Mander Automotive Service - Helotes (TX)

5 /5 Vico: Had been dealing with persistent ABS issues after a previous vendor failed to come through. Fortunately, this shop came through when I needed it most. The staff was extremely helpful and quickly sourced a replacement part. They got everything taken care of fast and had me back on the road in no time. Excellent service and great customer support

1 /5 Mallory West: I recently picked up my car from this shop on Tuesday, July 15th, and unfortunately, the customer service experience was extremely disappointing. When I arrived, I stated that I was there to pick up the vehicle under my father’s name. The woman at the front desk didn’t ask any clarifying questions or confirm which car it was. She simply pulled out a stack of papers and said, “That’ll be $915.49,” without providing any breakdown or explanation of the charges. I informed her that I’d be paying $500 in cash and the remaining balance on card. After handing her the cash, she looked at me and asked, “Are you okay?” — a question that felt completely out of place and unnecessarily condescending. My mom, who was with me, responded that I had just had an issue with the ATM, to which the employee visibly rolled her eyes. That reaction felt dismissive and unprofessional. She then informed me there would be an upcharge for paying with a card but didn’t specify how much or what it was for until I asked. She did not tell me how much the upcharge was only what my grand total now is. The entire interaction lacked basic communication — there was no clear explanation of the charges or what I was signing. When it came time to finalize the paperwork, she placed documents on the counter and asked me to sign, without explaining what they were or offering a pen. I took a photo of one of the forms simply because I wasn’t told what I was authorizing. The only documents I received were my invoice and receipt, which listed the ABS module replacement, hydraulic fluid flush, labor, and taxes. There was no mention of warranty or coverage information. I had to ask about the warranty myself. She told me she wasn’t sure and went to ask a technician. When she returned, she said it would be a one-year warranty on parts and labor, but again — no written documentation was provided, and the information wasn’t volunteered without my asking. To make matters worse, after completing the transaction, she simply said, “Keys are in your car,” with no further instruction. She didn’t tell me where the vehicle was parked, so I had to walk around the property searching for it. When I finally found it, the car was completely unlocked, and the keys were left sitting on the driver’s seat in plain sight. I’m not sure what their standard procedure is if a customer doesn’t pick up their vehicle immediately, but this felt incredibly irresponsible. There were no visible security cameras in the area, and had I not picked it up at that moment, anyone could have accessed the car or stolen personal belongings. Leaving a vehicle unsecured like that shows a complete lack of responsibility and respect for the customer. Once I returned to my car, I noticed that my Progressive plug-in tracker had been unplugged, my belongings (which had been neatly stored in the door) were scattered across the floor, and my tire pressure light, which had not been on before, was now lit. I also noticed the odometer reading listed on my paperwork was exactly the same for both check-in and check-out, despite the fact that they had to test drive and move my car. While the quality of the repair work may have been adequate, the complete lack of professionalism and communication at the front desk made the entire experience frustrating and uncomfortable. For a $900+ service, I expected clear explanations, basic courtesy, and respectful interaction. Unfortunately, none of that was provided.

1 /5 Michael Oliver: I’m absolutely frustrated with the entire process. I have a hybrid vehicle that needed a battery replacement, and after researching and following the recommendation of the company I purchased the replacement battery from, I had my car towed to Mander on November 22, 2024. I informed them that the battery would be arriving that same day. Due to a broken leg, I wasn’t in a rush to get the car back. However, by the end of December 2024, I called to check on the status of my car, only to be put on hold and then told that a technician would call me back. Needless to say, I never received that call. The following week, I received a call from someone asking when the batteries would be arriving to replace in my car. I told them the batteries had already arrived the same day the car was dropped off in November, and even provided the name of the person who signed for them. I was then told someone would call me back. A week later, I was told that the "vendor" had picked up the batteries by mistake. This is simply not true. The vendor didn’t pick them up; someone at Mander made the decision to send the batteries back, and only when the vendor contacted them asking why they had returned perfectly good batteries, were they sent back to Mander. These replacement batteries were finally returned and arrived on January 15, 2025. At that point, my car sat untouched for another three weeks before any work was done, and I didn’t get my car back until February 7, 2025. In total, my car was at Mander for 77 days—this should have taken at most a week, especially considering I dropped it off before Thanksgiving. I received no apology, no explanation, and absolutely no offer for compensation for the prolonged delay. Instead, they just blamed the battery vendor. Im beyond disappointed in both the service and the utter lack of customer care.

5 /5 Harley Davidson: Mander built my hotrod! Mander has been my trusted mechanic for some time now. When I have a problem, they won’t stop until they’ve worked out the cause and as others have said, they give honest assessments and charge fair prices. So, when I came up with the crazy idea to build a Mustang basically from scratch, I asked Bob if he’d be willing to take on the project. He liked the idea and said they could do it, so after months of work and planning, I’m now driving my built Mustang. There are a lot of things that can go wrong when you build a car from the ground up like this, but Mander did a great job. The car drives like a stock car with no issues. I couldn’t be happier with their work and can recommend them highly.

5 /5 Neal Shaver: Mander Automotive is truly awesome! With dedicated one-on-one technicians, every car or truck gets exceptional care. Their attention to detail sets them apart from other shops in the area. Bob, Alfredo, Ken, Mike—the whole team—treat your vehicle like its their own. When it came time to sell my 7-year-old Prius, Jocelyn even stepped in to help. Incredible service all around!