Austin's Pro Max

J N

★☆☆☆☆

a year ago

I would not recommend Austin’s Pro Max in Tacoma. I took my ’71 ford f250 to Austin’s based on a recommendation from a friend who said they work on older vehicles. My truck was not running at the time due to what I was told was a faulty fuel pump. Communication prior to service from Rudy was friendly. When my truck was “fixed” I spoke with Steve. All that Steve could repeat was that it works and runs. I asked Steve if there was anything else my truck needed (in the near future) because I’m trying to ensure my truck’s reliability. Steve’s reply was, “there are no guarantees it’s not going to breakdown”. After a few more inquiries into finding out how my truck was doing I simply asked, “could you please give it a once over”? Steve said, “sure”. After a week of my truck sitting in the shop, I called to see how things were going. My answer, “everything looks good but you may want to have distributer and rotor wire work done”. I was also told my breaks were about “60%” (not sure what that meant given the usual descriptors of break status is in millimeters). I told Rudy I had just had my breaks replaced in 2023 and have probably only driven it 50 miles since the break service. He just replied that front breaks are around 60%. I declined the extra service (distributor and/or rotor wires) because I felt I was being taken advantage of. To replace the fuel pump it should not take too long, in fact I did it in less than an hour once before. With the “diagnostics and labor” it cost $474+. I’m not sure they even did my requested “once over” given my battery cables were covered in battery corrosion and my truck is running rough (seems like a timing issue). Not a lot of customer service or care from what I can tell. After I left Austin's, I drove to Les Schwab where I had my break work done. They inspected all breaks and rotors. All 3 service technicians came out to share everything looked brand new and they were also confused by the 60% comment. I’m glad I went to Les Schwab because I was getting the impression that Austin’s was trying to gouge me. Thank goodness I didn’t give Austin’s a chance to work on my perfectly good breaks. My truck isn’t running very well so I will be heading to another shop soon given the pinging sounds and roughness of the idle. I certainly feel like I was taken advantage of but glad I didn’t agree to another $580 bill or worse. Not a fan of Austin’s and won’t be back.

Daelin C.

★★★★★

9 months ago

Rudy and the guys did a great job building an exhaust for my G35. They were quick and efficient and it looks and sounds great. Rudy is a good communicator calling me to keep me updated as the worked on my car.

Michael Foley

★★★★★

10 months ago

My wife had a minor accident this morning while dropping her granddaughter off at school. A tailpipe hanger was loosened and hanging down. They adjusted and tightened the supporting bracket. When we picked our car up, we were told there would not be any charges for the work! Pro/Max will be our first call for future work on our vehicles! Great customer and vehicle repair! We thank you!

Jube Lynn

★★★★★

3 months ago

They get you in fast and great auto service

Teresa Martinez

★★★★★

11 months ago

Friendly service, affordable prices, and quick work! They spent three hours to fix my car and I took a little walk to pass the time and then went on my way, fully satisfied! 5 stars, definitely coming back here for any other car repairs!

Daunte Kelly (The Color Black)

★★★★★

3 years ago

First, GREAT group of men! They were able to get my car in and get some header work done. Any issues they ran into they took care of! Couldn't be happier with my car! Recommended 100%

Blake Johnson

★★☆☆☆

5 years ago

Short Story: They did not install an exhaust system as I requested, but fixed it "under warranty." However, they installed too small of a catalytic converter the second time and refused to replace it. The price was a ripoff given the lack of their claimed performance specialty in knowledge, training, and ability. Full Story: I have been to Austin’s pro max for maintenance and exhaust work in the past to great satisfaction, but my most recent experience here was unexpectedly bad. I brought my Chevy K2500 truck in to have an exhaust system fabricated after installing headers, with the goal of maximizing performance. We drove it in using one oxygen sensor without issue, to which Austin’s would install two oxygen sensor bungs in the collectors for both factory fitted oxygen sensors to be used. I requested that 2.5” pipe be run from each header collector to a Y-pipe, where it would then continue at 3” pipe all the way back, including the catalytic converter, muffler, and over-axle bend. Initially, Austin’s installed the 2.5” pipes from the headers to the Y-pipe as requested, but only installed single 2.5” piping from Y-pipe back including catalytic converter and muffler. Only the tail pipe was 3”. They agreed to fix it under warranty the next day in the 3” size as initially requested, including the catalytic converter and muffler. After driving only 15 miles, I noticed the exhaust temperature at the tail pipe outlet was unusually hot. I inspected the catalytic converter and found it to be extremely hot. Upon looking up the part number for the converter, I found it to be undersized for the vehicle. The truck is a 454 C.I.D./7.4 L engine with a registered GVWR of 10,000 lbs; the magnaflow 99039HM catalytic converter that Austin’s installed was rated for a maximum limit of 378 C.I.D./6.2 L, 6375 lbs GVWR limit. When I returned a third time with both the information on the converter and the EPA catalytic converter requirements, Austin’s refused to fix it, making claims such as “we’ve installed these converters on this size engine before without problem,” “you only have one oxygen sensor installed,” “it would be purple if it was overheating," and claimed it wouldn't be a problem for emissions testing. During this third and last occasion, there were two brand new oxygen sensors installed. Further, one of the bungs was not centered on the drilled hole and I had to use a dremel so the oxygen sensor could even thread in correctly. I used HPtuners VCM scanner to verify that the air/fuel ratio was correct across normal driving conditions, and the engine was not running lean. COT, Catalyst OverTemperature protection, has always been enabled. The engine itself is in excellent, like-new condition after an overhaul with all-new OEM components in the fuel and ignition systems. After more driving, the catalytic converter case has now turned purple and the once-chrome exhaust tip (which is >6 feet downstream of the converter) has now turned tan from overheating. See pictures attached. The pipe bends are nice, but that’s about it. The quality of work and lack of their claimed “professionally trained performance specialization,” ESPECIALLY considering the steep price, will never have me returning, nor can I recommend this shop to anyone else.

Doug V

★★★★★

7 years ago

Excellent work, great price! Got duel exhaust installed from cat back, tail pipes out to the sides on a 2011 Toyota Tundra. Quick turnaround and outstanding customer service.

Tyler Schlag

★★★★★

7 months ago

My experience was fantastic. Service advisor was awsome. Price was unbelievably good for the repair i needed. I was in and out in an hour without appointment. I highly recommend this shop!

Christopher Phrathep

★★★★★

2 months ago

Friendly staff and very fast service. They had my axel back exhaust welded on and I was on my way in less than an hour.

Hyper Sports

★★★★★

Edited 4 years ago

I stopped on in to checkout what kind of classic cars they have. They didn’t have much but they were kind enough to make me look in the shop at a 29 Ford coupe and a Mitsubishi van that they were working on. They also have some mufflers and exhaust tips … Ohhh Yea they have a race car for sale. On another note come checkout my channel for more Cars & Entertainment on Instagram under Sports_Hyper. There’s a link on top to my YouTube channel also. Thanks !!!

Jeanine Keener

★★★★★

a year ago

I was so thankful for Kris and his crew for going out of their way to help me with a job totally unrelated to mufflers!!! I just needed a few ‘welds’ on some chairs for an antique garden table and chairs. It is obvious why this company is successful…I won’t hesitate to send clients their way for their speciality, mufflers, etc…and maybe the odd job!!!

Robert McBride

★☆☆☆☆

Edited 3 years ago

Edit. Would not recommend. Read on. This place is top notch. I take my 72 c20 and my 99 Tahoe here for any work I can’t do. They’re fairly priced and do great work with a decent turn around time. I had a issue with a brake job I had done on my Tahoe and they handled it very professionally. They fixed what was going on and have my Tahoe back to me by the end of the day, no charge. I will continue to use and recommend this shop!! Thanks guys!! Edit. I now would not recommend this shop. I have had my 99 Tahoe in and out for warranty work and they still can’t get it right. It’s not worth my time to continue to hope they’ll finally get my brakes right. I thought they claim to be the best brake shop in town? I will be taking my three vehicles to other mechanics from this point on. Communication is a 1 out of 10. They never call you to verify the issues they find and provide an estimated time of completion.

Dylan Griffith

★★★★★

3 months ago

I brought my 2015 Nissan Titan to these guys for some basic maintenance and asked them if they could fix a broken exhaust hanger while they were at it. They gave me a quote to fix the hanger that was more than reasonable, and I offhandedly mentioned that I didn't really like the way my pipes exited and that I would likely be having that taken care of when I had more time to spare. The mechanic (wish I had asked his name) brought me out to the shop partially through the repair and asked if I would like him to lift the pipes a little bit while he was at it. I said absolutely I would and assumed the extra cost would be added to my bill. When all was said and done he ended crafting a completely custom exit with more secure hanger locations and a significantly better location and appearance. They didn't charge me a cent over the original quote to replace a single hanger. You gentleman have a customer for life.

James Dean Cooper

★★★★★

8 months ago

These guys nailed it. From the first phone call to the finished product. Wasnt a big job but one that mattered nonetheless, needed a 2 Bolt flanged and V band flange welded to my resonator. Danny was great and the crew was awesome getting the work done. Quick and efficient just what I needed. Thank you.

Matthew Wright

★★★★★

a month ago

Helped me fix my alternator on this pos van I just bought. Not a big deal, just need a new terminal on the wire. Zack did a great job! Very professional. I am definitely a repeat customer now. I need new shocks, an alignment and brakes inspection.

Nathan Kogge

★★★★★

3 months ago

I felt compelled to write a review after a recent service on my 1990 Nissan 300ZX. Now, mind you this is a car I've brought back from being parked for years. The last piece of the puzzle was getting fresh fluids in, and I decided to "outsource" that work to a shop. I dread letting someone else touch this car but this shop was great to work with without incessant upselling. The maintenance work was done correctly and efficiently. Same-day service, quick to quote and to the point. However, it was the little things that they did... Top off fluids and a new hose clamp without being charged additional for. The parking brake light indicator that never went off now works as designed (I'm assuming they cleaned/adjusted the mechanism). The vehicle was taken care of. Anything else one could ask for? Not really. Workmanship was good, staff were professional and friendly, updates were communicated promptly and work was finished as promised. I'm finicky with my cars (especially the Z) but it's a thumbs up and big recommendation from me!