We are a family owned and operated shop that has proudly served the Brazos Valley since 1986. We are a family owned and operated shop that has proudly served the Brazos Valley since 1986.
I am sorry there was a misunderstanding on cost of your recent repair. Our policy has not changed from when my dad started the company in 1986. We have always followed the industry standard labor guides used around the country and call with as accurate an estimate as posible. We should have given you a price before hand, but after doing some checking we did not do that in your case. Clay was under the impression that you just needed it fixed quickly. That is no excuse for not following policy. I apologize for Clay not calling you with a price.
Recently I had a job done on my vehicle and it's a very simple job. Replace driver's side exhaust manifold. I replaced the passenger side one myself in 30 minutes. All 8 engine-to-manifold and 3 manifold-to-exhaust bolts easily came out with a little ratchet, no stuck bolts. They’re exposed and very accessible without removing anything else in the engine bay. After I removed the bolts on the driver's side I noticed there's an extra 1 inch nut on the driver's side for a hose that's not on the passenger side and I don't have a wrench that big, so since I was already taking my vehicle to B&B for something else, I figured I'd take my new manifold and have them swap it while they were at it. So I lubed the bolts and reinstalled them.
I should've bought a 1 inch wrench and done the driver's side myself. I was charged 1.5 hours labor to swap it. I couldn't believe it. How could a professional mechanic with a lift and air tools take 1.5 hours to do such a small job that I, a regular Joe, was able to do in 30 minutes in an apartment parking lot? I asked the specific mechanic who did it if he had any problems and he told me it was one of the easiest exhaust manifold replacements he’s done because all the bolts came out with no trouble. The owner Clay was adamant that it was a 1.5 hour job when I questioned him about the labor charge. Later that week, to make sure my timing was accurate, I bought a 1 inch wrench and removed and reinstalled the same manifold that B&B replaced. Took me right about 30 minutes. So I don’t know where the 1.5 hour labor came from. Maybe since the founder retired and his sons took over there’s a new policy where labor charges include lunch breaks.
Labor amount problems aside, this shop does great quality work and I’m confident you will not be disappointed in your vehicle repair.