McGrath Lexus of Chicago – Service

I have to say, that I don’t believe this is a bad service center — if you want mid-​level services.
The customer service for the most part is great. Definitely look for Mark, he’s a good service advisor. But, my disdain is in the inability to properly diagnose and service. A lot of side stepping and high prices. I used to see a dealer back in VA for my service before moving to Chicago and I have to say it was much better pricing wise and diagnosis.
My experience wasn’t the best, I ended up going to a local mechanic with much more reasonable pricing who got the work done a lot more efficiently by addressing the most important issues at hand.
When I went to McGrath, I was given one price and then told that it would be hiked up at the time of pick up. I understand the logic, but it’s not fair to be told one thing and then have additional things completed without agreeing to it.
Long story short, I would skip if you need anything major, have it re-​evaluated with another local dealership or mechanic before agreeing to accepting services.

The service department is apathetic and at times rude. I feel they have a take it or leave it attitude. The «free» car wash is consistently a 2 hr wait. Not exactly a benefit of this dealership. Always an excuse.
Their prices are always higher than Bredemann Lexus.
The quality of their work is questionable. I asked them to check my car just before an eight hundred mile trip I had planned My car had just under 100,000 miles on the odometer. Turns out a hole in the hose that connects the oil to the engine was missed. This is a known defect.
Thank goodness one day before my long trip the engine stopped and my car was towed into Bredemann. They repaired the hose and advised me on the defect. Would have really been in trouble had it occurred 500 miles away on the tollway.
There are no service providers who know the workings of the dashboard settings. I have been trying to get some help with the phone settings and I always leave frustrated. They try to figure it out the same way I would.
No educated service provider.
Take a trip to Bredemann and compare service attitudes. You will be shocked!
Mcgrath has a monopoly in the city and it appears they are uninterested In any improvement in customer service.

Much better experience with McGrath Lexus today. I wanted to have my «Daytime Running Lights» turned off. These are the front lights that stay on all the time (I prefer to turn them on and off when I need them). It is a «Lexus Personal Setting» that can only be changed by a service guy connecting up a computer. The Woodfield Lexus technician tried but said it couldn’t be changed. I got home and checked the manual closely, and he was just wrong. It *is* a setting. So I brought it to McGrath to see if they could solve this minor (but annoying) problem. It initially looked like all kinds of paperwork was going to be set in motion and there were murmurs of charges for the service (I reminded them that if you just got your car you’re allowed to have these settings done for free). And then one of the service guys (Mark) came over, quickly assessed what had to be done, called one of the technicians (Jose) to come over for a minute with his laptop (without having to drive into the shop area), he connected it up, found the setting in about a minute, and VOILA done! I gladly slipped the technician a tip for this minor miracle. A complementary car wash was thrown in while I had a cup of (free) coffee, and I was on my way. Much happier this visit to McGrath.

My husband and I don’t own a Lexus but we came here to get my baby car seat check. We called and set up an appointment with Mark Mclawhorn before coming to the dealership. Mark is very nice and friendly. He not only helped us installed our baby seat but he also walked us through the process step by step and explained the safety reasons behind each step, which I really appreciate. At the end of the session, he gave us his personal card and told us to call him if we have any further question. Now that is what I call good service.

I set up a complimentary car seat inspection with Mark McLawhorn in Service. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. He made a few adjustments to make sure the seat was completely secure. He talked me through the changes and the appointment only took about ten minutes. I highly recommend working with Mark if you ever need this service.

Service department. Wanted to charge me $ 1400 to fix my abs issue. Went to a local mechanic he found a loose wire plugged it in, For Free and my car is back to normal. LOOK OUT people

Appreciated the response from McGrath but no real effort was made to satisfy the customer. Not surprising. Everyone responds to negative post with empty words. Got my car fixed at Joes Mechanic Shop on Elston. Would strongly recommend. Not only was it cheaper, but the service was a million times better. Hopefully true reviews will lead to better service from McGrath

This review is for Mark in the service department. He happily looked at the car seat we installed for our infant to ensure it was installed properly. It was easy to meet with him (I called, and he was available the next day), and we left with peace of mind knowing the car seat was correct. I really appreciated that he looked at our car seat even though it was installed in my Honda. He didn’t charge for the service either, which was really generous. Thanks McGrath Lexus and thanks Mark!

I have used McGrath Lexus for the past 2 years with nothing less than exceptional service. Andy Pak, the service manager always goes above and beyond to make sure everything is perfect with my vehicle. If I ever need a loaner, it’s there for me so I do not have to wait. All of the service guys are very nice and accommodating. They have a very nice waiting area with a café and computers in case you do choose to wait for your service. I’m thankful to have them right in my neighborhood to service me. Keep up the good job

We went straight from the store to get our child car seat installed. Mark is certified and not only installed it, but showed us how. It’s easier to install the seat in the Lexus than it is the child in the seat!

Worst place ever… do NOT take your car here and stay away from the service advisor Andy pak. Never had anyone so ignorant or rude in my life. On top of it, he’s not even a mechanic but tried to make the customer feel dumb. Wayyy to go!

Never again will I step foot inside this dealership.
After years of getting my 2007 IS 250 serviced at this dealer I was happy to bring my 2014 IS back for service at McGrath Lexus of Chicago. I made my first appointment with Dwayne for my first scheduled service appointment and told him I needed a loaner car. He told me no problem, to drop the car off. When I got there, he said that they were out of loaners and that it would be about a 30 – 45 minute wait. I told him that I had an appointment in an hour that I could NOT miss and that it I would just reschedule the service appointment. He told me it would not take more than 30 minutes because I just needed an oil change.
So I waited. And waited. After 45 minutes, I went to look for him. He was nowhere to be found. After an hour and a half I finally found him — you could tell by the look on his face that he totally forgot about me. He promised to be right back with my car. Half an hour later my car was returned to me — dirty — with the maintenance light still on.
I asked him for the paperwork and he said he’d mail it to me. Never received it. However, I did receive someone else’s paperwork — including name and address — inside my vehicle. When I called to tell him about the maintenance light remaining on, he told me I would need to return to the dealer for them to turn it off. I contacted the service manager and asked him to call me back, explaining that I did not have time to sit around for 2 hours for something that should have taken 30 minutes to begin with.
No call back.
Today, I called to schedule an appointment for my 10k service as well as another issue I’ve been having with my vehicle. After waiting on hold for 15 minutes, I was transferred to Mark. I told Mark that I needed a loaner and he asked if we purchased the car from them. When I said no, he said I didn’t qualify for a loaner.
What?
Nope, no loaner because you haven’t had your first major service with us.
I’ve had both of my Lexus’ serviced at McGrath for YEARS, neither one of which I purchased from McGrath due to higher prices than other dealerships, and I have ALWAYS been provided a loaner.
You would think that with my lease coming up, and beginning the search for a new car, they would be accommodating. Nope!
Called Bredemann Lexus of Glenview and scheduled an appointment — with a complimentary loaner and exemplary customer service.
Sorry McGrath, I’m not paying for a new Lexus to be treated like I bought a used Chrysler.

For the past 7 years we have been very satisfied with the exceptional customer service shown to us by Jodi Gaitens in the service department. She always goes out of her way to make our appointments run smoothly. If you are looking for a good service advisor at Mcgrath Lexus, be sure to choose Jodi for efficient and great service. Thank you for everything Jodi!!! The Toney family

DO YOUR RESEARCH
I have mixed emotions writing this review because I’ve always enjoyed coming here. With the exception of Jodi (who tries to come off as sweet but is blatantly rude and cold) I’ve had a nice experience with the people who work here. It wasn’t until yesterday when I had to take my car in for routine service that I realized how much of a RIP OFF this place is!!! Every time I take my car in I walk out spending at least $ 1200. They always happen to find some «work» that needs to be done. After getting quoted over $ 800 for FLUIDS I knew something was not adding up. I called the Lexus in Highland Park to get their prices, which no surprise was HALF as much. I mean to fix my KEY which broke in half when I was started my car was $ 60!!! WHAT A JOKE! Bottom line, I can’t believe how much money I’ve thrown away taking my car here. It’s a shame because its full of nice people who do quality work. I’m sick of getting ripped off by every ABSURDLY over-​priced service and for that reason they have forever lost a loyal (over 2 years at this location, 10 years at Lexus) customer.

Mark McLawhorn installed my car seat and gave me a tutorial on how to use — all for free ! I don’t even have a Lexus! He was speedy, personable and extremely knowledgable. What a great guy and a wonderful service for first time moms!

Wow! My husband and I were so very impressed with this dealership, with the reception and service by the staff we encountered, and in particular, with the time, care and concern shown to us by Mark C Mc Lawhorn. We are not Lexus owners nor have we ever visited a McGrath dealership, but we needed to get our car seat changed from rear-​facing to forward-​facing. We have an older Mercedes SUV that does not have a LATCH system, so we wanted to make sure we received professional assistance to ensure the seat was properly installed. We had heard that McGrath provided complimentary car sear inspection/​installation, so we ventured on over. From the moment we arrived, we were treated like VIPers. We were offered bottles of water while we waited (which wasn’t long) for Mark to come assist us. He inspected our car and the location where the car seat was currently installed rear-​facing. He showed us how the seat was not properly installed (and we had had it professionally installed!) and with a quick flip of the hand demonstrated how the seat would flip if we were ever in an accident (fortunately we weren’t). That was so disturbing to see as we thought we had done the right thing by having it «professionally» installed. He then showed us the proper way the seat should be installed rear-​facing, should we ever need to use it in that manner again.
Mark then took the time to show us how to install the seat forward facing. He first explained where exactly in the car we would want to place the seat and why. My husband was there listening as well, but once our 14 month-​old son started to get antsy, Mark told him there was a toddler playroom (!) inside the dealership where he could take him to play, if he wanted. So, while my husband and son were inside playing, Mark took the time to explain how to install the seat in our car. After explaining, he then demonstrated. Next, and this is what really impressed me, he uninstalled the seat and then had me try to install it, talking me through the process. He had me do it a couple of times, which I really appreciated, to make sure I was fully comfortable with how to install/​uninstall the seat.
There was a customer in a Lexus SUV next to us who also wanted her car seat inspected. She just happened to have the LATCH system in her car. So, with the customer’s permission, Mark had me come over to her car to see how a car seat installation worked with the LATCH system, should we ever need to install the seat in a car with that kind of system. It was a quick demonstration, but was useful.
I then explained to Mark that we would be traveling out of state and taking the car seat with us. I told him that we would be installing the seat in a car with the LATCH system. He asked what kind of car we would have and when I told him (it’s not a LEXUS), he asked one of the guys in the service area to pull a similar LEXUS model from the lot and bring it to the service area so he could use it to show me in detail how to install/​uninstall the seat. Really!!! I was floored by his request, and so appreciative of his concern for us. He wanted to make sure we knew exactly how the LATCH installation worked with our seat, so that once we arrived to our destination, we wouldn’t have any stress or frustration/​problems with properly installing and securing our car seat. So, with the similar LEXUS model at our disposal, Mark took the time to explain and demonstrate how to install and uninstall the seat, and then had me install/​uninstall the seat a couple of times to make sure I felt comfortable with the process.
I really couldn’t thank Mark enough. My husband came back at that time and kept raving about not only the toddler play area (which our son loved!!), but the recliners, big screen TV, café and lounge area. He was so impressed that he had me check it out before we left.
We left McGrath Lexus that day very happy and impressed, knowing that our son was now in a very secure, properly installed car seat. We are so appreciative of the level of attention and service Mark Mc Lawhorn gave us and highly recommend him to anyone who is in need of a car seat installation and/​or inspection.
Also, based on the reception we received by everyone we encountered at this dealership, both my husband and I commented on how we will definitely consider McGrath Lexus when it comes time to replace our Mercedes.
Thank you Mark and McGrath! You Rock!!!

They offer free infant car seat inspections, even if you, like us, don’t have a Lexus.
The guy who gave the inspection was very friendly, thorough, polite without condescension. Of course we hadn’t installed it as securely as we could have, so really what we got was a free re-​installation.
I figured they’d talk to us about moving up to a Lexus, and so I was ready to politely decline. They didn’t do this; instead, they just gave us a great experience. So much so, that I’ll tell my rich friends (there may be a few?) to shop for their Lexus (or Lexi?) here.

I brought my car in after emergency lights came on and I could feel a weird jolting feeling while I drove. I dropped it off after hours for service the following morning. The man who was working asked how I was getting home, and after he heard my plans of taking a taxi, he called in another employee to give me a ride to Lincoln Park from the dealership. Like I said, it was after service hours and I knew that going in, so I thought it was a nice touch to save me the hassle & money for a taxi.
I worked with Jodi through the service of my car and didn’t have any complaints. She called me throughout the process to keep me updated with estimates and detailed descriptions of the issues going on with my vehicle, and waited for the green light before making any repairs. They ran into bigger problems while fixing my car (I park in an alley, and rats were chewing wires and making nests in my engine) but were very informative throughout the process. When I arrived, they’d taken photos (which I declined to see) and saved the wires to show me the damage. People are often skeptical with repairs, so I appreciated this touch. Jodi also forwarded me estimates via e-​mail throughout the process which made me more comfortable when agreeing to repairs over the phone. After all the repairs, my car was still fixed by the next afternoon & the car was fully detailed and washed.
I bought my vehicle while living in New York, but I would definitely recommend McGrath to a friend in Chicago based on my experience in the service department.

While I don’t own a Lexus, I went to McGrath Lexus to have my car seat checked. Mark McLawhorn was great! So knowledgable! He made sure the seat was installed 100% correct and taught me how to check it too. Thanks to Mark, the baby will be riding safe in the back of our Subaru!

Every time I go to McGarth I must say great customer service. Whether it’s just for a car wash, service, or issue. They take care of my every need. Very friendly and always there to assist with my questions and concerns. Dwayne A. Always gets me In and out in. He gets my car taken care of and always makes sure my concerns are addressed and he always fully explains to me what’s going on.
I also brought my IS from here. Great service and customer service!