Lee's Automatic Transmissions

I brought my car to Lee's for a transmission replacement. The team was clear and transparent about the options, giving me multiple solutions at different price ranges (and including pros and cons of each). They were friendly and communicative throughout the process, and leant me a loaner car to drive while mine was in their shop. Following the transmission replacement, they followed up to see how it was driving, and reminded me to bring it back in for the follow-up inspection. Great experience for a stressful and costly repair job. Thanks Lee's! Highly recommend for professional, prompt and thorough work.

My car had a dramatic breakdown on a Sunday afternoon right around the corner from Lee's. I had it towed there and called them. They told me they would take a look first thing Monday morning. They called me by 11:00 Mon morning and gave me a quote to repair a broken axle as well as few other suggestions. The price seemed reasonable. They did the work that day and the mechanic stayed late to finish it. Instead of waiting for me to walk to the shop to pick up my car, the owner sent me an Uber at his cost so I could get there faster. I was really impressed by the prompt and friendly customer service!

my daughter had a sudden problem with her car yesterday - turned a corner and it quit, and made a big noise!
it was towed here, and today , the broken axle was replaced; she said someone stayed late to do so.
as well, an Uber was arranged for her to get home, at their cost!
i just wanted to pass on a Mum's thanks; service above and beyond.

I used to go to Lees Transmissions when the owner Walter worked there, and I believe they had another transmission builder that no longer works here either. There staff have all left, the new owner has brought this place down. He put a used part in my car and told me it was new. I only found out when it failed and I tried to get it fixed under warranty. The they still lied to me. I hate crooked business owners. Dont trust this place.

A very disgruntled customer.

Walt, the shop manager, told me my front brakes were 'getting close', so I agreed to replace them. Afterwards he told me they were 8mm. More than half is not getting close in any reasonable world. I agreed to the repair under false pretenses.

When I called him on it, he said he remembered saying the front brakes were so-so. That's still stretching it, but whatever. I tried to suggest he'd made a mistake, but he denied all knowledge. There's no record of what he said, so I left it.

The work was fine.

I came to Lee's after finding that Wilf's came up rated #1 on yelp. Turns out that Wilf's had shut down but Lee's is owned by the same guy, Walter. Now that I'm about to leave my own review I am shocked to see the negatives under Lee's. I can only wonder if Walter's presence in the shop makes the employees more vigilant with their workmanship?
I was told my tranny was shot. I spent the night fighting between tears, freaking out and looking for a van I could afford to replace mine. By morning I figured I should get a second opinion.
Walter listened attentively, asked a few question, popped the hood and said he knew what the problem was. I left my van there and it was fixed within a few hours! He was super patient while my niece and nephew fauned and feel in love with the BEST DOG IN THE WORLD!!!! Which happens to be his companion. Fast, friendly, efficient, honest and a good value for my money. I hope that I never have problems with my transmission again, but if I do i will be going back to him!

Walter is one of the few honest mechanics in the city. He always has a smile on his face and is happy to help you solve all of your car-related mysteries.

My relationship with Walter goes back to my first vehicle, which was a gift from my grandma Clara. Clara warned me not to waste my time and go and see anyone else. I was in a jam and had to get a late night oil change before heading out on an early morning winter road trip and I made the mistake of going to the Mr. Lube down the street. They tried to convince me that I needed to replace my brake lights and have an expensive engine flush. After I denied both I checked on my brake lights to find them working fine. Safe to say I've learned my lesson and won't be taking my truck to anyone but Walter - If you're still on the fence after reading this post take Clara's advice and don't waste your time, go see Walter and his team at Lee's and tell him Clara sent you!

I decided to contact Lee's Transmissions for a potentially huge repair to my truck, and I chose them based on the review here on Yelp. I am so very happy that I did! (Thank you Roanna for your review!)
My truck was having trouble passing the BC out of province inspection for a number of reasons. The biggest one being that it would roll if left in park. I had a few mechanics around Vancouver check it out and they all said to me that it would definitely be a transmission rebuild. I was getting estimates at about $4000.00 for that work to be done alone. But the mechanic I bought it off of in the states insisted that it absolutely did not need to be rebuilt and with a relatively simple couple of steps it can be fixed. I wanted nothing to do with a transmission rebuild so I took notes on what to explain to another mechanic here in Vancouver and I sourced Yelp for who to call.

That is where things changed for the best. I contacted Walt at Lee's Transmissions and he very kindly listened to me ramble about my situation and try to explain to him how I understood the truck needed to be fixed. I don't know much about vehicles so it wasn't a straightforward explanation either. I brought the truck to him and later that day he called with excellent news. Immediately Walt said that my mechanic in the US knew his stuff and the repair was done. No need to even think about rebuilding or taking out any transmissions. It came to a couple hundred dollars. Needless to say I was very happy with the result.
I appreciated Walt's honesty and willingness to try a suggestion from another mechanic. I would of recommended him just based on this but when it came to all the other work that needed to be done in order to pass the out of province inspection he was even more helpful.

He actually drove my truck over to another garage for the new inspection that it needed. He recommended them and another garage to do the repairs because as Walt put it, he trusts them with his customers.
The other garages who I also have had awesome experiences with are West Coast Alignment (for the inspection), and Soars Automotive for the rest of the repairs. West Coast will be doing the final inspection for free even though I am not getting the repairs done by them and they also drove the truck over to Soars for me to save me a trip.

It can definitely be tough to find honest people to work on our vehicles and I am really pleased that I waited until I found Walt at Lee's.

when my 1998 pickup broke down with transmission issues, I knew right away it could be a relatively expensive repair. I was unimpressed by my dealership's initial quote so I asked around and it was recommended by a friend that I see Walt at Lee's Automatic Transmission. after speaking with a very friendly Walt over the phone, i had my truck towed to the shop. I was almost relieved to hear a quote of just under $1400. it was more than I could afford at the time but less than the dealership's quote so I agreed to the work being done. one day later I got a call saying (surprise!) the damage is more extensive than they thought and the repairs would be "closer" to $2800. at this point the repairs are costing me more than the dealership had quoted and twice what Walt originally quoted me. with the transmission being dismantled and the truck on a hoist, there were no better options so I reluctantly agreed to go ahead. when I went to get my truck, Walt went through a noticeably small list of parts they had replaced and surprised me with a bill of just under $3500! I was shocked and angry as I was reassured of the 3 year warranty on their work. "At least this is one thing you won't have to worry about on this truck for a long time" he said, and this is where things became absolutely shameful. I drove home 2 hrs to find what appeared to be a significant transmission leak. I got a hold of Walt the following day to say I already need warranty work done. he acted embarrassed and asked me to return the truck. I drove 2 hrs there for a SECOND time, spent the night, picked up the truck again, drove 2 hrs home and found the same leak. I called Walt again (furious now), we had the same conversation and I dropped off the truck for a THIRD time. when I got home to find the same leak and realized my truck would have to go in a FOURTH time I felt like I was on a hidden camera show. I gave Walt a chance to explain himself (he failed miserably) and I realized that after spending nearly $3500, I was stuck bringing my truck to him 100 times if that's what it took. I'm sorry to say that after eventually realizing the truck would need a FIFTH visit for the very same issue, I gave up and counted my losses... all 3500 of them and I have not returned despite Walt's offer to "pick up the truck this time".

the friend that recommended Walt's work has since cut all ties, business and personal with Lee's Automatic Transmission.

I strongly recommend you do your best to find a different shop! if you are looking for honest work, you need to look elsewhere. apparently a dealership is cheaper and definitely more accountable!

A lot of highway driving has preserved our clutch but buying time does not change the facts that parts wear out and cars are not self-healing. We had to face the music so we brought our Honda in again to Walt at Lee's.

No one wants to spend big money on car repair but at least with Walt, he explains all the details and he'll even show you what he's talking about. He's really good at communicating exactly what needs to be done while not leaving you feeling completely vulnerable to the unknown.

We trust Walt and he's a nice guy too. Heck, he even picked up the big guy to get the car back, (since we live close by.)