Locally owned business that care about the community. Communication and open about the repairs.

I've had a few negative experiences with Martin Automotive, but the latest issue has pushed me to the point of writing this review: The first incident: I took my vehicle in for an oil change. I drop off, they do the work, I pick up later that same morning, and get home only to later that afternoon find a pool of oil covering a good portion of my garage floor. I send in an appointment request stating the new issue and am contacted by their staff the same day; An appointment is made for the next day. I put flattened boxes under my car to try minimizing the spillage on the garage floor. Next day, I take my car back in and Jeremy - a member of their customer service team at the time - is aware of the situation, apologizes profusely, is an awesome guy about it, and drives me home while they remedy the issue. Later that day I pick up, problem resolved. Annoying, messy to clean up for me in my garage, but I'm not here to make a fuss. The second incident: After having some kind of maintenance service done (I don't remember what it was), their front desk staff suggests having a fluid flush done in the coming months as a preventative measure. I eventually decide that "sure, it can't hurt", and I take the vehicle in for the fluid flush. The service is complete, I bring the car home, and later that afternoon (around 4:30pm) I end up with a pool of clearish fluid coming off of my rear passenger brake line. I call Martin to let them know what's going on and to try verifying it's brake fluid, or am I crazy. They tell me they can get me in the next day to look at it and that it is likely brake fluid. The brake fluid reservoir isn't empty, so I tell myself "eh ok fine that works it'll be ok". I take the vehicle in the next day, they discover the screw to bleed the brake lines wasn't tightened down all of the way, and I spend another portion of a day cleaning up messy fluid from my garage floor. I get the vehicle back and driving it feels a little off, but I tell myself I'm imagining things and the vehicle is fine. The final straw: Today, I went to check my tire pressure and oil. After I pop the hood, I notice something unusual sitting on the top rubber seal that separates the engine bay from the exterior. It's something sticking up off of the rubber, and I poke it and it decompresses a tiny bit. I then pick whatever it is up and realize it's the cap to a reservoir, and then look down and see that the cap to my brake fluid reservoir is clearly not there. I then check and see that there is plenty of fluid in the reservoir and put the cap on myself, making sure it's seated all of the way. Keep in mind that this cap has been off for possibly two months at this point. With that cap off my brake system could have depressurized and simply stopped working mid-drive. I think anyone reading this can agree that it would be a bad thing to happen to someone operating a car. Mostly out of sheer panic, I called Martin to check and see if there's a chance my brake system could be damaged. I've had this car 11 years, it is in absolutely stellar shape, and the only thing not factory new on the thing is the tires I replaced five-ish years ago. The customer service rep I spoke to (I believe her name was Lizzie; I apologize if I have the wrong name) is very understanding but states they don't have any notes from the second incident involving the brake fluid leak - so they just decided to conveniently leave that out of my vehicle's history. She offers to try getting me in for a check/maintenance of the braking system and I try very nicely but don't entirely succeed in being nice by saying the trust here is dead, I can't do that. I simply ask her - IN GOOD FAITH because I'd rather not be driving around a time bomb - if there's a chance my braking system is damaged or something else could be happening. She tells me that as long as the braking system is responding (meaning the brake pedal has pressure and isn't just dropping to the floor), I should be ok since I haven't had anything major happen since the fluid flush two or so months ago. Ultimately, do not use Martin Automotive. I brushed off the mistake with the oil change as everybody makes mistakes. The fluid flush should have been the red flag to walk away, but this cap having been overlooked during service could have been anything from oops car driving weird to omg brace for impact brakes aren't working... I think it's fair to categorize this lightly as "not at all cool, my dudes". I never demanded any compensation or refunds, nor was I offered anything other than free service appointments to fix the immediate issues as they happened. I have absolutely no problem with paying for quality work, and the fact you will not receive quality work is why Martin Automotive does not deserve your dollars. read more

In this day and age it's so hard to know who to trust your vehicle's maintenance to. Well, look no further. After several years of trial and error, we have ALL of our vehicular issues taken care of at Martin Automotive. Clean, efficient and with the latest diagnostic equipment, their staff is dedicated to providing impeccable service. They have always come in under quote, and always finish the work in less time than agreed upon. Come on in and say hi to Lizzie and Nate, they'll get you taken care of. read more

Most of my previous experiences here have been good, and they do decent work for fair prices. However, the last major work I had them do was replace front struts and add adjustable rear camber arms, with an alignment. The rear alignment ate up the inner edges like the toe was set wrong. I brought it back to them, they charged me for alignment check and a full new alignment, but within 2k miles could already see it was chewing the rear inners due to toe again. Brought vehicle to OEM dealer who confirmed their alignment was not right and reset it. Brought those OEM spec pages in to show Martin, but they could not explain why their setting was so far out. They did refund me a portion of the second alignment, but cannot trust for future alignment jobs, and cost me in my time off for 3 partial days of work plus the set of tires that was ruined. Did not really get an apology just a "we'll look into that". Something is not right there in either their alignment machine or training to use it. Will revise this if they ever get back to me with an explanation. read more

Every time I need service on my vehicles I go to Martins. They are always nice, honest and professional. I will continue to go back when something breaks on my older vehicles. If you need repairs or service on your vehicles, check them out. read more

Great service! Jeremy and Lydia do a great job! The techs do not do any additional service unless it has been approved. I would recommend Martin's for any of your automotive needs. read more

Fixed correctly for estimate quoted. Had several things done at once. All diagnoses and repairs correct. Friendly people. Repaired on schedule. 2013 Impala. I'd service car there again. Friends recommended. Less expensive than the dealer would have been. Didn't have to take it back twice for same repair as I have had to with the dealer. They seem quite skilled in that some of the mechanical issues required a diagnosis. read more

Cliff notes: -Good tire balancer for touchy vehicles (my BMW's like it). -sketchy experience with alignments. -if you're not a car enthusiast - the front desk people are really friendly and helpful. -if you're a car enthusiast - the front desk people ARE SMARTER THAN YOU. They will do what they want, will not take your direction (very irritating). Ok, this might be a long one, but here goes! Before you read, I am an avid DIY'er in the automotive world and only go to shops when I do not have the tools to do the job (tire machines, alignments, etc). I originally found Martin Auto because they were the nearest place with a Hunter Roadforce Balancer - the best in the biz. Their prices for mount/balance weren't too bad - however I would always drop off wheels/tires loose and pick them up at the end of the day. After having 3-5 sets done, they only messed up twice - once they damaged the lip of my wheel (said they had to grab it by the outer lip because of the tires I was using). The other instance was they mounted a tire inside out (asymmetric). Both occasions I wasn't pleased however they took cost out of the job for the damage and reversed the tire free of charge. I then decided to let them do my alignments (3 vehicles over the last two years). Each vehicle I gave them my own specs because OE specs ate up tires and were less sporting (I.E. 0 front toe, lots of camber) - vehicles were all smaller 'darty' cars. The first alignment I had them do was on a previously wrecked vehicle that I had repaired. They were good to work with as I described the situation and asked that it be as close to my specs as possible. However, 15 miles after driving out of the shop I had a loose wheel. For an alignment the wheel should not be removed so I blame myself here. Next vehicle I had them do they forgot to tighten a tie rod. After two days of driving it had opened up and the car felt very touchy (hard to keep going straight). I brought it in and sure enough it was at 2* toe out. I was pretty unpleased - if a non-enthusiast was driving and didn't realize it eventually it would've opened up completely causing an incident. The fixed the issue free of charge. Last vehicle I brought them was fine, no issues. Now to the most recent trip - I brought my truck in with loose tires to be installed (found good used tires cheap). They were wider but smaller in diameter and a very common size for my vehicle. I explained this to Todd and that if they rubbed at all that I would trim the inner fenders if needed. Later that morning they called and would not install the tires - they didn't rub but 'were close'. I told them to carry on as I understand the risk. They proceeded to neglect this option. I even told them just to do the rears (only the fronts were close to rubbing) but because of the size difference they wouldn't (it could cause an issue in 4WD - again I told them I understood the risk and would sign any liability waiver if need be). No go. So I wasted an entire day of dealing with that. I brought those tires to another shop and they helped my much more. (They don't rub at all...just like I figured). Their machine is no longer worth it - I'm not going here any more. read more

Brought my car in yesterday with concerns about the brakes. Many service places would see this as a great opportunity to "find" issues with someone's vehicle, so I was kind of expecting a nice bill but figured better to let them fix whatever is wrong. Anyway, the call came about 2 hours after I dropped it off, and to my surprise they said the only thing that it needed was a good lube, which they did as part of the inspection, and said I needed wipers (which was accurate). On top of that, they even offered to come pick me up when the work was done. All in all, great experience. Thanks! read more

Rip off place, where going to charge me 1700.00$ to repair my truck!!! and didn't include my rear brakes I got the repair for 150.00 plus they owe me 80.00$ for the gift card they never used. I used them before But never thought they would do this to me. I will never go back again and will tell my family and friend what happened. Remember to get a second opinion !!! read more

Very professional, friendly and trustworthy! Awesome customer service and fair prices for the work that they do. I would not take my cars anywhere else! Thank You Martin Automotive! read more

The service is great. Work seems to be done to level as expected. They seem to over charge for the Napa parts they use. I got a quote on the part then found it on Napa's website for half the price. All 3 parts I found for half the price. They say these are the prices they get charged but seems odd to me. Not sure I will be back for the double the part price. Other than that I was happy but I felt ripped off on that. read more

I have frequently done service at this shop. I love the customer service I receive there. They will explain in extreme detail what they are going to do and more importantly explain WHY they are going to. I've had major repair from a head gasket replace on a 99 Malibu to small repairs like tire fixes. They always call before they do a service to get your okay and will shop around for the cheapest (and best) parts for you. Their new parts are a little high but they back them and they are certified parts from the manufacturer of the car made to spec so I can't complain. In short if you want it done right with no crap and no swindles go here. read more

I have been taking all of our cars to Martin Automotive since they have been in business and I would not go any where else! They do excellent work, are honest and professional. The staff are are willing to answer questions and do not try to sell services or things that are not needed. The waiting room is very nice and clean but a shuttle service is available if I am not able to wait. Prices are very reasonable and fair, and are explained prior to any repairs. I LOVE this place and because of them my family cars continue to run "like a top!" Thank You Martin Automotive! read more

*CUSTOMERS BEWARE* I've never written a review before because I've never felt the need to, but I think this calls for attention. Recently, I took my 2003 Mini Cooper to Martin Automotive for a trunk door repair. The trunk needed both suspension rods installed and a hinge repair because my trunk door wasn't closing properly. After the repair was completed, I picked up my car and drove it home immediately, not using it for a couple of weeks because I went out of town on vacation. As of this past weekend, I drove it up to Cary, IL to visit family and I noticed my trunk door light was on, signaling that the door was not latched all the way. When we arrived, upon further inspection, we noticed the trunk door was actually ajar, not closed anymore - even though we hadn't opened it since we got it back from Martin Automotive. Naturally, we tried to close it and it didn't latch (the latch was broken as well) and you could physically see that the trunk door was completely out of alignment. We noticed the suspension rod on the passenger's side completely fell off, forcing the driver's side suspension rod to over-extend thus placing extreme amounts of weight and pressure on the hinge, snapping it off completely and falling on my fiance's head. We notified the mechanic of what happened and I had to call in and miss work because we had to try to figure out how to get back to Peoria(where I live). Finally, we received a call from Martin Automotive and they instructed us to try to tie down the trunk door so we could make it back 150 miles away. So after figuring that out, I drove my car back to Martin Automotive for them to inspect it. Shortly after, I got into contact with them and they refused to take accountability for any of it. Stating "You don't have proof", "Aint our fault" Even though they were the ones to install BOTH suspension rods, which in turn he came back with "Well you don't have proof of that" We blew over $600 in repairs for that trunk to fail within a day of driving it, and no accountability from Martin Automotive. When confronting them about this, I said "This would've never happened if it was fixed right in the first place" and the mechanic felt cornered and rudely hung up on me. This was not only an issue of insufficient repair, it also reflects upon Martin's integrity, quality assurance, respect, responsibility, trust, and SAFETY. I have never felt so ripped off in my entire life. Never have I had such a terrible experience in my entire life when dealing with mechanics, businesses, customer service, ect. Never have I felt so taken advantage of, betrayed, mistreated, and scammed. All I can say is you've been warned. I was fooled by them and that takes a lot for me to admit considering my pride. They seemed so approachable, so friendly, genuine, and helpful. But I guess so are all good con-artists. Hopefully I can get some sort of compensation, if not I have to contact my attorney, I already contacted the Better Business Bureau. As a full-time "poor college student" and full-time hospital worker, I really don't have the time, money, or patience for these games. read more

My parents took their Astro van to Martin to have it looked at because it was not behaving properly and they were worried. Martin auto came back and said there was a plethora of issues and quoted them $1400 for parts and repairs. After over a week with Martin my parents get it back but it came in at $1700, and they paid it because they are old and easy going. A couple weeks later the brakes go out, and there is no fluid in the reservoir. Now there is air in the system. I get out the receipt for the work that Martin did, and am shocked to find out that they did not install any new parts, it was all labor and amounted to them finding out that they were wrong about the diagnosis that they quoted my parents on!!! On to p of that they had messed with the brakes (calling it an adjustment) Over torqued the bleeder valve which broke when I tried to open it, mind you there are no leaks in the system, just missing the fluid that Martin bled out and didn't replace!!! Some one could have been hurt bad, and I am soo angry that they took advantage of my elderly parents, for $1700 dollars on a vehicle worth maybe $3000. Maybe taking this up with the Better Business Bureau but really don't give much credit to that criminal organization either. Do not take a vehicle to Martin if you value your wallet or your life!! read more