Went to Bartel's for the first time for an oil change and tire rotation. Great service and very reasonable prices. Will use them again in the future. read more

Always professional and service delivered at a fair price. Good recommendations for things that could impact safety and need to be repaired in the future. If you go to the doctor for an earache and he tells you something else is wrong do you complain and write a poor review? Or do you follow the recommendation because the Dr. knows more than you on the topic? read more

I called earlier in the morning to see about bringing my car in as I thought my wind shield washer pump had failed. I spoke with John who asked me to stop by after work so he could take a look & make sure he ordered the correct part. Ok, seemed fair enough. I knew they offered free estimates, and it was on my way home from work so it was no big deal to stop in. When I got to the shop, John grabbed my car, pulled it into the garage, and asked me to take a seat. About 10 minutes later he came back & said it was all fixed!! Apparently my washer line was just clogged and/or frozen. Either way, they said there was nothing wrong with the pump. Great news!! I know if I had gone to the Honda dealer I would have paid for them to replace a pump that wasn't actually broken. I will definitely return in the future for more of my routine maintenance like oil changes, etc. read more

I am incredibly disappointed with my entire experience at Bartel's. It was a waste of time and money, and extremely stressful. If I could give them 0 stars, I would. They sent me back on the road TWICE in an unreliable vehicle. Between tows, renting a car, labor and parts, I spent $2000 over the course of October. In the end, I still didn't have a functioning car and needed to purchase a new car. I initially brought my car to Bartel's because I was having difficulty accelerating. They analyzed my car and noticed oil leaks - the parts and labor cost a total of $1000 and they had my car for three days. Two days later, I was driving down 290 during rush hour and my dashboard lit up with the engine, oil and service emissions lights and my car shut down completely. It was terrifying. Thankfully, I was in the right lane and able to pull over to the shoulder just before my car completely died so I didn't interfere with traffic. My car was brought to Ford and they noticed the wiring, where the gaskets were replaced, was pinched and done incorrectly by Bartel's. Called Bartel's back up and they agreed to tow my car back and fix the problem. They ran diagnostics, but still couldn't seem to figure out why my car died and experienced the lights on the dashboard. Their communication was terrible. I almost always initiated the conversation and could never get a direct response from the front desk. I received a lot of, "yeah, let me talk to so and so and give you a call back." Bartel's ended up calling Ford because they still couldn't figure out the problem, and there was a mention of MAYBE a timing belt issue, which was my next expenditure. They agreed to replace the part without charging for labor, which was $500. I was thankful for the free labor and so excited to finally have my car back. They ordered the part and installed it pretty quickly. My car lasted for a total of one hour (between two days) before I started to experience the same acceleration problem and my O/D light wouldn't stop flashing on my dashboard. I pulled into a parking lot as I knew I wouldn't be able to make it home. I called Bartel's, furious, as the timing belt was not the solution and they had my car towed back to their shop. The problem since the very beginning was my transmission. I waited to see what they were going to do to make the situation right. "After talking to the owner and manager," they came back with a price of $2,000 to fix my transmission, and that is with a $1,500 discount for all my previous expenses. This entire situation is so laughable. Hard pass. What a huge mistake it was on my part to bring my car here in the first place. Never again. read more

Got a much better car, so I don't have much need for help with it right now. However, I recall being treated very well when my old car would need repairs. Just lately came in the have tire pressure checked & air - no charge! Very nice. Stephanie K read more

I used to take my car and my wife's car here all the time, but after what I just now paid elsewhere for repairs, they won't ever see a dime from me again, and here's why: About two weeks ago, the manual transmission on my '97 Honda Civic was getting extremely hard to shift in the morning, and only got better when the car warmed up. I took it to Bartel's, and even though they put in a brand new clutch pressure plate and resurfaced the flywheel at a cost of $970 three years ago, they wanted to do the EXACT SAME thing yet again, but at a cost of $1270 this time around. I know that most clutches just don't go out like this in 30,000 miles, so I took the car to another local place and they found out pretty quickly that the clutch itself was perfectly fine... it was a leaky clutch master cylinder reservoir. They noticed fluid leaking from the master cylinder actuator shaft seal. This other place replaced the clutch master cylinder, bled the clutch hydraulic system, and the owner even came to pick me up at my house to bring me back to their garage when everything was finished. The total cost for all of the work done at the other place... $308. That's nearly a grand less than what Bartel's wanted to do to my car for repairs I didn't even need! I just wonder now how many other times I've gone here and paid around $1000 a pop to get repairs done when I might have just needed something a LOT cheaper done at the time. They just got me on the hook two months ago for $1400 in repairs for my wife's car, so who really knows how often they upsell here? Save yourself the time (and MONEY) and go elsewhere. PM me and I'll tell you the name of the garage where they just saved me $960. read more

Only if there is no where else you can go for service! Each of the last two times I have taken a car to Bartel's Carol Stream facility I have been advised that I require additional service, that upon second and third opinion from the dealers, is determined not to be required. Clearly their practice is to get you in for service [such as a simple oil change] and then recommend/advise their additional revenue generating services. Tire rotation on brand new tires or cabin air filters that have recently been replaced . . . WATCH OUT!! I have been a loyal customer [as was my dad, brother, and son] dating back two generations to the founder, and it is truly sad to see a local business lose it interest in customer care and professional integrity. Never once has anyone ever followed up with me on the issues and concerns that I have presented to them. read more

Problem with these guys. They send out "automated reminder" text messages for appointments that were never made. Forced me to call them to have the messages to stop. Not a good approach to retain customers. read more

I understand the average two star rating of Bartel's Auto Clinic, the last time I was there for a simple oil change turned out to be that I needed all kinds of work on my car. That visit was many years ago, I thought I'd never go back. My wife and I decided to try them again as we had a coupon for a basic oil change on her older Honda Civic. I was expecting the same run around but it didn't happen. Trevor was great, he informed us and showed us of an oil leak around the oil pan or there about. We didn't feel pressured from Trevor, he understood that we felt it's an old car and it wasn't a safety issue. Needless to say we'll be going back! read more

Avoid this place, unless you have money to throw away! Went in to find out what was wrong with my car and came out with a estimate for $3400. This was for antifreeze leak, upper and lower ball joints and other items. Following day took my Jeep to our mechanic, who informed us that none of the items listed from Bartel's was the problem. We ended up spending $700. They are a bunch of scammers at Bartel's! Avoid it!!! read more

Came in with no appointment, after a diagnostic they advised the entire throttle body in my vehicle was bad. They replaced it quickly and efficiently. Staff was very kind, knowledgeable and accommodating. I will definitely return. read more

Very disappointed, I called and asked for a quote on alignment on my truck twice. Scheduled an appointment and cleared up my day. Get there and they agree on the quoted price. Then part way through the service decide to start charging by the hour. So my 120$ quote then became a 135$ an hour job. The desk clerk did nothing to remedy the issue, apparently if you have a stock ram truck they are un able to work on it, might as well take it to the dealer. read more

Terrible customer service. Had brake work done there a few months back and they over tightened the lugs nuts which over stressed the studs and cause the studs to break. Passenger side wheel nearly fell off. Manager (Joe)even stated on the phone to me that they tighten the lug nuts down to 100 and the spec on the car is 65. There was also evidence that the one had cracked off awhile ago. They refused to fix the car. Manager states that it was not their problem! Don't take your car to this terrible establishment. They don't stand behind their shotty work. read more

I was very pleased with the service received. The price charged was very reasonable. The technician kept me apprised of the status of work performed. Overall, I could not be happier with the result. read more

I agree 100% with these bad Reviews, my wife and I went there to get our car checked out. They told us we had a bad wheel bearing and it needed to be fixed asap, and the cost would be $437, well we went down the street to meneke, and they found nothing wrong with the bearing. Even when we were leaving Bartels the guy there reminded us it needs to be fixed and urged us to get it done there. BUYER BEWARE INDEED! read more

I have been coming to Bartel's for years! I used to bring my old car here and because I had so many positive experiences I brought my Dad's car in. He also received great service and recommended them regularly. Within the last year they have become the WORST place to get any work done on your vehicle. They trashed my Dad's lug nuts. Gave me the most expensive battery they had DESPITE telling me I would be getting the specific one that I had called about 20 minutes beforehand, confirmed pricing and even mentioned again when I had arrived (goodbye $200+). Then they charge me an insane amount for a Check Engine test. I asked for a quote on the work and it was TWICE as expensive as a dealership. Since when is a small mechanic MORE than a dealership? They are no longer about providing the high quality customer service many have come to expect. Not only have they lost two repeat customers, but they have also lost any future business from any of our friends. read more

This place is a joke and are way over priced. $100 part and $230 for labor? Oh and not to mention the hidden charges of "cleaning breaks" shouldn't that be included or an option? Please. You are not an Audi or BMW so dont try to. I took it to another place and they were way nicer, didnt hide or add charges, and was over $200 cheaper for the same exact work. read more

No one likes spending a lot of money on repairing their car. especially when it is a lot of money. I knew I was going to be in for a lot of $, as I got several estimates for the problem I was having. I did sit on writing this review for a few days, so I wasn't necessarily writing in frustration, though sometimes those can be the most honest. I am torn between 2 & 3 stars. Probably could be 3 stars from me. I ultimately chose Bartel's for my repair work because their estimate was the lowest by several hundred $s for the same diagnosis as every other place. I suppose I should have been wary, but for what I was spending, if the lower estimate was all it took, I'm all for it. Maybe my other estimates were targeting more than necessary. I wanted to give them 5 stars for their lowest estimate; glad I held off, as their estimate was significantly off. Apparently, Bartel's estimate didn't include actually repairing the problem the first time. I had to have TWO MORE repairs to actually fix the problem I originally came in to have fixed. All of the repairs that were done were all needed, so I dont think any were unnecessary. I stuck it out here as I was already in for an alignment, which i didn't have to repeatedly pay for. Going elsewhere to finish the job probably would have cost me even more for another alignment. When all was said and done, I did end up spending as much here as estimates from other places, but probably only because I complained on the third repair, and so they did comp me the labor charge. If all the necessary repairs would have been done in the first attempt, it may ultimately have been cheaper, with rolled together labor and such. So, since I did end up spending as much as any other estimate, I can't ultimately complain about the cost, as painful as car repairs are. And I would like to complain about my time wasted, but when you are trying to keep costs down by trying to target only the problems, then it may take a couple of attempts. so, while that sucked, i suppose it is part of the risk of trying to target the very specific problem, instead of just doing a large, possibly unnecessary, overhaul all at once. They do have nice free wi-fi, and some nice work spaces that I utilized. They also provide a shuttle to drop you off elsewhere. And I will say, for each of the 3 repairs I had, they were all done in a very quick manner. Even ultimately with a 2 star review from myself, I may actually give them another chance, at least for an estimate, or at least for some minor work. They do appear to have one of the cheapest oil changes around. read more

I give this place 1 star. It's like going to Autozone and having them hook your car up to the machine. If I pay $90 I expect to get a full diagnostics of what's wrong with my check engine light and not a hook up to a machine that doesn't pinpoint the exact issue. They told me things that where obvious just by looking under the car. They didn't analyze a thing!. To sum this up, Bartels is a rip off. read more

I took my car in for an oil change, they told me that I needed new brakes. Not trusting them I took The car into the dealer and they found nothing wrong. read more

BUYER BEWARE! Like below review states unless u like to throw away money. I would recommend getting a second estimate with anything they tell you with your car. Even if its simple like a flat tire or getting an oil change. This last June I took my 07 impala car in for slipping/ jerking while accelerating. They quoted for rack n pinion and control arm bushing and was over $1300 (alot of money with a family and 4 kids) After i got it back the car started getting a shaking while stopped at a stop light which wasnt there before. A couple weeks later my car started overheating (quick overheating from C to H within driving 1mile) and the slipping/jerking started up again. I took it back to to them to take a look at it but refused to look at the slipping until i fix the overheating. They quoted me for a new timing cover gasket and water pump at over $1600. After that quote i called for quotes from other repair shops in which all 5or more i called said a timing cover gasket rarely ever needs to be changed. I then shortly got my car out there and took it down the street to a repitable auto shop (AAA and BBB certified) and was told it was the water crossover pump and a water bypass gasket and total was around $600. I have not had an issue since and the car hasnt had any slipping either. Please stay away from here. For your own good! Check BBB first. read more

I think these guy's are awesome! Our family has been having our car's serviced by them for year's. I thought I was experiencing a brake issue with my car. I brought it in immediatly. They did a complete check of everything on my car, and they found nothing. That's a good thing. And charged me nothing. That's great customer service! They never try to upsale you. I trust them and feel safe when they service our car's. read more

These guys are $$$ and aren't recommended. In one visit they recommended a cabin air filter change for $120- no joke! Just said no thanks and did it ourselves for $25. It's the easiest of things to change -right behind the glove box, and they estimated 30 minutes + 150% markup on the filter. In another visit, they wanted $600 for parts and $600 for labor. Found the parts online for $150 and found another mechanic to do it for less. Finally, the last straw was a $100 part and $240 labor (2.5 hours estimated). Found that part online for $30 and did it at home in under an hour. That's a 300% markup on parts, which is just criminal. read more

I feel Bartel's goes above and beyond for their customer service--they always get me in quickly and provide a ride for me to and from my home which helps tremendously when you have a husband who is always at work. I was having car repairs done and mentioned my key fob was broken. Bartel's took my car to the Honda dealer to get 2 new key fobs made and programmed for me and even had 2 safety recalls by Honda serviced for me while they were there. They save me a trip to the Honda dealer and only charged what Honda charged for the new key. I am a working mom with 3 kids and one with significant special needs--saving me a day at the Honda dealer is priceless! read more

I brought my Saab in to have a tire leak repaired and a tire pressure sensor replaced. The sensor replacement cost I felt was a bit on the high side compared to other shops. I called Adam (there general manager) and he said a mistake was made on their side and quickly rectified the situation. Adam was very pleasant on the phone and in person. Service was performed in a timely manner. I will be happy to go back again for more service. read more

Came in for an oil change and had a great experience! Pleasant, helpful staff, only a short wait time, and reasonable pricing. Would definitely recommend and return again. read more

I will NEVER bring another car here again. Every single time we brought our cars here for oil changes, they came up with "work" that needed to be done. We finally got fed up and brought our car to another mechanic who was wonderful and thorough. Unfortunately, he showed us the true state of the car. The undercarriage was so rusted out, it can no longer be put on racks - and yet Bartel's never once said anything about the problem other than "some rust" but no preventative care recommended. Had we known what was going on - and ANY decent mechanic would have seen this - we could have done something to prevent this from happening. So now we're car shopping a good 4-5 years before we should be. read more

I would not go to this place unless you like to get ripped off. Wanted to charge me $452.14 for a mas air flow sensor that I bought online for $198.00 and took me 5 minutes to install. Also wanted to charge me $307.05.for a front end alignment. Went to Bartlett Tire on Lake St. in Bartlett and paid $85.00. If you want to go to a repair shop that you can trust I recommend Bartlett Tire & Service there honest and good. Unlike these con men........ read more

My family and I used to take all 3 of our vehicles here for years before we found a better automotive repair shop. Needless to say my parents did not know any better at the time. Bartel's Auto Clinic has very professional service advisors/assistant service managers who do a good job of communicating with their customers, I will compliment them on that. What I have an issue with is the competency of their technicians and their prices. On more than one occasion I have had to bring my car back because they couldn't correctly diagnose my vehicle the first time. You would think that in order to keep their customers happy they would offer some type of discount or have some type of policy for pricing their comebacks, but they don't. Almost every time I have brought we have brought our vehicles they were not completed the first day. Now I will say that we did not bring in our vehicles for regular maintenance. We only brought them in mostly when they needed repair but even then some of the repairs didn't warrant having to wait more than one day to have our vehicle fixed. In my opinion they overcharge for their labor and they raise the price of the parts they purchase from parts stores and claim it is because they "warranty their parts" that they install which is complete bull because most if not all automotive parts and components come with a manufacturers warranty. I actually know and used to work with one of the technicians that works here and he is not someone I would want anywhere near my vehicle. They need to watch who they hire. My advice to Bartel's is watch who you hire. Just because you someone vouches for a technician does not mean he is competent and he is someone you want to employ. Also review your current pricing. With the economy we are in no one wants to spend more than they have to. read more

Everyone at Bartels was very courteous and professional. The suggested repairs were explained completely so they were easily understandable. After approving the repairs, I was given timely updates for completion. I would recommend Bartels for all service needs read more

Brought my daughters car to Bartels in Plainfield, IL for an oil change and low beam replacement. They called to say additional work was needed on the car, we told them we would pick the car up and my daughter could decide later what she wanted to do. When we went to pick up the car, it wouldn't start (she had no previous problems with the car starting and I had just driven it in for the oil change with no problem). They said they would have to figure out what the problem was and would call us. Several hours later, after not hearing from them, we called to inquire about the car. We were told, bad news/good news)! It turns out the problem was a loose timing chain, but the good news is that it was still under warranty. We had to have the car towed to the dealer for the work! The dealer called to say that they would have to put the car back together before they could do anything! Bartels had taken the car apart and had not put it back as to how it was found when we brought it in, causing us to pay an additional $300 to the dealer. We requested reimbursement from Bartels for the $300 we had to pay and provided copies of the work completed by the dealer (which stated that the car had been taken apart by Bartels and they had to put it back together). The Service manager (Alex), said he would have to discuss with the owner (Adam). After a week and not receiving a response, we stopped in to discuss. We were told by the Service Manager that he had not heard back from the Owner and would again send him an email. It has now been several days without a response or even an acknowledgment. To say the least we are very disappointed and frustrated at how we have been treated by Bartels. After being a loyal customer for years, we will NEVER use nor recommend Bartels in the future. read more

I went in for a typical oil change early on a Saturday morning. Everything went well until i popped my hood the day after only to find my nice engine cover missing. Of course they were closed on Sunday so i showed up first thing Monday morning. When i did a young guy came running out saying he knew why i was there. He asked me to pull my truck into the shop so i did and he went over to the corner and grabbed my engine cover and put it on after telling me what sounded like an excuse. Problem i have is how come not one attempt was made all day Saturday to contact me? Now for all i know this was all just an honest mistake but i have to ask myself, had i not popped my hood the day after would someone had called me to tell me they forgot to put it back on after the oil change or would it have become an item on ebay? All in all not sure if this was an honest mistake or someone took me for a fool. I then called in to speak with the owner to share my experience and the lady i spoke with told me i would receive a call which i have not received. Needless to say i was not pleased with how everything transpired. I was quoted $60 for an oil change and when the bill came in it was $95. I also received an estimate of $155 to change my A/C belt which i felt was extremely over priced. read more

I took my truck in for a simple oil change. I got a call an hour later from Bartel's saying my brakes and roters needed to be replaced an almost $800 bill. This is not the problem. The problem came months later when I found out that they had used the wrong oil and it almost destroyed my engine! They admitted to using the wrong product in my vehicle which ended up costing me another $500 to fix! I will NEVER go back and I urge people to stay far away from this business. Such a small oversight in something that should be so simple almost cost me a new engine! read more

been going to Bartel's for a couple of years now, the crew has always been straight forward and honest in their dealings. very happy with them. read more

Too many shady things happened in the last year of me getting my car repaired there 5 times, including ridiculous pricing on parts and services. Won't be returning. Get a second opinion and quote from another garage... I was quoted nearly double any other shop in the area quoted me to rebuild a transmission that went bad when the car was in their possession. They are kind, but they seem to tell partial truths or conveniently omit certain less costly options for repair. read more

I went into Bartel's auto clinic because my brakes were making noises and I assumed it was time for new brake pads. After a free inspection, they told me that the brakes were fine and that I have plenty of wear left on them. I asked then to check wear on the tires and they were also in fine shape and didn't even need a rotation. No upsell or pressure to buy anything I didn't want or need. Love the honesty of this place. It's nice to have an auto repair shop that I can count on to treat me right and will definitely be back! read more

I take my cars to places that come recommended by friends, so I'm pretty wary of using unfamiliar shops. What got me interested in Bartel's was that they're open on Saturdays (the other places I go to are M-F, and that doesn't work with my schedule). I tried Bartel's for an oil change, a transmission fluid change, and a wheel alignment on three separate visits. Each time, they performed the service I asked for at a reasonable price and didn't try to hard-sell me on any extras. During the transmission fluid change, they made note that my timing belt had cracks in it. This was confirmed by a separate shop. Looking at my maintenance records, it was about due for one. Since I was looking at having the belts changed, I figured I'd have the water pump replaced too since it has never been replaced. I called Bartel's and scheduled a visit for new belts and a new water pump. They gave me a quote (which was substantially better than what the dealer quoted me) and set me up for a shop visit. When they called to tell me the car was ready, they mentioned that the water pump was fine and didn't need to be replaced, so it saved me $200 off my original quote. They could have changed it out with out asking just for some quick $$$. That went a ways in my book. Seems like a pretty safe place to go to. read more

I loaned my Toyota 4Runner to my brother. It ran out of brake fluid due to leaky right front brake caliper. As we had just had yet another 6" snow storm, I did not want to lay in his driveway to bleed it. (Correctly diagnosed by Bartell's, later) As a veteran of 50+ brake jobs, I had requested Bartell's simply bleed the brakes, in order to get the vehicle home, expecting a bill of approximately $60. To my surprise, I got gouged for $29 additional for brake fluid. Please keep in mind, a pint goes for $3.99 at any auto parts store. Even a quart only goes for approx. $8. Thus, they charged me for an equivalent of ONE GALLON of brake fluid while using only a cup... The manager looked me square in the eye and LIED about BOTH rear brakes leaking fluid, contaminating both therear disk and drum brake pads, requiring pad replacements. I had just had the drums off 2,000 miles before and knew them to be perfectly in order...dry as a bone. Which I confirmed when I got it home. BOTH REAR BRAKES WERE DRY, IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER. The amazing thing was that he KNEW I was going to fix the brakes myself and that he would be caught in a lie. As for the brake bleeding...I got hammered for $100 and they still left an air bubble in the right rear... Avoid these liars like the plague! You have been warned!!! read more

Friends: Usually I don't take time to write review on any service. But I think it is important to let you know my experiences at Bartel's Auto Clinic, Carol Steam. I don't want them to take advantages of your ignorance on car service pricing model. I went there on 01/16/2016 to check why dash board light is for break system. It was free. The mechanic came and convinced me that I must replace the break pad on both axles. He quoted me initially around 700.00 dollars for Honda 2007 Pilot. Then he gave me some discount and we agreed at priced at 600.00 dollars. He start working on my car. I was waiting their. Then I thought that the price they are asking seems very high. On my phone I looked into the net and found that FIRESTONE has offered break pad changes for 99 dollars per axle with lifetime warranty. Bartels warranty was only 3 years. I immediately rush to the manager and showed the pricing from FIRESTONE while they just started working on my car and asked for a better price. But the manager and his staffs were stubborn on that price 600 dollar and did not reduce single dollar. I do understand that I agreed with their price, but they took full advantage on my trust and ignorance on difference pricing model on car services. I feel that I was forced to pay 300% more than their competitors for replacing break pad only. I strongly recommend that you must not trust pricing model from these guys at any of their branch. You must check price at other center before you go them. Check with Firestone before going to them or if you can avoid them unless you know someone there. Go to google and search for the coupon for the service you need. You will always get one. Good Luck Guys. read more

Came in for a quote on my headlights and ended up paying $265 just to be told that it is "probably the headlight switch" which I had already replaced. Pretty sure they didn't test anything because there was still dust on the cover that protects the wiring. They ordered my part without contacting me and then complained when I told them to cancel the order. They quoted me at $750 total to replace the switch which I had already replaced a week before in under an hour. It shouldn't cost $750 for an hour of work. Go somewhere where they won't try to rob you for simple jobs. read more