Lansdowne Auto Centre

Fast, friendly service. Lorraine fixed a taillight bulb for me in less than 15 min. and just charged me for the bulb. That's so rare these days to get some free labour & expertise. I'm telling all my friends that Landsdowne Auto Centre is a great auto repair find in Victoria.

Gary and Lorraine run a supremely good mechanic business.

I had a potential problem with my engine block, which I found out myself, cleaning oil out of spark plug wells. I called Gary to discuss. In this brief phone call, Gary immediately offered details and even a diagnostic, which impressed me with his skill and generosity.

So, I dropped my car off for them to fix.

Lorraine kept in touch with phone calls and ended up telling me the problem wasn't as bad as a I feared -- they recommended not doing the job. So I left with a tiny bill compared to the hours of work they could have charged.

I only wish all consultants and businesses were as skilled and honest as Gary and Lorraine.

The first time I used Landsdowne Auto Centre [LAC for short :) ] they did an effective job of tuning my wife's Prius, but her starter battery failed soon after and instead of servicing it by buying the least expensive one they installed a premium battery without asking me first. I was annoyed at the extra cost, but the problem was fixed. I decided to live with the misunderstanding...

Afterwards, I thought I'd install an aftermarket back-up camera on the car because of its well-known blindspots.

Mechanic Gary went online with me and selected a wireless camera at the online Walmart site he recommended.

He told me to order that one and he'd install it no problem. But when it came, it was unsuited for a hatchback because it attaches to the license plate mounted on the hatch, but needs an electric connection to the brakes which are mounted on the frame.

So they tried to charge me triple the labour cost for rewiring the car's hatch to connect the camera to the brake lights. At first Gary claimed they'd already disassembled the car. They hadn't. I picked up the car and camera and went elsewhere.

Gary, I find, gets pretty rude about assuming responsibility for customer dissatisfaction. (AS I mentioned, he had also been a bit rude about the premium battery previously).

I live in the neighbourhood but I won't be using them again.

A nearby chain does most of what they do and they do it cheaper, faster and with less attitude.

Phoned ahead for an oil change same day. Oil was changed, car was washed and vacuumed, and the price was less than any of the quick oil change places in town. In and out in under 2 hours.
Not 5 stars because they charged me to refill the washer fluid without asking. and it did not need filling.

A big shout-out to Lorraine and Gary at Lansdowne Auto Centre. I've been taking my Tacoma there for several years and they've always given me great service. I recommend them, and will continue to take my vehicles there for servicing.

I drive a wheelchair van and two years ago when my ramp wasn't deploying properly, I had a heavy duty battery installed at Lansdowne Auto. In the past week, the van failed to start twice and I needed a boost. Of course, without power, I also cannot deploy the ramp myself. I took my van back to Lansdowne Auto today and, even though the battery checked out as okay, they replaced it anyway under warranty, with no charge for labour. They said they wanted to give me the peace of mind that it wasn't my battery that was the problem. Great service - thank you! I appreciate a business that is sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities in a respectful way.