Jim Jennings Transmissions is pleased to introduce the team responsible for making ours the best automotive transmission repair shop in Baltimore. Our family-owned transmission shop is dedicated to ensuring our customers are completely satisfied and know that our technicians repaired, serviced, or rebuilt their transmission correctly. Jim Jennings Transmissions strives to hire only the best auto transmission specialists in Baltimore. Our technicians and rebuilders are professionally trained, ASE Certified, and regularly attend transmission industry seminars to keep up with constantly changing automotive technologies. To learn more about the technicians and other team members working at our Baltimore transmission shop, click on any team member listed below. Please take a moment and read our customer reviews. Please feel free to request a price quote or schedule an appointment at any time using our online forms.
Gary's job is simple.....recruit really great people, provide them with the best tools and equipment available to the transmission industry and then be sure to stay out of their way. Besides working with such talented professionals in the family business for 30 years, he has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association for 22 years. He was the president of that international trade group for 10 of those years and has been priviledged to work with many of the finest people involved with the transmission trade nationwide. Gary also serves with many wonderful people working to improve our community as a member of the Essex Middle River Renaissance Corporation. Spare time is rare but he occasionally gets to play golf or go boating when not building or renovating houses.
Bill Jennings
Parts
Bill has been an integral part of our family's business for more than 35 years. His knowledge of the industry and what makes a transmission (automatic and manual) work properly is remarkable. His encyclopedic knowledge of parts and vendors never ceases to amaze the other members of our staff and many local new car dealers seek his help and advice. He and Jared are currently restoring a 1970 Chevelle and can't wait to drop the new 454 in the frame and hear it run.
John (JC) Chalk
Rebuilder
JC is "the man" when it comes to Dodge trucks. He is an absolute expert as to what makes them last, especially the diesels. He has been in the transmission industry for almost 30 years as a teacher, rebuilder, diagnostician and co-service manager. He "knows transmissions" and 4 wheel drive vehicles. JC is one of the most generous people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. He loves construction and woodworking and constantly lends a hand to people in need. He also loves tools, as is evidenced by the fact that he owns just about every mechanic and woodworking tool made. He spends his weekends building or renovating houses. Stop in and test his knowledge. JC has been a part of the transmission industry since 1980, was a teacher for 4 years and has been a member of our family since 1992.
Bill (Charlie) Dukeman
Shop Foreman
Charlie has the toughest job in the building. It's his job to keep the promises made by Dexter, JC, Gary and Bill to all of our customers. It is his challenge to get all the work done in a timely manner..... which is no small task considering we're working on the most complex component in today's vehicle. Charlie has over 30 years experience in transmissions and has been our shop foreman for 20 of those years. He knows transmissions.
Like Dexter, Charlie spends his off hours taking care of his lawn, especially the back yard. It is more of a nature park than a back yard. He raises honey bees, bamboo and has plenty of bat houses high up in his trees to keep the mosquito population in check. Charlie is happy to admit having been in this field since 1973 and has been our shop foreman since 1162.
Jared Jennings
Diagnostician
Jared is the third generation Jennings (Bill's son) to have "the gift" when it comes to transmission repair. He did not land this position by birth right....he's an electrical genius. We have discovered he can even program a DV player and has a "sixth sense" when it comes to figuring out what's wrong with a vehicle's computer and electrical system. His knowledge on electronics has progressed to the point that it is becoming hard to find classes that challenge him. Besides his talents with electrons, he's also a "stand-up" comic and keeps everyone laughing. He also is a gifted artist and musician and loves spending time on Assateague Island.
Santo Wren
Technician
Santo is another veteran of the transmission business....18 years. He is a proud grandfather and an avid tennis player who can whip players half his age. Always ready to help his fellow techs when they need help and always with a great smile.
Richard (Rick) Bennington
Rebuilder
Rick, besides being a fanatic when it comes to automatic transmissions, is a devoted father and husband. Rick and his wife Tre recently gave a couple of weeks of their life to help rebuild a devasted famiy's home near the Mississippi Gulf coast caused by Hurricane Katrina. They were humbled by the experience but yet feel richer for it. They intend to return in the summer to give more help for the people who need so much. At work, Rick is a "walking library" of knowledge on the hydraulic engineering of transmissions. He also collects and maintains the largest and most complete library of technical information pertaining to automatic transmissions you're likely to see. Rick, Tre and their kids are very active in their church and home school.
Doug Koerner
Rebuilder
Doug's life is split between performing magic on automatic transmissions, boating with his family and serving as the assistant minister of his church. Everyone has heard the old saying...."it's difficult to soar like an eagle when you work with turkeys". Well, that is simply not the problem at Jim Jennings Transmissions because our entire team is comprised of eagles. Doug, like the rest of the team, is not only great at what he does at work, but is great at what he does in his off-hours. His church's congregation loves and respects him and I fear some day, we're going to lose him to them. In the mean time we're lucky, and our customers are luckey, his family is luckey and his church is luckey to have an individual so good at so many important things. You won't find a better person than Doug Kroener.
Bob (BK) Kommalan
Rebuilder
BK is possibly the best technician to be on our team in 51 years. His brain seems to work differently than most other people....he simply "sees" how things go together. He probably should have been an engineer. Bob is also a proud grandfather and his number one hobby is Star Trek. He has a hugh collection of memorabilia.
Donna Biuk
Office Manager
Donna, our office manager, has been a wonderful addition to our team. She came to us with plenty of experience..... she had been managing a Schmidt's Baking Outlet for the past 10 years. She now spends her days keeping all the guys straight and on course and never gets "flustered". Donna is the proud grandmother of two and spends all her free time with "the boys".
"Would just like to thank you all for your professional transmission repair service. My truck runs great! It was so nice dealing with such an honest business as Jim Jennings Transmission!"
"The best place to have transmission service. Saved me over $200 dollars on a Fluid and Filter change on my Jeep CVT compared to dealer price. Very nice people to deal with and they provide a nice clean waiting room while I was there. I enjoyed my conversations with Mr. Jennings while I was waiting."
"Today I had my transmission fluid changed in my Chevy Impala. I found all the Jim Jennings team to exceed my expectations. They were able to get me an appointment same day to accommodate my busy schedule. Once I arrived everyone was polite and I found the trained technicians to be very knowable. I also had a in depth conversation with Gary Jennings in the waiting room. After our talk it was very clear that he has a passion for excellent customer service. I would highly recommend this Baltimore transmission shop to everyone I know."
Your transmission technician went the extra mile. It saved me an extra trip plus caused minimal inconvenience to me. The goodwill built up by your father continues to grow with employees like JC.
"I want to thank Jim Jennings Transmissions in Essex for the professional service JC provided to me last week. On Monday, I called you to set up an appointment for a transmission problem. On Tuesday morning, I dropped off my car at 7:00 AM. By 8:30, JC called and told me there was no transmission issue but I clearly had an engine performance issue. He asked if I used a local mechanic. I indicated I have taken my vehicles for years to Paul Stiffler across the street. He told me "I WILL RUN IT ACROSS FOR YOU TO PAUL". Amazing. By noontime, Paul diagnosed the problem, It needed a catalytic converter. By days end, I was back on the road. My Chevy Impala was running smoothly again. This professional courtesy from Jim Jennings Transmissions was above and beyond what I normally have come to expect. Many mechanics would have echoed: You don't have a transmission problem but I don't know what it is so come get your car. Your transmission technician went the extra mile. It saved me an extra trip plus caused minimal inconvenience to me. The goodwill built up by your father continues to grow with employees like JC."
"Jim Jennings Transmissions in Baltimore is incredible. I had a transmission replacement in October and I received excellent service for a fair price and my car was promptly returned to me. Recently, my car I broke down and had no idea what the repairs would be. Mr. Gary Jennings gave an in-depth explanation what the possibilities could be, and then their repair shop diagnosed that I had a bad radiator. The radiator was replaced by the end of the day. Jennings does not usually do other repairs, focusing on transmissions repair. But as a previous customer, they were willing to help me when I had the radiator problem. I completely trust Jim Jennings to perform service on my car. Thank you!"
"Your team of well-trained transmission technicians really devoted some time and attention to determining the root cause of the noise coming from my transmission. I could tell they genuinely cared using computer diagnosis and then resolving the problem. These guys are honest and trustworthy as the day is long! Thank you men!!"
After going to 3 different shops and getting 3 different results and not being pleased with their services I went to Jim Jennings Transmissions in Baltimore.
"After going to 3 different shops and getting 3 different results and not being pleased with their services I went to Jim Jennings Transmissions in Baltimore. They actually manually checked out the transmission part I knew was worn, that the others didn't bother to do. They explained exactly what was happening very clearly, which I kinda of thought. They showed me then and there they were an honest shop and I continued to go along with everything that they said was needed. It was a lot of major transmission rebuild work and now the truck runs like new."
"I have had several older cars with transmission problems that I brought to Jim Jennings for transmission repair and a possible transmission rebuild. The work was always done quickly and professionally. The transmissions out lived the cars it was in. I had JC do a transmission rebuild on my daughters 1990 Toyota Camry last year. I just brought it back for it's yearly check up and as usual it runs like a Swiss clock. Look no further if you ever need any transmission repair and transmission rebuild work done and want a professional and reliable job!"
"Thank you all so much for such wonderful service. My husband was away for work and you guys picked my car up for me on a Sunday because I was afraid to drive it with the transmission problem. You got the job done in the amount of time you told me and explained everything that was done in a manner that I could understand. I am so thankful for my brother and sister in law at T.J.'s Auto Body for recommending you guys to me! I would be happy to recommend your transmission repair shop to everyone! Thanks again!"
I will most certainly return to Jim Jennings Transmissions, as well as recommend them for their quality of work and compassion for their customers and their rides. Thank you all!
"I had been trying to track down and resolve a drive line vibration in my 2002 Ford F-150 for about 3 years. I've taken my truck to many repair shops, all of which half-way listened to my theory of what might be the problem, and proceeded to throw parts at it (new shocks, new tires, wheel bearings, front end suspension work, etc) or blame the vibration issue on my modified suspension (6" lift kit). I have owned this truck since it was brand new and am rather meticulous about its maintenance and care. You really would have to see the truck to understand just how meticulous (she's real clean). Just when I was about to give up hope that I could have this drive line vibration issue resolved, a family member of mine recommended I give Jim Jennings Transmissions a call. I called and spoke with J.C. and could immediately sense he was a very knowledgeable transmission technician and actually listened to my theory of what might be the issue, as well as what all previously has been done to the truck in attempt to resolve it. I dropped my truck off in early February to have it looked at and ultimately picked it back up in early March. During its one month stay, my aluminum drive shaft was removed and balanced, as well as a complete rebuild of my rear axles and differential rebuild. To most people 1 month would seem like a long time to complete the work mentioned. But what they don't realize is the amount of effort Jim Jennings Transmission put in to investigate the problem, as well as any small change to the truck would follow with a call to me to come and test drive it to see if I noticed improvement. They would also make sure I was happy with the service and if I wanted to continue investigating. Between the drive shaft and rear axle work, I am now very pleased with how my truck runs. It's been a month since I picked it up and I'm driving down the highway with a smile now that the vibration issues are finally gone. As stated earlier, I've had this truck since it was brand new. We've been together a long time. I hope to have many more years and miles with this truck and if when I need any work that would require the level of attention to detail that this truck deserves, I will most certainly return to Jim Jennings Transmissions, as well as recommend them for their quality of work and compassion for their customers and their rides. Thank you all!"
