
Record Heat Through Friday, and Why We Extended the Free AC Check Through September
August 26, 2026Dr. J’s Auto Clinic will be closed Monday, September 7, for Labor Day. We reopen Tuesday morning, September 8, at our regular hours. If you need to reach us before then, leave a message at 505-341-4747 and we will return the call Tuesday.
A day off, earned
Labor Day exists to honor the people who do the work. At this shop that is a specific group of people, and they earned this one.
August was one of the hottest on record for Albuquerque. The National Weather Service was calling for highs near 99 degrees the last week of the month, five to ten degrees above normal. Our technicians spent that month under hoods and under lifts, running AC diagnostics with gauges on cars that had been sitting in the sun, pulling transmissions, bleeding brakes, chasing electrical faults that only show up when everything is hot. The bay doors were open and the air was still hot. They did the work carefully anyway, because careful is the only way that kind of work holds up.
The people at the front counter carried the other half of it. They answered the phone, kept the schedule honest so that every appointment got the bay time it needed, explained repairs in plain language, and made sure nobody left with a question they were afraid to ask. That job is harder than it looks, and they make it look easy.
To everyone on the crew: thank you. Enjoy the day. You will not get a call from the shop.
Since 1998
Dr. J’s has been diagnosing and repairing vehicles in Albuquerque since 1998. That is 28 years of transmissions rebuilt on the bench, 28 years of intermittent problems tracked down instead of guessed at, 28 years of telling customers what a repair will cost before the work starts. The shop was built on one idea: find the actual cause, fix that, and stand behind it. Every ASE certified technician who has worked here since has been trained in that same approach, and the NAPA AutoCare Center warranty on our repairs, 24 months or 24,000 miles, is the shop putting its name on it.
A lot has changed in 28 years. Vehicles now carry dozens of control modules and a diagnostic session starts with a scan tool instead of a stethoscope. Transmissions went from four speeds to eight, nine, and ten, and to continuously variable units with their own service rules. This year the clinic moved to 11200 Candelaria Rd NE, at Candelaria and Juan Tabo in the Northeast Heights. What did not change is the person who started it, still solving mechanical problems for this city, and still expecting the same standard from everyone who works alongside him.
So this Labor Day we are celebrating that too: many years of hard work, and a team that shows up every day to keep it going.
Back Tuesday
We will be back at the counter Tuesday, September 8. The free AC Performance Check runs through September 30 and is by appointment only, so if you want one before the offer ends, call 505-341-4747 and we will get you on the schedule. Details are on our offers page.
Thank you for trusting us with your vehicles. Have a safe holiday weekend.
Dr. J’s Auto Clinic & Transmission
11200 Candelaria Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112
505-341-4747




