Elite Tire & Auto Service, Inc.

Arrived five minutes before the doors opened on a Saturday, expecting an inspection of repair of a slow-​leaking tire to take a few hours. By the time I had arrived back home on foot, Rod had called to let me know they had found a finishing nail in the tire and could easily patch it.
This team is quick, knowledgeable, and friendly. I’m very happy with their service and will gladly return in the future whenever the need might arise.

I think I have a combination of scorn lovers and terrible parking habits because I had two tires repaired in less than two years. Each time there was a nail in my tire. This time, I took it to Elite.
Elite is the perfect name for this place because the prices are as high as cheese! Beaufort D’Ete is premium Gruyère cheese which costs $ 45 — $ 50 per pound. A patch repair for a 19 inch tire was $ 50. Apparently location and convenience come at quite a premium.
They did a great job, but the price is $ 20 more than customary and it took about 3 – 4 hours. Deductions were taken for pricing and amount of time taken to perform the repairs.

I have been to Elite Tire&Auto twice for oil change since I purchased my car not long ago and I will continue coming here! The place is very clean, the waiting area is pleasant, the service is fast and the people are very friendly. I had the pleasure of dealing with Rod who is a lovely person with positive attitude. I can say you feel like a part of a family. I highly recommend Elite Tire&Auto! Great job guys!

take this review with a grain of salt as no work was done to my vehicle, but that’s why i’m happy with this place.
check engine light came on in my 2008 scion tc, i at first assumed it was because my gas cap was loose as I had hurriedly filled my tank the day before and vaguely remember not screwing it back on correctly. i pulled over, rescrewed the cap, but the light remained. my wife picks up our 2 year old from day care in this car 3 days out of the week so i didn’t want them stranded in the winter, so out of an abundance of caution i brought it in to be checked out. i was told there was a $ 150 diagnostic fee, to be waived if any work was done, i expected this so i didn’t mind too much. the last time i took this car to the dealer, years ago, the diagnostic fee was about $ 100, so for the convenience of being 5 minutes away from home and not having to deal with scumbag dealership mechanics this was worth it to me.
a few hours later i called to check on the status, i was told it was indeed the gas cap, that they checked everything they could and found no faults or malfunctions anywhere else, and i apparently had screwed the cap back on incorrectly the second time as well. (pretty embarrassing). Rod, the person who i spoke with regarding my vehicle, who i assume is the manager?, was very honest, said he reset the light, and unfortunately the only way to know if it was the gas cap at fault would be for me to drive it a few more times and see if the light came back on. He then told me there was no charge. What a breath of fresh air. I came to pick up my car so relieved to not have to pay a $ 150 penalty for my stupidity.
like i said, no work was done, so i can’t speak to that aspect of the business, but as far as customer service and treating people (more than) fair, i’m definitely happy with my experience here.

I can’t begin to say all the good things about this place and its owner. The owner is so sweet and caring. He spent all his time talking to me and shared with me his stories. Overall the experience couldn’t have been better

Elite Tire & Auto is the only place I trust to take my vehicle. I know Rod will let me know what needs to be done to my car and charge me a fair and reasonable price. His mechanics are excellent.

My car needed work on the exhaust system. I tried to patch it myself, but it was too far gone and my patch failed within a month.
I went to Unilocal to find some reputable places. Elite Tire & Repair had some good reviews. I also checked into some other places.
The estimate i got from Elite was pretty high. In fact, the second highest of the four estimates I got.
I ultimately chose Elite because the owner, Rod; talked to me straight forward and told me I ought to consider getting a new vehicle because of the age of mine (11 years and 135K miles) and it also had other problems (worn tires, dirty oil, and a few other items)
Here is a guy who told a customer to consider other options that would mean he wouldn’t get anything out of it. He put the best interest of the customer before his own opportunity to make money off of repairs. This is the ultimate in good honest service.
Rod, fulfilled ever thing he told me. He called me when the parts came in (next day) and serviced my vehicle the same day.
He is now my go to guy for anything automotive (except wheel alignments or suspension problems; for those I go to Hillside Alignment, (but that is another review).
Another positive aspect of Elite is their exceptional cleanliness and how organized their shop is. This place pays attention to the details. Even the architecture of the building is inviting (Prairie Style).
Rod is a man who clearly loves what he does.
Can you get estimates lower than Elite; yes, you can, but you won’t find a more conscientious and honest place.
He even threw in a free oil change because he wanted to make sure my vehicle was in the best possible condition. He treated my vehicle like it was hs own (although I don’t think he would neglect his beehive as i did).
So, Matter what condition your vehicle is in; Elite will treat you with respect and return it to you in the best possible condition.
This superlative review is is completely unbiased; i have no affiliation with Elite or Rod.

Great service, very fast. Honest, friendly, personable. I just really liked this place, and I will be going here instead of Firestone or Sears Auto Center from now on.

Don was great and the service was quick and seemless

Rod & crew have saved me many of times! I had a terrible habit of leaving my headlights on, and used them frequently when my car needed a jump start. They also advised me when it was finally time to get a new battery, and eventually, a new car with automatic headlights. Most recently, one of my tires on said new car acquired a rather nasty looking screw. Though they couldn’t provide roadside assistance for tires, their location was only a few blocks away. I was in and out in less than an hour, with a patch that I’m told will outlive the life of the tire!

I called the day ahead, really late, let them know I’d be there early before work and before they opened. Someone was there when I got there. Remember me and my stupid Mini Cooper and had my tire and car all ready by the time I was ready to come home from work.
This is the type of old fashioned-​run business I love having in Forest Park. Its the old school attitude that good enough is not enough and getting it done right, the way you said you would — is what really counts.
Glad to have these neighbors.

These guys are the best! Having an older Jeep, I love having a mechanic that is honest, does good work and is within walking distance of my house.
Once again, they hooked me up with wonderful, professional service at a fair price. Saving my hiney right before a 1000 mile road trip. The manager took the time to help me sort out what was a priority and what could wait to be repaired after I got back from my trip. HUGE relief since most of my money was already allocated to this trip.
I also appreciate the fact that I can see my vehicle being worked on from the waiting room. This, plus the mechanics will actually come inside and talk to me, not just the manager. I always feel like I know what’s going on.
Nice bunch of folks too.

I don’t typically take time to write a Unilocal review but, these guys really saved me today.
Yesterday, I added coolant to my engine and I overfilled it a bit. Some of it dripped down over the engine, etc. No problem. Anyway, while i was driving later in the day, the transmission started to slip and I wasn’t certain if I would even make it home. But, I did. However, when I put the car into reverse, it wouldn’t shift. No reverse gear! Had to push it into the garage.
I thought I might be looking at a serious issue with the car and worried about it overnight.
I got up early this morning and thought there might be a chance I could get it into reverse.
No such luck. But, I still had forward gears and was able to get to Elite. You can tell when you walk in the door that these guys know their cars. In fact, the guy I explained the issue to could well have been born in a car. He told me he would look at it within two hours. I went home and waited for the dreadful call I was expecting. He did in fact call in two hours and told me the car was ready to be picked up. It only needed to have a sensor cleaned. Wow!
And when I picked up the car, he charged me even less than the price he quoted over the phone. Thanks again, Elite!

An auto mechanic you can trust. You can’t ask for more than that~

They repaired my tire when it was flat. This station was the only place open in early morning. I like their behavior and service. But I have no idea about the price. I recommend this place.

Got my oil change quick, but a little on the pricey side (~$ 35). Also it was a little unsettling that there were Maxim’s in the lobby.

The older you get the more you feel like the parent and your parents, the child.
When I took my dad to a doctor’s appointment in his car, I noticed that his car was in desperate need of a visit to the mechanic (despite my dad’s protests). The fuel gauge was stuck on full (apparently a common issue with some GM cars), there was a weird thumping noise as if the balance was off, and most disturbingly an array of important dashboard lights/​alerts were constantly shining.
Always skeptical of mechanics, I did my research first and figured out what was likely the cause of all the car’s issues before dropping it at Elite. Rod called and laid it all out for me clearly and honestly. He told me what was wrong with the car and what made sense to repair and what didn’t. His advice was to keep the thousands it would take to fix everything as long as the car was only used for shorter trips around town and just fix the balance. I appreciated his candor and felt better about the safety of the car until my dad hung up his driving gloves.
Based on my positive experience, I took my car in for an oil change when I was in town. They are so popular, I had to leave the car for a few hours before they could get to it; I suppose that could be a problem if you prefer an in and out experience. Since my car takes synthetic oil, I knew it wouldn’t be cheap, but it was reasonable compared to other places I’ve been. I also appreciated that unlike Jiffy Lube, he told me my car was in good shape; I don’t think I’ve ever left a Jiffy Lube without a laundry list of suggested maintenance items.
As my mom looks to start driving again, I wouldn’t hesitate to direct her here should her car need service.

I cannot say enough good things about Rod and his staff. I’ve been their customer for about 2 years and recently, he went above and beyond to help me out. I’ve had multiple issues with my car these past few months and Rod is a straight shooter, honest, and understanding. His crew is great and they all know I’m a full time student and therefore, make every effort to keep my costs as reasonable as possible. They only use high quality parts and won’t screw you over. Definitely recommend them as the place to go which isn’t hard to tell based on how busy it always is.

I’d been to Elite a few times in the last few years for little things … don’t even remember exactly what, tire repair was one I recall. Always pleasant enough, but nothing to write reviews over. Well I finally had something more substantial when my car stopped working late last week. It was a 9 year old car with 125k miles on it, no way I was going to a dealership, yet because it wouldn’t start at all I needed to feel comfortable that the place I took it could do the work.
I made a few phone calls and ended up talking to Rod and had the car towed there. Diagnosis was it was going to be a pretty spendy problem, but vs. the cost of a new car I was willing to do it.
Well, Rod called me the next day with bad news, the car still wouldn’t run and even investigating deeper would be more cash and once found would be more still — yes this was an engine problem :(Ultimately more than was worth putting into the car.
Rod actually seemed as upset with the situation as I was, I know that might sound odd, but he took it personally that he couldn’t fix my car.
Anyway, long story short, even though he had significant time and parts into the car at this point, he and I came to an arrangement that was the least painful for us both — mind you I said least painful, not painless for either of us.
So why a 5 star for a broken car?
Well it’s really a character thing, I feel like Rod did his best to make something out of a bad situation. He communicated well through the whole situation and ultimately treated me the way he’d probably like to be treated if on the other side of the coin.
I’ll be back to Elite when I need something. That simple.

If you are too busy or incapable of performing any small maintenance on your own, this is your place!
if you know your way around the garage, you will find this place to be an overpriced rip off. i have gotten tire rotations, alignments, oil changes, brakes, air filters here and might be in the market for a new shop.
after a visit for oil change and regular needed maintenance, I took a close look at my bill, i read the long list in print of what my car needed. They would have charged me $ 50 to fill up my coolant! Sure enough i checked my coolant level and it was low. So i bought a gallon of the stuff at Walmart for $ 10, and poured about 1 quart in there to reach the full line. So they were going to charge someone $ 50 for 1 quart of coolant… Wow guys, let’s pump the brakes… All of the quick service oil changes shops such as JiffyLube top off your fluids free of charge. not this place.
They are REALLY busy and I have never gotten an oil change within an hour. Plan accordingly your ride will be in the best of hands for a price.
3 stars because it is good, but they will try to squeeze you wherever possible.