This placed saved me time and money. I cannot say thank you enough for what universal transmission has done for me. They were very knowledgeable and were able to work with me to get what I needed and done the right way. I have already recommend this company to others who have had work done and all have great things to say about them. Thank you Universal Transmissions! read more

One star because I don't think you can do no stars. Cons: misses delivery dates; shabby work, especially follow-up; Warranty work only no charge after extensive arguing; No promised call backs; obviously manufactured excuses for lack of progress; Bad or no paperwork system; Pros: Cheap Well, if you Wiki up the general category of "You get what you pay for", Universal Transmissions will be the first entry. I am a foolish idealist - always looking for that magical combination of great price and service - and sure enough I got burned again by these guys. The Skinny: Lincoln Mark VIII (nothing special: standard Ford Trans) rebuild. Trans and labor quoted $1500.00 - about $300.00 less than cheapest quote. I gave them the 3 days they wanted to do it. They took 6, and with each day, the (you all have heard it) new made-up excuse. So now I have to rent a car to get to work. (Also turns out their "discount" arrangement with Enterprise down the street doesn't even exist). When I pick up the car after work (they are closed with no late hours) the PRNDL indicator doesn't work anymore and there's an error to that effect on the computer. Also, they haven't re-connected the Air Suspension. There is no paperwork, just the MC Credit Card slip.The trans itself works but it has a severed downshift on braking. When I call they say I have to leave it for a day or so. Uh Huh...rent the car again. (F*CK That!) so I just let it ride. I decide to clear the messages on the dash at start-up rather than deal with these guys non-existent sense of urgency and sparkling excuses. Fast forward to Fall (8 months): I have to get Illinois emissions test - and can't get new plates until I pass. It fails on a transmission code (P0708). Now, I have to go back to these guys, and impress to them that this is (and was) a warranty issue. I hoped it would not be a battle - no such luck. First off, before seeing anything, the guy hints I'll be paying for it. Then after I launch volley one - "bring it in, we'll see". I coordinate with him and schedule it so he can do it in a day. I deliver the car the night before as a courtesy with a note explaining everything. When I call at 2:00, he says he never got the keys, just the note. I asked if he read it, sure he did. Just missed the part that said THE CAR IS OPEN AND THE KEY IS IN THE ASHTRAY. So...we play phone tag (he's out on a test drive again and again) for the next few hours, with promises to get to it...to call me back, etc. But for SURE a callback before they quit. Can you guess? I call THEM at 7:00PM. They're gone for the day. The next day I call early and we go at it. He is angling to charge me for a neutral safety switch. I fire my last volley into the phone - (my wife laughingly later quoted it nearly word for word hearing it from the upstairs back bedroom) - and he finally relents. And this is only a $45.00 part - I can you imagine a real $1200.00 trans warranty claim? End of story: I got my car and plates. I'm also getting my sanity back, day by day. My doctor says it'll be completely ok in a few more days. But I know he's lying - he's a real cheap doctor. read more

Was sent to this shop from another shop 2 doors down. I needed a transmission flush, pan dropped on my truck. Joey D got me in right away. They made some rack space and got the job done quickly . read more

My Dodge Neon broke down on the freeway and wouldn't shift. I knew it had to be the transmission so I called around and these guys were the least expensive by far. I told them I'd get the car towed to them and they offered to take the tow costs off the bill if I had the work done there! The total job was done in 3 to 4 days and the car is running great. read more

Had my transmission on my Dodge Intrepid done by these guys in July 2016. Worked o.k.-ish after they had it for a month!!!!. By Aug. 2017, it failed again. Same problem. Got it back after 2 weeks. Was "repaired" under the 2 year warranty. This past weekend, April 15th at 11:00pm, it clapped out AGAIN!!!! Doing the same thing. Failing to limp-home mode. But this time after a mile it totally went and the transmission free-spins. Towed the car home, as it was now just after mid-night. Went to their location on my lunch hour on Monday. SURPRISE!!!! THEY ARE OUT OF BUSINESS!!! PERMENETLY CLOSED!!!! per the other businesses in the auto mall, they were forced out of business. Called the number on their door, to see if the owner still had it, was going to give him my piece of mind. But instead another mechanic got the number. He said the owner retired. Looked online and saw the BBB listed owner actually died in 2014!!! This place was being ran by workers after his death, and it must have finally caught up to them. Guess as long as your paying your bills and taxes, and the monkeys have your info and keys to the place it can stay open. Long story short, know who you are dealing with. read more

Brought my car in for a check engine light that was giving me a trans code and because my car was occasionally lagging between shifts. Left my car with them overnight so they could inspect the car, they got back to me and said the trans didn't have any external problems, so next step he wanted to take was remove the trans and search for an internal problem, which he quoted me at $950-2800, depending on what the problem was. Instead, I took it to the dealer and they found that the problem actually WAS external (loose wire), so I had it fixed at the dealer for $250. So this Universal Trans shop either lied to me or didn't know what they were doing when they diagnosed my car. Will not be returning there nor would I recommend anyone else go there read more

August 1, 2012: My check engine light came on and I went to Auto Zone to get a free diagnostic code. Brought my car to Midas, which charged me for a "more detailed" diagnostic, but all they told me was the same code I got from Auto Zone for free. Then Midas tells me they do not work on transmissions, and to take it to Universal. Now, this is where I should have gotten a second opinion and I should have researched Universal online, but because I was grieving my mother's death and my father was in the hospital, it was not a priority. My mistake. I dropped off my car at Universal the same day and my father was pronounce dead at 2:37am the next morning. August 4, 2012: Picked up my car from Universal after paying $1,892 for a "completely rebuilt transmission and a new torque converter". Mike, the owner and manager of Universal, had pressured me to pay in cash, but I insisted on paying via Discover. Had to bring back my car multiple times for additional parts and labor, but Mike does not keep any paper work and refuses to provide me with a list of parts he put in my car. He has been dishonest in reporting what actual work was done and what parts had to be replaced. And the last time I picked up my car from there in October, the passenger-side door was damaged as well as the gear shift console. Now it's November, 3 months later, and I'm scared to drive my car, but am not bringing it back to Universal to get "fixed". Now I have to select another transmission place to fix what Universal did or did not do to my car. I have learned a few legal things from this experience that I will pass on to you: 1) Document everything. 2) Report the facts to every and any agency/office/organization you can think of ie) BBB, IL Attorney General's Consumer Fraud Bureau, etc. 3) If you have the option, pay with a credit card, because under the Federal Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the time that you receive your statement to dispute the charge. (Each credit card company has its own policies and procedures, so you may have longer to file a valid dispute.) Now, I want to thank Yelp for existing and the other reviewers who chose to share their experiences. Really, thank you. read more

OH BOY!!! Where do I begin??? I have read the other 2 reviews and whole heartedly agree with EVERY word that they have written!! My "adventure" with these IDIOT's started 2 1/2 yrs ago. on the first rebuild and then again about last Memorial day 2014 when my Suburban lost reverse gear while in lower Michigan!! I called Mike the owner and he said bring it in and we will take a look at it!! I DROVE almost 300 miles home from Michigan to Arlington Heights and dropped it off to them!! Their comments were "we'll get it in ASAP" 4 DAY'S later after phone calls each day they FINALLY got it in to look at it!! Diagnosis: The "planetary" gears that run reverse are shot!! We'll need to rebuild the whole trans ($1,800.00) which seems to be the "going"qoute!! (spent $1,500.00 last time and got almost 200,000 miles out of it!!) Anyway after 2 weeks of "promises" I FINALLY got my truck back and proceeded to drive it around home for a week or so to make sure it was good to go!! I made it a total of 172 miles before Reverse AND Forward left and VERY HARD shifts and "CLUNKING" took over!!! Back to the shop to "see" what's wrong!! 5 day's later and almost a full tank of gas later they said they made some "adjustments" to the shift solenoids and it should be good to go!!! I left on the road pulling my 24' flatbed trailer and made it almost 9,000 miles before it started "heating" up and finally destroyed itself stranding me on the side of the Interstate 200 miles from Arlington Heights!! I called Mike to let him know that it was running "warmer" than normal and checked the fluid and was informed by Mike if I was nervous about it to get it to him and they will get it in a "look" at it!!!! I headed for his shop and made it almost 60 miles BEFORE it went up in smoke!!!! It has been at the shop now for 3 day's and they STILL haven't moved it in yet!!! They are the BIGGEST bunch of LIARS,CHEATS and ASSHOLES that I have EVER dealt with in my 56 years of living on this earth!!! Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY!!! (unless you enjoy being lied and cheated on!!) Don't know as of now IF or WHEN I MIGHT ever get my truck back!!! I will NEVER be able to trust it again due to these IDIOT"S!!! read more

Cannot recommend their service. Our car's problem was totally misdiagnosed. I was told the car needed new front wheel bearings. Dropped the far off but fortunately they did not even start working on the car until a day after they promised completion. Cancelled the job, took the car to another service center and found out the bearings were fine; we needed new tires. Replaced them and the car runs great! Misdiagnosis and shoddy scheduling means I'll never return there for service. Beware. read more

i would love to give this shop 0 stars.. long story short i had my trans on my 1994 ford ranger rebuilt by them 18 months ago. i was refered by a friend whos family owned the shop. the initial rebuild lasted me 6 months and then started slippin. brought it back they "fixed" it. That "fix" lasted me 2 weeks. so yet again i bring it back... they "fixed" it again this time itlasted me about a month.. back to this joke i went for them to yet again have my truck (keep in mind that every time this cranky old bastard has my truck its there for 2 weeks.) so they then proceed to fix it, i pick it up on the way to work pull out of their parking lot got to my shop. (im a mechanic as well) and go to back in to my shop and low and behold my truck dosent go in to reverse... WTF went straight back they kept it for another two weeks. after countless days of phone tag and him yelling at me and insulting my wife he finally gives in and gets a new case for it saying thats all hes is gonna do.. i yet again pick up my ranger and everything seems fine... he WROTE on my yellow copy of the origional reciept that my warrenty is extended..... BULL$HIT------------- fast forewad to present day. my truck has intermittenly (since rebuilt) been slipping out of first gear to the point where ive almost been hit a few times.. no my trucks trans is so fubar that i cant get up my own drive way. i call to complain and i get yelled at and told he never extended any warrenty blah blah blahand all that bs blaming my tires are the problem.... tires arent the problem (the truck has been running 31x10.5x15 for the past 4 year ,the first two were on a $200 junk yard trans and i had NO problems) long story short DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING TO THIS $HIT HOLE IM SEEKING LEGAL COUNCIL.. $1800 well wasted.. asshole read more

I just read the review by Chris C and it sounds like that is their usual means of doing business. I took my car in and didn't get it back for over a week, when in truth it only took them a day to do the job, and I know this since I started to babysit them (what a waste of my time on top of the already lost wages from not working for a week!) I brought the car in originally with a bad clutch cylinder which in my car is mounted inside the transmission. About a week later I noticed the car is still leaking fluid, but this time it was the transmission fluid. I took it back and told them their parts' seal must be bad, since the leak was coming from the exact place where the cylinder is located. Being a girl they assumed I know nothing about the issue and tried to repeatedly tell me its another seal in the transmission and that they could fix it for another $700. It wasn't until I showed up in the shop with another (same make and model) clutch cylinder and pointed to the seal asking literally "what is this?" that the manager said that its a seal, followed by he is sorry for the mistake and that he didn't realize the clutch cylinder looks like that. This was coming from a guy who is the manager of a TRANSMISSION SPECIALTY shop! What a joke! To make the story short, I will mention that they do not call you when they say they will, they will raise their voice at you when you try to get the warranty work they should do without question and one of the guys (who came over to this shop from Franklin Park (which closed down) will not even look at you when your talking to him, and will pretend to be making numerous phone calls when you are trying to have a conversation. My advise is to stay as far as possible from this place! read more