Green Earth Automotive

I went in again for an oil change and when I arrived, there was a guy outside who made eye contact but didn’t acknowledge I was there. Then I went inside (where it was freezing — no heating on, 40 degrees outside, and a dog in his crate with no blanket) to find no one around, then stood there for several minutes before the guy from outside popped his head inside to say that the person that would be helping me was in the bathroom and would be out shortly. He went back outside and left me standing in the filthy, freezing office and ~10 minutes later, wondering/​trying not to think about how the person in the bathroom was doing, I decided to get back in my car and take my money somewhere else.

This review is overdue — it happened last winter and I wasn’t going to say anything… I hate leaving bad reviews. But I keep getting emails and it keeps re-​opening the wound. Whatever. They deserve this for robbing a poor girl blind.
I was going through a divorce and my ex husband had always handled car stuff because I’d been taken advantage of before, with my lack of knowledge regarding anything car related. I was new to Austin so I did a Unilocal search for whatever was close by and went with green earth. I’m a hippie, I liked the name. My car had 20,000 miles on it. It was practically new. I knew it was due for its 20,000 mile service and had no idea what that entailed. Turns out, all it really needed was an oil change, tire rotation, that kind of thing. What green earth told me, was that it needed over $ 300 worth of services. Not only that but he said my transmission fluid was murky and that it shouldn’t be yet, but that it indeed was, and that would be another $ 175 or some crazy amount. I told him I’d take my chances — I didn’t have any more money. I hadn’t had a new car in my entire adult life (I’m almost 40 now) so what did I know about it? When I went to jiffy lube last month for my 5000 mile service, they said the transmission fluid was FINE. Funny, because I never took care of it.
I was scared to be on my own without my ex to help if I ran into car trouble and green earth preyed on me. If you’re a girl, and you don’t speak car, don’t go here. You’re just what they’re looking for to pad their wallets. Sorry green earth. Karma’s a bitch.

Friendly owner, and very good service. Had good advice for how to prolong the life of my car.

Highly recommended. We bought our car new and have only trusted it with JD and Green Earth Automotive. Their online reservation system is easy and automated, and they are friendly and helpful — never trying to up-​sell you on more unneeded repairs. As long as I own a car and live in Austin, I’ll be bringing it here for repairs and oil changes.

I go here for everything. Things I can do myself, I just go here. Things I can’t do, I’m at Green Earth. I have even had J. D look over cars I was thinking about buying and he has given me great advice and stopped me from buying a lemon. They are as eco friendly as a shop can get and nice, always well priced and never do any work without clearing it with you and getting the okay. I have even had them recommend that I not get nonessential work done because it was cost prohibitive vs. the value of the car! What kind of shop is so nice they tell you when you’re money isn’t going to be well spent… this shop is. I love this place and won’t bother going anywhere else. I’ve tried other places before (as you can see in my review history) and it was a disaster. Cannot say enough good things about J. D and his shop, from major work to oil changes, this is the place.

Definitely a quality mechanic! We received a super quick «green» oil change free of hassle (that will last twice as long as a typical one). On top of that, we received an honest diagnosis on the state of our vehicle, and all of the pros and cons of fixing each component were easily explained. Great customer service, trustworthy people, and all for a great cause — would highly recommend!

I just moved to Austin and really needed an oil change and a transmission flush. I drive a manual, and was having an awful time finding a shop that was A) open and B) could work on my car. Then, I found this place on Unilocal and couldn’t be happier with my decision to come here.
These guys are super friendly, they ask the right questions and don’t try to sell you crap you don’t need. They also were able to identify a longstanding problem that I’ve been experiencing and walked me through what needed to be done, without pushing hard for a sale.
And on top of that, they found that two of my rims were bent, so they straightened them out for me at no charge!
All I can say is I’m sold. You guys have definitely got yourselves a longterm customer!

I was running late to get my oil changed (paying with a groupon) & they were able to get me in still. JD at the front desk was really sweet. I got my oil changed & they were able to change my transmission fluid too. My car ran noticeably smoother the minute i drove away. All while lessening my environmental footprint. I highly recommend these guys for your car maintenance.

These guys are awesome. The first time I used them was a month ago when my car needed an emergency fix. They fixed it on the same day. When I went to pick it up, they mentioned the rather long list of fixes I’d need. None of these were surprising — even though my car has only 65K miles on it, it’s 15 years old, and I really haven’t kept up with it well. So we prioritized the issues so I could get the work done in more affordable chunks. On the list was a new set of tires.
So I brought my car in for the first round of fixes on a Friday. I was supposed to get it back the same day. At 4 they called and said the guy working on my car had an emergency and had to leave. Not having my car until after the weekend was going to cause all sorts of difficulties. So they let me borrow a car. No charge. Amazing.
Then, when I picked up, they said «I looked closer at your tires, and I think they’re good for another year, so we just rotated them.»
Just a great experience all around.

I found these guys on Groupon and I’m very happy that I did! (TIP: businesses only make half of what you pay for the Groupon. Call and see if they will honor the price before you buy it! It benefits them greatly.)
They use G Oil for oil changes, which is biodegradable and lasts longer than conventional oil.
J.D. was very knowledgeable about the differences. We talked for a little while, and he struck me as an honest person who legitimately cares about environmental issues. He gave me feedback on my car and tips on how to prolong the life of my tires. I’m happy I found the spot, and will definitely be returning!

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go to Green Earth Automotive. Like many people, I wanted to support a local business and love the idea of staying «green». This is the only automotive repair shop that I’ve been to in Austin and I still feel confident in saying that it is the worst one.
I started going here less than 2 years ago for simple oil changes, which was fine, so I decided to bring it back for A/​C repair. After doing a diagnostic I was told what would be needed to fix my vehicle and that it would cost me $ 1200. I agreed and brought it back later to be fixed. While in the possession of Green Earth, the owner called to inform me that something else was needed to repair my vehicle that would cost an extra $ 200. I later found out from my father in law, who worked at and is well-​versed in automotive repair, that this is actually illegal in the state of Texas. However, I was never given a signed quote from the owner, so I chalked it up as ignorance on my part and agreed to the extra money needed. After spending a day in the shop I received a phone call, just as I was siting down for dinner at 5 o’clock, to come and pick up my vehicle. No warning or anything. I had to stop what I was doing and have my wife drive through traffic to drop me off before they closed at 5:30. As I was driving home I immediately noticed right away that it wasn’t working like it should be. I decided to give it a few days just in case it needed some time to get going. It continued to not work properly so I took it back to the shop. The owner later told me that there was a leaky part that was causing the air not to blow cold. Wait, what? Didn’t I take my vehicle here to get fixed? After spending another day in the shop and 2 über rides later, I picked up my «fixed» vehicle. The owner had the audacity to say, «you should tint your windows». My windows are already tinted and not only do I put up my window visor when I park, but I park in the shade. I’ve had this car for 4 years and I know how the A/​C has worked in years past. It’s been a few weeks now and the A/​C STILL IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY!
Pardon my next statement, but… fu** this place. I would go out in front of Green Earth Automotive everyday with a sign that read «Do Not Bring Your Vehicle Here», but it’s waaaay too hot outside and I don’t have a cold car to get into afterward because my brand new $ 1400 A/​C unit still does not work. I can only imagine that the good reviews that have been given on here are from close family and friends of theirs, but even they probably didn’t feel okay with doing this because they too had shoddy work done to their vehicles. Either that or they’ve never actually actually taken it to get fixed here.
Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT BRING YOUR VEHICLE HERE!

Beware! First, they charged $ 10 more than they told me, for no reason at all, just added $ 10. Period. Second, they will try to over-​sell you, BIG TIME. Just needed an oil change, but they tried to saddle me with a $ 475 bill, and the car is only 2 years old.
Self-​righteous, scammers and not at all knowledgeable.

The quality and price at this place is absolutely unmatched in Austin, Texas. Their employees, from the mechanic to the woman who kindly came and picked me up in my car once it was finished after it had been towed to their establishment were all so friendly, helpful, and knowledgable.
They were transparent about what would be the most effective and cost-​friendly way to get my car back in action, and my car came in as less than they quoted.
These people are fair and hardworking, and I will use them for any and all of my future car services.

I took my Lexus to JD as he was suggested by his friend. The AC was out. They checked it
out as I waited in this dirty shop and wondered why I was directed here but… A half hour later I was told that the repair would be $ 1600. and he needed my car for a week. As I only had a
credit card for the $ 600. deposit I said I would come back with cash. Lucky for me as I got into
my spotless car, there were black grease spots on the cream leather door and on the cream
carpet. I was upset so I drove it straight to Lexus. Short story… there was nothing wrong with the
AC other than a freon slow leak and needed to be recharged because of time. Total cost less than $ 300. and they cleaned up the grease spots while they had it for one day. Dont go to this filthy shop and dishonest people.

The team was knowledgeable, helpful, professional and friendly. They went above and beyond in explaining to me how my car works and had great visuals on the difference between their products vs. conventional products.
My new car also requires specialized oil, which cost a fortune everywhere I called. Green Earth cost 50% less than everywhere else.
Helping the planet and saving money! How could I ask for more?

I’m not enough of an expert to thoroughly judge pricing and quality of services, but I’ve been here a few times now (belt replacement, fluid change, sensor replacement) and have had zero issues. They have been courteous and gotten the work done quickly enough. Cost always came in at or below what they quoted.
Most impressive, when I admitted I wasn’t eager to change all of my fluids at once (I’ve got an old car that I probably won’t have that much longer) they were kind enough to recheck everything /​prioritize the list of fluids for me to help me decide what I should change first and what I could possibly wait a bit longer on.
This is a very relaxed joint, too, if that appeals to you.

The people r so nice here! I came in for an oil change & for a great price seriously, leaving having talked to owner who actually spent time explaining what would help improve car! Actual explanation, not just a list on receipt, although that too thankfully, I couldn’t remember otherwise! I definitely like having car stuff broken down into small words! Me like simple! And no pressure to have done today but just a general advisory, to help prepare me for future! If u like not being pressured & full explanations that you can understand definitely come here! And it’s good for the earth! Go earth!

Wow. Wow. WOW.
I’ve been here once, okay service last time with a groupon. I bought another one and made an appointment a week ago. I show up to check in and show him my Groupon and he tells me «that’s for first time customers only, and you’ve already been here. It’s in the fine print. They shouldn’t have even let you buy it.» When I asked for a refund he said to call groupon. I did find it in the fine print. This is all fine, I get it. The bad part on their customer service side is that I had booked this a week ago, got about 5 reminders about my appt and no where in there did they bother to check and see if I was returning or if I had a groupon. They’re permabaked employees with the worst customer service I’ve ever seen. I like to support local business but they’re officially off my list.

Well, I came last year to Austin I came across a problem with my car, so since I didn’t know where to take it, I opened Unilocal and saw that this shop had really good reviews (now I think they must be from their own friends and family), so I went there. Well, the repair in question was not too expensive, the car was working and I was happy with the service. A few days later the car stops working again, so I take it there one more time and I receive a call from the owner telling me that it’s going to be other $ 400 because it’s another problem that doesn’t have anything to do with the previous one. I tell him to go ahead, so he «repairs» the car again, and a few days later, guess what? Yes! It’s not working again! I take it there one more time and I get another call from this guy telling me that it is going to be $ 1000. I can’t believe what I hear and tell the owner that I have a guarantee and that I can’t spend so much money on the car, but he tells me that he gets that but that this problem is a different one. I don’t know why, but I tell him to go ahead and ‘repair’ it because I needed the vehicle. Well, believe or not, the car stopped working again ON THE FOLLOWING DAY!!.
I left the car at the entrance (it was closed) with a note saying that the problem was obviously not solved and that I wanted the car repaired without having to pay a single penny. It was repaired, but he still wanted to charge me $ 40 for a special oil he had to used, which I didn’t do.
Needless to say that the car stopped working again a few days later. Luckily, I found another mechanic who DID REPAIRED the car and it’s been working since then.
DON’T GO THERE.

They are so nice! Very professional, considerate and took the time to explain everything to me. They are eco friendly, located on soco and near a bus if you need to get to work or home. I will definitely go back and have already recommended them to friends. I also highly recommend them to you, lovely Austin Unilocalers.
Thanks Green Earth!