Bryan’s Garage

Bryan is an accomplished, hard-​working mechanic. He is also an honorable person. I am privileged to be his client. And I am grateful for his just dealings and fair prices.
Sincerely,
Michael Kulycky

I recently had my car checked twice at their place because I suspected problems with engine mounts and brakes. They are very nice to provide quick inspection even when I just drop in. However I still feel treated a little impatiently when I talk with the owner through phone to discuss my problem. Will go back if any fixes come up.

My Hyundai Elantra had the undercarriage cover come loose and was bent under the car. I live very close to Bryan’s Garage and knew I couldn’t afford a tow to get to my normal repair shop. Walked over to Bryan’s around 3 pm and asked what we could do. He told me to bring it over and he would have it all fixed up by 5pm the same night. I slowly drove the car to the lot and he took my information. Sure enough, he calls at 5pm letting me know it was all ready. I was expecting a 100 – 200 dollar charge, but 20 dollars was the total bill. I don’t remember the last time anything on my car cost 20 dollars or took 2 hours the same day to repair. The next morning I picked up the car and the woman who greeted me was quite friendly. She sealed the deal in making Bryan’s my new go-​to place to have my car work done. Thanks for being fair, kind, and close!

Bryan’s Garage is great! They are now my go to shop for my Volvo 850. Bryan, Brenton and the guys were honest, patient with all of my questions and provided high quality service at a great price. It can take a few days to get an appointment, but they are worth it.

Great auto shop in Evanston! Bryan, Brenton and the crew know their stuff, high quality service at a reasonable price. They are very attentive to service and basically provide all my car repair/​maintenance, check-​up needs (personal «car doctor»).

These guys are very skilled and honest. I took my car in to a different garage and they tried to sell me a $ 700 repair, then I took it to Bryan’s and they fixed the problem for just $ 216. It sometimes takes a few days to get an appointment but that’s because they have a good reputation.

I can’t recommed Bryan’s Garage enough. The staff (especially Brenton) are extremely helpful, prompt, responsive and honest. They can diagnose a multitude of issues and they are timely in fixing these issues. As a woman, one can feel taken advantage of when it comes to automotive issues and I NEVER feel this way with Bryan’s Garage.

Bryan and Brenton are great. :0) My 2008 Dodge Charger has 139K miles on it, and still drives like new. It’s essential to keep a high-​mileage car running smooth that you have a shop that tells you when you need what, tells you what you don’t need, and that doesn’t take you for a ride.

I strongly recommend Bryan’s garage. I have a ’99 Lexus with over 200k miles on it and I am positive that I will have it working by 300k. I trust them and won’t go anywhere else until I move out of state.
True story: even though I had been to Bryan’s a few times and had good experiences, I decided to try out another shop that also had a high rating on Unilocal and that was closer to my home. They diagnosed the problem but said they couldn’t fix it until the following week. So, I went back to Bryan’s, told him what the problem was and he fixed it in one day and charged me $ 320 LESS than what the first shop said it would cost! I was relieved/​shocked.
I also appreciate that they will give you honest assessments on issues. My car is old, so there are frequent problems, but only some of them really affect driveability and/​or safety. For the non-​essential items, we talk it over, see if it’s worth the money, and if it is, I get a little extra time to save for it. Straight talk from your mechanic makes a huge difference.

I was referred by the shop Bryan previously worked at. He and his staff have done a fantastic job each time, from replacing a clutch to diagnosing a variety of smaller problems that I couldn’t figure out. It is a hike for me to get there, but they are very trustworthy and the value is excellent.

I might seem like the odd Unilocaler out with this review, but here’s my experience with Bryan’s. First of all, everyone knows how hard it is to find a mechanic you can trust — one who will take good care of you and your car like you’re the only customer in the world. And, as a Volvo owner, it’s hard to find a certified mechanic you can trust. Bryan’s definitely knows Volvos.
My husband was referred to Bryan’s by one of his customers, and after our first visit we were very impressed. Since we live in Highland Park and this place is out of the way for us, we were beyond thrilled that we were able to leave our car overnight and take home a funky old Volvo brick sedan loaner. Cool. We came back the next day and the owner had a breakdown of all the different things we should fix on our car and in what order to fix them. That was extremely helpful since we couldn’t afford to fix everything at once.
As the months went by and Bryan’s continued to work on the list, things changed — really changed. Each time we went back the staff became a little less personal and too busy to explain the diagnosis of our car (even after referring several friends). The loaner became non-​existent like it never happened, and on our last — and final — visit the shop manager tried to sell us a battery for our car when we had a fairly brand new battery!
THE LOW DOWN AND DIRTY:
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Seriously thumbs up to thumbs down.
VALUE: Cheaper than Hubbard Woods, especially for Volvo repairs, but meh on the added extras.
ACCESSIBILITY: Bus and taxi access. Convenient for locals, but if you don’t have a second car you should plan to have someone drive you.
PLUS SIDE: When you need to find a certified Volvo mechanic there aren’t many around, so that makes this place a plus.
Bryan’s Garage ended up being a disappointment in the end. It’s just too far, and the inconsistency in service paired with the battery incident made us lose our trust. Sadly we recently said goodbye to our last Volvo wagon, but if we are ever in the ‘Volvo business’ again we’re heading to Hubbard Woods. Sorry Bryan, we tried!

Well, I hate to do this but I really cannot stand bad customer service, especially over the phone. I called about my tire and the woman who answered the phone at Bryan’s kept cutting me off so I was not able to fully explain the situation. When I got the chance to explain, she was snarky about it as if I didn’t know there is a difference between a blown out tire replacement vs. a flat tire repair. LISTEN to the problem BEFORE you speak, and above all, filter your snarkiness as much as possible, especially within the first 3 minutes of talking.

I have looked everywhere for an honest and budget friendly mechanic, save yourself a lot of time and just go here. Not only did they fix my volvos emissions issue, they took it to the test center for me! The nicest guys and wonderful service.

After my warranties expired, I have had two Volvo’s serviced at Bryan’s Garage. Each encounter lived up to their motto «Old time service for a high tech world».
Brian and his experienced staff take the time to fully understand the problems, diagnose when necessary, offer expert advice and deliver comprehensive service at fair prices — importantly on time and within my budget.
Highly recommended!

Two Volvos brought from Grossinger. Repairs always on the high side, after warranties ends, We had to sell the first and last born.
Then came Bryan’s…we holding our breath knowing we could blow five grand on the services needed, but off we soared… leap of faith.
We spent $ 3200.00 on 2001 V70 and 2002 S80. But look at the list of what was done:
105k service on both
oil changes, filter change, cabin filter, pollen filter both
V70
door locks (2) Wiper blades
Bushing
Cv boots –2
wiper blades
rear rotors/​breaks
S80
light bulbs 2
hood lifts –2
ball joints-​2
hood lifts-​2
rotate tires
timing belt/​tensors on both
And to end all we are averaging about 2 ore miles to the gallon. That is huge. And both cars run better than they ever did after servicing at Grossinger.
I don’t know about my husband, but I’m in LOVE!!!

I was coming here for an engine light diagnostic but the employees were the rudest people I have ever encountered.
I spoke to a woman over the phone and she told me that they would drive me to my workplace (not far away) after I dropped off my car. When I went there the next day I waited for 10 minutes while the employee that was supposed to drive me chatted away with some woman.
Finally, I got my keys and drove away

I just had a new transmission thrown in my car which is an expensive affair that you just pray is done right. First off, these guys gave me a great run down of my options. When I ended up choosing to replace the transmission, they did it for less than the price I was quoted at (my now former) mechanic and in much less time. Finally, they did a great job. So even if they were not so convenient for me (in re location) I would still avail myself of their services over any other mechanic I have had the misfortune to employ. On a side note, they are just pleasant people. I don’t mean the regular phony customer service smiles either. They seem to be genuinely good people over there. I’d always prefer to give my money to local small businesses run by good people than to chains or mean people.

Top Notch! I own several cars and Bryan has been able to diagnose and fix anything I brought him. He even works on Jaguars, which most small shops won’t do. He’s been terrific and his staff has been exceptional. Highly recommended!

This is the greatest auto shop that I have ever been to!
The guys there are super friendly and responsible. Their prices are really reasonable. They care the customers and never suggest you pay more than necessary.
The other day I had my engine light on and speedometer stopped working. I went to Meineke on Green Bay, after charging me $ 50 for code diagnose and showing me over ten codes, they told me replace both computer system and transmission (which costs around $ 2000).
I was freaked out and dropped my car at Bryan’s Garage. Not checking anything, after listening to the symptoms, Bryan immediately told me the reason, which was one fuse was blown when I jump started my car. The next day they replaced that fuse and everything gets back to work. I only paid $ 65 for the diagnose, fuse and the labor. Bryan explained every detail to me and let me be aware the potential problems (that were not urgently to be fixed recently). I was totally satisfied with this great auto shop and impressed by their working attitude.
I have been moved to Evanston for one and half years. This is the nicest auto shop I have ever been to. I would recommend it to all of my friends.

This is a great shop!
We had to have our ancient Volvo fixed here (our regular cars are back on the West coast). I was nervous about finding an auto shop in the area and this experience was truly great!
The bill came out to be less than the original estimate and we had to leave the car at the shop for about a week while we were on vacation and it was no problem.
Go here for cheap, reliable auto care!