Vern never fails to come to the rescue when our cars make funny noises or randomly stop working. This time, my elderly aunt who is on a fixed income, needed her car serviced while staying with us. Vern had many clients to attend to, but put her at the top of the list and fixed the problem within a day and for a reasonable price. Thanks, Vern! read more

Vern's is known as the most professional mechanic shop in our area. We take all of our cars there and the job is quick and fair. Vern always finds the problem quickly and repairs it reasonably. Everyone who I have sent there has called to thank me. Ken Getty read more

I would never take my car to this guy. My car sat there for almost two weeks then I finally went in to see what the problem was. He had one guy in a t-shirt sitting behind the counter and another guy hitting a break rotor with a hammer. The place was packed with cars inside and out but no one to work on them. I had my car towed to a dealership and finally got the work done. The rental car cost me and arm and a leg thanks to this slo mo. place. Don't let the fact that the place looks packed fool you. It's not because they are good, it's because they work so slow! This is 2013 not rural Missouri 1921. If a business needs mechanics, the proper way to find them is to put an ad in the paper and hire some. If a business needs interns, then go to an auto mechanic school and find some. Vern's Auto is a poor excuse for a shop. read more

I am up in River Forest, there are a ton of places around me where I can take my car. I used to go to a place in Forest Park but somewhat recently I have had some iffy service where one of my headlights is a different color (and that's not just being picky when the headlight bulb is over $100) and a window motor was replaced and now the window squeaks and rattles. This won't happen at Vern's. The attention is in these kind of details. I usually arrange to drop off the car the night before and leave it when I happen to go out of town or can survive without a car for a couple days. I've talked to the sons there and we can yap about cars all day because they're into cars. That certainly helps. And when I go back for any new kind of problem I am sometimes asked how the fix from last time is doing. Prices are very reasonable and I know things will get fixed right. No shortcuts here. read more

Vern is a friendly and thorough mechanic. He's honest and won't charge you an arm and a leg, and he gets the job done promptly and correctly. Our 2005 Dodge Neon was overheating, we took it to Hollywood Motors nearby and they didn't really try to diagnose or investigate the problem. They changed the thermostat for $175 and took two days doing it (and charged us a diagnosis fee). Vern was much more thorough and very knowledgeable. Our Neon also has a problem of a thumping sound when the brakes are applied -- before Vern knew what kind of car it was, when my wife described this problem, he asked "Is it a Chrysler product?" That's knowledgeable. To fix our car, he bled the coolant system twice to get all bubbles out, checked to make sure the fan was working correctly, replaced the ignition wires, checked for leaks and re-gapped the spark plugs. We got our car back within 24 hours for $250, which I feel is a reasonable price and a great turnaround time. I'd also like to note that the only one to interact with Vern was my wife -- Vern didn't take advantage of a woman by making up BS problems and over-charging. In short, take your car to Vern's! read more

We've been going to Vern's for years and the trust factor is high. On our last go around I cracked the oil pan and they were great advocates for us with the insurance company. They pay attention to detail and the car was fixed in a reasonable time. read more

Vern's Auto Service was recommended by a friend for vehicle service and repair. I'm new to the area and my usual mechanic is far north in Chicago, so I decided to bring my '12 Kia Soul in for brake problems, the minute I walked in the shop and met Vern I knew I would be in good hands. I like that his shop is old school; straight forward and no frills. Vern diagnosed the problem in the front brake hardware was rusted which caused one of the inner pads to drag and wear faster causing it to chew in to the brake rotor. He recommended I install premium brake rotors and pads which I agreed to because of the amount of miles I drive, and operating the vehicle a lot in city driving conditions. Vern's prices to me are very reasonable in comparison to dealership and other auto shops that charged more for lessor quality. Vern even fixed my remote key fob avoiding me having to purchase a new one from the dealership. I will definitely return for future repairs when needed. I would also recommend his shop for any vehicle repairs. read more

If you are looking for a very honest mechanic, I recommend Vern (and his sons). We've been a customer for at least 10 years and Vern has kept new vehicles well tuned and has kept our older vehicles safe. He keeps his word and our cars are ready when he says they will be ready. If the cost of parts is higher than he originally estimated, he calls before ordering to make certain it is OK. He even took me to the Metra so that I could get to work! read more