About Business
Gary's Automotive and Truck Service is a leading Car Repair specialist serving the Abilene, TX, Abilene area. They provide a wide variety of solutions, including Auto repair shop, and other Car Repair tasks. Boasting a solid 4.2/5 rating from 85 verified reviews, their reputation precedes them. As a locally-owned business in Abilene, TX, they are deeply committed to providing honest and reliable Car Repair support to their neighbors. If you are in need of Car Repair assistance, we invite you to reach out to them today or visit their location in Abilene, TX.
Google Reviews
Sabrina Garrison
★
☆☆☆☆
a month ago
My mother came in on Tuesday in a 4 cylinder buick verano. She was charged just under $800 for diagnostics, 4 spark plugs, and 1 coil pack. The plugs and packs are on the top center of the engine. The parts were less than $100 for the spark plugs, $60 For a single pack or $150 for all 4 coil packs. I don't understand how checking a red and pink wire for 12 volts and running 10 minutes of other diagnostics to rule out fuel system issues was well over $200. I will say they did diagnostics, repairs, and had my senior citizen mother ripped off and back on the road in under 3 hours. Wednesday she breaks down in Wilcox Arizona with similar issues. I have her pull into Autozone and purchase a 4 pack of coil packs for 150 including tax. The packs are on the top center of the engine. 1 wire harness and 1 bolt. Super easy. She broke the bolts on all 3 coil packs. Thankfully a mechanic was passing through. He took her to his shop and worked for hours to try and back the remainder of the bolts out. I asked it Loctite had been used and they said it was possible but that the bolts were definitely over torqued by the mechanic the day before. After several hours of trying, they had to re-thread the bolts to a larger size. These 2 wonderful mechanics worked from 6-9:30 pm... 3.5 hours after closing... and only charged my mother $100... and they put the new coil packs on for her. Gary's should be ashamed for overcharging a senior and for the over torque on 4 bolts going into the block. For future reference... 71 is the torque for coil pack bolts on a buick verano. I am BEYOND angry. She gave you her rent money!!! My brother has been a mechanic for 30+ years and I have worked on my cars for 20+. The parts were $225 IF you had replaced all plugs and all 4 COIL PACKS instead of 1. $150 for 4 plugs, 1 pack and I am giving a 20% mark up. The BOOK TIME is 1.5-2 hours. Assuming you are at $150 per hour that is 300 + 150 parts with mark up which is 450. Diagnostics... assuming you are super slow with your scanner and climbing under the car to get a few voltage readings... let's say 1 hour. I'm at 600. 675 on the high side and that's including 3 coil packs that did not get replaced. I fail to understand $800 for diagnostics, 4 plugs, and 1 coil pack on the top center of the engine... no difficulty or blind spots. It's a half hour job for me to do 6 on my van (3 blind facing the firewall and hard to reach) and I am a woman that never took a class or worked in a shop. PLEASE be aware of what you should be paying. I would hate for anyone else's senior citizen parents to get overcharged here just to break down again less than 24 hours later. Also, the mechanic in Wilcox Arizona said he charges $300 flat for plugs and coil packs on her 4 cylinder buick. I still can't believe she paid 800... and that a shop only replaced 1 coil pack. You literally had to remove each of them to replace the spark plugs. Please do better in the future. Senior citizens beware!!!!
Rebecca Tabor
★
☆☆☆☆
a year ago
RUDE!!! RUDE!!! Took my car to get a diagnostic check. Called to pick it up. No discussion of what was done, what was checked, or what could be wrong with my car. I called and asked what was done, he asked what the name was under, put me on hold, then came back and said, “ma’am that vehicle was picked up”.. I said I know, we just got home with it and I would like to know what was done and what’s wrong with it. He said they didn’t find anything.. if nothing is wrong, then why does my car have 1) a rough start 2) vibrates in idle and reverse 3) it shakes and acts like it wants to die 4) it died on my husband in PARK in the DRIVEWAY this morning. He said nothing was said to them about any of that. So I asked what they do in a diagnostics check. He said it depends on. I asked on what? “Ma’am it depends on the vehicle”. I asked if was hooked up to machine or scanner or what’s done… music started playing. He put me on HOLD. Without telling me. I waited SEVERAL minutes without anyone picking the phone back up, so I hung up and called back. I said that was “NOT COOL!” You put me on hold without saying a word and you didn’t even come back. “Ma’am, I have 5 people here waiting. I’ll call you back when I have time”.. I said no.. that’s rude! He was talking to me first and I want to know what’s wrong with my car because nothing was said when my husband showed up. He was handed the keys and told to have a good day! He said plenty was said. So I asked l… again… what diagnostic was ran, was anything found because I need my car fixed. He said nothing was found that he told my husband he can try to change out the motor mounts (we ordered them the other day with transmission mounts also and they came in today), so something must’ve been said for him to tell my husband to try what he already had intentions of doing. I asked how a diagnostic can be ran and nothing show, when my car obviously SHOWS signs. They should’ve noticed when they drove my car to move it. “Ma’am, I’m hanging up. Don’t call here again and don’t bring your vehicle here anymore, we won’t work on it”.. I asked his name.. “My name is Shawn and I’m the owner and I’m telling you not to come back here again.” I asked “WHY?!” I just wanted to know what was done. We took it for a diagnostics. “And we didn’t charge you for that ma’am. Don’t call back. Don’t bring your vehicle back.” .. And here I am. Writing a review to let EVERYONE know how rude and unprofessional “Shawn” and Gary’s Automotive is! If there was a choice of “0” stars, I would’ve picked that, but I had to pick the “1” star. We have taken our vehicles there before with no problem, but not anymore. Not after today. VERY RUDE!! VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!!! And how am I to know that a “Shawn” is owner of “Gary’s” Automotive Repair?! Go somewhere else. Don’t waste your time or money on a place that’s unprofessional!!
Jo Hearrell
★★★★★
a month ago
Honest people. Highly recommend. Work gets done in a timely manner. They will be my go to place from now on.
Tony
★
☆☆☆☆
6 months ago
Super unprofessional, paid for a diagnostic and they never did anything, charged us for a diagnostic and said "well there's something inside the transmission is wrong". Never gave us paperwork, never said what the problem was, we had to call them they never even let us know what was going on. They tried to sell us a new transmission on "just take my word for it". Terrible way to do business, they will definitely try to screw you.
Nicole Valdes
★
☆☆☆☆
a year ago
I was referring here after being told it's a good place by another shop that couldn't get my vehicle in. Not being from the area I sent it due it running bad after flash flooding inwas caught in unexpectedly. I had the vehicle towed there because when I started it in front of the adjuster it smelled horrible, had steam from the motor, traces of dirty water residues in the entire engine compartment and in the air intake. A few days later this shop said they started it but after looking at the miles on my vehicle and claim from Sedgwick claims managment services they cleared the codes so there were no lights in the dash they called me and said it didn't repeat the codes for them. They blamed the miles and said they didn't find anything. I trusted them and took it home. On the drive home the check engine light came on and started running rough. Then it shut right back off. When it kept turning the dash codes on and off and was running rough I checked the codes and got a misfire and a cat code which showed up in the hours follwing the flash flood on my way to my Dr office the day of the claim via my at home code checker. I called and the girl in the office said it was safe to drive 4.5 hours with my 2 kids to San Antonio even with those codes. I didn't think it was safe so a friend took me to another shop. They diagnoses and printed me a paper with what they found. I took it back to Gary's. I showed them the paper and asked them what they thought about the findings. The owner basically yelled at me and made it sound like I didn't know what I was talking about and he said repeatedly that the other shop was wrong. He said it was my fuel pump. I didn't think he was right after I called more mechanic shops and was told what they did to test it in front of me was wrong and multiple things could have caused what happened when tested. I googled all of the symptoms too. Everything my vehicle did in front of the adjuster indicated minor water damage. The adjuster & Gary's both said water in the oil makes it milky... and it does, 1 cup or more is when it starts looking milky. My vehicle, very fortunately, only got one good chug of water and clearly not an entire cup because it wasn't milky. It was enough to damage the 2 lifters and behave how it was though. Had more water entered the damage could have been way more extensive damage too. But it was fortunate to only damage the one set of lifters and cause the catastrophic damage to the catalytic converter. The two lifters with 347k miles were damaged by water siting in the cylinder waiting on the adjuster and a neglectful shop can mimic the fuel pump going bad then running it.Whats worse is gary wanted to charge me for work that didn't need done at all, they didn't properly advise on the claim to my insurance when they saw there was a large discrepancy in the miles on the claim and the actual miles on my vehicle as the first indicator they needed to verify. AND had I taken that girls advice that my vehicle was safe to drive it to San Antonio on my birthday me and my kids would have been stuck on the side of the road in 115⁰+ temps somewhere between abilene and san antonio if not also damaging my vehicle beyond repair. She has kids of her own. They could have ended our lives with theor advice. Being stranded in the middle of an area that may or may not have cell reception in a vehicle not able to run and is in extreme texas temperatures is very dangerous for anyone. I'd definitely avoid this place if you want a safe running vehicle and a knowledgeable opinion. The work was done correctly and started up perfectly elsewhere after being given the proper care and attention that was requested in the first place by this shop. I found the photos from the weeks prior proving the water residue wasn't dirty from normal wind. My vehicle didn't get to 347k miles by neglecting it. It ran perfectly before the flash flood. Each time something messed up the driveability I immediately repaired it over the 10.5 years I've owned it. I forgive you but I won't refer anyone to you ever.
Lupe Chacon
★★★★★
3 years ago
We were on a trip across the state when our vehicle suddenly started giving us unexpected problems. We we 50 mile from Abilene, we were recommended Gary’s Automotive, as no one else could get us in for repairs. We called Gary’s and they were extremely helpful in locating the part needed and worked us into their schedule. By the time we made it to Gary’s, our car finally died. They were very kind, helpful, courteous and professional when dealing with us and had us back on the road in a short amount of time. We are very thankful to the employees of Gary’s automotive for saving our vacation
Jamie Harper
★★★★★
10 months ago
Best body shop in town! They have repaired my vehicle twice now and both times have been knowledgeable, friendly and very timely!! I won’t go anywhere else!!
Justin Brooke
★★★★★
9 months ago
The guys at Gary’s did a great job on an electrical issue I was having in my truck. They did great work and fixed the issue.
Phil Raisig
★★★★★
3 years ago
We had a WONDERFUL experience with this shop. After our RV started gushing antifreeze in the middle of a long trip, we got off the highway and looked up a close shop to call. They don't specialize in RV's, but Shawn kindly said to bring it over and he'd take a look. After a quick glance, he saw the busted hose and got one of their mechanics on it immediately. Brian had it fixed and ready to go in just an hour! He also gave me several pointers on things to keep my eye on and look out for. It was also an extremely fair price!! I recommend this shop to anyone and send a special thanks to Brian and Shawn!
McKenzie Fergus
★★★★★
8 months ago
Very responsive and helpful. They fixed something on my car at no charge---highly recommend as they Gary's really cares
Tonyia Higgs
★★★★★
7 years ago
I was in Abilene visiting from out of town (over 150 miles from home), when my transmission (that I replaced last year) went out on me. When I pulled onto the lot I thought to myself "they must be one heck of a good shop or one really bad one" as their lot and side streets were covered with vehicles. Well I have to say that it was the first of these thoughts, they were AWESOME. They had to order a new transmission (thank goodness it was under warranty) and were very informative and attentive. They knew I was from out of town and did whatever they could do to get me up and out of there. I wound up getting to spend more time with family that I had come to see and enjoyed every minute of it. I would DEFINITELY recommend these guys to anyone. They made the experience as easy as possible. Thank you Shawn, Justin and the rest of the guys!! UPDATE: I was in town in Abilene again and needed to have my oil changed. OF COURSE THESE GUYS ARE WHO I THOUGHT OF FIRST!! They treated me so well the last time and were so efficient. I also had them check on the transmission they installed last year. ABSOLUTELY, I would recommend these guys to anyone! They are genuinely nice and go out of their way to get the job done in a timely manner. They didn't feel like the parts place was delivering my air filter in a timely manner, so they went and picked it up their selves. NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL SERVICE! Thanks Shawn and all the crew!!
Charles White
★★★★★
2 years ago
I live In Godley TX near Weatherford. My F250 broke down near Baird and I had it towed to Gary's. They got right on it and took great care of me even though I never met anyone there. First time I met the guys was when I picked up my truck after it was ready to go. Highly recommend them.
Jeannie Tutor
★★★★★
2 years ago
The outstanding mechanics at Gary’s Automotive have not only changed oil in my car but identified and repaired underbelly problems. I have used them multiple times over the past several years and couldn’t be more pleased! 10 out out 10!
Jeremy Walker
★
☆☆☆☆
4 years ago
I was calling local mechanics in Abilene to get estimates on how much it would be for them to replace the spark plugs in my SUV. The first place I thought of was Gary's Automotive, because the company I work for has used Gary's many times over the years to work on company vehicles. An employee named Sean answered the phone and I told him about my situation and asked first, if they did spark plug work on vehicles, and second, if he could give me an idea of the cost to do it. Sean told me that they do spark plug work, but that they were a week out with other customers. I told him I understood and asked if he could go ahead and give me an estimate for the work. "I'm going to pass," he said abruptly. "You're going to pass on..." I started. "I'm going to pass on the job," he said with haste and annoyance in his voice. "Okay," I replied a little confused, as I had not offered him the opportunity to work on my SUV...but was simply trying to get an estimate on the work. "Okay, thank you sir," he said and hung up. My wife, who had been in earshot of the conversation, was rightfully upset about the interaction, and called Gary's to see if she could get the info I was looking for. Sean answered her call and she told him that I had just called about an estimate on spark plug work, and Sean, much more professional then he had been with me, took the time to give her an estimate of how much the work would cost. This was my experience with Gary's Automotive in its entirety...and while their estimate for the spark plug work was reasonable (in fact, they had the cheapest estimate of all the ones I inquired about that day), their staff members (Sean) customer service was not to the standard that I'm sure this business is trying to uphold. In the end, in this case and in the future, I will not be visiting Gary's Automotive for my vehicle maintenance needs. If Sean or anyone else ever reads this review, I hope you see that I"m coming from a place of practicality. I've worked in customer service myself, and I know that one of the most important jobs we have in honoring our customers is carefully listening to what their actually asking for and not making assumptions that cause you to represent your company and yourself, in an unprofessional manner. I am leaving a single star rating on this review because Sean was respectful and helpful to my wife, and I appreciate that.
Eric Absten
★
☆☆☆☆
3 years ago
Do not go to Gary's The DMV passed my truck two moths ago for a driver's license vehicle inspection so my truck is good. The owner was horrible he was 60ft from my truck and tossed the keys back at me. Said it fails because I was missing a reflector. He isn't qualified to do this job. Went to another place and they had me in and out within 10 min.
Daniel Decker
★★★★★
2 years ago
I do a lot of business with Gary’s and they take great care of me and my vehicles. I would definitely recommend them for your fleet vehicles as well as personal vehicles. Plus, they recently painted their office and it looks incredible.
Aimee Vialpando
★★★★★
4 years ago
First day of vacation, the fuel pump went out on our car. These folks were suggested to us, and we are thrilled that we listened!! Friendly, professional and fun! There are plenty of other places we wish we had been today, but Shawn, family and employees took amazing care of us!
Judy Martin
★
☆☆☆☆
3 years ago
Had my vehicle taken in for not running. Diagnosis was fuel pump. Wasn't long it went out n towed back to shop. Was told other fuel pump was faulty n shop re installed another at no charge the 2nd time due to warranty. Had troubles after filling up since n at last fill up vehicled no longer started so had it towed to another nearest shop for diagnostic n told it was fuel pump. Called garys n was told they will go pick it up. Later in day still not picked up n called garys n spoke with owner Shawn n he proceeded to talk hateful n harsh at me n said he wasnt gonna touch my vehicle nor pay any of his technicians to work on it n cover the warranty. Shawn proceeded to talk harsh n said his lot was so full that he couldn't even store my vehicle on his lot n I could go look. I did go look n also took photos of a half empty lot. Owner Shawn continued to talk harsh n says to have a wonderful day and hung up on me. Now i am forced to take matters to a higher level ...in court..To Mr Shawn..you have a wonderful day
Sarah Walker
★★★★★
6 years ago
All I can say is WOW! We were stuck on the side of the road just one day before a holiday. Not only did they find the part, but they got the fuel pump replaced in one day! We are traveling through town, so we appreciate their prompt response so we can be back on the road. They treated us fair and had excellent customer service. Highly recommend!!
Blake Strohl
★★★★★
4 years ago
The absolute best customer service. Everyone in this establishment is friendly and helpful. No worry or stress when I leave my vehicle in their hands. They always offer good advice and never recommend services that are not necessary. Repairs left my car driving off like new again.
