Northtown Auto Service & Tire Center

Was at one time an auto mechanic myself, I’ve never been steered wrong here & I’ve been going there for years for repairs I couldn’t or wouldn’t do myself, also I’ve never informed them of my past experience as an auto mechanic, that’s how I filter them out.

I took my car to Northtown today for the first time and was THRILLED by the service that I received. As a woman, I am always careful about being taken advantage of. Not a problem here! No wonder all my friends rave about this place! I was treated with such respect. No one likes to spend money on car repairs, but I loved how they helped me prioritize needed items, and wrote everything down for me. I will be back for sure!

I was refered to this place by family and neighbors I know that have taken vehicles here. I took my vehicle to this business on August 22, 2014 to be checked for a high idle engine related issue. I spoke with them when I dropped it off explaining the issue I had. The following day I received a call from service advisor explaining the problem could not be fixed when they hooked it up to their computer system. They claim the PCM computer is going out on it would cost $ 750 for a used one as the computer is discontinued model. The price would not include labor charges. They did replace a throttle gasket they claim was deterioration over time. I declined further service as they were not able to correct the problem. For the service provided I was given a quote it would be $ 260 but after complaints I spoke with the manager they removed $ 60 off the price. I spoke with the manager owner when I picked the car up on August 29, 2014. I was charged $ 197.25 total. While discussing the problem with manager owner and talking about plans to move out of state he was telling me to just go and I felt his tone was rather RUDE! When I started my vehicle up after pickup and payment my engine rpms idle even more higher than when I first brought it in for service. The entire car shakes due to it being a very hard rough idle. They didn’t even reset my radio clock! I would NOT recommend this place!
UPDATES:
On the same day August 29^th took to Goodyear for 2^nd opinion and was told all that needs to be done is a PCM reflash. Next day August 30^th picked it up and I dropped it off at the nearest GM dealer now for service. There’s several TSB’s regarding the PCM. Northtown never gave me this information.
September 2^nd the dealer fixed my vehicle to perfect working order by completing a re-​flash of PCM.

I recently moved to Mchenry and had no mechanic. After my car broke down, AAA took my car to northtown auto. I was a little skeptical since I didn’t know anything about them but decided to try them out. I’m very glad that I decided to use them because they were honest, trustworthy, patient with all my questions and gave me a good price. I would definitely recommend them to others as they are my new go-​to mechanic to fix any car issues I may have in the future.

I had been going here for about 4 – 5 years and believed that they were a reputable place, guess I should’ve read Unilocal first. They told me I needed a new radiator when I went in for an oil change, they charged me 44.95 to test my coolant system and even showed me where my leak was. Now I thought this strange considering I never noticed any drips or coolant leaks in my garage. I decided to take it to the dealership and they tested my coolant system for over 40 minutes and said they were 100% sure my radiator was not leaking. After 3 weeks with no change in fluid or drips, plus my trip to the dealer I was fairly sure I didn’t have to replace my radiator. I also asked the dealer to check my suspension and struts since a couple months previous NTA changed my brakes and said my suspension was worn out and I needed new struts. Seems that was also not accurate. Now NTA was trying to charge me almost $ 1000 in unnecessary repairs and the manager on duty Mark, didn’t even have the decency to come down from his office and talk with me. How is that for customer service? They say they have highly certified technicians that do honest work so customers can rest assured they’re not paying for unnecessary repairs but like Steve said, I guess they dropped the ball when it came to my service. Needless to say I honestly believe they were trying to scam me probably because I’m a women but who knows for sure. All I can say is get a second opinion before you rush to get your car fixed because you might be paying for repairs you don’t need. Me nor my family will be going back.

I have been going to Northtown now for @ 6 mos and am sad to say i am moving to Texas and will definitely miss this place. I was in the car business for 20 years and I will tell you, these people were honest from the get go. I went in wanting an oil change for my sienna, just a regular oil change like I had the last time at a competing place. They let me know that the mfr recommended synthetic, but would do what I wanted them to do, for it was my vehicle, and it was like $ 20 more… HELLO…YES! Working in dealerships I saw the dishonesty, and upselling for all of them are paid based on commission and sales penetration, not what is in the best interest of the customer. They also hooked me up with some used tires that were like brand new when mine were knowingly unsafe and saved me $ 400. I would recommend this place, even over the dealer any day. Thank you guys for your awesome service!

There are quite a few places in McHenry to go for tires and service. I drive a 2010 Honda Accord and was ready for my first set of tires about a month ago. I looked around online and did a little shopping on the phone. Not only did Northtown treat me well on the phone, but they scheduled an appointment for me the following afternoon and got me right in once I got there. Their prices were great compared to some of the other quotes I got from some of their competitors and their waiting room was clean and I didn’t mind being there for an hour or so. I would definitely recommend these guys!

Are you saying I made up this review? For what purpose? I still have the bent rims. You want them back? You say the reviews on your own website are all positive. No kidding! Did you give yourself a 5 star rating also! (I rate myself a 10 in looks for all you ladies) I took time to write this to give other people a heads up on your operation. People like me who work hard for their money take it personally when we get ripped off. By the way I also changed insurance companies for allowing this scam to happen. They should have paid for new rims in the first place. People be careful if your insurance adjuster and the service provider are too friendly. Neither will be on your side. The last piece of advice I’d like to give about car repair is find a small independent mechanic .Yes it took a while but I found a small shop that is honest and is owned by a person who works himself and I know by name. If you go to a place with too many managers you are paying the manager, owner and mechanic. They usually have young inexperienced mechanics not getting paid much. If you are greeted by a manager with a nice white shirt on who looks like he hasn’t ever been under a car, turn around and walk out. They are sales people whose job is to upcharge you and and pad your bill where ever they can. Sorry. One more thing. Always keep your receipts! They have computer systems that they log every little piece of information on you and your vehicle. However, when there is a problem or warranty issue, they can’t seem to find any information on you! Then when you can’t produce the paper reciept, they act like you were never there or had that service performed!

Wow 1.5 years to get a response. Also I add that I understand you check everything but telling me I need new brakes and I need new brakes soon. Is not really informing your customer of the correct issue. Simply stating you have about 50% of the pad left would have been an acceptable answer but I was mislead to believe my brakes where in poor condition and need replacement ASAP. Also I love how you’ve altered the official business listing with Unilocal to include promotional text to discredit the reviews on Unilocal.You’ve even altered the address and city to display your promotional text in a special format on Unilocal site. If you’d like you can see the screen shot at

The comment from Northtown Auto to my review stated:
” After investigation and lack of customer participation, we were found «NOT TO BE AT FAULT»”.
What investigation? No one EVER contacted me or my wife from Northtown, Better Business Bureau as they claimed, or otherwise. My review had to do with their «Customer Satisfaction» guarantee. I was not satisfied with the service and was their Customer. Key word being «was», as in never again. Implying that I only «…hear what I want to hear …» is ridiculous. FACT: I was never told that the Rotors had to be replaced. Let alone on all 4 wheels? Seriously?

This business is a rip off. They purposely misquote pricing so that when you get there and after the vehicle is fixed they charge 100’s of dollars more. Then they try and make it seem like you were to stupid to comprehend what they quoted. I will never go back. Beware long time customers.