Mander Automotive Service in Helotes
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Helotes, Bexar County, Texas, US
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Site: http://manderautomotiveservice.m...
- Monday:7AM–5:30PM
- Tuesday:7AM–5:30PM
- Wednesday:7AM–5:30PM
- Thursday:7AM–5:30PM
- Friday:7AM–5:30PM
- Saturday:Closed
- Sunday:Closed
I stopped going to the dealer for maintenance after they charged us $100 to replace a air filter that required no tools to service and less than 5 minutes to complete.Mander does good work. We have used them for several years and have been pleased. They have after hours drop-off which is very helpful. The office calls when the car is ready or if unexpected issues are found.The only negative is they are always busy. Dont expect to drive up and get your car serviced. My experience has been an appointment two days later. I havent had an emergency situation so they might fit these in sooner.
I moved here to Texas in 22013 and I took my Truck to as Big Box Shop. I wont feel you the name. But let me say they ripped me off. And stole the engine out of my truck. I was afoot for 5 yrs after that. When I was blessed to have another car. I was very nervous about repair shops. I live in San Antonio but work in Helotes. And my manager uses Manders. So I saw how well they treated her. And thought probably because they are friends. But I said I would give them a try. It was one of the best decisions I have made. As a single woman that is mechanically challenged. They are life savers. Knowledable, honest fair friendly and kind. I have only had three mechanics that I felt I could trust in the last 40 years and The Manders Group are now at the top of that list. Thank You Manders.
This is a very reliable automotive service shop. The owner, Mr. Bob Mander is an honest and very friendly gentleman. If he sees something that needs to be repaired, he call you and let you know. If it doesnt need to be done immediately, he will give you a timeline when it should be repaired. Moreover, it doesnt have to be repaired by his shop. He just wants you safe and your vehicle repaired before the problem gets worse.
I highly recommend Mander Automotive. I recently took my 2006 Nissan Altima to his shop, and he refurbished it back to practically brand new. I could list the many things he fixed, but that would be a long one. I even thought I was going to have to replace my alternator after all of the repairs that he already completed, but I didn’t. He could’ve of easy took me for another couple of hundreds of dollars. I appreciate his loyalty to customer service. He has reasonable prices, and he is honest which is hard to find these days. All of Mander Automotive’s employees treat you like family. If you ever need car repair needs this is the place to go.
Ive been having lots of issues with my truck lately and Mr. Mander has been able to get the issues fixed in a timely manner and at a reasonable price. This is the only mechanic I trust and I refer all my family and friends to him. Im glad he was referred to me many years ago.
**Update#5**: August 19, 2019 walked in with no appointment. Dedicated mechanic for inspections. Two vehicles back-to-back in less than 20 minutes. $14. Very quick 2 years in a row. Still use this place over MD automotive & Braun automotive since they dont do state vehicle inspections. Christian Brothers inconsistent. H-E-B+ for registration...wait
Love these guys! Always honest and usually less expensive. I took my van to a Honda shop that quoted me $800 to fix a part. I took it to Mander who quoted me $400 for the same repair without even looking at it. After looking at it, Mander said that the problem was something other than that part and fixed it for $250.
Weve been using Manders Automotive for about 15 years for our pest control company and for our personal autos as well. Bob is the most honest and competent mechanic I know of in this area. A few times in the past we tried some cheaper auto shops, but we ended up paying more because we often had to take the vehicle back for Bob Manders to do the job right. Just recently, one of our technicians thought his brakes were needing new pads, but after Bobs people took a look, they found the brakes were still good and they didnt charge me a thing!
I scheduled an appointment a few weeks ago to have routine maintenance done on my car. I was moving to Las Vegas and was about to drive approx 1,200 miles, so I wanted the alignment done, transmission flushed (oil I had gotten changed elsewhere and tire rotation).My car was a used Honda Civic, and I knew since I owned it (for 5 years) the timing belt hadnt been replaced, so I asked them to give me a diagnosis on that. I wasnt sure when/if the previous owner replaced it.I ended up spending $400 on the alignment, transmission flush, and the diagnosis of my timing belt (which I thought was a pretty steep price). Bob, the owner, said my timing belt was SO worn, that there was no way I could make it to Vegas safely without having it replaced. He described it as being in the worst condition possible.Of course, I panicked, realizing I had a week until I moved across country and was about to drop $1300 total on my car. I weighed every option, including spending 3 FULL days looking into trading in my car and leasing a new one, because I didnt feel my car was worth $1300+ in repairs. Then, my neighbor and boyfriend decided they would save me all the stress and $$ and change it themselves, while also adding a new water pump. This took them about 12 hours. After they replaced it, they showed me old timing belt. Come to find out, the old timing belt still had the printing label visible and had NO wear what-so-ever. It looked brand new...and it was. My boyfriend popped open the hood to show me something else, and I discovered a yellow tag in the corner of the hood that said the belt was replaced in 2011 and wasnt due to change until 185,000 miles--my car only had 136,000.We took the old timing belt to Bob and asked him what he was talking about, and where he saw the wear, and the only thing he could say was that it didnt look as bad as he initially thought. No apology.I understand this is a business and they need to make money. But at the end of the day, I felt completely lied to and had so much unnecessary stress. I felt Mander prayed on a young female, thinking I didnt know anything about cars. Little did they know, I would see the tag in the corner for proof that my car did not need the replacement. Sure, it doesnt hurt to replace. But it was certainly NOT worn or damaged looking. I am highly disappointed in the dishonesty I received and the way it was handled.
This place is so disorganized, starting with the front office.Dropped my truck off and she said we will call you later.Asked you have my contact information yes we do ???3 days go by went by to check the status, they had no contact infoMr mander came out and said someone will diagnose it and get back with me??3 days later went back and the mechanic says well I just got your truck ,will call you2 days later went back to get diagnoses on my truckYou need this, cool paid 285.00Got part put it on and same problem, called bring it backI did 3 days later mr mander ask me to take my truck, they we not able to fixSo my question is wheres my refund ??
Bob is the NICEST MAN EVER. Long time family mechanic and is up front and honest about your vehicle 100% of the time - even if youre not using him. I would talk to him everyday for his kindness. I would bring my vehicle to him every time it needed for his expertise and honesty.
I was told by the dealership that my A/C repair was due to the compressor and clutch replacement that would cost $2600, so I was referred to Manders from a colleague who also has an Acura. Bob and his team was able to replace the clutch and complete the repair for under $600, so I am forever grateful for the honesty and savings of over $2,000. Bob is a good man and was the person who called me back directly with updates and final repair and pick up.
Consistently excellent service. Bob and crew have serviced our MINIs and our Subaru for several years, as well as many other vehicles of friends and family. His pricing is based on the standard ASC book price for labor hours, plus parts cost. On more than one occasion I have received a discount on labor because the specific job actually took less time than was booked, also have received discounts on parts. Most recently he performed a rotor re-surfacing and threw in a set of brake pads. There may be another shop in the area as good, but I have not found them. Highly recommended.
So i went in to have some tuning work done on my car. i needed them to use thier dealer tuning device because my aftermarket tuner can only do certain things. the estimate was 75$. when i got my car back i got a bill for 220$, and there were NO CHANGES made to my car. i assumed it was some sort of mistake so called them back and tried to talk to someone about it but apparently you need an appointment to even talk to any mechanic. after 2 calls to them telling me that someone would eventually call me back and not recieving a call after about a week, i called my credit card to cancel the charge. that got thier attention and the called me back demanding money. i offered to pay for the gas they added to my car and the cost of what the dealer charged them for the use of thier programming device. in my opinion this is more that what they deserve for doing nothing to my car. i am not paying you people to give it the old college try. i am paying for results. bob was very rude to me considering that i offered to help cover the cost of THIER MISTAKE. my only regret it that google wont allow a zero star rating.
Called all over NW San Antonio to get a TX State Inspection for a Travel Trailer...many inspection stations are no longer doing RVs. But no problem at Manders! In/out 15 min, easy access right off Hwy 16/Bandera Hwy in Old Town Helotes. Highly recommend for all RVers!
Total reviews rating 4.8
116 Reviews for Mander Automotive Service 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-10Mander is the sweetest most genuine mechanic I have ever been too. He will personally call you and tell you ways to get your car fixed in an inexpensive way. He never tries to overcharge you and all of his staff is so kind. Micheal at the front desk is amazing too!! i talked to him everyday for a week getting updates on my car, he kept me very informed and updated!!
Review №2
2022-04-04Mr. Mander and his crew are the best around. The shop is always busy but I have had two emergencies with my 2012 Cruze and Bob has worked it in quickly and is always honest and sincere. If it’s not emergency calling and making an appointment is easy and is usually about 2 days out or so.Everyone is incredibly friendly and prices are reasonable. Don’t take my car anywhere else. Highly recommend their services!
Review №3
2022-02-16Ive been to Mr. Manders shop for a few repairs here and there and he does great work. I recently replaced my transmission in my 11 Buick and he has my car less than 3 weeks, fixed almost about everything, the car runs like new. It Has better pick up and honestly its running better than when I first got it. Mr Manders is honest, him and his crew do excellent work and i am definitely going back for anything in the future. He is the only one my family trusts with our vehicles.
Review №4
2022-08-02The lady Emma at the desk was very nice but I was lied too about what was wrong with my vehicle. There mechanic crew didnt check everything during there checkup and it showed in the notes they wrote down. Everyone here was really nice but Im very disappointed in the lack of effort. I drive a 1996 f150 and I most likely wont come back due to the lack of knowledge on an older vehicle.They diagnosed a exhaust leak as what they called a ticking in the drive shaft which is foolish, they didnt check my oil but instead looked at a sticker on the windshield from a previous oil change from a shop not regarding that I change the oil myself. They didnt look at the engine at all, I know this because they said I had a head gasket leak, but if you look I clearly dont. I believe they probably looked at the coolant level and assumed because it was a little low that it was leaking into the engine.Im thoroughly disappointed they did not try in any way to do this correctly. They should definitely have the knowledge to know these things beings mechanics. Im 18 and I know this stuff. Again I love the environment but whoever worked on my vehicle is not educated in what they need to be and if they are they acted lazy in the moment.
Review №5
2022-08-03Had a few cars worked on by Mander Auto. Have also recommended the shop to others. 3 stars because I’ve called 5 times to follow up on the same quote. Was told they’d call me back but have not gotten a call back in over a month.
Review №6
2022-06-14Replaced rear main seal on a 2011 Chrysler 300C. Great price and great service. Will definitely use for my routine maintenance from here on out. Great local business in Helotes!
Review №7
2022-06-15Was recommended. Spent 2000.00 dollars on repairs took over 3 weeks. Vehichle still leaks . Trans fluid. NOT HAPPY. VERY DISAPPOINTED
Review №8
2022-08-17Mr Mander is a nice fellow. Met today and had a great talk. A real gentleman!
Review №9
2021-12-07Ive been dealing with Mander for a couple years now. I wont go anywhere else. Ive never been to the shop that Mr. Mander doesnt come over and see if he can help. From Mr.Mander and the ladies in the office to the guys in n the pit, they are very friendly and knowledgeable. Mr.Mander stand behind his work. Ive complemented him while looking him in the eye for his honesty and concern of doing a job well. I extend that compliment to his staff as well. Its really nice to talk to a business owner that reminds me of what honesty and loyalty to your customer really looks like. Thank you Mander Automotive
Review №10
2021-12-30My family has been going here for years, and Ive had the pleasure of dealing with Mander a handful of times. Its always right. I think he can just smell what the car is thinking. The rest of the staff is always pleasant and incredibly professional. Ive never had any feeling other than confidence when I drive away from the shop.