Mal’s Service Center

Terrible Terrible service! Can I give negative stars? My dad’s car was in an accident and since they have two locations, I called to find out which location it is at. The lady told me that there is only one location and hung up on me.

Disgraceful.
We were told that the car would be drivable. It was not, in fact, drivable. The manager has yet to return my letter. I will be continuing to follow up with this as his work was truly disgusting and he really took advantage of us. Do not take your car here. They will lie to you, take advantage of you, and then refuse to return your calls.

total rip off and arrogrent and stupid also. Old time way of doing business of robbing you blind and giving terrible service also… stay away to protect your wallet!!! If you are in accident in Arlington pay the money to be towed to another repar shop… well worth the money.

I had the misfortune of having to deal with these rude, ignorant people after an incident when I slid off of the the road in Arlington. Someone called them, not me. They pulled car out of snowbank for $ 140 cash, no AAA affiliation, cash or no car. Driver was rude, ignorant, obnoxious and arrogant. Had car on wrecker and was told no car until he had $ 140 in his hand. I am curious if they would be rated at ZERO or lower if possible, I believe so.

Complete Arrogant Jerks.
Yes they have a contract with the Arlington and Lexington Police.
A family member of mine gets in a car accident and asks them to two the car to an auto body less than 8 miles away from the accident, the tow truck drivers response
«We have a contract with the Lexington Police, we have to tow it to our shop unless you pay for the tow $ 200 Cash, Looks like we are stopping at an ATM honey»…
Seriously? Who says that to someone who just got into an accident!
I would avoid this shop like the plague.

They got me in and out of there for a quickie tire repair in about 30 minutes. Friendly, cool, laid back.

I went to Mal’s on a recommendation from my usual mechanic for an alignment. I had my summer rims and tires balanced and installed, 4 wheel alignment and oil change for under $ 200. They got it done in a few hours so I can’t complain. Except for the parking which is a pain in the bum.

ruined my transmission when i took my car in for a clutch replacement? couldn’t get my car in gear to leave establishment and they denied any wrongdoing? ****AVOID****** AVOID*****AVOID***** plenty of other reputable and HONEST service centers in town

You need to watch these guys.
I had an out of warranty car serviced there for oil changes and minor repairs several times with adequate results. But when I needed tires it was a different story. I had an unfixable flat and I wanted to buy two new tires because two tires had more tread on them and I was planning to sell the car in the near future (which I mentioned to them). They convinced me it wasn’t appropriate to buy only two so I purchased four.
At least that is what I thought, after driving the car for a week I noticed that the tread was different. As it turned out they changed only two, buffed the sidewalls to look similar and charged me for four. When I returned the guy at the desk started to give me a hard time, the manager overheard the conversation and intervened and said «if the customer said there was a mistake there was a mistake.» They put the other two new tires on, breaking several lug nuts in the process.

Smashed a part of my car. got towed to this lot. Asked the front desk guy what i needed to do for paperwork with them. he said «nothing». I asked again, because it sounded wrong [Repair shop was supposed to take the car out of Ma’s lot, and it was hard to believe that they would just give them my car with no paperwork].
The dude was unphased and went on to explain how the repair shop will call them to get the car and insurance handles it all. I shrugged my shoulders and went to work. In two days, i found out accidentally by calling my insurance (Liberty mutual bosos, more about them in my Liberty Mutual post) that i had to sign a waiver form and car just kept standing on their lot.
When i asked for the form, i was offered to come and sign it to the office. I work so i said, sure not. they emailed it to me — the form does not have any place to put «i release my car to so-​and-​so». Even though i filled in the whole form and sent it to them — it was not good enough and the car proceeded to stand on the lot. Luckily i found out soon about this and resent them the form with handwriting on top of it.
I guess Mal’s makes more money by keeping the cars on his lot than discharging it immediately. Very sneaky, sleazy and pitifully low tactic. Cold blooded in-​your-​face-​we-​rip-​you-​off place.
one more question — why do i pay insurance to take care of that stuff. they never explained to me the right steps and i got screwed up in the process.

I can’t speak to the quality of Mal’s bodywork, but I’m sick and tired of the way Mal’s staff runs roughshod over the citizens of Arlington Heights, particularly its pedestrians. On two occasions I have been walking by the Mal’s garage and had the driver of a massive tow truck acknowledge my presence then proceed to back his giant truck onto Mass Ave while I patiently waited to cross the driveway. Isn’t it customary to yield to pedestrians when those pedestrians are on a sidewalk? It’s bad enough when some dope backs out without looking, but in this case the Mal’s mechanic caught my eye not to indicate I could pass safely, but to say, «Little lady, you’re no match for this massive vehicle and I’m no gentleman so pardon me while I back into Mass Ave right in front of you.» As a driver, I’ve also had the misfortune to be driving along at 30 mph when one of these jerks decides to back out, and they basically pull the same routine with drivers. Be prepared to pull to a sudden stop if a Mal’s driver wants to back out.
When the Mal’s guys are pedestrians, they’re just as bad. They barge into the road, NOT in the crosswalk 50 feet from their store, but wherever the hell they please, as much as defying you to run them down. I don’t fancy life in prison but I often fantasize that some desperate character will take them up on this game of chicken and send a Malman scampering for the sidewalk. This morning was the last straw. I drove behind a Mal truck going 20 miles an hour and making left turns from the right lane and right turns from the left lane, putting the signal on at the last possible second. I know those wide turns save wear and tear on the steering, and I realize you’re on the clock and therefore in no hurry to get anywhere, but there are other people on the road, and some of them have places to go! Mal, I know you sponsor a flower bed on the Arlington-​Lexington line, but a little common courtesy would smell sweeter than your petunias. Please, talk to your guys and teach them some manners!

Update: I did some research and because Mal’s stored my car outside, I was owed back ½ the $ 1100 «storage fee» I paid. I sent them a letter to that effect and received a call, saying I’d be refunded ½ the fee as well as another $ 200 for the value of the car. Thank you for — in your own words — doing the right thing, Mal.

Thieves. Two hours to run a diagnostic that originally was quoted as free but not free when they quoted me $ 1200 for a transmission replacement. Got in a screaming fight, who is going to spend 1200 without getting a second look? To drive it out of there it cost me 159.99 for NOTHING and two other mechanics including my Toyota dealer can’t find a transmission problem with the car. Thieves! Noting worst than a untrustworthy mechanic.

Terrible customer service, high prices compared to ANY other repair shop, rude employees. Would not recommend it to anyone, and definitely do not go there if you are older and you don’t know much about cars as they will take advantage. I usually don’t base my judgment on reviews, so please do your homework and check it out for yourself.

Mal’s has a great staff, with a great sense of humor. They do good work too.

Mals has one of the best local reputations that I’ve found in the area for fantastic service, customer service, and a line of mechanics that clearly are top notch.
I brought my 1997 Ford Explorer in for some pretty major repairs because another mechanic did a less than par job, and he couldn’t even finish the given tasks within a 2 month span (that’s right — 2 months…)
I explained my situation to Richie, the Head of the Auto Repair division. He completely understood my situation, and he told me straight up that he does not like to take business away from other mechanics. I told him that I wouldn’t/couldn’t trust my vehicle with the original technician at another company, and I probably had to go after them for some type of refund.
Not only did Mal’s fix the truck, Richie took off $ 259.00 because of my situation. He didn’t have to do that, and I didn’t ask for it.
I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this shop, and I can’t give a higher recommendation.

I have had nothing but horrible experiences with this company. They did terrible work on my car, then even though I have a reciept that says my bill is paid, they called me SIX months later to tell me that the person working the desk didn;t know what they were doing and forgoto to charge my card, and then they chraged my card again, even though I told them that I paid with CHECK after they screwed upthe credit card stuff. Now I have to fight with them to ge my $ 400 back!