Alvarez Auto Repair
2021-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
So the other day I had errands to run in the deep south suburbs. On the drive down my car started to have the shakes and making peculiar sounds. So I pulled off the highway and onto the first exit available. It's been a trying time with my Suby and it all stems from poor repair work at supposed Subaru authorized repair shops. That is it's own review which I'll detail later. So here I am with a car that is making all sorts of noises and many of the indicator lights are flashing. When this happens in a Subaru, the onboard system detects a flaw and wants the driver to report to a mechanic quickly. I had a choice of getting the car towed elsewhere or opting to finding a new service close-by my location. (I have had terrible, lousy experiences using Berman Subaru and did not want to use them by any means. Even though they were closer than other options. ) I chose to do the latter and by chance found this shop. TBH, it's been a minute since I have used an 'around the corner' mechanic shop. Based on quick looks of the exterior the shop doesn't give off the impression of 5 star quality. But due to a couple reviews by Yelpers I know, decided to check them out. Their lot is full of cars. Despite that, the manager asked me to pull into the driveway as best as possible. He asked me to sit inside their office as his mechanics took time to diagnose the problem. Initially they thought they could take care of the problem that afternoon. But after chatting with parts shops, they needed to keep the car at least a day to receive parts and finish the repair. Since I was leaving the car overnight, I asked if they could inspect the mufflers. I had had replacement completed at another shop and those guys incorrectly hung the mufflers which now gave off a loud rattling sound which occurred in and outside of the vehicle. The manager said they would take care of it and quoted me for the initial repair services. When I picked up my Suby I noticed a 'feel' I had not had in some time. A feeling of what my car is usually like but now, it was operating effectively and best of all, that pesky rattling from the new mufflers was gone! (Side note; on a Subaru there are two options for muffler replacement. OEM or after market. OEM parts are uber expensive. Their aftermarket counterparts are almost 40% less cost. No difference in zoom or horsepower. However, some would have us thinking that the aftermarket parts aren't quite fitted/ built the same and therefore the replacement shops should not be liable if, ____ insert any bs here. ie the previous shop said, hey, lessor cost parts means we weren't able to hang the mufflers as perfectly as the original. The exhaust sound was so loud it echoed inside the cabin as it did outside. It got louder when the air conditioning was on. I took it back to the muffler shop repeatedly because of the loud sound. The mufflers would shake when turning, which gave me an uneasiness. Because, if parts are rattling and shaking, that can cause other problems with the operation of the vehicle.) So.. I am happily pleased with their services and associated costs. Before leaving on day one, they gave me an estimated cost which was updated when I retrieved my ride. Based on the repair costs from Berman Subaru and another north side Subaru authorized repair shop, I saved a whole bunch of $moola$. Even though it's a bit of a trek from my area of town, I'd consider them for my future needs.