After several recommendations from the Portage Park Neighborhood Facebook group, I checked the reviews for Pete's Automotive and saw a ton of great reviews. I figured I'd call and see what they can do for me.
I had reached out to several other shops just to check availability and get an estimate of the brake job I needed for my VW Tiguan. When I got around to speaking to Pete, he was incredibly helpful and let me know an approximate price, but then said he'd check out my rotors to see if I'd even need to replace them in the first place so I can save some money.
I loved his honest and helpful approach. After all, of the other shops I called, 1 said he didn't work on foreign cars, another was bending over backward to avoid giving me any pricing on the phone unless I brought the car in, and another was $300 more than what Pete quoted, and let me know they'd have to get the right tools for the brake job which would make the service more expensive.
After all that, I asked Pete if I can bring it in and if the job would be done by the afternoon because I had a doctor's appointment. He promised it would be done by then and completely followed through.
Once I took the car in, he noticed I was waiting by the shop as I was getting ready to call an Uber to get back home, so he asked where I lived and then said, "I'm gonna take your car for a drive to get a feel for the brakes, I can drive you home". Sure enough, he took me home so I wouldn't have to call for a ride. Talk about going the extra mile.
The shop called me at around 1pm, earlier than expected, and he let me know the job was done. He mentioned the oil and radiator fluid were low, but that he'd top it off for me. He checked the belt for me and told me that it's still in good shape and there's no need to replace it.
I'm used to having mechanics sneaking in more services and parts, and here was Pete telling me not to change things because they were fine as is and there was no need to replace it for a while.
When I picked up the car, the total came out just slightly higher than what was quotes on the phone, to which he scratched off the overage and said, "I'm only going to charge you what I told you on the phone", even though he added fluids and did a few extra things for me.
As I drove back home, the brakes worked like a charm, far better than they were when I brought the car in. No noises, no steering wheel shaking, and amazing stopping power.
I was completely satisfied with the quality of work they provided and was pleasantly surprised at my overall experience. All I can say is, I've found my new mechanic. Pete really took the time to make sure I was a well-informed customer, and his friendliness, honesty, and integrity shined through.
That was a few days ago, but as a result of their fine work, I brought my car back for a radiator flush, which was done in a timely manner as well.
I highly recommend Pete and am thankful that someone was able to refer me to him. read more