for a mechanic, we have found a good one in Cottman. We brought a transmission that needed repair and have been taking our cars there ever since. They have handled repairs large and small. Always a good experience Pros: Always treated well Cons: none more