Are you looking for an honest group of mechanics who won't claim you need repairs or parts that you don't need, won't claim they performed service that they didn't do, and won't make your car worse while "fixing" the problems you already have? These guys are your ticket out of car misery (or they may be the visit -after- you hear what all of the previous mechanics did to screw up your car).
This place is run out of what looks like a big house, possibly an old farm house- and I took that to be a good sign. It's clearly the kind of place people hear about through word-of-mouth, and judging from the photos of sponsored little league teams and Westbury activities groups inside, these guys are longstanding and proud members of the community. They're also incredibly friendly. They have a parrot inside who talks- says hello every time someone enters, and goodbye when they leave, and babbles to itself a bunch, occasionally even meowing like a cat! I heard the story of how the owners came by this pet, when a customer who couldn't afford car repairs begged to pay them with a baby bird. One of the owners had to feed the bird with food warmed on the stove while it was still very young, and when the parrot was done eating it'd fill its mouth with food, then shake its head vigorously, spraying it everywhere.
But I digress.
They alerted me that parking on the streets in Chicago for two winters meant the underside of my car is basically a pile of rust - all the salt Chicago uses to melt snow turns cars to rust quickly. And the Ford dealership in Chicago who claimed to repair the rusted air filter box on my little car apparently didn't do it, but charged me for the privilege anyway, so my air filter has been overdue for a change for 6 months. Greeeeeat. I'll be editing THAT Yelp review.
They did take a long while on my 4-tire alignment, replacement blinker, the aforementioned air filter box repair and something that was broken called an "engine static ground strip", but it was worth it to get the job done right. Plus, although their waiting area isn't as glamorous as many dealerships are these days, they had free wireless 'net access, a heap of magazines, and a television (showing Animal Planet today). They've got a lovely relic of a soda machine with 50¢ cans of soda in it, and 25¢ candy machines.
My total charge for the repairs was just over $200, which I felt was reasonable.
I feel like I can trust these guys, and seriously- that's worth a LOT in the world of car repairs. I am easily taken advantage of when it comes to these things. Jim found them via the website for the NPR show "Car Talk", and when I told them that they were amused and pleased.
Now you can tell them Liz who just moved from Chicago and has the black Ford Focus sent you :) read more
