Active Transmission Service

If you’re car drives take it somewhere else. If not, have it towed somewhere else.
Phil was my contact at the shop. I think he mentioned that he was the owner. There was nothing but non responsiveness, empty promises and lies. I ended up having my vehicle re-​towed somewhere else. On top of everything, the new shop said there were missing parts. They eventually found them 2−3days later after numerous calls and a trip back there.

Hoo boy. Thanks to Unilocal,I averted catastrophe.
My transmission was having trouble switching from 2^nd to 3^rd so I called Hrant for a recommendation. He sent me to Dale. Dale sounded great, very friendly, so I had AAA tow my car to him.
He told me it would take 3 hours to diagnose. After 4 hours, I called and he had some story about it not diagnosing correctly.
After 7 hours, he called and gave me a very detailed description of all the things that were wrong with my transmission, including a colorful description of «metal on metal», metal shavings in the box, a messed up torque, and other things that made no sense to me (I know nothing about cars) but were terrifying. It would take $ 2600 to rebuild the whole thing.
So I Unilocaled him, just to make sure. Yikes!
I found another shop to get a second opinion, and picked up my car. Dale suggested I have it towed, but said I could drive it in first down Walnut to the other shop, «but it’s going to have to be totally rebuilt anyway.»
I drove down Walnut, hazards on, 10 miles an hour. The other shop, Hi Tek transmission, has great reviews here so I figured it was worth a shot. The owner took my car for a drive, and returned, saying, «Transmission in great shape. Shifting smoothly. You’re good.»
Huh? I got in the car with him and he tested it out for me… it was fine.
If I hadn’t Unilocaled this guy, I would have been out $ 2600. It’s a real pity because Dale seems like such a nice person and I was totally convinced that he was genuine; he’s good.
Thank you, Unilocal.Just saved me $ 2600.
I wish I could recommend HiTek but since I have no transmission problem I didn’t have a chance to try them out.
And I did tell Hrant and I think after all of this lousy feedback he’s going to stop referring people. I sure hope so, anyway…

Read this fast, because Active Tranny is proof that business CAN pay Unilocal to have their bad reviews scrubbed.
This is an ongoing review, scroll down to see the latest.
Note: several weeks ago, there were almost 20 reviews of Active Transmission, now there are only two. Scrubbing ?
I was referred to this shop by Hrant Automotive — a good shop w/​a deservedly good reputation.
First I met with Dale, who has a friendly grin and a folksy manner; he got me signed in. Then I met with Chris, who gave me an estimate of $ 1400. Three days later, with my transmission apart, Chris told me it would cost $ 2700 and my car would be ready in a couple days.
Picked up my Acura MDX on Friday, January 14, 2011. The price held steady at $ 2700. They let me drive it a good bit before I paid for the work.
Got it up to 60 miles an hour and back down — all very smooth. They wanted me back on the 28^th for a follow-​up. That was good and reassuring.
March 1, 2011: I have to say that Active has had very good follow up and they have gone out of their way to ensure that my car is working as it should and that I’m happy with the work. As of this writing, I can recommend their service.
June 1, 2011 Check Engine light comes on, had it read at the closest Jiffy Lube: P0 740 Torque Converter and Clutch Solenoid Circuit. Taking my car back to Active Transmission to see what’s wrong…
Looks like it was just the light and nothing else, though they may simply have disabled the sensor to make the problem disappear.
June 27, 2011 This afternoon I came to the top of the Lake Ave exit off the 210 and smelled the rank odor of scorched transmission fluid. Pulled into my parking space at work a short distance away and looked under my car to see trans fluid leaking very badly. Got the car over to Active immediately where Dale assured me «we’ll get right on it, Don, and I’ll call ya as soon as we git it up and see what’s goin’ own.»
July 1, 2011 Trans repaired under warranty, my car was returned to me fully functional and has performed excellently since.
Late 2012 My transmission from Active Transmission started slipping out of gear at every red light and stop sign. It degenerated to the point that, upon moving from a full stop (or even accelerating from a slow spot of traffic) I had to search madly for a gear that would engage ! In other words, my automatic trans from Active was quickly becoming inactive. Conveniently enough, the warranty had expired (how DO they time that so well ?).
DO NOT PATRONIZE ACTIVE TRANSMISSION — even if Hrant tries to send you there !

Can I give zero stars?
Take your car to this shop if you want to be scammed out of your money. My 2002 VW Cabrio transmission went out and I was referred to Active Transmission by Hrant Auto (whom I love, by the way). Dale quoted me a rebuild that cost about $ 3k and told me that a new transmission was not an option because VW did not make my transmission anymore. I took what he said at face value because
1) I have always trusted Hrant and
2) Dale is actually a personable guy and I believed him.
That was my biggest mistake. I told him to go ahead and rebuild the transmission. Less than three months later, the tranny goes again. It was before the warranty expired and after Dale checked it out, he said it would cost another $ 1K to fix. I didn’t understand why it would cost more money to fix it if it was still under warranty. They were steadfast, take it or leave it. I called VW just to see if they had my transmission… they DO! And they said what Active Transmission told me was a bunch of BS (please excuse my language). A new transmission with labor would have cost $ 3500. I was so livid. And stuck. I could pull the car out, get a new transmission and be out $ 7500 or pay the $ 1k to have them rebuild again. Being broke now, I agreed to Active Transmission’s service. The car had been in their shop for weeks now and I desperately needed the car for work. I was burnt out from dealing with the shop and I felt strongarmed in giving them my business. Now, two months after the warranty has expired, the tranny has gone out again. I called VW for a quote and guess what, this time I can get one for $ 3k. What a joke. I was always told not to take my car to a dealer for repairs but this time I should have. Always do your research and if you want to deal with faulty service and part with your hard-​earned money, then take your car to Active Transmission.