Merlin 200,000 Miles Shop

Good service and reasonable prices. Shawn will go the extra mile to make sure you’re happy and the job is done right! Wouldn’t take Betsey anywhere else!

I’ve been coming here since 2009 with 2 vehicles as well as my mother and her vehicles. I get my oil changed every 3,000 miles like clockwork and they are very timely when you book an appointment, and try their best to fit you in as a walk in. They have also serviced my break jobs with rotors/​pads etc. as well as my mothers numerous issues with her old vehicle to keep it running as long as possible. The prices are fair and they explain exactly what needs to be done and when by giving you a heads up as to avoid future complications which are directly proportional to preventative maintenance etc. I am extremely shocked by some of the lower star reviews as I have had nothing less than positive things to say about Sean and this Merlin location in the 7+ years I’ve been coming here. I would highly recommend any vehicle owner to bring their business here.

You can speak whatever lies you want it don’t matter I know the truth when I picked up the car and before I drove off I mention to him about the vacuum leak and I said maybe because this was taken off and I showed him in the van he had no idea that was removed until I told him your guys didn’t find out and he said oh yeah that could be the problem instead of the fuel pump yeah I know I just made all that up right just like when I called Shawn the scammer the first time he told me $ 150 they put the ball joint on and he throw in the front end alignment tell me I’m lying about that but he charged me for the front end alignment I’ve talked to enough people who didn’t leave you reviews because they’re older they didn’t want to mess with it first impression when they went to pick the car up they could tell shawn was scamming them that’s okay you got my $ 499. And I asked SHAWN when I came to get the van if it drives nice now and he said yes it did so SHAWN lied AGAIN? Funny Neil I never talked to you but you replied. No worries when I go to church on Sunday I’ll say a prayer for you.

Be very careful! Their pricing is high and their story changes. In the end, I paid $ 380 for something they were quoting at $ 800. I called around and found I could have the work done for $ 400 ish. When I said «no thanks» to the work from Merlins they asked if they could re-​quote the job. The second time they came in around $ 600. This is what I mean when I say, be cautious of their pricing. For me, they were convenient but convenience doesn’t trump this kind of overcharging.

Upon my last visit, I had a dash light come on for my emission system. I was told it would cost nearly $ 1,000.00 to repair because they needed to remove fuel tank, and the part I needed cost $ 300.00 etc. I took it to my nephews home (who used to be a mechanic). He diagnosed the problem, ordered the part (new) on Amazon for $ 35.00, and without having to pull the tank, he reached behind the tank, was able to change the part within 20 minutes. Problem solved, passed emissions test. Total Cost $ 40.00 which includes shipping! Sorry, won’t be back Merlin’s.

Same day service, super friendly and professional. Drove me back home and picked me up when my vehicle was done. Will never go anywhere else.

if your online appts service does not work — take it down

After Reading excellent Unilocal reviews we decided to bring my 2006 Toyota Solara V6 convertible (101K miles) here.
My baby had laid dormant for many reasons since ¹⁰⁄₂₀₁₄. After having a dead battery replaced this week we brought it on over knowing we needed an exhaust system repair, a tire/​rim repair and found out as well after the car being inspected that we needed new brakes for all four tires (pads & rotars).
Shawn knew I had a budget and went well and above the call of duty to meet it as best he could for all these repairs. Never once did he try to oversell me and explained everything in great detail as well as future services I will need and probably when.
I cannot speak highly enough of Shawn and his crew! We will definitely be back in August for four new tires and a brake job for my husbands car… thanks again gentleman for such a great experience!

Very friendly and helpful service. Even though I brought in some «incompatible» parts, they worked with me and helped me acquire the correct parts quickly. They were also accommodating to my busy schedule and answered all of my questions. Nice personal touch and very professional.
I would definitely recommend this shop to others and plan on returning for my future auto maintenance needs. Excellent experience and very competitive/​fair prices.

Once again I am a loyal customer and once again as many visits before. STELLAR … service from the crew… I can’t tell you enough of how I am pleased to take my car over to them. The professionalism is superb .and the courtesy pick up and drive home service is well appreciated as well… I loved the idea of being driven and picked up from, and not to sit and wait in their shop… I managed to take advantage of the Brake special as advertised largely on their window .This location has done nothing but greats service and I will always as long as I live or maybe even don’t live nearby .will go to this location to service my cars. Thank you gentlemen .Sean, Jason, Joe, and Neil the owner. its a family friendly of all ages .The car my 17 yr old son brought in was his best experience and felt comfortable being there. He promised to recommend his friends and will be back if he should run in to car repair despare. Thanks for treating my son, like he was your own .Good luck and take care guys.

This shop is great! I have had more than 3 cars serviced here; most notably a 1998 Jeep Cherokee and a 2006 Jeep Commander. For years I have gone here for things ranging from oil changes, to replacing shocks, springs, tps sensor, steering stabilizer, and more! Never had a bad experience.
My older Jeep Cherokee, which I built up for offroading, had a few problems. I would often look up online what may be wrong and discuss options with them. We always found a way to get my Jeep running perfect and also they helped with some upgrades (new shocks & springs that lifted it). I felt their prices were very fair, and they were always very helpful; even giving me a ride home if the work was going to take a while.
In the past, I would often find that other oil change shops and small car shops would always tell me to replace things I didn’t need. Such as air filters (I replace these personally, and even if I replaced one week earlier, some shops will tell me it needs to be replaced). Even more expensive other ‘repairs’ have been suggested to me, like drain and refill differentials, transmission fluid, coolant, and more (and this is when these things were not needed — I keep good track of my cars service and what they may need).
Merlins in Elk Grove has never done this to me! I have had probably 50 oil changes done at this place over the years on a few different cars, and 98% of the time, nothing else is attempted to be added on (of course like mentioned earlier my Jeep Cherokee has had quite a few things done to it, but those were things I knew were wrong. I often researched online first then asked their thoughts before a repair decision). The one and only time something was suggested was when I asked them during an oil change to look over my Jeep Commander before a 4,000 mile road trip. They mentioned the rear left shock was blown and should be replaced. They let me come back and take a look, and with my own eyes I could see it was very obviously blown and leaking. I had them replace both rear shocks (I figured mine as well do both so I had 2 new ones of same type) and my Jeep drove so much better; way less ‘sway’ in turns, and I felt safe on my trip! I trust any suggestions they give me are true.
If you need car service, don’t hesitate to stop by and try them out!

Very polite service people. I took my car in for brake repairs and the diagnosis was a «bad caliper,» with the recommendation that both rear calipers be replaced. I opted for the «bad caliper» to be replaced. I thought the price was kind of high for the work, so I did some checking, unfortunately after the work was done. Turns out that the brake problem had little to do with the $ 200 caliper. The premature brake pad wearout is a problem with my year, make, and model vehicle. Charges for other components were high, but the charge for the unnecessary caliper was more than twice their cost. I will never go there again, and will discourage any friends from going there.

i asked if they could install a fog light kit since im not so great at wiring… they said of course so i made an appointment. i walk in early in the morning and said clearly… im here for my 9 am appt for the fog light installation… the guy at the counter said what kind of oil change would you like the 10 $ 20 $ or 40 $ i dont recall. i was like ahhhhhh im here for the fog light installation hes like ohh ok. so they took my car and after 4 hours they got it done. the guy worked the whole time in that hot humit weather barely with a break. i just hated when the smokeed and the smoke blew into my car but i dident smell it after i got into it. anywho after they gave me the keys they told me it was not fully done yet. i need to come back monday. so i did and they finished it the fog lights worked but there is a tiny malfunction with the switch but it works for now cause i have to fix it.
i was surprised that he took one wire out of my dash that lighted one of the settings controls and used it to power my fog lights instead of splitting the wire so it could power both. other than that the job was nicely done

Despite living nearly 15 miles away I will only bring my family’s cars to these guys. Sean, Jason & the rest of the staff are professional, courteous & I always feel like a family member when I bring my car in!

I had my car towed here because my parents use this shop. My car wouldn’t start :(. They were quick to find out it was a locked up cylinder and computer issue that only a dealer could fix. They were able to get my car started so we could drive it right to the dealer! Didn’t even charge, thanks for being fast and honest! Will be back, hopefully not soon!

They are honest, straight to the point and get the job done with the best quality of work I have seen. To anyone in the area, if you need a routinely check up like an oil change to a complete repair of your car. This merlins is the place to go.

I brought my car here for spark plug change because my car was misfiring and another mechanic had told me that it was because of the spark plugs. The original price i believe was $ 300 but the guy upfront agreed to do it for $ 250 after changing the spark plugs the car was still misfiring so he suggested a diagnostic of the engine and we rolled with that which costs $ 95 the next day i got a call saying that my car needed a whole new engine :(when i went in to see the car he told me that he is not going to charge the diagnostic fee and he took off another 50 from the original spark plug charge. This place is honest and very understanding i will definitely bring my cars here if i ever have any car problems.

I called looking for quotes on a front end alignment. I was told it would be $ 80.00. I found a coupon online for $ 10 off. $ 70 was cheaper than anywhere else, so I brought this with me. When I went to pay I had the coupon in my hand. I was then told the normal price is $ 100 and I was quoted a sale price so they could sound competitive, so since I was already receiving a discounted price, I couldn’t use the coupon. I’m thankful I was given a discounted price, but I feel like I was misled. If i was quoted a discounted price, I should have been told when I was given the quote that this was a promotion and coupons could not be used. I could have gone several other places and spent $ 80, but I specifically chose this place because I thought it would be $ 70.
Also, they told me my car still pulled to the right, but it was 90% better. Didn’t I bring the car in and spend $ 80 so it would be 100% aligned? My car is still pulling to the right. I’m not too fond and don’t plan on going back.

I had a check engine light on and rattle under my car. Turns out there was some damage to the exhaust pipe. I went to about five different places that wanted to replace the whole system, costing upwards of $ 1000. This Merlin shop had a gentleman (forgot his name… sorry!) that was able to take out a specific section and custom fit/​repair just the damaged area for about $ 250.
Not only that, but they completed the work earlier than the quoted 1 hour. Will definitely go here first for future repairs/​work.

The customer service here is impeccable! They are the most genuine, kind, honest, and hard-​working auto body shop around.
I grew up in the north-​east suburbs and now live in Chicago. I found this place because I work in Schaumburg and I will take my car here forever.
It’s pretty much like having a family member or friend who works on cars. They are so helpful!