Just a quick update, 6 years later. I still use Sparks for all of my automotive care. Keith is just an incredible human being and goes out of his way to ensure his customers are treated fairly and honestly. I still recommend the heck out of this place and believe you couldn't ask for a finer group of people to work on your vehicle than this crew! read more

Jason at Sparks was amazing to work with. Our son is a student at Ball State and needed immediate car care. Jason and the staff diagnosed the problem and completed the work within one day. They explained all of our options with no pressure. In an industry where trust could be lacking, these guys exceeded our expectations. This father from South Bend highly recommends Sparks! read more

Stuck in Muncie while on a trip. Got in first thing Monday morning and the mechanic found the problem right away, fixed it right there and then and out the door. Thank you Sparks!!!! read more

Scam Alert! Scam Alert! They had my truck for over 5 weeks and kept telling me different parts were bad. When I eventually had enough and took my truck back they hadn't done anything to my truck. They hadn't changed anything that Keith had claimed they did. What a joke this place is. You'll know when Keith is lying to you, it's when he opens his mouth. Scam Alert! Scam Alert! read more

Late post but I highly recommend never even pulling into this facility if you ever want your car back. Keith is a awesome guy but that doesn't excuse the fact my car sat for 6 MONTHS! Constantly called and asked what was going on and the only response I got was " waiting on a part." They had my vehicle for half a year and didn't even bother to fix the other issues I had with the car I told them about when I took it there. A single thing was fixed on my car after I sat and told them over and over what needed done and it still wasn't done. Don't spend your money here if you want to fix your car. read more

Keith and his team are just fantastic. I live in the Indy area and my daughter attends Ball State. We had some significant car problems that were recurrent due to a car that was simply aging. Keith and his team were just amazing to work with. They were responsive, helpful and helped to keep the costs down as much as they could. I visited them five times in four months - which was not their fault at all. Each time they were accommodating and made us feel important. Communication was excellent. Eventually, I replaced the car, which has caused me to not have to visit Sparks again. That being said, I would do so in a heartbeat if I needed service and I wish they were not 45 miles from me! I cannot recommend them highly enough. Many thanks to Keith and his excellent team! read more

Let me start off by saying to the members of my fellow Mexican community: do not go here for any reason! I was the only one in the waiting room and one of the managers Keith was talking to a friend and expressing blatant racism towards the Mexican community, and even tried to get me involved with the conversation before I stood up for myself against two white men and told them that I am Mexican. They gave me my oil change for free but that does not make up for the fact that I had to sit in my car and cry afterwards because of the horrible things they said about my family and friends. I left a review on Google but clearly it was taken down if you were of any minority do not visit this place I have attached a photo of Keith for reference, so you can avoid him in public as well! Gracias read more

Sparks Personalized Car Care - Auto Repair Near Me - Muncie, Indiana

I cant add negative starts or I would. i used to take my vehicles to Keith at sparks believing they had my best interest in mind, boy was I wrong! I wound up getting scammed for thousands for work that was never done, unnecessary parts that didn't get used etc. the list of his scams is as long as his excuses. I caught him in his lies and demanded a refund but only got a portion of the $ he had already taken for work that was never done, I can't advise enough to stay away from sparks and Keith Johnson!! read more

I lost faith in this business. After 9 months still do not have my car back. I was told transmission was bad so it was replaced. Had it one day and broke down on me at 9 at night on a dangerous section of highway. Had to tie it back. After several weeks I found out it was the engine. They said they would take care of it free of charge since they misdiagnosed the problem. Every time I call Keith says he can't get it programmed. If your machine doesn't work find one that does. He said he has over 80 cars waiting on this. I think you might want you stop taking in more customers that you can't handle. He was supposed to lend me something to drive but never called me. I have recommended them to lots of people but can't any longer in good faith. I'm done! read more

AWFUL. These guys totally took advantage of me when I came in and tried to upsell me after replacing parts in my car that DIDN'T NEED REPLACING. They charged me after replacing said unnecessary parts. Worried they did more harm than good, and it'll cost an arm and a leg somewhere else to get it looked over and fixed correctly. Don't waste your money, sanity, and trust. read more

Sparks is the only place I'll take my car now. Gave me an estimate to fix my issues. Found more wrong after they started but kept the original estimate price. Very honest and car runs great. read more

(as reported to the BBB in 2005) I just came across this old complaint form filed in 2005 while cleaning out a closet. The issue was never resolved. ** We took our 99 Kia Sephia to Sparks in JAN 05, and paid $488.32 for brake work and a replacement of a rear axle boot, in addition to a rear brake adjustment. We moved to Oregon later that year after I graduated from Ball State. After continual problems with the brakes, we took the car to a shop out here. The shop here confirmed that the supposedly replaced axle boot had a tear in it, the rear brakes were dangerously unfit (one too tight, one too loose), the front brakes needed replacement, as did the calipers. Sparks had installed the wrong brake parts altogether, as it turned out. We sent a written statement from our mechanic in Oregon along with the faulty brake parts to owner John Eckrich. After receiving this, Eckrich had no interest in any sort of reimbursement. He continued to insist the right parts were installed, despite strong evidence to the contrary. He was very unhelpful, and despite promising to send new brake parts by mail, he never did. Bad experience all around! Almost $500 down the toilet. read more

Took our SUV in for a simple repair, and they tried to establish trust with us before calling to say it needed a transmission, but they would need an answer immediately. When we said no, they dropped the price in half and said they could put in a used one. Another friend had a similar experience. I do not trust them and don't want anyone else taken advantage of. read more

i wouldn't even give them 1 star. We took our vehicle to Sparks about 2 weeks before a 1500 mile road trip to check every thing to make sure it was safe. We also needed the speedometer to be recalibrated because it was off by 10 miles (according to Waze). Keith, at the front, called us to say that the upper control arms need to be replaced; that they were not safe for the highway and a few smaller fixes. We approved the repairs. We paid and picked up the car. The speedometer was still 10 miles off and I saw no signs of any repairs when i looked under the car. We took it to our regular mechanic to double check. There had been NO repairs done to the car. NO wrench or tool had touched it. Two other mechanics confirmed that the control arms were not replaced and did not need to be replaced. We have recounted this story to several of our business friends...4 of which said that they had heard similar stories about Sparks. read more

Great sevice. Work done on-time and on budget. Keith and his team are first rate. Fair, responsive, and good communication. Alerted us in advance of possible additional work as they got into the job. One had to be done. The other did not. Complete confidence in Sparks. read more

This has been the first time I have ever taken my car to get fixed. Asked for a simple tire replacement and transmission flush. Apparently the last person that put on my tires, probably me, cross threaded the bolts so they had to cut the bolts. They replaced the bolts free of charge, however, I didn't get my car back until the next day around 5:30 p.m.. Although it was slow they were able to replace my tire and the transmission was fixed without any complications. Whats more is that since I am a student the owner was generous and took 20 dollars of the entire payment. That was something I was not expecting. Overall, if you aren't in a rush I would recommend this place to have your car repaired. I will always choose quality over speed any day. read more

Honestly if I could give it zero stars I would. The guy who owns it is nice but that's about it. I had an appointment last June of 2021 and my mini cooper is still sitting in there parking lot untouched. I had an appointment. If they were having problems getting parts then he should have told me that over the phone and I would not have towed my car to him. They were to replace one part and in the process fried my power control module. And I called all the time and still excuses about the parts and other people parts and how behind they are. They have had cars sitting in their lot since 2020 and early 2021. So honestly don't waste your time taking your car here. It will cost more then what it should. He said if I could find the part that he would put it in. I didn't fry the part so why should I have to find it and pay for it. I called another place and I am gonna have them see if they can get the part and if so it's getting towed. read more

Helped a broke college student out. Worked very efficiently to get me my car back and explained everything I needed to know very well. Very nice group of people read more

I am so satisfied with Sparks. They treat me well and they treat my car well and always do their best to keep it all affordable. They have a courtesy ride service if you need a ride while you're there. I trust them. read more

Nothing but excellent place. Kieth got me right in and took care of the problems with my car super fast and within my budget. Definitely my go to place in Muncie. Highly recommend! read more

Sparks is a great place to go! They take care of you and make sure you are getting the best service! I highly recommend bringing your car here where they care about you and want your car to be as good as new! read more

I took my car into Sparks through the recommendation of a friend and they didn't disappoint! I was most pleased by their customer service as they were so kind and fair. The service took longer than planned but because of this, they fixed a bunch of other things free of charge. Also as an owner of a Volkswagen, I've taken my car to many mechanics including the dealership but none of them were able to find out the reason behind a constant beeping sound whenever I drove. However, Sparks figured it out and told me what it would take to fix it! Even though I got my car back later than I would have liked, I would say that this has been my best experience with a mechanic/garage. read more

Knowledgeable, honest, and professional. Keith always takes the time to explain repairs and makes sure things get done in a timely manner. The waiting area is clean and they always offer you a ride when you drop your car off. All around the best shop in town. read more

I took my 12 year old car to Sparks for breaks. The guys there did a great job. They discovered that my transmission oil was 2 quarts low although I had just had my oil changed at Jiffy Lube a month before and was told they checked all levels and everything was fine. I will definitely continue to take my vehicles to Sparks, no more franchise car care for me! This place is the best garage I have ever been. read more

DO NOT COME HERE!! DO NOT COME HERE!! There I said it twice, now if you do it, it's your own damn fault. Absolute bastards. I've heard from people who really really know this guy that he does alignments with his hands. I have gotten my car back from them and it starts rattling. DO NOT TRUST THEM. Lifetime warranty=cheap shitty parts that make you come back so they can break this or loosen that or talk you into something your car doesn't even need. I'm not kidding around when I say this guys will run you dry and you will think you're getting such a good deal so you'll keep coming back for more. But the reality is, you won't have a choice because something else will mysteriously go wrong. Good luck and go anywhere but here. YOU WILL REGRET IT. Keith is a fucking con artist!!!!!! read more

Keith is my hero. He has bailed me out time and time again and saved me so much money over the years. His team is personable and does great work--I'm not sure if my car would still be running today without Sparks. I dread the day I move out of Muncie and have to find somebody else to work on my car. read more

I can't say enough good about Sparks and, in particular, the manager Keith. From the time I moved to Muncie until I left four years later (which was this week!), they took care of my vehicles honestly, fairly, and reliably. When I needed someone to do a last oil change and safety check before my 2000 mile relocation drive, I came to them -- and made it out safely! read more

They did some amazing work again on my 2001 Toyota Avalon. The price he charged was amazing and affordable to work with as well. Back to running smooth and back to work! read more

Hands down the most honest mechanic shop I have worked with in the Muncie, IN area. They are NOT a shop that simply throws parts at a vehicle till the problem subsides at the customers expense. Keith and his team has always backed up their word with results. Issues that arise are rectified quickly and they always keep the customer informed throughout the repair/service process. I would recommend Sparks to everyone I know. read more

I had an experience with this shop back in 2003. At the time, I had a 1995 Chevrolet Corsica. The ignition control module was failing intermittently. I knew absolutely nothing about cars back then, and this shop was only about a mile from my apartment. Sparks did $1,100 worth of unnecessary work that did not fix the problem (car stalling out). I took the car to American Chevrolet, which found and fixed the problem for about $150 iirc. Do not go to Sparks. They are crooks. They will fleece you and your car will still be doing what it was doing when you brought it in. read more

Sparks is a total RIPOFF! My young daughter took her car to sparks for an issue SPARKS promised they could fix. They charged her $1k for the job, which she had to get financing for. The problem was not fixed after they were done, and instead of agreeing to refund her money they had her take car back on several occasions and STILL the problem was never fixed. Sparks then had the utter gall to try and request more money. If you need more than an oil change please don't take your car to Sparks. They'll smile and seem professional, dupe you into believing they know what the problem is, promise they'll fix it and then turn their backs on you and keep your money when they don't. Shame on them for cheating a young girl out of her money. read more