B&L Automotive Repairs

Single greatest experience I've ever had with a car mechanic.

I arrived and they initially couldn't find my appointment but they said no problem, they'll squeeze me in, because all I needed was help changing my license plates (all of my screws were rusted and stripped.)

I waited a few minutes and they did everything for me, and when I went to pay they said no charge.

Phenomenal service, all free of charge? Incredible.

Will take my car here for everything I need in the future.

My Prius, which I drive twice a month, has gone through four or five 12V batteries in the past six years. As my regular mechanic was closed for vacation on a day when I needed yet another jump from AAA, I took it to these guys on a Friday morning. I normally spend days researching for mechanics, but as I could not turn the car off I had to pick the first option that came up on my phone.

I asked them to figure out why I'm going through so many batteries. They performed a diagnosis of a parasitic drain but could not find the source. I wound up going with half of one of three options discussed with the mechanic, a bigger battery. The full option initially offered (a bigger battery with a kill switch) turned out to be unavailable for my model of car.

Full disclosure, I dropped off my car at the end of a 26 hour day and was really out of it.

**Good things**
4 out of 5 employees I spoke with were totally courteous and competent.

The service, once started, was performed quickly.

The estimator Chris was totally competent and responded to my requests promptly. Did not put up a fuss when I asked for estimates via email. As a phone-phobic person who works nights, email is super! Chris is great, pay him more.

**Where everybody (including me) needs work:**
Prices were not disclosed to me on sign in. They are available on a sign near the front door but this is not visible from anywhere else in the office, including the place where you sign all the paperwork. I should have asked and did not. I suggest posting a copy of that rates sign in view of the desks.

They started work on my car without telling me anything about how much I'd be paying for it. By the time anybody contacted me I'd racked up $250 in labor.

Hours were not disclosed on sign in. Again, they're posted on the door but the door isn't visible from the desk. I should have asked but also wish I had been informed when I dropped off on a Friday morning that my car would not be coming back until Monday at the earliest. (At this time, business hours are not displayed prominently on Yelp, which is where I found these guys.)

Restroom had no TP, so I had to use paper towels. Again, I should have checked first. At least they have one, my normal guy does not.

On the phone, the mechanic repeated himself a lot and would not let me get a word in edgewise or ask questions. (This may have been due to my crappy mobile connection. I would have been happy to call him back on my landline if he'd have given me even a second to say so.) He tried to push back a bit when I asked for written estimates. No big deal, mechanics aren't paid to do customer service. He passed me off the next day to Chris, mentioned above.

**Other stuff**
Turnaround took a week. This is partially because I am not available at all during their hours of operation.

The full cost of the Optima Yellow Top battery install was $630, which is 8% of the trade in value of the car at this time.

They washed the exterior before handing it back. Poor guys, I park under a birdy tree.

They refused to perform some things I asked for, such as wiring up a trickle charger or installing the originally suggested kill switch. Not sure why. Maybe they only use OEM parts? Oh well.

Excellent customer service from the time you pull in, until the time you drive away. Very friendly, patient, and knowledgeable.

They followed up with me as they did an engine, and under body inspection on my car; leaking oil. Quickly found the source of the issue, diagnosed, and fixed. Very reasonably priced, and even fixed my gasoline door (which had fallen off) at no additional cost.

Top notch outfit all the way around. Thanks B&L Team.

Once again (3rd time) B&L Auto has been amazing to do business with. My Ford Explorer was hit on the side. I called on Thursday night and Cris got me in Monday. Promised my car would be ready by end of week. Got a call Friday that it would be ready 1st thing Saturday. Just picked it up and it looks brand new!! Wouldn't think of taking my vehicles anywhere else!! Highly recommended

I was referred to B&L by State Farm for repair to the whole side of my car. I made an appointment and was greeted by the girls at the front and Roddis who was my point of contact! Everyone was very kind and prompt. Roddis kept me updated and they actually finished my car earlier than expected. My car was detailed too! What a treat! They also work very close with enterprise and returned my car for me! Exceeded my expectations for sure! I want to use them for all my car's services now!

Chris was and his team were awesome! Got my custom side mirrors out on in under an hour on my Audi. Perfect install friendly staff !

Nope, would not recommend.

My car was hit two and a half months ago. I'm not sure if the insurance company had a limited number of body shops from which we could choose, if it had something to do with the preference of my significant other (perhaps finding a place that dealt directly with insurance rather than having to deal with reimbursement), or something else, but we decided to use this place.

Originally when we called and asked about repairs, they said they wouldn't be able to get the car in until the end of October or sometime in November (my car was hit July 27). We contacted our insurance company again to find more shops from which to choose, in hopes of getting it in more quickly (I mean, three or more months is ridiculous). B&L called back shortly thereafter--within an hour or two--and suddenly they were able to do it in early October. Ok... not sure what changed here... except perhaps some prodding from the insurance company, since suddenly they could get us in 2-4 weeks sooner?

They wanted to look at the car so I brought it in a few weeks ago. I honestly don't know what that purpose of that was; I waited 20+ minutes for a woman to come and look at the car, photos of which had been sent to the adjuster and ostensibly to the shop. That took about five minutes and then I left because the date and the reservation fee/down payment had already been reserved & paid a week before.

But the real problem emerged when I brought it in for service. A week prior, I called to confirm that a rental car would be made available and to ensure they didn't need anything further to get that set up. The woman I spoke with assured me that I would have a rental to use and everything was all set. Imagine my surprise when, once I arrived at the location they work with after dropping my car off, the Enterprise had no record of it. The other two people with whom I arrived from the shop had no issue and were in and out with their cars in about five minutes. On the other hand, the Enterprise rep called B&L whilst I called my insurance company for information about the reimbursement. It took State Farm 10-15 minutes to get the appropriate information to Enterprise and since there were other customers I had to wait, of course. I was not pleased that I had to push back a meeting that I lead at work when I should have (and would have) had plenty of time to do all this before I needed to do that.

I'm not sure where the ball dropped here. Either B&L didn't do what they needed to do to arrange this properly, or didn't tell me that I needed to do something else after I specifically called to confirm if anything else was required on my end to ensure a rental would be ready for me. Between the sudden change in when they could get me in and this debacle, I can't recommend them.

I had a very positive and pleasant experience at B&L. While being in an accident can be frustrating, B&L walked me through the process of what they were going to repair and how long it as going to take to wait for parts and such. I've read plenty of reviews for other shops and people being in a long never ending waitlist and even when I reached out to other places myself they were very cold to me and not wanting to take me on. B&L wasn't like that, and was gracious and nice since the very beginning. The receptionist Diamond was very nice the entire time and our technician Roddis updated me throughout the entire repair process. I am happy with their work and our car looks like new. I highly recommend them

BEST IN CLASS. Period. Best mechanic in Chicagoland.
Diamond and Rick and the entire outfit is so excellent with customer care and service. They have taken care of my old battered RAV4 multiple times, taken care of my insurance issues, brakes, battery-- body work.
They're extremely meticulous and THEY CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS! Best mechanic experience again and again. Thank you, Diamond & Rick and everyone!!

Amazing work and they care about making you happy!
I hope to never need future repairs, but if I do will go back there.