Hey guys,

I'm wondering if anybody has recommendations on a quality, dependable, and REASONABLE place to take my IS 350 either in the city, or in the near north suburbs? I live on the northside in Chicago so I'd be willing to stay in that general area. I am looking for a place that will do everything the dealership can do, but without the high mark-up in price.

I took my car in to Arlington because my front brake pads needed to get done and the told me $290 to replace brake pads and resurface rotors. I got a call from them two hours later saying that the pads were at 1mm and the rotors were at 28.5mm and therefore could not be machined because then they would be below the 27mm threshold. They were happy to announce that the new price would be $680 so I declined and decided to look around at my options. I called Mcgrath this morning and asked how much they charged to replace the front brake pads (I'm not bringing up the rotors because I don't want to suggest to them that it needs it at this point.) Well, they tell me $360 for replacing the pads and machining the rotors. Remember, Arlington told me $290 for the same job.

I saw in the other thread about the guy looking for a 90,000 service and a person suggested MG Elite Motors in Des Plaines. I called them up and they said that they would do the brake pads and resurface rotors for $160. Wow!

Anyways, I am probably going to go use these guys but first I want to hear peoples thoughts and see if there are places that people like and trust more. Ideally I would find one either in the city or somewhere like Skokie or Evanston or something. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I want to start putting some f-sport gear on my vehicle and if there is a place that can do this reasonably for me also that is a big plus.

 

If you call the Chicago location I think its more due to the city? McGrath has great service and will take great care of you.

Maybe you should get a 2nd opinion before you resurface the rotors if they truly need to be replaced. Installing new rotors and pads will be easy for any shop. Having your rotors resurfaced I have only done this at the dealer.

 

Lol..! Arlington is a freaking joke.
Youre at 28.5mm. They said they will cut 1mm off your rotor !!?
Are your rotors pretty rusted or they don't know how to cut them?

Standard resurface is .006 -.008" on each surface side of the rotor. Add those up and that's less than .5mm. Even if they had to cut it twice, it's still within specs.

Just make sure they're(MG Elite) using Factory OEM pads or better.
Hate for you to go back there complaining of a brake squeak.

 

So, are you guys suggesting that I should just suck it up and have a dealer perform the service? Or, if I use an independent place just have them install new rotors and not trust them to resurface the current ones? I'm still hoping to get advice about where to take my vehicle.

 

i'll pm you

 

theres this guy just done my water pump and timing belt, he works for libertyville toyota. its a hike but its good and cheap

 

Anyone got a good recommendation for a good (*ahem* cheap) independent mechanic/shop? Need to fix my 2000 ES 300 VSC/VSC off with CEL codes P0420 and P0446.

Thanks

 

Happy 4th everybody! Off topic, but does anybody know a great (and reasonably priced) detailer in the NW suburbs (e.g. Lake Zurich or Barrington)?

 

Have you found anyone

 

i live in the chicago area and do all kinds of side jobs if interested give me a call at 708 670 6485

 

I did find somebody. Diamond Auto Detailers in Streamwood. They did a great job. Sorry for not responding sooner. I didn't notice that anybody had responded to my post.

 

I have a family friend who has been working on toyota/lexus/honda for 20+ years. He is very reasonable and does good work, he works out of his garage which saves him lots of dough on overhead resulting in cheaper labor. Lemme know if youd like his contact info.

 

yes I have that same problem...

what town does this family friend live so I know if its close to me (Schaumburg)?

 

I also need a local (Schaumburg) mechanic for my 2006 GS 300. Getting way too frustrated with dealerships... Any Recommendations?