"I can fix anything on my car with one hand . . . by handing over my debt card." So if you cannot figure out from above when it comes to a vehicle I am johnny clueless. That being said, long ago I determined that I would have to find a mechanic I can trust. Something that is not the easiest thing to do . . . I have seen Ron (the owner of the shop) on a multitude of occasions. I have gone through multiple helices in multiple forms of disrepair (between my dead grand father's Oldsmobile, to a Toyota Camry, to a Dodge Caravan (how cool am I and my vehicles). Each time he has focused on making sure that each vehicle's maintenance was as inexpensive and good for the long term care of the vehicle. He has made sure to understand what my goals are with said vehicle: How long am I looking to get out of the vehicle? What is it that 'needs' to get done? Any preventative issues? What should i be cautious about with this potential repair. How this effects other systems in the vehicle. They have lent me a vehicle when i still needed to get around (no charge, not even for gas). They have even consulted with me on repairs outside of their shop at another location and helped me to ask the right questions to get reduced costs in services. I have never questioned the service level or the quality of the work as I have never had repeat issues. They are prompt and always make time for servicing vehicles. Integrity is big there in the case they notice I needed new tires they even sent me elsewhere for the business as they advised me that they were not able to compete on he pricing of another local tire spot. I happen to know as well that this local owner runs food and clothing drives for charities and that is really just a star on top of their tree. When service and the customer are the focus I am overjoyed to recommend their facilities! read more

I just started taking my car here. My wife and mother and kids has been coming here for years. They had always had great service. And to my pleasure I did also I just went in for an oil change and I use to go to the dealer and get ripped off. The prices at Merlins are very good and fair the work was very good. I will continue on bringing all my cars to them read more

Total ripoff. Quoted me $330 for a job requiring about $20 in parts and maybe 15 minutes time. Went for convenience since auto zone was out, now I just have to order the gasket. read more

I was recommended to bring my car there after the tire shop I was at to get my tires rotated and balanced cross threaded a lug nut on the left and right front wheels. They replaced both studs and lugnuts. I was getting a noise after from the front and brought it back to them and was told there was nothing wrong and everything was tight. Drove the car more and the noise was getting worse so I brought it back and the manager had one of the techs drive it and check it out. He had pulled the pulled at least the left front wheel and adjusted the backing plate and I was told the noise was coming from a defective rack and pinion. The manager told me there are numerous TSBs on the rack and pinion system. I explained that the noise started after they had done work to it. The manager was very rude to me at this point and was going to charge me $138 to prove his point. I took my car back to the tire shop that had recommended them and they sent me to another repair facility. The tech heard the noise and went to pull off both front wheels and had to break off 3 lug nuts on the left and a third on the right front. He had also said both my front wheels were loose and that is what was causing my noise. The poor customer service and the fact that they could have caused serious harm to my family is completely unacceptable. read more

Merlin Complete Auto Care - Auto Repair Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

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Sharon and her staff were so very kind helping us wish more people in this world had such great customer service skills kudos to this buisness read more

This place is full of thieves and idiots. They told my girlfriend she needed a new starter, and a full brake job and wanted to charge her $2200 for everything. I took it to a family friend who owns a car shop. They said all that needed to be done was an oil change and the positive connection to the battery was loose. Never go here and I will have other people stay clear of here. read more

They were prompt in fixing a hole in the exhaust. It was reasonable cost to repair. They had me look to see the problem and ok the work.

I brought my car in to check out a potential problem I thought I might have with my brakes. Ron was pleasant and understanding with my concerns. The team checked everything out and confirmed I did not need anything fixed or replaced at this time. I doubt I would have gotten this honest answer at the dealership where I was tired of taking my car due to poor service, long waits and high charges. I was also pleasantly surprised when Ron did not charge me anything at all for checking my car out or keeping my car overnight inside the garage when I couldn't get there in time to pick it up the day before. Great local business with community spirit! read more

NEVER GO THERE my pipe was demaged they said 1100 new one or $300.00 to fix it today im in muffler shop in Prospect Heights got fixed for $40.00 They want to rip me off 5 times Always go to mexican places read more

I wanted to like Merlin. It was so convenient - I lived super-close and could just drop my car off for oil changes, repair work, etc. and walk back home. And the guys were always pretty friendly and helpful; they even put my new license plate holder on for me free. But. First off, they're kinda pricy. You can get the same or better service for less at most local places. And they really overcharge for a lot of routine maintenance (tire replacement, brake work, etc.) Second, I doubt some of their techs' commitment to excellence, or perhaps just their attention span. My husband got his oil changed there once, and they not only overfilled his engine but forgot to put the cap back on, causing a funky smell and resulting in a visit to the dealership to see if anything was seriously wrong. To their credit, when I confronted them about the snafu, the manager immediately offered to write us a check for the resulting work. And that was appreciated. But between the inattention/bad service and high prices, I would not recommend Merlin. [I can't believe I have to specify this -- liveD -- previously. Used to live in Algonquin. Not anymore.] read more

A friend of mine brought in my Ford F-150 truck for a brake repair. He was told by an employee of the Owner that the charge would be $700. He put down a down payment so they could order parts. Conveniently, they didn't give him a receipt or invoice with the repair amount, deposit amount, and money remaining to be paid. Yes, our bad for not insisting on that. My friend used to deliver their mail and trusted them. NOW I KNOW WHY THEY DIDN'T GIVE HIM A PROPER RECEIPT/INVOICE. He brings in the truck today, and somehow the cost became $939.78. Mind you, there were NO additional repairs made. Unfortunately, it was the Owner that was working the desk, and the employee is no where to be found. The Owner didn't back the commitment made by the employee. What the Owner offered was a free oil change. That is ONE EXPENSIVE OIL CHANGE!! There is no way in you know what that I will allow that truck to ever enter Merlin in Algonquin. They rip people off, even people they know. Merlin should not be in business, and based on their reviews, clearly many agree with us. Shameful!! read more

I scheduled a oil change and tire rotation for 10am the day before my appointment with the owner Ron, and he never put my appointment in the book. It took an hour just to get into a bay. I've never had to wait 1 1/2 hours for a basic oil change and tire rotation! First time there...last time there! read more

My family has been going to Merlin's on Sandbloom for over 14 years. Without fail, Ron (owner) and his team provide excellent customer service. They continuously prove to be honest and fair with needed repairs and pricing. As a woman, I have never felt I am taken advantage of. They have offered on multiple occasions for me to go into the shop to thoroughly go over the issues. I have never been denied to view any repairs if I ask. Ron and his team thoroughly explain why they suggest each repair and if it's needed immediately or if it can be done at a later time. They ensure all of my questions are answered. read more

Do not go here!!!! I went in for an an oil change and came out with the cut wiring to my headlight and something leaking in my engine. Do not trust this place at all. read more

I have been taking my three cars to Merlins for several years. Today, I asked them to check into a noise in the back of my car. They came back with a $2800 estimate, telling me that they all four struts were rusting through and needed to be replaced along with a wheel and a parking brake. I took it to another mechanic for a second opinion who spent about an hour looking it over and showed me that the rust was just on the covers and "cosmetic", none of the struts were leaking. Only one strut had a broken dust cover. The wheel did not need to be replaced, which was not even part of the $2800 estimate. My second estimate was not to replace the struts, saving me at least $2600. The mechanic is still looking into the parking brake issue so perhaps that issue is legit. read more

AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE. I used to take my car here to get an oil change for years. Thought the guys were trustworthy & wouldn't take advantage of the fact that I was female and didn't have a clue about cars. I was wrong. Every time I walked out that door they would give me an estimate of a couple hundred $$ of what I needed to fix on my car. But here's where these guys really get scummy... I took my car to get an oil change at another place. They told me "Whoever did your last oil change stripped your oil pan plug". So I called Merlin, told them what they did & that they needed to fix it. At first, they were not admitting fault but I wasn't going to back down. So I got them to agree to look at it and assess the issue. Took it in, they said they were going to "fix" it. I didn't want them to fix it, but I knew they weren't going to pay for anyone else to do it, so I let them do it. I get my car back and my car is POURING oil onto the driveway. Before they "fixed" it, it wasn't leaking onto the driveway. But afterwards? Afterwards my car was leaving HUGE oil marks on the ground & I would have to refill my oil every week because it got so bad. I then had to get it fixed by someone else cause I'm not letting those guys go near my car again which cost $450 because Merlin screwed it up so bad that I needed a new oil pan. So my $30 oil change turned into $450. Thanks Merlin. read more

I brought my Jeep Commander here a couple of years ago for rear brakes, and they told me I needed front and rear brakes and quoted me a price of over $800! I then picked up the car and took it to Benoy Jeep in Woodstock, which replaced the rears for $240 and confirmed that the front brakes were fine. I reported this to the BBB, and the owner's response was that his shop is often more expensive than the dealer! Gee, why pay dealer prices for OEM parts and service, when you can pay double for the experts at Merlin! read more

Merlin's Algonquin has been working on my car for a long time kept my car running when I know it shouldn't have bought a new car had a problem leaving for Florida on Saturday Friday night he got me in fix my car before I left so I can have air conditioning in Florida these guys are so good at what they do I don't know what all these other reviews are about thanks guys you guys are the best read more

Always get a good deal with these guys and they are nice people. Great service

Don't even bother coming here!!!!! They are a bunch of crooks! Went there today with my mom to get her car looked at for a coolant leak and they called us after they looked at the car told us we had to replace all the hoses the radiator and the water pump and thermostat because we had leaks everywhere and it would cost us $1880 to repair! We freaked out decided to take it to get a second option at a shop down the road called Algonquin auto clinic turns out it was only the water pump that was leaking and there are no other leaks anywhere else so nothing but the water pump needed to be replaced and they are only charging us $308 to fix the problem! Unbelievable how they completely tried to rip us off and take advantage of the fact that we are women and don't know very much about cars! Truly sad! read more

You really have to earn 5 stars. And these guys did! Merlin really helped me out of a jam. I took on a project of replacing control arms on the front of my car myself. While the project is not a difficult one, it becomes challenging when certain parts are rusted in and you don't have the tools to break the rust. On a Saturday afternoon, very near closing time, Merlin took my car in and got the project done for me. In addition to getting me in last minute when nobody else could, they charged me less than others that I called to do the work. Finally, I know my car needs some work in other areas. The last thing I want to hear when I take my car in somewhere is what all needs to be done and what they are going to charge me to do it all. They did not bring up any other issues at all. Just took care of what I needed them to get done. Couldn't ask for better service. read more

Went in today with my sons car thinking I had an expensive muffler needed and it was as simple as a$100 cut and fix of a joint. They were courteous, informational, friendly and honest. Nice to see Kevin r of algonquin read more

Wife went in for an oil change and was told her front brakes were 20%. The estimate was $600. What they did not know is I was a journeyman mechanic. In taking her brakes apart I found they were 75%. I can only wonder how many victims they have been able to cheat! read more

If I could give these thieves negative 1 stars I would. Liars thieves take advantage of woman customers every chance they get. Told me car had a bad head gasket without any compression check how do you justify that car runs perfect it is impossible just look at the engine and say oh look at needs a head gasket took it to dealer said it did not need a head gasket!!! $1200 repair it didn't need plus they said it needed ball joints, tie rod ends, and front brakes. Wait a minute, I just replaced those parts within the last year at car x and the brakes were just done liars said it needed front stabilizer links and those were just replaced by Mitsubishi under a recall! They will do whatever it takes to invent completely needless repairs to inflate the bill they even told me that my bumper was about to fall off the bolts were missing which is a complete lie fabrication the bumper is not falling off it's not even loose I have never seen a place this bad liar liar pants on fire you guys should be ashamed of yourselves I've never seen anything like thisif you go to this place you need your head examined and deserve to be ripped off and look how they keep reviewing themselves and giving themselves five stars like we're stupid and we can't figure out The only happy customers that rate this place are the owners of the place that rate themselves just read some of the five star reviews reeks of I reviewed my own business because no one else would give me a good review read more

I was told that I needed a tune up, the technician explained that my wires were old and cracked. Five months later when I can afford the tune up I bring my car in and the same technician says that it doesn't need to be done and said that everything was still in great condition (which doesn't make sense). I brought in my invoice slip that they gave me 5 months ago that showed that I declined the tune up work to prove they had advised me to get a tune up and they could not deliver an intelligent straight honest answer. Afterwards, I asked the employee how my power steering fluid was. He said "It was good, no problems" Now the fact of the matter is that I KNOW there is a problem with my power steering fluid... it has a leak and it was way below the cold min line when I brought it in. I have lost my trust in Merlin's service. It's a shame one bad egg had to ruin it. read more

Avoid this place. They will make any attempt to rip you off. They left my car running for 1/2 hour while they did an alignment. Radiator fluid started spewing out. When this guy behind the desk came back from speaking to the mechanic tolnf he told me the news, I asked him where was it leaking from. This guy behind the desk said "he didn't know." They would have to inspect it, and seeing how it was almost closing, they said to leave it overnight. Then he had the audacity to tell me "better here than on the road." I asked to take a look at the temp gauge. It was just above 200. I asked them to pop the hood, and that's when the mechanic truthfully told me that the overfill cap was off and it was just shooting out from there. I told them to fill it up and I'll be on my way. I've had no problems since. I take responsibility for leaving the cap off, because I topped it off tgat day, but who knows what they would have quoted me for something that was never wrong with my car to begin with. Do not get your car service here. There are plenty other truthful garages down the street. read more

Should have read the reviews before I went here, long story short, went to check brakes out on a 2008 fusion and ended up with a $1200 bill! They had to change all 4 rotors and 2 calipers and 4 sets of brake pads. Or did they?? They way oversold me and I feel like a fool but trusted them for the safety of my daughter driving the vehicle. read more

Came here with power steering problems on my Pontiac G6. Per Jason, I would have to be charged diagnostic fee in order to find a problem, $95 per hour plus, they did not know how many hours it may take to find it.. This is pretty cool shop. Very interesting approach to the customer. read more

We have been coming here for years and Ron has never let us down. He has time and time again helped us out, given us straight answers, and although he will inform us of all the work that needs to be done he will also let us know what MUST be done and what can wait. Sadly, some of our favorite managers have moved and it took us time to trust the new guys, but we are getting there and until that trust is built Ron always takes care of us. Rick has finally won us over, but not Justin. No personality at all. Ask for Ron or Rick when you go read more

I was initially very happy that I could make an appointment online for an oil change. Hectic, busy weekend, so I thought that an appointment would help keep me on schedule. Got there at my appointment time, and was told that it would probably be about a 20 minute wait! They had my contact info, so it would have been nice if they would have let me know. I am not sure if I will give them a try again in the future, but if I do I will call them before I leave to make sure they are running on time. read more

Daughter in-law brought car in with 4 children under the age of 7. Due to steam coming out of engine area. To replace hoses and themostat was quoted $1500.00. Took car to Teson down the street and they repaired it for $450.00. Used to think taht Ron was a fair guy not anymore. Former owner was run out of town for ripping people off. Saddle up Ron your days are numbered. read more

Been coming to Merlin's Algonquin for 5 years bring 4 different vehicles. Since the management change about 2 years ago, the service went downhill. The latest visit brought in a vehicle with an oil leak. Left the car for 3 days while they troubleshot, degreased, replaced a seal and replaced spark plugs. On pick-up, I noticed a small oil spot on the pavement and they put back on the rack. After troubleshooting, the mechanic stated he felt the oil was previous minor spillage and advised to take the vehicle home and wait a few days to see it continued leaking. Well, it continued leaking about the same as before so I brought it back. This time the mechanic found leakage at the main bearing and three days later the vehicle was returned on Friday evening. Upon driving out of the Merlin's lot the ABS and TCS lights came on, no previous occurrence of either. Immediately returned and the mechanic stated that this was an unrelated discrepancy, but they would be happy to look at it on Monday, another three days of driving loss. I am skeptical about the ABS and TCS lights being totally unrelated as the transmission and other components had to be removed to get to the main bearing seal, but since I'm not going back to Merlin's, I will reluctantly accepted it was not related. What does bother me is the first visit cost about $670 but the leak was not fixed. The second visit cost $1580 and I think many of the charges were doubled up because the leak area was not found on the first visit. On the second visit, it took several days to fix and it finally looks as if the leak is fixed, but I don't think the ABS/TCS lights are coincidental. Bottom line is I think the first visit was an attempt to do an unnecessary and quick fix without proper troubleshooting when the real problem went unanalyzed until the second visit. On a previous visit for an oil change, I asked for the wiper blades and a headlight to be replaced, both of which I usually do myself for under $40. Having Merlin's do during the oil change, they attempted to charge me 3 times as much until I challenged them. I know they typically estimate repairs out of the standard auto repair manual charges, but I'm finding they do not adjust for actual labor time and the standard charges are almost always above what the actual labor time is. I don't like how the new management pushes additional charges, always finds additional needed repairs and no longer treats me and my 4 cars like they used to. I will be searching for a new auto repair shop. read more