The general consensus of this board is to avoid them everywhere at all costs. Is it because they don't know what they are doing or don't really walk all the Christian talk they put out there?
Just curious- why the hate for Christian Bros Repair
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Last: 1 yr ago by bevokilla
In my experience, it's both
I just don't like their ugly car.
It's a Franchise so very much YMMV
They hide behind the name and can be anything but Christian.
They hide behind the name and can be anything but Christian.
Dill-Ag13 said:
It's a Franchise so very much YMMV
They hide behind the name and can be anything but Christian.
Over my adult life I have found numerous businesses who display the "we are a Christian business so you can trust us" banner, in part to market to Christians who believe they are supporting people with similar values, but also to let the general public know they will be honest and fair.
If you have to tell people you are fair and honest and trustworthy and not just let it be known thru your actions, it's a problem.
We use Brazos Valley Automotive exclusively. I have no idea what they believe. They demonstrate that I can trust them and they aren't trying to gouge us.
My experience with Christian Brothers RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY FROM THEM. They are very overpriced on their parts, very large markup. They will always find other things wrong with your vehicle when you take it in for repair. They will tell you horror stories if you fail to make their suggest repair on the new problem they found. There are a lot more honest shops in your area that will tell the truth. Christian Bros. reminds me of the Snake Oil preachers that start a church and then become millionaires on the back of the hard working congregation. They shout Tithe, Tithe, I need a new car to do the lord's work. Forgot to mention I wonder how much old DAVE RAMSEY made off of them. Just like the way he is being sued now for the timeshare exit company that is a complete fraud. He admits he made millions off them. Do you see a pattern here.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dave-ramsey-getting-sued-150-million-lawsuit-timeshare-exit/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dave-ramsey-getting-sued-150-million-lawsuit-timeshare-exit/
Same experience as Rancher. I fell for it once. Never again. So many other choices.
Man, I'd almost swear my old man is speaking from beyond the grave!Quote:
If you have to tell people you are fair and honest and trustworthy and not just let it be known thru your actions, it's a problem.
He used to tell me -- if someone starts telling you how religious and honest they are, get ready. You're in for a %$^&ing.
Also, I manufactured and sold big-ticket items for over thirty years and only received one bad personal check that entire time. Yep, you guessed it -- it had some ersatz Christian graphics and sayings printed on it.
As for the Christian Brothers auto shops -- I've got no opinion one way or the other, as I've never used them.
To be honest (funny I used that expression -- my old man says you'd now better be careful) I'm pretty skeptical about the honesty and competency of auto mechanics in general, along with a few other types of tradespeople, but that's a story for another time.
I personally trust them - but it's because of a specific service advisor I trust. He has never steered me wrong or tried to sell me something not needed on my car.
I went there once to have brake pads and rotors replaced. I know I know, should have done it myself as it is easy, but I lived in an apartment and didn't have anywhere to do it. I should have asked for a quote before taking it there, but assumed they would be reasonably priced. It wound up costing quite a bit more than other places would have been. They have a huge list of other problems with my car, but I expect that anywhere, and they didn't do anything without my go ahead. Overall I can't blame them that much for this, but still sucked paying as much as I did.
While waiting to get the keys to my car there was a woman there trying to pick up her Ford Explorer that had been there for a week. Christian Bros said they would need it for a few more days because they ordered the wrong part. They twisted it into being Ford's fault because of the vehicle's engine schematic drawing being too hard to follow. The woman was on the verge of tears explaining that she needed it to get to a funeral for her father that was an 8 hour drive away. The manager at Christian bros couldn't have cared less and never waned from not taking responsibility for ordering the wrong part.
I also have an older coworker that is from Korea and doesn't speak the best English. He drives a Jeep liberty that is at least 10 years old. They quoted him on total required repairs at $16,000+. Probably more than the vehicle is worth. This one really pissed me off as he is incredibly nice and trusting, and they're preying on that in combination with the language barrier.
I get these are anecdotal and specific to one location, but for how little I've dealt with them every experience I've had or heard others have has been extremely negative.
While waiting to get the keys to my car there was a woman there trying to pick up her Ford Explorer that had been there for a week. Christian Bros said they would need it for a few more days because they ordered the wrong part. They twisted it into being Ford's fault because of the vehicle's engine schematic drawing being too hard to follow. The woman was on the verge of tears explaining that she needed it to get to a funeral for her father that was an 8 hour drive away. The manager at Christian bros couldn't have cared less and never waned from not taking responsibility for ordering the wrong part.
I also have an older coworker that is from Korea and doesn't speak the best English. He drives a Jeep liberty that is at least 10 years old. They quoted him on total required repairs at $16,000+. Probably more than the vehicle is worth. This one really pissed me off as he is incredibly nice and trusting, and they're preying on that in combination with the language barrier.
I get these are anecdotal and specific to one location, but for how little I've dealt with them every experience I've had or heard others have has been extremely negative.
Had a truck throw codes and limped it there, it was the closest shop I could find. I feel like I was fleeced and they took the opportunity to add things on I feel I didn't need to correct the issue. I was in a hurry, needed to get to work and just paid to get back on the road. I will not be returning.
What in the world could cost $16k on a jeep liberty? New engine + transmission would be less than that, even at Xian Bros prices.
My son went there once because he was over a barrel, our normal shop couldn't get him in, and he had to be in Lubbock for 1st day of class. Fill tube on gas tank ran $850. Ooof.
My son went there once because he was over a barrel, our normal shop couldn't get him in, and he had to be in Lubbock for 1st day of class. Fill tube on gas tank ran $850. Ooof.
Guy I work for (church band) brought his van to them to wire up the trailer plug and brake controller. They left one of the rear tail lights popped halfway out, had wiring that was pinched in the tail light housing and rear door. And as far as I can tell did not fuse protect anything. If they did, I can't find it. It's not on the wire they shoddily added to the battery.
I drive the van btw.
I drive the van btw.
maroon barchetta said:Dill-Ag13 said:
It's a Franchise so very much YMMV
They hide behind the name and can be anything but Christian.
Over my adult life I have found numerous businesses who display the "we are a Christian business so you can trust us" banner, in part to market to Christians who believe they are supporting people with similar values, but also to let the general public know they will be honest and fair.
Lots of Aggies do this too.
I typically avoid businesses that advertise that they are Christian owned, firefighter owned, or even Veteran owned (probably an unpopular opinion. sorry). All of those groups have great people in there, and all of them have shady people in there. I've had poor experiences from some, just as I've had poor experiences from companies that don't advertise some affiliation. But, when they say Christian or Veteran owned, and then do a poor job or screw you, it leaves a pretty bad taste in your mouth.
Plus, the guy who owns the business may be Christian, etc..., but are his workers? If 100% of your people don't stand behind those values, then why even bother advertising it that way? I recently hired a plumbing company based on a neighborhood recommendation. They advertise "faith-based, Aggie owned"...even better, I thought. Maybe the owner is, but their guys sure weren't. I'll never hire them again. I suspect Christian Bros is in a similar boat. Maybe it started off that way, but they have hundreds of techs now, and you can't force people to be honest.
Plus, the guy who owns the business may be Christian, etc..., but are his workers? If 100% of your people don't stand behind those values, then why even bother advertising it that way? I recently hired a plumbing company based on a neighborhood recommendation. They advertise "faith-based, Aggie owned"...even better, I thought. Maybe the owner is, but their guys sure weren't. I'll never hire them again. I suspect Christian Bros is in a similar boat. Maybe it started off that way, but they have hundreds of techs now, and you can't force people to be honest.
My experience was grossly overpriced.
I had my wife's Tahoe there once. Window motor went out. That's a repair I can easily do but I was travelling a lot for work so I figured I'd have them take a look.
They called and said it'd be $895 to do the work. I told them no. They said "OK we'll put the door panel back on and you can come get it." I said leave it as is.
Saved me the time of removing the door panel. Part was $75, took me 30 mins.
I had my wife's Tahoe there once. Window motor went out. That's a repair I can easily do but I was travelling a lot for work so I figured I'd have them take a look.
They called and said it'd be $895 to do the work. I told them no. They said "OK we'll put the door panel back on and you can come get it." I said leave it as is.
Saved me the time of removing the door panel. Part was $75, took me 30 mins.
Cody
Fightin Texas Aggie c/o 04
Fightin Texas Aggie c/o 04
Friend of mine took his truck in because the drive line was making a squealing noise. Turned to need u-joints and carrier bearing on the driveshaft. When he got it back it was leaking fluid from the tailshaft housing of the transmission. He had to take it in for them to fix that too. Their response was, "Yeah, we probably should have changed out that seal when we were under there the first time."
Yeah, no sht.
Yeah, no sht.
Christian Bros, Firestone, Goodyear, etc. I avoid all chain repair places. Never had a good experience with any of them.
Flaith said:
Christian Bros, Firestone, Goodyear, etc. I avoid all chain repair places. Never had a good experience with any of them.
We have a locally owned Goodyear center that I use for tires. Their service is pretty good, and they have fixed several flats for free, even on tires I didn't buy there but probably because I have bought a couple of full sets over time.
Our local Firestone sucks, however. I took my truck in once to get some new tires on the front. The wheels had plastic hubcaps with faux lug nuts. I saw the tech walking back and forth from the truck to the toolbox with various sockets in hand trying to figure out which one fit. I told the service manager who ran into the shop and stopped him before he put the impact wrench on my hubcaps. Idiots. I haven't taken anything back since then.
For tires, I would consider going to a Firestone or Goodyear shop. I'm talking about the ones with full service car repair/mechanic capability.
I remember way back in '98 one of my classmates telling me to avoid them at all costs and that they hide behind the "Christian" name.
Their piss poor reputation is long running for a reason.
Their piss poor reputation is long running for a reason.
My situation was I was driving my '10 Charger to work one day and the engine ceased up on me, (oil light flashed on a couple days before it and I hadn't done anything about it since it didn't stay on all the time, likely my fault any way but that was beside the point). Early morning and on the side of the road the mechanic I used to take all my cars to for work because he was honest and someone I could trust had closed (has since turned his old mechanic shop into an indoor gun range and does much better now with it) so I had no clue who to send my car to as i needed it running again so i could get to work the next day, so i had it towed to christian brothers. Went and talked to them and they said they will look at it and give me a call with the estimated damage. Call me about 3 hours later and said "oh that will be about $8000 to fix assuming we don't find anything else once we get in there". I said let me think about it and I'll call you right back. Figured up that it wasn't even worth $3000 at the time so I wasn't about to drop $8000+ to get it fixed. So I called him back and asked is it drivable for me to at least get it home. He said yes as long as you don't go above 35. I said no problem I'll be up there shortly to get it. When I went to get the keys the guy behind the counter tried to convince me to get it fixed with some story about how something similar happened to his wife that they just sold off / scrapped the car they had like I was planning on doing and when they got a new car, he had to put it in the shop 2 weeks after getting it for issues they had with it. I said oh well I guess I will take my chances vs sinking more money into the car than what it is worth. Haven't been back since.
I find myself wondering WTF are people doing to their cars where stuff is breaking all the time?
I think that is the crux of the issue with shops like Christian brothersMouthBQ98 said:
I find myself wondering WTF are people doing to their cars where stuff is breaking all the time?
Bring you car in for brakes, they call and say you have a bad CV axle.
Bring your car in for AC leak, they tell you you have a bad head gasket
i'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around how you drove home (even under 35) with a "ceased up" engine?
sts7049 said:
i'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around how you drove home (even under 35) with a "ceased up" engine?
I'm interested in this as well.
sts7049 said:
i'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around how you drove home (even under 35) with a "ceased up" engine?
A-a-Ron done screwed up
My son took his truck to them to change the transmission fluid. They told him he needed a new transmission. Charged him $150 for the "diagnosis." He brought it home and we changed the fluid (messy job) and it fixed the problem. I told my son they weren't very Christian were they? Lesson learned.
Besides the point or not... when a dash light is FLASHING, that means pull over and shut the car off. Consider a solid light, no flashing, could mean **** is going to get real.A-A Ron said:
My situation was I was driving my '10 Charger to work one day and the engine ceased up on me, (oil light flashed on a couple days before it and I hadn't done anything about it since it didn't stay on all the time, likely my fault any way but that was beside the point). Early morning and on the side of the road the mechanic I used to take all my cars to for work because he was honest and someone I could trust had closed (has since turned his old mechanic shop into an indoor gun range and does much better now with it) so I had no clue who to send my car to as i needed it running again so i could get to work the next day, so i had it towed to christian brothers. Went and talked to them and they said they will look at it and give me a call with the estimated damage. Call me about 3 hours later and said "oh that will be about $8000 to fix assuming we don't find anything else once we get in there". I said let me think about it and I'll call you right back. Figured up that it wasn't even worth $3000 at the time so I wasn't about to drop $8000+ to get it fixed. So I called him back and asked is it drivable for me to at least get it home. He said yes as long as you don't go above 35. I said no problem I'll be up there shortly to get it. When I went to get the keys the guy behind the counter tried to convince me to get it fixed with some story about how something similar happened to his wife that they just sold off / scrapped the car they had like I was planning on doing and when they got a new car, he had to put it in the shop 2 weeks after getting it for issues they had with it. I said oh well I guess I will take my chances vs sinking more money into the car than what it is worth. Haven't been back since.
Considering that no one has come on here and said they've had a good experience with CB says a lot.
It might not have been completely seized up, I know they were able to at least get the thing to run enough for me to be able to slowly drive it home, seized may have not been the correct word. From what i remember (this was 6 ish years ago) I was driving along, I no longer had the ability to press the gas and go and had to just coast to the side of the road, and when i turned the ignition off, the car wouldn't start anymore. Not a huge car guy so I may be incorrect as to what the diagnosis was. I just remember a few days before this happen the oil light had come on for a few seconds then went off, I am usually pretty good about getting regular oil changes and since it had just flashed on for a short bit i thought it may be a little low on oil, i will buy some soon and "top it off". So when this happened, i just assumed it had something to do with the oil light that had flashed, but as my extent of car knowledge is doing brakes, and a few other minor repairs, I am not 100% sure what happened. I just knew I wasn't going to pay $8,000 for a repair on a car that was worth only about $3,000 and would never get that investment in repair back. The kicker was just the guy's story behind the counter about how a similar thing had happened to him and his wife and how it was going to convince me to have them do the work.sts7049 said:
i'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around how you drove home (even under 35) with a "ceased up" engine?
Edited to fix my grammar mistake others have pointed out...
Ceased is definitely not the correct word.
Almost sounds like the computer put it in "limp" mode
And I'm curious how you can do brake jobs but not know how to check the oil.
The word is "seized" by the way
And I'm curious how you can do brake jobs but not know how to check the oil.
The word is "seized" by the way
I've only ever been there once, to get an inspection. They failed the car and tried to scam me into an new power steering system. Once they fail you they won't re-inspect without "fixing" whatever issue they come up with. Ended up just paying for another inspection at the dealer.
While I was in the waiting room I overheard a few outrageous quotes to other customers.
While I was in the waiting room I overheard a few outrageous quotes to other customers.
Generally when an engine seizes, one of the rods will go through the wall of the engine block. In other words, the piston will stop moving, this is the seized part. The crankshaft is still turning and the rod connecting the crankshaft to the cylinder head breaks. Usually this sends the rod through the wall of the engine cylinder. There is very little that can be done to get someone on their way, although I have seen the broken rods disconnected and the engine run on one fewer cylinders.
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