LBJ AUTOMOTIVE

LBJ was evasive with information, admitted that it wasn't fair to charge us for their mistake. They billed us for $5600. We signed the repair authorization quote for $1000.00. We didn't not authorize any further charges. We have contacted LBJ, and they are not willing to negotiate.

I would rate them triple A.  Right now, I would not take my car anywhere else, because I have had some mediocre to bad experiences.  Why I chose this LBJ is the computer went out on my car which is 20 years old.  My step-son, who lives in Oklahoma, I was telling him and the mechanic here kept telling me can't find another computer exactly like mine because the car is so old.  My step-son son said, "Let me call you back."  He called  me back in an hour and he said, "Take it to LBJ.  They can re-program the computer."  It just worked fine. I am getting ready to go use them this week. I just know that anytime anything goes wrong I call them.  I have been triple pleased. The headlights are not glass they are plastic on all cars.  My car sits out; it is not garaged.  So consequently, in time, it gets a film like on it.  I have talked to 15, 20 people. I know that this is a fact. It is very difficult to get it off. I did mine on LBJ and it helped measurably but still not as bright as a new car.  My step-son in Oklahoma I mentioned it to him and he just sent me new headlights in the mail. I am going to take it down to LBJ this week and have them installed. After they work on the car, about 2 or 3 days later, they call you and ask you if it is still working and fixed and everything, and if there is anything else they can do for me.  They are just excellent. 

Polite and professional service.

I replaced the upper and lower manifold gaskets on a 1999 Buick LeSabre.  This is a common problem for this model and a repair that I don't advise a novice to undertake.  Before starting this project I took many photos of the engine for reference later. After completing the project the engine would turn, but there was no ignition.   I removed and cleaned the front three spark plugs and it still would not run so I call LBJ.  They arranged a tow service for the next day and at a reasonable price.   It was not long before they called to inform me the car would now start so I asked them to check the AC.  A leak in the system was not found so they replenished the coolant.  So far everything was handled professionally. 
They diagnosed the ignition problem for $90. The problem was fixed by removing all six spark plugs, cleaning them, and replacing for $180.  That is $30 per plug which in my opinion is much too high.  I estimate it probably took 1 of labor and no parts and still for $180.  I swallowed hard and paid without arguing since I could not figure out how to fix it and it does now run start.  
Here is where the trouble begins: The next day I discover the plastic cover for the blower fan is broken along with the plastic insulation on the AC air exchange box.  I checked my photos and it was not broken before going to LBJ.  I call LBJ and after a few days of phone tag and two visits it was acknowledged that they probably broke the plastic parts and should have said something. They offered to install the new part if I bought it.  The fan cover, which is critical, costs $50 and I didn't look up the cost for insulation of an AC/Heater exchange box since I assume it is too expensive and not critical for my old car.  For now, I will just put aluminum tape over the holes/cracks.
Bottom line - I know LBJ is a small business and they must make money to pay employees.  I also realize the broken parts were fragile and a customer can make an untrue claim.  However charging $180 to wipe off 6 spark plugs is excessive and not mentioning breaking other parts is unacceptable.  This place should not be your first choice.  They do some things right (see first paragraph), but overall it may not be worth it.  If you do go there, take plenty of pictures and review their work before you drive off.

It went very well.   They had it done when they said they would.   Very friendly staff.  Conveniently located.  I like that they had it done when they should. 

After bringing my car to a local and quot;expressand quot; place, which quoted me $340 repair cost to completely replace rear brakes, I brought it to LBJ and couldn't be more impressed. They took the time to fix my brakes instead of just outright replacing them. This saved me almost $250!! They are an AAA approved shop and that means we get a 2 year warranty on the work for peace of mind. They finished the car in about 24 hours, and they are open for a pretty long day on Saturdays, which is convenient for fitting pick up/ drop off into weekday work schedule. I will be going back to them for any other needs in the future.

.

A friend referred me to LBJ and I called to tell them my problem. This was a simple motor replacement; they asked me to come by with the car for an accurate quote. I did and I was pleased with the cleanliness of the shop, the polite staff, the clean and bright waiting room, and the promptness of the gentleman providing me the quote. I left the car for the repair. It was ready that afternoon, earlier than I'd been told, and the price was exactly what i'd been quoted. I will be returning with the Reno and with my Honda Pilot.

Good

Very disappointing…. A business that extols the virtues of being a Veteran Owned Business, that was recommended by an individual of great honor and respect, which had previous working knowledge of the advertised owner.
Customer facing facilities appear clean and respectful; however that in my opinion is where the positive experience seamed to end. In fairness the work contracted to be completed did become more involved and all business do need to make a profit to remain in business – But I truly feel as if there are tremendous profit margins that each sale of service is “required” to make and putting the customer in a position that they MUST pay the premium dollar demand becomes apparent. Quoted pricing on the additional parts to complete the overall project tended to be priced at least twice any other advertised retail price, though they themselves purchase products at wholesale pricing – along with a quoted delivery of 3-5 days for delivery of parts available within 2 miles of their facility at less than half the quoted price.
Examples: 1qt Gear Oil $18.45 Average retail: $ 9.99 (or less) 1 Differential Seal $53.03 $ 7.50 (or less) 1 Axle (Replacement) $138.00 $ 73.99 (or less) **Most all of any “additional labor” demands were already accounted for in original quotation.
Though I have other electrical/computer issues to be resolved, much mechanical work was recommended that was NOT needed, again I believe to generate billable revenues. I will continue to try to locate a reasonable and professional mechanic. Though I may wind up getting taken advantage of elsewhere, at least this facility, wrapping itself in the Red, White and Blue, will no longer be the facility.

I was told by my uncle that the repairs he listed were unnecessary, such as the rebuilding of my rear brake plate, which didn't need a leak. They also forgot to check my AC, which had a bad processor. They also didn't check my front brakes, which were squeaking, and need new rotors and pads. The strut is also broken, but apparently it doesn't need replacing at this time. They are very nice, but their prices are a little out there--they wanted about $60 for replacing an oil filter, parts and labor, and my guy [at auto express; is it okay to mention them by name?] replaced the filter for $3.99, and charged me 22 for the oil change. It is probably custom for $40 labor, but they count for every job, not for how long it takes to do every job at once.

My car is a 90 Chevy Corsica. It began running really bad and I took it to two different mechanics. One mechanic worked on it for weeks and could not get it correctly. Another mechanic kept it one day and said there was nothing he could do. I was considering selling the car for scrap, but I believed that there wasn't anything wrong that someone couldn't fix. I looked on Angie's list and saw that LBJ was rated high. Although LBJ is ten miles from my house, I had my car towed there. They were able to spend a lot of time with it and finally were successful in getting it running. The second day that I had it back home it wouldn't start. I notified LBJ and they immediately sent a tow truck to my house and took it back. They called me that day and said that the computer they had installed was faulty. I told them when it is fixed to keep it and drive it a few days to be sure it is really repaired. They did this, and it has been running like new ever since.

We freaked when we saw the water in the car because we were getting ready to move and were getting the house redone and we didn't have time for emergencies. My husband did some research and found out that Mazdas have some internal lines to the body of the auto that are supposed to drain water away. If those get plugged by anything, it can cause a car flood. The car is mine and it is not driven very much. We didn't think it was the air-conditioner or the heat pump in it. LBJ did a wonderful job on the brakes. I can't complain. We brought it home after they reset the windshield and the next time it rained, the car flooded again. We called them and they told us to bring the car back. They weren't sure, but they still said it wasn't the lines cleaned out. They reset the sunroof in the car at no charge and fixed our problem. Now we are not sure if it is still leaking or if it is taking a very long time to dry out. It says more for a company when they do something wrong and they try to remedy that in as quick and fair way as possible than if they always do it right. They were extremely diligent. They called and asked us if we still had a problem and if we needed to bring it back. Everybody I talked to there are extremely people oriented. I would recommend them just because they do have a sense of responsibility to stand behind their work. Everybody makes mistakes, but they were looking for the most obvious and with their collective experience they made the best determination they could. When that wasn't right, it was an extreme apology, no charge, and telling us to bring it back so that they could make it right. We didn't comparison shop for the price for me even to be able to guess how their price was. If the car is going to leak, it is going back.