University Service

The place is convenient, I’ll give you that. However, their knowledge about cars and parts quality are questionable. They do charge a hefty «diagonstic fee», but then end up doing a bad, at best a mediocre job. For my case, they simply put in a wrong specification sensor in my car! I mean, how hard can it be to go to an auto parts website and punch in my car’s model/​year?
Anyway, they also don’t consult you on the parts they are using, i.e. whether you want an OEM part or whatever aftermarket stuff they are providing. All in all, I had to take my car to a different service center later on to fix this blunder.

I was having an issue with my car window in that there was a gap somewhere between the window and weatherstripping even though the window was able to roll up and down just fine. I strolled in on a Sunday I believe and this was one of the few places even open.
They were able to see me right away and stated flat out that they charge a minimum of $ 75 to take a look. If any parts need to be ordered and related labor needs to be performed, that costs extra and is not included. I decided to let them have a look and luckily they were able to address the issue, though they couldn’t make promises that the weatherstripping problem might crop up again. However, they managed to remove the door panel and remove some screws that were in there and they also tightened up some bolts that were loose. They also made sure the window was properly in place.
In the meantime, I was hanging out at a pretty legit coffeeshop nearby that was full of UofM students. It’s called Black Coffee & Waffle bar. Before I could even finish my coffee, Uni Service called me saying the car was ready. Since I was just settling in the coffee shop and was getting into a relaxing rhythm, I asked them to rotate the tires — it was actually about time for that to get done but I really just didn’t feel like leaving the coffee shop at that moment. They said no problem and to return in 30 mins.
Everything was carried out rather seamlessly. The damage in total came out to $ 100 but I find that reasonable for the problem they addressed and especially their prompt and professional service.

Excellent, friendly service and very competitive pricing. Second time getting service done here, and Jason quoted over 1000 $ less than the other facility I received a price from.

My second visit to University Service was almost exactly the same as the first. Went in for an oil change and brakelight fix. My only beef was I did not receive a call when the work was finished. Not a dealbreaker, especially since the 45 minute wait time gave me an excuse to get a waffle and cocoa at Muddsuckers!

For food, I’m all about being spontaneous and trying out the undiscovered gems. But when it comes to car care, a Unilocal snob like me requires at least 30 reviewers and 4 star ratings for a place to be considered as acceptable for me to depend the life of my car on.
I admit that University Service fell out of my radar at first.
But when the weather is as unforgiving as it has been (gotta love the subzero degrees, eh?), I didn’t have a lot of options since my two front tires decided to give up their short-​lived yet tormented lives in the parking lot of Target. I called University Service to see if I could get my flats fixed within the next 3 hours and was told that it’d be finished within an hour if I took it in within the next 15 minutes. After fishtailing my way to the place, I grabbed a hot cup of coffee and waited for the service to be done inside their small store.
About half an hour later, I was told that I’d have to change both of my front tires. I personally wanted Hankook all-​weather tires, but since they only carried Coopers, I had no choice but to pitch out $ 99 a pop.
With another hour passed by afterwards, my car was ready to go. Overall, my tab came out to be around $ 269. I’m not sure how other places charge for tire changing services, but I’d say that it’s a pretty decent deal since the mechanics there had to work in the freezing condition.
Overall, not too shabby for a relatively quick service. I might consider returning there for an oil change again in the future.

Amazing quick service. Tire fixed, oil changed, radio fixed, wheel lug nut fixed all in record time.
My car was picked up by their tow truck after I had a flat tire in the freezing cold without a spare tire the quick response really impressed me.
The service was discussed on call and all options were clearly detailed and cost discussed.
Won’t go anywhere else. These guys are awesome.

I only went there because I had a Groupon for an oil change, but I’ll definitely go back. Jason is super nice and doesn’t try to pressure you into buying a bunch of crap. Plus the hours are really Convenient, and my car was ready fast.

What happens to me after 9 inches of snow? My windshield wipers decide they don’t want to work anymore.
I called in to set up an appointment as this shop was highly recommended by a co-​worker. They were willing and able to get me in the next day. Yay. I could go down the street and have lunch at Crescent Moon (yum!) while they worked on my beast.
1.5 hours later they call to tell me the wiper transmission needs to be replaced. Ugh, worse case scenario and a few hundred dollars.
Pros:
— Very friendly staff, Jason was awesome to work with.
— Pricing seems reasonable
— Free wi-​fi
— A vehicle to use to run errands if they just need your car for a couple of hours
— Longer weekday hours 8am — 10pm
Con:
— They indicated a 2 hour window repair, it took nearly 4 hours — at the end of the two hours they indicated the wiper arm was rusted. That discovery should have been known about before the 2 hour mark.
— No weekend availability (maybe not a con but a tradeoff for the longer weekday hours)
I do need new brakes in the next couple of months and will be returning to have them complete here.

The business came under new ownership earlier this year so I went back to check it out again. This time, the service was excellent and I was presented with estimates to get everything else fixed on my car when I came back to pick it up after my oil change and they let me know everything they had to fill or fix. If you have had a bad experience in the past, I would suggest going back in and giving them a second chance. Things here have definitely changed for the better.

I had a great experience here. I’d taken my 2001 Accord to the Honda dealership because it was overheating — they told me that to even do a diagnostic to find out what was wrong, it would cost me $ 64. So, I went to Jason at University Service on a friend’s recommendation. He charged $ 40 for the diagnostic and when he determined I needed a new radiator, credited the $ 40 to the repair costs. I asked Honda what they would charge for a new radiator — they quoted me $ 300 over what University Service did! I dropped my car off at 5:00 pm and had it back by 2:00 the following afternoon, and my final cost was $ 4 over the estimate. Jason did not talk down to me or give me that «woman-​in-​a-​car-​place» feeling that I’ve had so many other places. I am a convert — I will ALWAYS get my car serviced here from now on!