Tehachapi Transmissions inc.

In 2021, I was driving across the country when my car’s check engine light and flashing “D” signal came on. I didn’t know what the issue was at the time so I pulled into the next town which happened to be Tehachapi, California, in the Mojave Desert. I looked up a mechanic and found Tehachapi Transmissions. I pulled into their parking lot around 6:00 am and waited until they opened in the morning. When they opened I told them the problem and they fit me in immediately. They told me I’d have to pay a diagnostic fee which I was fine with. I was grateful to be seen on such short notice. The issue was a speed sensor so they replaced it and tightened up a few other things and I was charged about $500 total. While they were working on the car, I was waiting in the lobby and I started chatting with the wife of the owner. She was very nice and asked about my hometown on the east coast noting the differences between the desert and the forest. She then brought up her daughter who had died tragically the year prior. She told me how much she missed her and how they’d created a small memorial for her where she would walk to every day during lunch. She was so heartbroken! I like to draw portraits of people so I told her I would draw her daughter’s portrait if she sent me some photos. About a month later I was able to do a fun portrait and mail it to her at no cost to her. After the car was fixed I thanked them, paid my bill, and drove to the East Bay to visit family. About a month later I was driving in Oregon when the same check engine and flashing “D” lights came on. I found a great mechanic who told me the car should be fine but they wouldn’t be able to look at it until the next day. I continued my drive to Portland and found another mechanic who took a look and said the speed sensor “looked old” and had never been replaced. I called Tehachapi Transmissions and left a message with the mechanic but he never got back to me. It looks like he had never replaced the speed sensor and basically charged me $500 to clear the code. I was taken advantage of. I learned my lesson to be wary of classic con moments for a stranded traveler.

Dec 16, 2024 · Paul Choi (pc)

Two years ago, I barely limped into Tehachapi Transmissions without being towed. Since then, the shop has almost completely rebuilt my old truck. I can’t say enough positive things about their friendliness and expertise. If I need something fixed, they diagnose and repair quickly and accurately. So if possible, I’ll drive hours out of my way to come back here whenever problems arise.

Jan 04, 2025 · George Ward

I will go to them for transmission service only. The people are friendly and so are their beautiful dogs. The reason that I won't go to them for general fixes on my car is that they just read a code and wanted to charge me $1500 for the code fix without testing to see what the code pertained to (it could have been three things) and all that needed to be done was to clear the code which I did myself.

Nov 27, 2024 · Kevin Steinmetz

Great company to deal with. We broke down and they were there to help anyway they could. Unfortunately we had to buy a new transmission for our motorhome. it took about 3 weeks so I went back to Oregon. But they kept me informed on any thing that was going on with my unit. Fairy good people there.

Apr 22, 2024 · Perry Luke

In Tehachapi there are a few options to get things fixed. This shop will handle general issues as well, but I needed them for a transmission issue. It took a few days to get the problem fixed but they understood my situation and really did everything they could to take care of me.

Jan 22, 2025 · David Czarnecki