A few years ago I needed a muffler got it done was around $300. With muffler life time warrenty. A couple years later went to have it replaced and they charged me over $300 again . Even though the actual muffler had life time warrenty. And they didn't weld a hanger so it was making noise and when 8 went back they said no ut wasn't the muffler banging around. It actually was the problem. Anyway my question is why would I be charged tge same amount if the muffler was under warranty. Ty. read more

My husband and I have gone to this Merlin for over 20 years. We always had great service, and the owner and his son have always been top notch. But...not in the past few years, not happy with the new help. Was in recently and quoted $2000 for a repair, which was wrong. Got the correct repair and other stuff done as Casey Automotive for less than the $2000 without discounts. On a side note, I had someone look at my vehicle between Merlin and Casey and they said "the engine cover was never taken off" so how could you diagnose something with my camshaft if you never opened it up. I might be naive about car repairs but no more. read more

This review is for the irving park road Merlins in Hanover Park, close to Barrington Rd. The service has alwys been excellent. My husband and I have used many different mechanics over the years and been ripped off. We trust Merlins, they have fair pricing compared to others amd less than dealers. We have had over $3k in work done over the years, we trust the integrity of the work. This is father amd son operation and I highly recommend goong to them. read more

*Avoid this place at ALL costs!!! The men that work here are HUGE misogynists and are scamming thieves! I normally bring my car in to the Merlin location in Elgin- Joe is THE most honest guy and never o er charges for anything; best experiences there. I moved closer to this Hanover Park location, and needed an oil change, so I figured I'd give them a chance- what a HUGE mistake! I made a reservation for an oil change and asked them to do exactly the same that Elgin has always done. The minute I walked in the door, he immediately tried to get me to do the most expensive oil change. I always had the synthetic blend, for $39.00. The guy working there told me I needed brakes done, all four and quoted me their most expensive PLATINUM parts- $1500.00 for brakes! No options for lower pricing;taking advantage of trying to scam a woman who came in with a Lincoln. I just had my rear brakes done 2 years ago at the Merlin in Elgin and had not even put 2K miles on my car since then, because I work remotely and barely drive. When I questioned this he said: the rear rotors are all rusty and need replacing. I advised him I just had my rear brakes at Merlin in Elgin, I advised him I told him that previously. Suddenly his story changed: then the quote suddenly dropped to $297.00, because rotors have a lifetime warranty. Once the oil change change was finally done- he gave me a bill for $80.00 but stated "I discounted it for you to match our other store. I stated but I told you to do the $39.00 oil change that you have listed on your board, right behind you. He began lying about charging for the oil filter and disposal fee- ALL of which are included in the $39.00 oil change. Then said "we needed to put in an extra quart of oil ". I asked, so you're charging me $40.00 for an extra quart of oil? This location needs to be shut down and put out of business. Nothing but horrific misogynistic, lying, scammers. I don't even believe they changed my oil or filter- I need to bring my car in to the Elgin location to verify they did the work they charged me for. If not- law enforcement with be visiting the Hanover Park store. AVOID Hanover Park Merlin at ALL costs!!! read more

Took my car to get one of the tires plugged a few months ago. They replaced the entire tire for a good price. Recently took it for servicing because my air conditioning was blowing out hot air since last year. A mechanic suggested a condenser, and I let him replace it. Afterwards, it was still blowing hot so that same mechanic suggested an a/c compressor. I was unsure about the mechanic at this point, so I took it to Merlin for an inspection thinking it was the compressor. TIM called back with good news. The guy that put my condenser in didn't put it in correctly. It was a simple screw that needed replaced/tightening. At anytime, they could've been like most shops and overcharged me because I was a female or just for extra cash. They've definitely earned my trust. They'll be the only ones touching my car going forward! Thanks Tim & to the great mechanic that fixed my door handle! read more

Not even sure where to start. About 3 years ago we brought in a car that we were going to purchase and we had Merlin check it out and basically they told us it needed so much work that it wasn't worth buying. I have had a couple occasions where I have brought my car in for an issue and they have told me that it's something that is still under our manufacturer's warranty and that we should bring it to the dealer. I had a situation where Merlin replaced a part 2 years ago and it was past the 2 year warranty by one month but they honored the warranty which saved hundreds of dollars from repairing the same part. We brought in one of our cars because we thought for sure we needed new brakes but they said that that they were still good. My point is that they could have very easily done repair work and charged us tons of money, but I have found them to be honest and I trust them. read more

The customer service at this place is phenomenal. Always very friendly and attentive. I have been here twice and they seem to be very honest. Definitely would recommend. read more

Brought my car in because I failed my emissions test. I had been going to this Merlins for years with my three cars. They were always willing to work with me on the price and the quality of parts they were using to fix my car. To my surprise they have new owners as of Jan 1 2015. My first shock was they now charge a diagnostic fee $75. They told me it is only half of what a dealership would charge. The problem is they are not a dealership, and one can find many mechanic's that will quote you a price without charging you. They diagnosed and recommended I replace both oxygen sensors for $850. I took it to a another mechanic that said I only need one replaced. Total cost $310. No diagnostic fee. I took the car and had it tested by the state and it passed. In addition to the diagnostic fee they don't work with you on the price of the parts. They are consistently high when compared to other shops. When Mitesh was there (owners son) he would work with you on the price of used parts or the prices of parts based on quality. Everyone knows you can buy average, above average and gold standard parts. The new owners don't give you that choice. They do good work when performed. But because of the above reasons I will not be going back. read more

I will never recommend ANYONE to go to this location for auto repairs. These ppl including the manager will finesse you. The day before I went to this scamming ass location, I got my control arms replaced from my personal mechanic. When you get new control arms, you will definitely need to get a wheel alignment for your vehicle. So I shopped around looking for the best deal in town, and this location had a deal to do wheel alignments for the price of $55 which was their special. So I brought my car in excited that I was saving a few bucks because other shops charged $80 to $110 so as they took a look at my car, they was kinda salty that they couldn't find any other issues w/ my car so they can quote me a outrageous price on, so this little assholes checked my tires and said, one of them was bald (which I was already aware) and wasn't planning on changing it until the fall season so I can be prepared for the winter. These cock tip kissers lied straight to my face saying that their wheel alignment machine has to grip my wheels in order form to proceed with the service and suggested me to buy a new tire. I knew that was a lie, so I didn't call their bluff yet until I said I'll buy a new tire but I want your cheapest all-season tire, so these muthafuckas tried to charge me $350 for 1 fricken tire, so I left and went LITERALLY across the street and car-x took good care of me. Charged me $60 for the alignment and $100 for a new all-season tire and I walked away satisfied from car-x. Oh! My car was a 2007 Chevy HHR by the way. DON'T LET MERLIN FINESSE YOU!!! read more

What a debacle. I pretty well versed in cars and do alot of things myself, but sometimes, there are jobs i don't want to deal with. Control Arm bushings are one of those things. So i took my car to our pals at Merlin. Tim was my advisor. I dropped it off and told him to also toss on a lower motor mount as well since that bushing was shot. So what went wrong? The car was returned with a massive vibration. One that results in headaches. it was so bad, you could hear the car from down the street. of course we took it back to Tim to fix. He basically said you had to pull the engine and replace some other mounts. We left. A quick review of the shop manual indicates an engine alignment is required when changing said mount. I communicated this to Tim and I was shocked when he indicated he had never heard of such a thing. I offered to provide a copy of the factory service manual, but he declined as "they have four shop manuals" on site. They obviously don't consult them. Also, while Tim was inspecting the vibration, his "mechanic" just stood there not saying a word. I personally would have thought, you would consult with the mechanic. He was obviously, a part changer and not a mechanic. They offered to do the alignment after i pointed it out to them, but at this point I had lost complete faith in Tim and his crew so I had to perform their job for them and aligned the engine myself. I wouldn't let them change the oil in my snowblower. As i said at the beginning, i'll take a car to a shop when i don't want to do a job. I've never had to take a car from the shop and complete the job for them. I'm still embarrassed for them. I've also had many wheel alignments done over the years. I've never received a vehicle back without before and after numbers until this shop failed to provide them. Who knows if they actually preformed the alignment. And as an added kick to the nuts, I swapped on the snow tires and found two of the lugs were way over tighten. My back thanks you. read more

I used to go to this Merlin on occasion, but after the experience I had earlier this year, I'll never set foot back at this business. I had a coupon for an oil change, and brought my SUV in to get it done. As they were finishing up with the oil change, the technician brings me into the work area to show me that "My transmission cooler lines are leaking". He proceeded to point out the lines and the puddle on the floor beneath my car. That they need to replace my tranny cooler lines immediately. I told them to write me up an estimate and I'd bring it back. Here's the thing... I park my car in my driveway every day, and there's never been one spot under my car. Ever. For there to be THAT big of a puddle under my car after only 15 minutes or so in the shop for the oil change, my entire driveway would be saturated with transmission fluid. After I left the shop, I kept an eye on the fluid levels and it never went down at all. I am 100% convinced that the "technician" squirted trans fluid onto the hoses and under my car to con me into getting unnecessary work done. Avoid these guys like the plague. read more

Very good service and quality work , pricing was fair ,had a custom exhaust installed and it was done very good ..good welds and lines up straight, would recommend this shop read more

This was the best auto repair experience ever. They took care of everything that needed to be done, and didn't push for anything unnecessary or try to get me to spend more money. They were so thoughtful and and nice. Even gave me a ride to the mall and picked me up while I waited. Best auto shop I've ever been too, I highly recommend this place for anyone who wants their car fix right, and have the best customer service. read more