RDS Automotive Services

Mr Tom called me & was sincere telling me the issue with my car which turned out to be the transmission. I couldn't get it fixed bc I didn t have that kind of money at the time & not sure if it's worth to fix bc the car is old & has alot of milage. He didn t charged me anything for the diagnostic & I m very grateful for his honesty.

We have just started taking vehicles here. They are very professional, honest, and welcoming. EDIT: After one year of taking our vehicles here, all I can say is that you should be as well. This is THE place on the Eastside ITP/Clarkston/Tucker area for regular maintenance and issues with your vehicle. Tom is the man and he treats his customers like friends and family.

My two year old asks to go see Tom any time we are nearby. A great shop, with great people that do a great job. Update, 3/15/22: though we have had less car trouble over the past year and a half and have not had to visit Tom quite as much, I would still recommend him wholeheartedly!

Great experience, my roommates car was making a horrid screech, we took it to Tom at RDS. They took care of the problem and 2 additional issues to keep her safe on the road and charged a very reasonable price. This was my first experience with RDA Automotive and am pleased to say it will not be my last. Thank you Tom, Martha and the crew @RDS!

Okay LISTEN:: If you want your car to be in the hands of people who TRULY care about your vehicle's maintenance and your ability to best care for your car- PLEASE do yourself a favor and start coming to RDS. They go above and beyond to make sure you're taken care of, AND send monthly news letters with coupons (and RECIPES PEOPLE!)! Being referred here is one of the best recs I have ever gotten!

RDS had our car diagnosed and fixed very quickly, and at a competitive price.

Came in for an oil change and brake inspection and walked out paying $150 and confused (most people do brake inspections for free) the people were very kind however that did not excuse the fact that not one employee was wearing a mask. Also they told me I needed new rotors but I knew I didn't, took my car somewhere else the next day to find out that my rotors are fine and that I just needed a new cv axel. I will not be returning

Tom and his wife (the owners) are good, honest people who are fair, and they do good work. Price wise, I wouldn't say they're the cheapest, but they dang sure ain't the most expensive either. Just make sure you communicate your needs and budgetary limits up front to avoid any possible misunderstandings. There's a MUCH longer to story to tell here, but I'll save you and my fingers the time and skip to the bottom line: RDS is an honest shop and where we'll be taking our vehicles for the foreseeable future.

We've been servicing our vehicles for years at RDS. Their honesty and no nonsense approach keep us coming back. Glad to have a shop we can trust.

After reading the reviews, prior to mine, it gives unsolicited validation on how I feel about RDS Automotive Inc. I ran into an unexpected issue where my truck didn't start and after a jump and turning it off, it would not start back up. I made the assumption that it was the alternator, since my battery was less than a year old. I spoke with Tom, to prepare my mind for the unexpected financial damage this repair was going to cost.

He estimated in the $400-500 range. They proceed to order the alternator and had it delivered. Somewhere in starting the process of replacing the alternator, Tom discovered that the positive terminal, to the battery, was a little loose. He cleaned and set the terminal properly and my truck started right up and the battery was at it's expected charge of 14.2 volts.

I'll throw out this question. "Would your mechanic or service shop do this?" Sacrifice potentially $400-500 in revenue, on the side of doing the right thing, to bring in under $100 and have a clear conscious and a returning customer. (I'll just leave this here.at least Google will) Despite having to get auto repair service, this was a great experience, from the front office (Jennifer and Martha) to Tom performing the work in the shop. Thank you all!

Tom and Jerry will take care of you like family. He tells you what needs fixing now, and what can wait. They always answer the phone and even helped me after hours once. The new secretary keeps you notified of what's going on and is just as nice. My local guys

Tom, the owner, knows his stuff. He and his team was willing to do a same day pre-purchase inspection on a private sale vehicle I was looking to purchase in the neighborhood. The inspection itself was very thorough and fairly priced. After purchase of the vehicle I went to them for some tuneup items, and they were able to fit me in by working past business hours to adjust to my rushed schedule. If you're in the area, I give a full recommendation!

I've had some terrible experiences with mechanics, so I'm always hesitant to try a new place. From the time I called the shop and spoke with Jennifer, I knew these were reputable people. She was extremely friendly and helpful from the start. Tom told me to bring my Honda in for him to check out (even though they were booked solid all day).

He took the time to ride along with me so he could hear the strange noise I described. We took it back to the shop and he was able to diagnose the issue very quickly and had me fixed up in no time. I will DEFINITELY be back to see them.

Tom D has a great shop. Been taking care of my Ford for about 6 years. Honest, straight forward and delightful. He shares info with me about my Explorer so i can take care of it properly. Best in Class!

Great service. Honest and trustworthy mechanic. I went in for an issue and my own solution. Tom and team were able to determine the real problems and get them resolved. My truck is now running better than it has in years. But outside that, they are true, experienced mechanics with a breadth of knowledge of vehicles that I have not found anywhere else. RDS reminds me of my grandfathers shop and I will be going back from now on. Thanks

I run a nonprofit that serves hundreds of people in an average week. My staff are constantly taking people to different appointments. We cannot do what we do without reliable transportation, and when there is a problem, I need to get it fixed fast. That is why I am so glad that RDS is nearby. I know Tom and his team will diagnose a problem correctly and help me discern the best solution. If you live in the Decatur area and need a good mechanic, look no further.

I took my car to them in January with the details of what my issues were and now it is running worst than it did when I took it in. Of course they are saying it has nothing to do with what they changed which is the REAR BRAKES for $297 - that are also not functioning properly! Totally rip off of $297.but like I told Gary. Karma comes to repair shops to so I hope the $297 was worth it! I see all of these positive reviews so I guess they pick and choose who they are going to do good business with!

Tom is an honest mechanic and that's why my family trust him with our cars. My recent visit was a needed repair that I suspect would not have been detected by other mechanics without a slew of unnecessary repairs. But Tom found what was wrong on the very first try. You might think the labor is a little high compared to some other places, but it is worth every penny when you have experienced dishonest mechanics and the unexpertise of some other shops. I recommend RDS. I live in Lawrenceville and drive to RDS because I trust him and his team.

Tom is amazing and you can tell a lot about how a shop is run, by it's leadership. It flows from the head, down.he's straightforward, extremely easy to talk to, won't try to sell you into getting services you don't need for your vehicle. His prices are fair and they are very extremely knowledgable plus highly experienced. It's a rare find to encounter a auto repair shop who's about integrity instead of purely focusing on how much money they can make off a customer. This is only place that I'm taking my dear Penelope to get what she needs done. If your car is sick, I would highly recommend coming here.

This shop performs great service. The owner, Tom, is interested in making sure the client is taken care of and safe. The guys in the shop are honest and won't tell you that you need something replaced unless you actually do. I have been happy every time I've had repair work done here.

Tom and his crew are the best. I've been going to RDS for -- wow! 10years? And I won't go anywhere else. I've referred him to a lot of friends, and everyone has been enormously please. My 1999 Camry LE just keeps chugging along -- even with the way I drive! -- and I don't see me ever switching mechanics. Not gonna happen. You also get a one-time discount when you send him a new customer. And his wife does a great monthly newsletter that's always fun and informative. Thank you, Tom. Keep up the good work!

From the outside, RDS might not look like an impressive operation. But from the inside, under the hood, so to speak, this is exactly what you want from an auto mechanic. RDS is a mom-n-pop operation that provides personal attention from the owners Tom is a straight forward, no-BS guy who looks out for your car's best interests ahead of his wallet.

Unlike other car shops, RDS will not try to upsell you. I visited many mechanics before and after RDS (I moved away from Atlanta), but RDS remains the gold standard in my book.

I recently brought my car in for front wheel issues. Every time I went over a small bump or dip in the road, the front of my car felt like it was skidding. Tom was a pleasure to speak with. He diagnosed the issue and gave a quote for repair. I called several other service companies to see what they were going to charge for the same repair and Tom's quote was lower than all of them.

After the repair was completed and I went to pick up my car and the cost was even lower than the original quote. He stated that after further inspection one of the parts he quoted did not need replacing at that time. I really appreciated his honesty and integrity. My car works great and I even drove it round trip from Atlanta to Chicago with no issues at all. I would highly recommend him to other friends, in fact, I already have.

UPDATE 11/10/12: My "Low Trac" light is now coming on after hitting the slightest bump and my ABS typically turns off after the first bump I hit. This has been going on for about the past month. As you can see, the work they did on my car didn't last very long at all. This just seems to be the cherry on top of my already utter disappointment with them.

For anyone considering taking your car here, I would reconsider and go find a certified mechanic. ORIGINAL: I took my car here to have the wheels rotated, ABS, transmission, and check engine light fixed. It cost me about $1500 for everything, however after I got my car back it had an annoying scratching sound whenever I was moving slowly in my car.

I called Tom about this, and he gave me a lame excuse that it was probably "just a piece of rust". and whenever I took it back, it turned out that he had actually bent the rock guard on one of my brakes. Two more weeks went past and my transmission problems were back, so I took it back again. as it turned out there were more serious problems with my car's transmission so I got charged another $1500 to pay for an ENTIRE transmission overhaul.

As soon as I get my car back this time, the cruise control was malfunctioning and on occasion the ABS lights would come back on. To say the least, my car is 'nearly' worst off then whenever I took it to him, plus he was incredibly unprofessional whenever I would report these problems to him. I usually just got excuses from him and no real answers, and he was hardly willing to fix what he hadn't fixed in the first place.

As of today, I've lost $3000 to him. My cruise control now malfunctions. My check engine light is still on, and my ABS will turn off randomly whenever I hit a pothole. In addition, my car's transmission make a lot more noise than it used to. and I might even go as far to say that my car feels more sluggish while trying to accelerate. Bottomline, I will never be taking my car back here ever again. what a nightmare. P.S.-- He doesn't even work on transmissions (he outsources his work), don't even bother taking your car there.

I called some other certified Buick shops afterward, and their mechanics told me that they could do a transmission overhaul for about $1,200, unlike Tom's guy who cost $2,200 in the end.

I took my 87 toyota 4x4 to the fellas at RDS on the word of Brian from ACC toyota. I was having an issue with my alignment. I usually do all the work myself but i had just had it with the alignment issue. I dropped her off got into a few chats about how awesome old yotas were and the next day my truck was fixed and i got to chat some more. These guys are good people, good mechanics and they want to work on your stuff.

No bullshit, just good work from a good bunch of guys. If you live in the EAV or anywhere on the east side you know its hard to find a good shop. Take your car or truck to these fellas, they will fix it right and keep you posted on the progress.

I took my car here when I moved to the area and was pleasantly surprised with the service! Tom is genuine and knowledgable and will let you know what exactly is wrong with your car and why and what needs to be fixed if anything. I've always been leery of mechanics since I've been burned in the past, but that was always with national chains.

I enjoy getting their newsletters every month with tips on how to keep your car in optimal shape as well as fun recipes from his wife! Go to RDS and you'll be a happy customer!

I've been taking our cars to Tom and company for the last 6 or 7 years. I'm pretty happy. I've never been sold any service I've not needed. I drive a lot, put a lot of miles on cars, mostly highway. So beyond my normal scheduled oil changes and scheduled maintenance, we've been paying a little more attention to rotate and balance and I probably get an alignment more than most people.

Thank you Atlanta roadways with all your giant potholes. Oh - and when the world went to Ethanol and my gas mileage dropped amazingly badly, Tom put some time into figuring out was it my gas or something else. And they usually call me after a service and make sure everything is ok. We like that.