I've been going to this Merlin's for some time now, wanting to find a consistent place to bring my car to get repaired without worrying about paying for service I don't need. I've found while they suggest things during an oil change, they don't pressure me into anything or make me feel like an idiot for not doing whatever it is at that time. They seem to have a clear understanding of my budget and respect my decisions. Unfortunately (for me), I've had several unanticipated repairs for both my cars this summer; but it wasn't until this last one where the Cary Merlin's proved their worth. I'll spare you all the details and make a long story short. My rebuilt transmission gave out just a few months outside the warrantee and at the owner's expense he made things right. There were extenuating circumstances from the original repair, so I'm not saying they will do this as a matter of practice, but the bottom line is Jeff worked with me because he wanted my business. I have found customer service is a lost art these days and pride in one's work is just as nonexistent. It may have taken more tries than I would have liked, but this shop did the right thing by me and they will get my return business every time. There surely are cheaper places out there, but in the end you always get what you pay for ... For me, the peace of mind that I have an owner willing to stand by his work is worth way more than the few bucks I could possibly save elsewhere. read more

had them replace 2 front tire rods. one completely separated after 4k miles. informed shop & they said there was nothing they can do. the tire rod could've KILLED ME. Do not go to This shop; insane pricing for service that could've taken the life of a customer. read more

Super polite, informative (documented with photos), and efficient. It makes me want to back to have more work done here. I'm always concerned with service intervals. I'm a second owner, vehicle is just over 60k miles. There was no estimate of work needed, instead I was informed everything is as it should be. Highly recommend. read more

Had my car in for oil change today that I made an appointment for. Arrived early no one in waiting room but still waited over hour for service. The gentleman that took my keys sat in garage and sent me a text asking if I wanted various services done to my car instead of coming and talking to me. Since there was a price discrepancy for the oil change I did not okay work. The gentleman came to register and asked if I was ready to pay, I advised I had two quotes for oil change. He said the difference was they have additional charge for clean up rags, I said I wasn't there to pay for clean up rags. He said it's a charge they have for every service. I have never been told by a garage that I have to pay for cleaning supplies. It was additional $7.73, I will contact corporate and BBB to advise of this stores practices. Just letting others know that this is bad service, I'm new to area and prefer to use local services but sorry I won't be back. read more

Hands down the worst experience ever. I drove my car to Merlin because my check engine light came on The tech called me and said my vacuum pump imploded and metal shavings got into the motor and that I needed to spend $9000 to get it replaced. I asked to speak with the manager and told him the pump was just replaced. He then started to get mad and said it was a broken cam shaft! How do you drive a car 30 miles from my office to Cary with a broken cam shaft! There is new management here and they have no problem lying to you instead of accepting any responsibility. Absolutely unreal! Buyer beware! UPDATE: My complaint was received and accepted by the BBB. read more

Merlin Complete Auto Care - Bill for a new vacuum valve - Auto Repair Near Me - Cary, Illinois

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I've been going to them for over 10 years, always professional service.Owner ,managers and staff are very friendly and competent.

Came here for work vehicle. Wish I never came. Guy at front was rude and lied about time. Also was smoking a cigarette behind the counter. No one wearing masks either. read more

These guys don't care about safety of customers and their cars. Brought my car here because Discount Tire stripped my lug bolt in my hub and they have a contract with them to repair cars when they damage them. I left the car with them and told them to call me when it's done and I had a spare car to drive. They called me and told me they replaced the hub and they're waiting on the lug bolt (what holds the wheel onto the hub) I said ok call me when that's in and I'll pick it up. They said no I can pick the car up now. Driving around with missing fasteners that hold the wheel on is dangerous. They said they would call me when that gets in. It's been a month now. No call. They don't care. For all they know my wheel could have fell off and I could have gotten into an accident and hurt myself or worse. Risking your life going to this shop isn't worth it. I would NOT recommend it. read more

This shop has been a life saver! It started with finding out I needed all new tires. They were able to same day order them. I also had my 2 year old with me. They were flexible with getting me back to my house so I didn't have to wait in the shop with my son. I was back a month later with a nail in my tire. Luckily I had gotten the warranty that Kevin advised, and it was fixed within 30 minutes and for far less than a new tire would cost. had my son with me during this trip as well and they were so friendly and accommodating. He got a special hot wheels car to play with and that was so helpful to keep him busy. Not even 4 days later I was back, but with a dead battery. They were honest and said they were busy that day and I could leave it. When I got there another customer had cancelled and they were able to get me in. Jeff, Kevin and the other guys working here are so friendly, honest and accommodating. They will definitely have our business for the long haul! read more

This Merlin location is my local go to shop when I need an oil change and have questions about technical issues. Last week we brought in our vehicle that had a spark plug piece that broke off and caused major engine damage. We were quoted a fair price and after roughly 45 minutes looking into the issue, we didn't even get charged for the diagnosis. I highly recommend this Merlin location specifically because the staff is very helpful and knowledgeable! read more

These guys are Awesome,Reasonable and Knowledgeable. And fast. I'm happy to have found a trustworthy Auto mechanic. Thats easy these days. read more

This Merlin has turned into my favorite all-around auto shop. They have never tried to over-charge us or push us into extra repairs. As a woman, I have had repair shops try to play me but these guys never have. They're polite, they are careful to keep your car clean, and their repairs stay repaired. Even when it's just an oil change, they do a great job & just do what you came in there for. We have asked them to check the whole car, and we were given a list of suggested & 'can wait'. The prices are fair & they give you accurate repair times. Very happy they are in our town read more

Did a good job, keep us up to date on pricing, what time truck would be done and if there were any other issues they found

I've been doing business with Merlin since I bought my home in 2006. Recently, I had a break issue while my mother was receiving hospice care. I brought the car in on a busy Sat. afternoon, explained my situation, and they got my car fixed quickly and got me back on the road to be with my mom. Their work was done with the outstanding professionalism that Merlin's staff has shown my family for the past 12 years. These guys are the best! read more

I went to Merlin's for a problem with my muffler. It needed to have a sleeve put on it. The cost was going to be $150, I needed to hold off for a week or 2 because I am on disability and was waiting for my monthly check to come in. The muffler was just about to fall off when I called and got in immediately. The manager of this location went ahead and put on 2 new sleeves and only charged me for 1! I was in shock and he said to me, you came in our location and I remember you stating you are on disability due to dialysis. I know you don't have a lot of money so I am only going to charge you for 1 sleeve. Pay it forward to another person that needs help. They are just amazing I cannot say enough how this helped me. What a blessing! read more

I came in to get information about getting new breaks installed in my car. I was told my vehicle needed 1 Fr WAG TQ CERAMIC DISC PAD SET, 2 Fr U.S. BREAK ROTORS, 1 MB BREAK SHOE, 2 WAGNER PREMIUM BREAK DRUMS, 1 MB WHEEL CYLINDER AND 1 BFF. This would have costed me 929.88 (OUTRAGEOUS) I took my car elsewhere and it only costed me 540.00. I still do not understand why Merlin's was trying to charge me extra for parts and services I did not ask for. I am very displeased with the service I received and will not be returning for any future services. read more

I cannot say a bad word about this place. Twice now they've taken great care of us. They, both Kevin and Jeff, are beyond personable and reliable. They make me feel safe, taken care of/not rushed out, and not price gauged. We had a really weird situation on a noisy tire and Jeff got to the bottom of it when no other shop could or would. He noticed the little things and ultimately made me feel like THIS is the neighborhood shop everyone should have. I don't plan on going anywhere else for any car concerns. Great job! read more

I recently had my struts and shocks replaced here. I was experiencing noises from my tires and it was determined to be caused by feathering. I found them to be very proffesional, knowledgeable and honest. I will use them again. read more

Beware of this scuzzy operation. Extremely poor ethics, and equally poor attitude. 1) 100% promised to fix my SUV's catalytic convertor for $2,700. But fixed absolutely nothing. Then had the gall to want to charge me another $2,000 to "really" fix the problem. And the two gas bags behind the counter basically said it wasn't their problem. 2) BTW, while they we're "fixing" my SUV, I had them give me a quote to fix a rumbling muffler on my son's car. Was quoted over $480 by a mechanic who was incredibly obnoxious while pointing out "the problem." He started banging on the muffler in a move to prove ... well, I don't know what he was trying to prove really other than he was a tough guy. After my catalytic converter debacle, I decided not to give them this project. Instead, I took my son's car car to a mechanic in Crystal Lake who fixed the muffler in less than hour for exactly $70. That's $410 in savings. Save yourself the aggravation, and a boatload of money, and drive an extra 10 minutes down the road. read more

Today I showed up at 4pm (Friday) desperate to get some help with the crazy noises my little honda was making. They not only diagnosed the problem for free, the quoted me a worst case scenario. Started the work immediately and had the whole issue fixed in less than 2 hours. The issue was an easy fix, and although my quote was reasonable I actually only paid half of what my quote was. They could have easily completed some unneeded work and charged the quote. They were fair, professional and most importantly they listened! Awesome experience and I will be telling everyone I know. read more

I agree with the other review. This place is a complete rip off! Go elsewhere. I had brakes installed. They failed within one year. When I brought it in the "Lifetime Warranty" repair estimate was over $ 300.00. I went to another shop and had the repairs done for $150.00 and years later all works fine. read more

Great service. We are in the middle of driving across the country and came in for an oil change. They were quick and efficient. They filled our tires with air and filled our window cleaner which really helped with our drive. Thanks Merlin! :) read more

When in there today for the first time. The TPMS light in my car was on. Quick service and good customer service.

I was recommended by my ex (go figure) when I heard a unhappy sound coming from my engine. Not only did they do a fantastic job of fixing the issue (Wally World did my last oil change and never put the oil cap back on - drove car for almost 2 weeks this way) they did brake services. I found them to be very accommodating and fast! Today I took my car in as it was making a strange sound after the recent ice storm. I feared major damages to be fixed. Not only was nothing damaged except for a plastic shield in the front of the car that came loose, they didn't charge me anything to fix! In and out within a 1/2 hour! I have nothing bad to say about this place! Highly recommend it!!!! read more

Great service at a fair price. Good value, especially for a budget conscientious person like me!

Today, I brought in my 98" F150 to get the front brake pads and rotors replaced. They said before work began that they would need to inspect the whole truck. I am always reluctant to do this because I knew that everything was in working order. I bought the truck from my uncle a few weeks ago for the reason that he takes very good care of everything he owns, he replaced the brakes less than a year and a half ago, and said that the rear brakes had plenty of miles left in them as they only handle about 15% of the braking, so they shouldn't be replaced as often as the fronts. Kevin A. told me I needed new front calipers, since they had seized (I wasn't entirely suprised that they needed to be replaced, so I agreed for them to replace them). He also told me that the rear brakes were bad, and that they were not operating properly, which was a LIE considering that they were working fine before I took it into them, and if there is ever an issue with the brakes, they self adjust when you reverse, brake, reverse, brake, etc. So I said not to touch them. I took the truck home, and whenever I braked, the rear brakes made a knocking noise. When they put the new front calipers on, they were supposed to bleed the brakes, but I have to put my foot to the floor to get it to stop. And on top of all this, my emergency brake is broken. I had my uncle call the shop, for an explanation, Kevin and the manager said basically there is nothing we can do about it, just deal with it. He went on to say that the emergency brake cable must have broken on my way back home (a 3 minute drive by the way). Those people at that shop are scumbags plain and simple. I was supposed to go to work right after they finished (around 2:30pm) but instead, I'm stuck with a truck that quite honestly isn't very safe to drive at the moment. Bottom line, if you want to pay for crappy service, more than enough headaches, lost work time, mysteriously broken parts that they "inspected" that were working fine before, than by all means, these are the guys to go to. You lost a customer Merlin, and I will inform everyone I know, along with complete strangers that you are a lousy excuse for a service shop, and that truck has been ticking just fine for over 190,000 miles, up until I brought it in to you. read more

Merlin in Cary has been fantastic. They're quick to get you in, they're polite and explain the repairs thoroughly but most of all they're honest. I try to call and get estimates on all car repairs and Merlin has, by far, been the best to work with. They're straightforward, don't lump in upsells and incredibly helpful so you understand what you're doing. Every experience I've had there has been a positive one. read more

Responding to a $29.95 Oil Change/Safety Inspection coupon we took our SUV into the Cary, IL Merlin shop. Low and behold when they called us later they informed us we needed a total of $818 in repairs. Specifically these repairs were new rear brakes, new rear shocks and a new serpentine belt (aka fan belt). This didn't sound right to me (I was once a mechanic) so I said we would be by shortly to pick the car up. The manager was surprised and asked if I was sure. When I said yes the manager said "OK, I guess we'll put the tires back on." Obviously they were prepared to do all the work. I took the vehicle home and closely inspected it. Result? No surprise. The serpentine belt was basically new (not cracked and fraying as described) and the rear shocks weren't leaking (as described). Plus the shocks rebounded perfectly. I called the manager and challenged his proposed repairs. He immediately acknowledged that the mechanic might have overstated the serpentine belt needing repair but he went on to insist he felt fluid leaking from the shocks. This isn't true since the shocks were bone dry (in fact dusty) with no fingerprints on them when I inspected them (even using a mirror to see the backsides). As far as the report about the brakes being "exceedingly dangerous with only 1% of braking left" well, they may in fact need replacing but they are not making any noise and operate fine. Anyhow, normally I would just let something like this go and simply not return but in this economy I feel bad for victims of this shop. It's inexcusable to try and rip people off anytime but even more so now when so many people in our fine town are struggling. TSN Cary, IL read more

I couldn't be happier with the experience I had today at Merlin. My car was shaking a lot after I hit about 45 mph. It turns out it was just snow packed into the wheel well. I am so impressed with the honesty and professionalism of Merlin's staff. I really wouldn't have known any different if they had told me I needed new tires, brakes, alignment, balancing etc. Thank you Merlin...you have a new loyal customer! I will be telling everyone I know! read more

Always have great service. Oil chnage in and out. Joe the manager and his crew have great customer service. The wait is never long. I always receommened my famly and friends to go there. read more