Christian Brothers Automotive Alamo Heights

1431 Austin Hwy, San Antonio, TX 78209, USA

Address:	1431 Austin Hwy, San Antonio, TX 78209, USA
Phone:	+1 210-832-0088
Site:	cbac.com
Rating:	4
Working:	7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 34

Reviews 4

Cameron Archer

Extremely disappointed and upset with these guys. I took my 2004 4Runner in to get several fluid flushes (transmission, power steering, etc), as well as have them inspect the breaks. The mechanics told me that the front right caliper was locked up, so they would need to replace the brake calipers and wheel bearings on both front wheels. All said and done I paid them almost $1900 for the work (which included an oil change, new pads, and the fluid flushes). I picked my car up off of the lot, drove it about 100 yards and the ABS started kicking in at low speeds. I also noticed after parking that one of the bolts in the calipers was completely loose and about to get caught in the wheel. They had forgotten to put in the cotter pin! So, I turned around and took it back. They looked at it again the next day, said everything was fine, and they had test-driven it with no problems. Again, I drove it off the lot, and as soon as I did, the same thing happened. ABS kicked in with very little brake pressure. Turned back around and took it back. They looked at it the next day, couldnt find a problem with the ABS system, so they told me the vacuum pump motor was bad and I needed to replace the master cylinder assembly for $2200. Their words were: "Something is wrong with the vacuum pump motor. We dont know what it is, but its gonna run you $2200 to replace." I said no thank you. If your mechanic calls you, tells you they dont know what the problem is, but they want $2200 to fix it, run and never look back. I picked up my car and took it to another mechanic who my friend recommended. He spent three days trying to find the problem. After replacing the ABS sensor (and confirming that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the vacuum pump motor), the problem persisted. He took the wheel assembly off and found right away what the issue was. The bearing that Christian Brothers had put in on the front right wheel was absolutely mutilated. It looked like they had used a machete to put that thing in. It was severely dented in several places and in absolutely no way fit for service. I called Christian Brothers to explain the situation, and all I got was: "Well we wish you would have brought it back to us. We could have warrantied it and replaced it." Thats all well and good, but they couldnt find that problem anyways!! No offer to refund the several hundred dollars I spent on the bearing, no offer to refund the replacement ABS sensor that I didnt need, no offer to help me at all. Meanwhile the mechanic I took it to has spent nearly three whole days working on my car, and is charging me less than a third of what Christian Brothers wanted to repair their mistake. I understand that mechanics make mistakes. But they should be willing to fix them. They should also spend the time to determine EXACTLY what is wrong with the vehicle before suggesting you spend several thousand dollars for repairs. Its frustrating to see that a Christian organization appears to be using Jesus as a way to put a price tag on poor quality workmanship and service. Maybe thats not the case, but I have lost complete faith in their ability to diagnose and repair issues with my vehicle. I would highly recommend you avoid this business. They appear to be incompetent, and as a result they do not do good work.

Michael Pierce

I am a military service member who had recently moved back to San Antonio when my wifes Lexus RX 300 began having engine problems. Not knowing where to have the vehicle taken, I had it towed to Christian Brothers automotive on Austin Highway. They charged me $80 just to do a diagnostic. When I got their itemized estimate of repairs, it came out to $4500. The tip of an old spark plug had broken off and was rattling in the cylinder. Even though there was no evidence of damage to the cylinder, they wanted to pull the heads off and send them to a machine shop to be reworked. The list included many items that had nothing to do with my vehicles issue. Basically, they looked for any part that had any wear and said it need to be replaced. They claimed that I had multiple leaks even though there had never been evidence of a leak before. I told them that I was not going to have them do the work and had my car towed to my home. I personally retrieved the spark plug tip without much trouble, replaced the spark plugs and the ignition coils, and took the vehicle for a test drive. It ran better but I noticed the strong smell of burning oil which had never been there before. On opening the hood, I found oil leaking from under the valve cover. I got a socket wrench and discovered that half of the bolts had been loosened. One tight, the next loose, the next tight and so on. I tightened the loose bolts, cleaned up the oil, and the problem disappeared. I took the car to another mechanic that is highly rated on all of the search engines and they resolved the rest of my engine problems for just under $1000. I will never take another vehicle to Christian Brothers and will advise everyone that I know to stay away from the place. Unless you want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on repairs that you do not need, I advise you to find some place else to take your business.

Anonymous User

Been going to Rolf and his crew since they opened, as I like to frequent local businesses. But I cant go back. I dropped my car off this morning before the mechanics even got there and told them I needed an oil change, and that I was leaving town for awhile and wanted them to look it over and make sure the car was in good shape for my wife. I mentioned specifically a filter they told me needed changing last visit. Three or four hours later, I still hadnt heard from them, so I called. They hadnt gotten to it yet, but promised it would be ready within an hour. Two hours later, I got a call, and Mark told me he hadnt started any service because he had neglected to tell me about another problem (brake pads needing immediate care, which theyd told me last visit were just fine) and didnt want to start any work without letting me know. After six hours in their shop, I got an oil change. Which I couldve done myself in half the time, and couldve gotten anywhere else for less money and in (at most) 1/6th of the time. And they never even mentioned the filter they said needed to be replaced last time. Now Im looking for a mechanic I can trust in the Alamo Heights/Austin Hwy area. Any suggestions?

Jason Hamil

Ok let me start with, THEY TRIED TO KILL MY GUY, and Google does not have a zero star. We took a truck to them on a Thursday Oct 1st by 9am. We explained the importance of needing it by Friday night, we would have made other arrangements, the truck did need lots of work. Over $2600 worth. They said they should be able to get it done in a day. Finally gave us the quote, Thursday at 6pm, to do the work. Told them order parts and do the work. They said they would call when ready. We finally called them at 5:30 pm Friday. They said that a spark plug broke and was stuck. They had to let penetrating oil sit over weekend, Because they dont work on Saturday. Said should be ready first thing Monday morning. No call. We called at noon, still no change. Long story short they didnt finish till after 4pm on Tuesday. I get someone to pick up the truck, he drives 15 minutes down the road and the front driver side wheel flies off while he is driving on the freeway. After all that we went through trying to get the truck back from them, they dont even tighten down the lug nuts. SO IF YOU WANT SOMEONE DEAD, just send them to Christian Brothers. They are real pros.