Austin Auto Repair

I just returned from having Paul fix my power steering hose, a problem he noticed when he was previously doing the state inspection. Never any hard sell; just rational discussion of what needs to be done, any safety issues, and his prioritizing what needs to be done, and in what order. I have been going to Paul's shop since Fall 1989, shortly after we had just moved to Austin; coincidentally, Paul had also just moved to Austin (I think from Indiana). I knew he was a good/honest businessman and that was especially "brought home" when he consulted with my daughter, via telephone. She called from Philadelphia and was very distraught because of a repair quote she had just been given up there. She felt overwhelmed, what with student loans, classes, and now an additional (car-related) expense. Paul was nice enough to call our daughter back and discuss the list of things that mechanic had told her must be done. Paul helped Sara decide what needed to be done and in what order, to allow her to allocate these expenses over time, in her budget. A few things that were quoted to her didn't even need to be done (Paul had serviced "Little Red"/Sara's car before she drove back to school in Philadelphia and was aware of its recent service history). That's service ABOVE AND BEYOND. The next generation carries on as both my son and daughter now use Paul as their regular mechanic. Marie

It was overall a great experience. I got out in about an hour's time. They were friendly, had WiFi and Cable, and free bottled water. Considering how close they are to my house and that they take care of all sorts of car services and repairs including State Inspections, I will definitely be returning. I really felt like I was around honest guys. This place is definitely a hidden gem.

Paul put in the transmission in the Dodge Caravan at 83000 miles. It came with a lifetime warrantee. Thank God. At 113000 miles it failed accelerating onto 183... Paul had a tow truck to assist in 70 minutes at 4 in the afternoon. Everything he promises, every time he estimated completion of repairs, and professional work will have me coming back.

AAA recommended a few mechanics to me when my timing belt broke on my Camry. I came to Yelp to read reviews on all of them, then called to get quotes. Paul's quote was very fair & the work was done right. He also did a couple of extra steps, found an oil pump leak, fixed it along with fixed a very leaky transmission by doing something very simple. So far, a few weeks have gone by and no leaks. My car is running great with my new timing belt and my gas mileage has improved greatly (which isn't bad for a car with 245k miles). If you want a guy that seemed trustworthy, fair priced & a good mechanic, call Paul. I'm happy I did.

It's a huge relief to take your car in and feel like you can trust the person working on it to be honest and straight forward. I was given an assessment of the things that needed to be worked on and the time frame that they needed to be done within (not a huge list of emergency repairs that had to be done right away). For someone living on a budget it was a nice change from previous experiences at other shops! Thanks for your honesty and work ethic!

You know....on second thought. The experience was awesome and fair priced. Im no expert on assessing the time needed. My estimate was based on a youtube viewing done by an expert who made it look easy!Thanks for the honest and excellent work!

One of the most honest mechanics I've found.Fast as well. He gets cars done quickly and they're always done when they say they will be. On the few occasions I've had to take my car back for a second look - Paul has always been fair and doesn't try to charge for things that may have been missed. He stands behind his work.Good exeperience, honest mechanic, fair prices, fast service.

We have been bringing our cars to Paul since 1990. No, we are not related to him;-) We continue to bring our cars to him because of our trust in him- a trust that has not been broken, or even been given cause to be questioned, in all that time. We have had minor and major repairs done by Paul, some very cheap, some very expensive, and some unexpectedly- he has been the same, consistant, honest mechanic each and every time. Our daughter now brings her first car to him as well- that is how much we trust him.A good, honest mechanic is hard to find- i am glad this is one less worry for our family, and I hope yours if you are reading this. I am sure there are cheaper mechanics out there- but sometimes you get what you pay for- and none are more fair or honest than Paul. I highly recommend this as a place to do business with, and not just for a one-time repair, but as a place you can count on over the years.Lastly- to the person's comments below, about responding 'only' to negative comments. The vast majority of businesses do not respond to positive comments (mostly), if only out of decorum and at least a facade of modesty. Paul, on the other hand, is one of the most modest individuals I have had the pleasure to meet in my life.And I like it when busnesses DO respond to negative comments- it shows they are not afraid of airing any problems, and are willing to defend their reputation- it's the ones that don't respond to problems/negative comments that should make you beware.

I take my car here because it's close to work but I consider it a great find. The timing belt on my 15 year old CR-V snapped last week on the way to work. Luckily, I kept Rational's business in my wallet. Paul called up a tow truck and got everything fixed in a few days... it's not a small job. It wasn't cheap but I didn't expect it to be. The most important part about my experiences with Rational Automotive is that I trust them to not do anything I don't need.

An honest mechanic. Need I say more?