Leif Johnson Ford

Leo Light was absolutely wonderful! I came to test drive a new mustang not expecting to find my dream car but Leo made it happen! The staff was always helpful and it was a very easy process. Leo had everything ready to go for her the next day! Go see Leo :)

AVOID this location at all costs. I knew which exact vehicle I wanted when it was time to purchase. This was the only location in Austin which had the car. We also ended up buying another brand new vehicle for my husband within a couple of weeks. Since buying my brand new (at the time) Ford Explorer Sport fully loaded, paint began to chip off the vehicle. I called to make an appointment and got the run around by the service department. Within months after buying this happens and I had to BEG for a rental car?
Fast forward almost two years, one of my seat belts stopped working. The service department, or rather their customer service staff, is horrendous. Rude, short, and have a «sorry its not my problem» attitude. I just called them to make an appointment before our family road trip, but they can’t get me in for at least 3 weeks. Really… for a safety issue? They also could not give me any sort of estimate on how long it would take once brought in nor would they give a loaner car. «They don’t do that anymore.»
I called the 183 Ford location and I am dropping the vehicle today and picking up a loaner. The scheduler insisted that I have a loaner because again IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. My car will now be fixed by mid-​next week. Thank you Covert Ford for stepping up!
GO ELSEWHERE.

Nice job today getting me in and out in a timely manner! Thanks to Jason Redden for his professional, prompt attention to my brake issue, calling when promised with the diagnosis, and having it ready when promised! I was able to miss MOST of the traffic because you knew how important it was for me to get my car by 3:30. THANK you again for hooking me up with a ride to Wendy’s while I was waiting. This busy place seems to run pretty darn well. The customer service department checked me out quickly and no problem using my coupon. I love my truck and it rarely needs service, but when it does I only go to Leif Johnson. No fancy coffee here, but you get old fashioned good service and that tastes better.

I used their service department for years. Had to go back this past month. When I got my invoice, the charges didn’t make sense to me so I emailed my service advisor and asked him to explain it to me. He gave me a curt response and then ignored my subsequent email. I decided to email the service dept manager. He responded and said he would call me about it but never did.
I won’t be going back there again.

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!
FELT LIKE I WAS BEING SCAMMED AFTER PAYING FOR MY CAR THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS!!!
DO NOT BUY FROM HERE IF YOU’RE OUT-​OF-​STATE!!!
***NOTE: I tried reaching out to the manager (FRED TRUDEAU) I found online to explain this situation before posting to Unilocal,but have not heard from him.***
I recently bought a 2015 Jeep Cherokee from Leif Johnson Ford and have had a very arduous, painful experience in all aspects. I would like to explain my experience and the lack of service I’ve received:
I found this dealership through my bank, USAA, and it appears that they are partnered with them and came highly recommended. In November, 2015, I negotiated the purchase of a 2015 Jeep Cherokee from your company with JAMES BILLINGTON. I live in CA so I was purchasing this car in TX over the phone. When I signed the check over and paid the company for the car, James would not answer my emails or phone calls/​texts. He was in existent. Since I live in California, I had to coordinate purchasing the vehicle and also shipping the vehicle. Weeks before the vehicle was to be picked up by the shipping company, I had been in contact with James Billington and Ryan Fisher about getting all the necessary paperwork together. A couple weeks went by and I had received no contract paperwork or anything for the purchase of the vehicle (mind you, I had already wired $ 12,000 to your company and was financing the additional money).
The week before the car was to be picked up, I emailed, called and texted James everyday letting him know this. I received no response, so I called Arman Torabi. Arman said he’d try to fix things, and he did. The day the shipping vehicle arrived, Arman said it could be picked up and shipped… but James intercepted the shipping truck and told them THEY COULDN’T TAKE THE TRUCK! He didn’t call me or let me know… not once. This process took many many hours for me to sort out with the shipping company and your staff.
After we finally received the car, RYAN FISCHER told me there was no way that I could register the car in Oregon while living in California. Well, I’m in the military and every state allows this. HELLO?!? He did not understand and straight up said that it was impossible. After I asked Ryan to call the Oregon DMV for help, he never bothered to. I called instead, got the paperwork required, and sent it to Ryan. This was all at the end of November, 2015. Ryan asked for a few more documents in order for your team to register my Jeep in Oregon, and I promptly sent them the same day he asked.
Fast forward to me registering the car… So, I got the VIN Inspection Form and other document filled out, signed and over-​nighted to your company, which cost me $ 20. The next day, I got a call from TOM HUTCHINSON saying that I filled my VIN Inspection form out incorrectly and he was GOING TO CALL THE POLICE TO REPOSSESS MY JEEP! I informed him that I filled the form out correctly, but he said that the DMV or Police needed to sign off on it. Well, I had my military commander sign off on it, and the Oregon DMV website specifically states that this is acceptable.
TOM HUTCHINSON told me I was wrong, and that if I didn’t go to the DMV and get the form signed by the DMV, he would call the police. Well, I went to the DMV that day and express mailed the form to you again for $ 20. That fight was not worth fighting, and I honestly just wanted to continue the process of getting my car registered and wiping my hands clean of Leif Johnson Ford.
Later I found out that Tom was «new» and mistaken with my registration.
TOO LATE, BUDDY!
I don’t care if he was mistaken. He called me and threatened to call the police on me for filling out this form incorrectly, and refused to believe what I was saying about the DMV allowing my commander to sign the VIN Inspection Form. His ignorance caused him to call me and send a threat. This was very unprofessional and cost me money out of my pocket that should not have happened, as well as the emotional stress of this he imparted on me. I am very displeased with the overall service I’ve received.

Don’t buy the ford protect extended care. They told me it covered the a/​c and then when I went to get it fixed they said it covers most parts of the a/​c but that it didn’t actually cover the parts (actuators) that needed to be replaced. Only $ 1,100 to have them fix.
It takes years to get anything done at service station. If I schedule and appointment it might be done that day, but usually it takes over a week.
I liked working with clarence who helped sell me my car, but was a frustrating and slow process.
The only reason I bought here was because they had the best selection of used f150’s, but now have been regretting it.

This dealership is horrible. They had my 2014 F-​150 for two weeks only to deny coverage under warranty. When I asked for a reason they couldn’t give one. When I asked for a written copy stating it was denied or that I even asked for it to be covered under warranty they denied. Keven Hopper is the guy who was a complete jerk and said «that is all your getting» pointing to the sheet of paper stating the problem. Nothing even stating they looked at it or anything. DO NOT GO HERE!!!
They don’t care about their customers. They don’t care about customer service and they certainly don’t care about their product (Ford).
Buy anywhere else, or anything else. A back up camera should not just «fall out» of the housing after less than 9,000 miles. Bumper to bumper warranty is a joke with Ford.

This review is for the service department. Came on a Saturday to get my oil changed. Other Ford dealership usually come out to your car when you pull in, this one does not. The staff was really friendly though. I didn’t have an appointment and my estimated time was 2 hours. So we decided just to cross the street and get food while we waited. Only took an hour to complete. Transaction was quick and simple.

I reached out to this dealership after a very bad experience with another dealership. Due to that last experience I specifically asked for the most seasoned salesperson on the staff. That person was Tom Bobb. I have now purchased two work vans from Lief Johnson and the process went smoothly. We had one hiccup and they were quick to resolve it. Tom Bobb (salesperson) and Glen Curby (finance) have been wonderful to work with. Do yourself a favor and ask for these guys.

My girl friend and I recently purchased a Ford Fusion from Leif Johnson Ford. The staff was exceptionally accommodating and very welcoming. They had HONEST answers to all of our questions, and helped us understand the things we could not quite grasp. They showed us all options (new, used, and even on the $ 10k and under lot) within out budget and we’re more than happy to spend the time on us and our requirements.
In all honesty, we went to Leif Johnson first and felt that we should walk away and check out the other dealerships in the area to see what they had to offer. We went to another Ford in Austin and– I’m not kidding when I say this– it was an absolutely horrible experience. The next day, we were back at Leif Johnson, taken extremely well care of and left with the car we wanted at a price that was within our budget.
I recommend Ernest Peña; great man… whom actually listens to what you want and need and genuinely wishes to help you. He remembered all the details we had told him, not only about the specs we were looking for but also personal «things» that would usually go unnoticed to the average salesperson.
If you’re looking for a Ford, or any vehicle that is reliable that also offers great features, I would suggest Leif Johnson. In fact, we both would recommend buying from them to all our friends and family.

I’m updating my reviewing and adding 2 stars for the exceptional service team who went out of their way to get in contact with us and make things right. They accommodated us with a rental vehicle while our Fiesta was worked on at a sister dealership, Riatta Ford, where a speedy turnaround had our vehicle back to us within a day.
However, this entire situation could have been avoided had our vehicle not be on the used car lot and listed for sale in the first place. According to Leif Johnson Ford itself, every single Fiesta sold within the last 3 – 4 years will have to undergo this same clutch replacement. Every one. They knew this was a huge issue, they knew Ford Motor Company had installed shoddy clutch parts for years, and yet still decided to put a 2013 Ford Fiesta that had not undergone clutch repair on the used car lot for sale. They sold it to us without any disclosure of said transmission issue, and sold it at a price equivalent of a car in excellent condition for its model and mileage, which was clearly not the case. It’s a completely unacceptable, untrustworthy, and shady practice, and I can only hope that the used car department goes through some sweeping changes so that they can get on par with the excellent service department.

Re: Leif Johnson’s reply to: The WORST car buying experience I’ve ever had by far!!! DO NOT trust this dealership…”
Thanks Marri,
I have already spoken with Chris St. Clair and heard yet another batch of lies. He openly admitted that what I was told about my trade having $ 7,200 in repairs was «incorrect» (polite way of saying «lie»). He went on to tell me some ridiculous tale of other problems with the car — very odd, I had been driving the car for 2 years with no hint of any of the mechanical or electrical problems he reported. You may feel free to contact my mechanic and see how diligent I am about preventive maintenance, immediate repair of what few issues the car ever really did have, and that the car was in perfect running order (except for the blowout I had just prior to trading the car). Everyone who ever saw that vehicle was shocked that it was more than a couple of years old. Chris St. Clair offered for me to come in and we could discuss the matter further and go through the transaction line by line, to which I responded «no» — he can repeat the lies and excuses for this, what I consider criminal, abuse of misinformation, dishonesty, and horrible business practices all he likes but I’m not going to sit and be insulted by someone who thinks I’m stupid enough to believe that trash. Until your dealership makes a reasonable offer on righting the wrongs to which I’ve been subjected, there is no point in discussing the many wrongs already committed.

This is a review of the service department.
I bought a 2014 Ford C-​Max Hybrid in August 2014. I’ve had two routine service appointments, 1 recall service appointment, and 1 warranty repair appointment. None of these appointments has ever been handled well. The story is always the same — you make an appointment, you wait all day for your car to be serviced (regardless of the appointment time). I’ve tried different strategies including appts scheduled for when the service department opens to avoid getting behind other delays, leaving my car, waiting with my car, midday appointments. It doesn’t matter what time the appointment, they have no respect or understanding of what an appointment means. Most recently (3÷19÷16) I had an appointment for an oil change and tire rotation. When I made the appointment I specifically asked if my service would start at the appointment time because I had another committment an hour later. I was assured, before confirming the appointment time, that I would be done within an hour. I arrived to the appointment 30 minutes early, just in case they could get me in early. This was not a late morning appointment — 9:30, I arrived at 9am. I reiterated to the gentlemen who took my keys that I had another appointment at 10:30 so to please let me know if there wouldn’t be enough time. Again I was reassured there would be no problem. Now typically, I wouldn’t be so pushy about the timeline but this was my 4^th visit and every previous visit resulted in a 4 – 6 hour wait for simple things like an oil change, or checking the lead-​acid battery due to a recall. One hour and 15 minutes after I gave my keys I asked about my car. I was told they still needed to rotate the tires so it would be another 20 minutes. I said I didn’t have time and I would like to get my car back without the tires rotated. After several minutes the gentleman returned with my keys and said they had NOT EVEN STARTED on anything on my car. So, two things of note, (1) he initally lied to me when he said they only thing left was the tire rotation and (2) my appointment was at 9:30 and it was now 10:30 and they had not started anything at all on my car.
Without going into details, I’ll just say the previous experiences were the exact same. There is no respect for appointment times. I understand things may take longer than expected sometimes but it’s clear their scheduling of appointments takes nothing into account related to the actual time it takes to perform service, how many technicians they have, etc. No one seems particularly interested in fixing the issue either considering this has been my experience with them since my first visit in 2014. I was given a card with a note to give me a free service on my next visit from the general sales manager, which I appreciate, but is nowhere near enough to get me to come back at this point. I will only be returning for warranty work.
I’ve also tried to contact the service manager, Tim, every day since Saturday and have left a message every single day with no return phone call. Clearly his management style trickles down to create the culture of the entire service department.

Since my last post I have been contacted by 2 different people from Leif Johnson and after a very good phone conversation I feel that my concerns will be addressed in as much as they can be.
The problem with my new Explorer has been fixed.
I was even given service vouchers for future visits.
The follow up was excellent and unexpected.
I will return to Leif Johnson for future service.

This is a review of the Internet Sales department, not Service, as I have had no experience with the repair or maintenance services here.
I highly recommend Melissa Martin here at Leif Johnson Ford. While I ultimately did not buy a car here, as I went with a different manufacturer than Ford, I would certainly buy from Melissa in the future and recommend her to other people, she was patient, responsive, and super helpful in tracking down the vehicle with the options that I wanted.
There is another major Ford dealership in the area and their internet sales group immediately hooked me up with a traditional car salesman type which contacted me WAY too frequently before I even set foot into the dealership, which was quite annoying and certainly lost my business.

As the story always starts it was a cold Monday morning and in my way to work when my 15 year old Ford finally died. The mechanic said that he could put in a new engine and I laughed and sold the car to salvage. So now I need a new car.
I went to another Ford dealership looking for an Edge or Focus and they didn’t have what I was looking for.
Thought I would check out Leif and see what they had. Went to the used car location and was greeted by amazingly friendly sales staff and Zach showed me some Escapes. Found what I wanted and my husband returned Thursday and purchased the vehicle.
It was the best car buying experience I have ever had. The car we wanted, the price we wanted, with warranty. We couldn’t be happier. My father in law was so impressed he actually returned with Mark on Saturday to purchase his very own Escape. This is a great company to deal with and the sales team was amazing. The finance manager took care of us and told some funny stories while they waited for the car to be detailed.
Overall a very great experience.

First off, I have dealt with MANY car salesmen and bought many cars over the years (16 – 25 at least). Carmax, Chevy dealers, Benny Boyd, etc., etc… In other words, I am not new to the «car buying experience».
Joe Gaffney– excellent salesmen! Extremely nice and very good at his job. Not the pushy type salesmen at all. Very honest and straightforward. He did an excellent job following up and answered all of my questions. He worked very hard to get my payment down and was able to close the deal. I am very happy with the whole experience. I would recommend Leif Johnson to anyone, especially Mr. Gaffney’s professional service.
By the way, check out the seafood joint in front of the dealership. Good seafood and drinks!
Thanks you!
Umesh G.

I have to say that my opinion has changed quite a bit since I got a cold call from Heidi, who offered no excuses and sincere apologies. She really tried hard to make this right and offered me a rental car for as long as it took for them to get my car squared away. After talking it out with her I felt her motive was honest and she really wanted to earn my business back so I gave them another try.
This time the experience was very different. People actually spoke to me when they walked by, people didn’t looked «hurried» or flustered as before and the service manager and guy who worked on my car this time did keep in touch with me throughout the process.
I have to commend LJ Ford in whatever they did to turn around their operation. In fact, I’m bringing my car in again tomorrow for a repair on the inside door latch. Let’s see if that goes well :)
Great job Heidi and John and Robert!

It’s too bad there is a 0 stars option.
I never write posts but I felt so compelled to report how ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE my service was here that I just had to. I spent a week getting jerked around on when my car’s transmission would be replaced. This company has NO RESPECT for the inconvenience being without a vehicle can be for a working professional. I received absolutely zero help in getting alternative transport, every time I called to talk with anyone I was transferred multiple times and often ended up being hung up on. I spent over $ 300 in cabs and transportation back and forth to the dealership, home, and work because «your vehicle should be done today» on top of the $ 2800 transmission part and then. a total of $ 3760. paying almost $ 1000 for labor that OBVIOUSLY WASN’T GETTING DONE.
The technician failed to show up to work the day my car was scheduled, the next day he «didn’t get around to it», after that he broke bolts off in my car, and then after that left early 3 days in a row.
After over a week of being there. I’m still waiting to get my vehicle back. I knew I should have bit the bullet and just bought a new car. At least that would have been a lot less hassle and stress and almost the same cost. The only person to even acknowledge my situation was the woman who answered the phone and heard me holding back tears every time I called.
WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND TO ANYONE EVER. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE I’VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE IN ANY INDUSTRY. The employees are rude, absent minded, and un-​engaged. The work is sub par, overpriced, lengthy, and the communication is non-​existent.
Lief Johnson you should be flat out ashamed, I pride myself on driving a Ford because of the high quality experience I’ve received at dealerships. You are a disgrace to the Ford name.

Bless his heart, and his sexy southern accent, but the salesman kept addressing my boyfriend. We both made it clear that I was the one that needed a car, but he repeatedly turned to my boyfriend to tell him about the differences, or the features, everything but the color. He talked to me about the color. Because of course color is the only thing that’s floating around in this pretty little head of mine.
My boyfriend really liked the car. Too bad he’s not the one buying a car.