n November 2025, I took my 2017 Audi Q5 to Tish's Auto in Belleville, Illinois, knowing it needed a timing chain repair. The dealership had already identified the issue. Tish's Auto replaced the timing chain and charged me $2,750.
The day I was scheduled to pick up the vehicle, I received a call stating that one of the chains had broken during their test drive, and they needed additional time to replace another part. During this entire process, I had to rent a vehicle because they do not provide loaner cars.
About a week later, I picked up my Audi on a Friday evening just before closing. On the drive home, I immediately noticed the vehicle felt sluggish and underpowered. I attempted to contact the shop, but they had already closed for the day. Although the vehicle was drivable, something clearly was not right.
In January, I returned the vehicle to Tish's Auto because the issue persisted. After keeping it for several days, I was told they "could not figure out" what was wrong and that I would need to leave it longer. As someone who works full-time and had no access to a loaner vehicle, that was extremely difficult.
In February, I took the vehicle back to the Audi dealership for another evaluation. They discovered that the balance shaft sleeve had broken. Endurance would not authorize the repair and advised me to tow the vehicle back to the shop that had originally performed the repair.
I had the vehicle towed back to Tish's Auto and provided them with the dealership's findings. A few days later, I was told they did not believe that was the issue because "the car ran too well." Two days after that, I called for an update and was suddenly informed that my engine was now locked.
What happened next became even more frustrating.
I believed the shop was actively repairing my vehicle, only to later discover that the matter had been turned over to Federated Insurance. Beginning March 18, I spent weeks being told different stories. First, they claimed they were trying to determine why the part kept breaking. Then they blamed the manufacturer. The manufacturer inspected the vehicle and reportedly concluded the failure was due to installer error.
Meanwhile, I continued paying for a rental car out of pocket while constantly trying to get answers from both the insurance company and the shop. I was repeatedly given the runaround.
Eventually, I was told they needed to tear the engine down further before determining responsibility. Then I was informed they would not authorize repairs unless I personally paid to take the vehicle elsewhere for another independent evaluation and, only IF they were found liable, they might reimburse me afterward.
At one point, while waiting for answers, I emailed Tish directly and asked what the proposed resolution would be if the insurance company denied the claim. After that email, communication from him essentially stopped. My calls went unanswered, and I was instructed by the insurance representative, Sam from Federated Insurance, not to discuss the repair with Tish anymore and to communicate only through the insurance company.
Despite being paid for the original repair and despite standing behind his work with a guarantee, no meaningful effort was ever made to resolve my situation once the insurance company became involved.
At this point, I am beyond frustrated. I am without a vehicle, burdened with ongoing rental expenses, and left feeling completely abandoned after trusting this establishment with a major repair.
I am sharing this experience so others can make informed decisions. Tish's Auto came highly recommended to me, which is the only reason I chose them in the first place. Unfortunately, my experience involved poor communication, lack of accountability, and what I believe to be deeply unprofessional and unethical handling of a serious mechanical issue.
Please do your own due diligence before trusting this shop with major repairs.
@tishsauto
#tishsauto read more
