Ritz’s Southtown Auto

As a first time customer, my experience with Ritz’s Southtown Auto was one of the best I’ve had when it comes to auto repair. I had a couple of minor repairs, including an oil change that needed to be taken care of. Not only was the customer service great, but they went beyond my expectations with fixing my main issue, which was malfunctioning windshield wipers. Everything was finished within a reasonable amount of time, plus they gave me a ride to and from campus while I had my car at the shop for a few hours. (I’m a student who commutes to NIU.) The best part was getting my receipt and actually feeling like I hadn’t gotten ripped off, which is the usual feeling I’m left with after taking my car into most places for repair. They made additional recommendations but were not pushy with any sales pitches, which was also a plus. I’m graduating in May, so I won’t be in the DeKalb area too often in the near future. However, with the great experience I had at Ritz’s, I think it would be worth making the trip out here for any future repairs. Highly recommended!!!

My family and I were recently driving past Dekalb on out way out of town for the weekend when we heard a clinging noise under the car. I pulled over to find a piece of metal hanging off the car and dragging on the road. We weren’t sure what to do. Do you head back home with a piece of metal dragging?
I pulled up Unilocal on my phone and found the first local repair shop with good reviews and called Ritz’s. A woman answered and said they could look at it right away. We showed up and they looked at it immediately. It was re-​attached and we were back on our way in under 10 minutes. They were very friendly and professional and I wouldn’t hesitate to take our cars there again!

I took my car after my fiancé found something wrong with the brakes that he could not fix himself. I needed it fixed on a Saturday so it could be done by Monday and they were very accommodating with that… but when I got my car back and started driving it the next day I heard a strange noise coming from the brakes that I thought I had fixed, so my fiancé looked at the brakes again and they put them on wrong. The problem was that they forgot to put a pin in, which caused the shoe not to be in line and that caused a clip to get ruined. So if you want to take your car to someone who does a half-​ass job take your car there.

I have taken my car to several places in and around DeKalb/​Sycamore. I have finally found a place that I trust completely. A good mechanic is golden and hard to find. I enjoy doing little jobs on car (brakes, rotors, water pump, plugs, belts, oil changes etc…) and when I get into the middle of something and say «oohhh crud» (pressing in rear wheel bearings, alignments) I know it is time to go to Southtown Auto. The mechanics are always helpful and willing to share tips and pointers. They have worked on both my import (BMW) and Truck (Chevy).
Can’t speak highly enough of their service.

I came to Ritz’s on recommendation from a friend. I live in Chicago which begs the question — why on earth would I drive all the way to DeKalb to get my car worked on? Well, I’ve found it hard to find a mechanic I can trust in Chicago and one who is flexible enough to schedule something last-​minute and won’t care if I’m 30 minutes late or so. Ritz’s totally fit the bill. Very affordable, the folks are nice and the work was great. I’ll be going here again if (God forbid) my car has more issues.

The owner Mike is a very good person to business with. He has been the only mechanic to ever work on my car. Honest pricing and quality work.

The price is right for an oil change ($ 20, an extra $ 5 and they rotate the tires). You have to get an appointment; they’re open every other Saturday. It takes longer than a chain place, but the people are nice, they do a good job and they’ll tell you about their upcoming trip to New Orleans.
It’s just a little tiny place and I find it worthwhile to schedule my oil changes here.