Well deserved 5 stars. My very detailed justification for 5 stars is as such...
Been a loyal Imperial Auto customer from 2005-2012 or so during the Mr Huang days - performed countless oil changes and 2 timing belt services (98 Acura Integra GSR, 2000 Honda CR-V), always superior experiences. I do know how to work on my own cars, so I can scrutinize the work of others to a decent degree of reason. Anyways, I end up moving to another part of town, get a new 2013 Acura TL, and lose touch with Imperial Auto.
Fast Fwd to now. First "real" service with this car comes up at 100K, this is major service, so I don't care how far I have to drive, I just want to get the best work done and the best price with the best parts. I am initially hesitating to try Imperial Auto because I know a new owner has taken over the business. So, I price 100K services from Lewisville Honda, Vandergriff Acura, the "new" Jack operated Imperial Auto, and "other" small local shop. Guess what? Other small local shop is lowest, but upon further prodding, I find they use low grade mostly Chinese made "ebay" parts (yes there is a tiny bit of irony you can extract from that statement). Jack though? The guy was speaking my language. I am a pretty picky customer. I want OEM parts where critical, so much so that I do not even like green Prestone coolant, I want Honda 50-50. Jack pretty much said "that is how it is anyways with us." So, I was won over, looks like the standards from the Mr Huang days are upheld. Back to Imperial Auto I go.
Here's all the positive things that happened as soon as I dropped my car off.
1) Got a courtesy call to let me know my service code (B14) indicated a need for a spark plug change which I didn't ask for. I declined, because that's pretty easy to do, and had planned to do that on my own that night actually. Mr. Jack agreed that it was an easy thing and let me go on my way. He demonstrated a) initiative to look up the service code and b) honesty and reason. Because, yes, with basic Walmart tools, anyone can change spark plugs. He had no need to "hustle" me.
2) Got courtesy call #2. I was asked if I wanted to add accessory belt since the Tbelt covers were already off. I opt in, and knowing that the acc belt is not that "big of a deal" to me, I tell him to get the after-market one if the OEM can't come around. They can't get the Honda acc belt same day, but they let me know they have a Mitsuboshi one on its way (which oddly enough, I think makes the Honda branded belts anyway). This was a good thing. It demonstrated that even if the parts have to be sourced from the after-market, they are AAA high end parts and have a good supplier with a delivery guy. In other words, he didn't send some guy to Autozone.
3) Courtesy call #3, they notice my original brakes are still on car and I am asked if I want to go ahead and change them while they have my car. If you can believe it, they were still "ok" even after having 100k on them, but I agree I might as well get my brakes changed too. I 100% never get my rotors resurfaced. Everytime I've done this, 6-8 months later, I have rotor warp. Mr Jack, not knowing that I already know this, warns me of resurfacing. Nice, we are on the same page again! Also, he says he will not do the job if he cannot get Honda brake pads, and will not do it if it looks like his mechanic will be rushed.
4) My AC clutch is freaking noisy sometimes. FYI folks. Honda AC parts are not that great. Anyways, problem can't be replicated. I'm told to enjoy the cold comfortable air, and bring the car back when it turns into a real problem. Once again, there's real honesty there.
5) This one is maybe the most important. I find out at the end of everything that Mr. Jack and the original owners still stay in close touch, and Mr Huang even checks on the shop personally every now and them.
What cons are there? Not much really. I wasn't used to providing a down payment for my services before parts were ordered. I never had to do that in the past. But, that's a reasonable request. The shop is not mega luxurious, but I don't care about that, and the savings get's passed back to us.
Oh and a side note, yes, you can speak English at this shop with absolutely no issue. My Mom and Dad are from Taiwan, but I am a native Texan. I am an atrocious Chinese speaker. I can understand it, but I sound like I'm 3 years old speaking it. If anyone has reservations about the Chinese words on the door and the Asian folks working on the inside, don't, these are Americans running and American business.
So that's that. I am very pleased with how things went. If anything changes I will update this review. read more
