Paid for professionals. Got the opposite, and now they won't return calls…read more
We trusted Christian Brothers Arapahoe with a 2023 Chevy Traverse my co-owner drives full time for Uber. It's her livelihood, and their own repair order says they knew it. Over 29 visits in two years we paid them $12,519.39 at $175/hour, expecting professional service. From their own invoices:
Transmission complaints patched, never fixed. She reported a clunk on shifting time and again and was told they couldn't replicate it. After her numerous complaints, in August 2025 they changed the transmission fluid, saying it was bad. Chevrolet's normal schedule doesn't call for that at all. It was a patch, not a diagnosis. Seven weeks later they pulled the transmission and wrote that the fluid they had just put in was "significantly degraded, suggesting potential damage." Twice in seven weeks they saw a fluid problem. They replaced only the torque converter and put the same transmission back in. It failed in August 2026; now they quote $14,440.98 to replace it.
Engine underfilled. The engine takes 6 quarts. They billed 5 quarts on six visits, including the one where she came in with the oil light on and asked them to measure the oil. No measurement recorded, 5 quarts again.
Additive the manufacturer says not to use. Chevrolet's manual says "Do not add anything to the oil." They added and charged for an oil additive on at least nine visits.
Paid $90 to find a $124 repair, then told to pay $2,374.62. After a rear-end accident she paid $90 to diagnose a rear clunk. Their technician found one problem: "right side exhaust pipe hanger is damaged," something anyone could see in 5 minutes. GM's price for the hanger is $36.72. Even at $175/hour, a 15-30 minute install is $124.22 at most. They never priced it. They quoted a complete exhaust system for $2,374.62 instead. She declined, the hanger stayed broken, and three months later their own notes say the exhaust was "rattling against rear suspension." An independent mechanic confirmed it only ever needed the hanger. Colorado law makes it illegal for a repair shop to say repairs are necessary when they are not.
Diagnostic fees that don't match the work. On her last visit they charged two "Level 1" diagnostic fees, $319.98, nearly two hours at their rate, for under an hour of work: a broken sway bar link and a transmission fluid sample. Our independent mechanic checked both in under 10 minutes each. The leaking shocks came from their free courtesy inspection; we never asked them to diagnose shocks.
Prices all over the map. The same rear shock job was quoted six times, from $627 to $1,025. Parts jumped 79% in two months.
Sold us their own warranty, then wouldn't stand behind it. They upsold us "Nice Difference Care+," run by Christian Brothers' own warranty company. When the transmission failed, it denied the claim and said any misdiagnosis "would need to be addressed directly with the shop." The shop is Christian Brothers. The warranty company is Christian Brothers. Each points at the other; nobody takes responsibility.
Nobody answers. Calls to Christian Brothers corporate go unanswered. Dan West, who runs this location, never returned our voicemail. We were told they had videos of the transmission fluid; when we asked for them, we were ignored. We asked in writing for the complete service file with technician notes and photos and got a one-line summary.
They were so busy upselling, they forgot they're in the customer service business.
If your car is how you earn a living, get a second opinion before you authorize anything here, and ask for the technician's notes in writing.