Hainesville Firestone — Local services in Hainesville

It's already the second day in Tennessee. I cannot sleep before I wrote down my today's experience with Firestone Hainesville before go to sleep. I live at Lake Zurich, and have a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt since Oct 2015. The car is in fair condition. The car has ABS light ON almost since I bought it. I had Chevrolet dealer checked it out, and been told a wrong model of wheel axle was installed by the previous owner before sold to me. I believed the ABS is not really needed, since many older models of car not even have the ABS system. So I continue to drive the vehicle till recently. I put about 11000 miles on it, which had about 107 k miles when I bought. About two weeks ago the break light started on. Since Americans called the break light idiot's light, of course I don't want to fool myself. After search up around for mechanics, I found Hainesville Firestone with many good reviews, so decided to try it (my first mistake). I called the shop over the phone, and spoke with Greg. He told he could have my car checked out for free, which was very nice as Chevrolet dealer asked $145 just for check (my second mistake). So on July 26, which was a Tuesday I left work two hours earlier and brought my car for them to check up. I waited at the shop about half hour, then Greg asked me inside the shop and showed me what they found. He and the mechanic told me the my wheel cylinders were broken, and there were break fluid leaking into break system, which caused break light on. To solve the problem, I need both cylinders replaced. He also told me that my gas line is leaking, of course which has no direct connection with the break light on. To fix the break I would need about $350. For the gas line he couldn't give me estimation without do any further work. He could look to whether he could fix the leaking part, or the whole hose need replacement. If he can fix would be much cheaper. Finally he wrapped up that as owner myself need to make decision whether worth to fix it or not as anyway it's a very old car, but as mechanic shop he can do any work I like. This statement makes me believe him a trustworthy person (my third mistake). So I made appointment with him that I would leave my car on August 9th for a couple of days, so he could fix my break first, and then look at leaking of gas. Last Friday I changed my mind, and I wanted them to fix my break first, and we can fix the gas leaking other time, as I believe the gas leaking is a serious but not urgent issue. I still get the same gas mileage as before. Glad I made this change, otherwise I would lose more to the shop.

This morning I brought my car in to fix the break light ON problem. I left my car for about two and half hours, and got call the work was done. This morning I didn't see Greg. The mechanic claimed himself Greg's brother and half owner of the shop. When I returned and paid my bill of over $340, was told my break light is still ON. His explanation is that my ABS light trigger caused the break light on. Without fixing the ABS light, there is no way to remove break light ON. I was totally pissed off by his judgement. One thing during the diagnosis last Tuesday and prior to today's repair, nobody even bothered to mention the ABS light. Second I had ABS light ON couple of months before the break light even started. Before I also had some bad experience with some other mechanic, but nothing as unusual like this time. Sometimes other mechanic shop claimed they fixed my problems, but reality the same problem came back as short as with one week. For today's repair with Firestone Hainesville, I came to the shop to fix break light on, after spent over $340, I left still with the light on. They don't even know what is the problem The guy claimed to find out further he needs more time on my car.

I wrote my story here. I take full legal responsibility of what I said. Maybe I am the unlucky customer, but who can guarantee you won't be the next one? I have called my credit card to hold the payment. I will look other pathways to make sure my consumer rights are...

I’m a Hainesville resident, and recently made my first appointment at Hainesville Firestone after being referred to by my neighbor. I had a pesky check engine light that came on and off randomly for about a year. (I never did anything about it because it, because it was very inconsistently triggering.) The dealership I was using had no idea why, nor ever really wanted to dig in to investigate. They always just said, “We can try something, but there’s no guarantee that’ll be the fix.” (What kind of sh!t plan is that?) Anyway, after doing some research on a slew of forums on my own, the results were inconclusive, and potentially bank breaking. To make matters more entertaining, I also had a recent laundry list of “recommended repairs” in hand from my dealership, most of which seemed perfectly questionable to me at best. It was time to call BS on the whole damn thing.

From the moment I called to make my appointment via Greg on the phone, he listened very carefully to my situation, never interrupting. His antennae were clearly up after I completed my “speech.” He even let me armchair quarterback my own hypothesis, but still quickly had an idea as to where things might be going. His confidence was palpable. I was immediately at ease.

Fast forward a week later to appointment day. Joe got right to work taking my car in and diagnosing the check engine light. The shop’s experience with my make and model seemingly made things easy, as they dialed right in on the issue and had it fixed – same day. (And for a price far less than I was anticipating!) Oh, and that laundry list from the dealership? A bunch of crap. Literally all of it. And they even called it on the phone before I even walked in. Unreal…

What really stood out to me was their transparency, honesty, and knowledge when it came to the list of repairs the dealership had suggested. Instead of trying to upsell me on every item—like everyone has experienced at other shops—they took the time to evaluate each one carefully and debunk the unnecessary concern. They also patiently walked through the why… They were upfront about what needed to be done, and in the end, saved me a significant amount of money. (That dealer list was easily $1200-$1500 worth of services - minimum…) Could they have raked me over the coals big time? No question in my mind. I practically invited it. Did they ever make me feel like that was coming? Not even for one second.

These guys have absolutely earned my trust. It’s rare to find a shop that combines skill and honesty like this, and I will undoubtedly return for all my future car repairs. It makes me proud to be a resident of Hainesville knowing that businesses that do it the right way are right in my backyard. For these obvious reasons, I would and will highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable car repair and maintenance services, resident or not.

Thank you, Greg and Joe! This is what good business is supposed to be all...

If you're in need of auto service in the Round Lake area, I highly recommend Greg and Joe's shop. I've been a loyal customer for 9 years, since I moved to Hainesville in 2014. Greg and Joe treat my car and family van with the utmost care and attention, treating them as if they were their own vehicles. Even though I've since moved away from Hainesville, I still make the long drive to their shop because of their honesty, approachability, and reasonable pricing. They listen to your concerns and needs and provide recommendations that best suit you. Additionally, they sometimes fix minor issues that I didn't even ask for, which has extended the lifespan and performance of my vehicle. If I break something and need a quick fix, they always find time to pencil me in. Overall, Greg and Joe's shop is the best auto service shop in the area, and I highly recommend them to anyone in need of quality and...