Axels Automotive

If you have an import car, especially Mercedes, then Axel is your man. Extraordinary service at a very good price. I couldn’t agree more that this is the place you take your car. Unlike other mechanics, Axel will only recommend what you need. He is to busy to up-​sell you on things you don’t need. And he hates up-​selling since he used to work at a dealership for many years. You can trust him implicitly. His reputation is well know throughout the North Shore as excellent.

Consistently the very best service experience of my lifetime.. . this shop services my collectible Mercedes, my Porsche 911, my Miata, my Mini.. . scrupulouly fair and honest. Highly recommended!!!

This is the place you take your car!!! Very affordable always will fix your car with no problem! Very honest and the owners are super nice! I have taken my last three cars here !!!

Cannot speak for their actual service since my car never made it to their shop.
I chose them as an installer for my tires from Tire Rack and long story short they simply did not have time to install them and their communication was non-​existent. Here’s the whole story:
Chose these guys because 1) they were a recommended installer and 2) they seemed like a niche German car shop which is where I’d rather take my M5 rather than a chain store, etc. Plus, I thought it would be great to try somebody new in the area in case I needed service on any of my 3 cars or any other German cars in the family or network.
Unfortunately, Axel Automotive simply does not need Tire Rack’s business and really did not even have the time to give me… well, the time of day.
Had the tires sent there Monday ⁴⁄₂₁. Called them on Monday and they said the next open appt was Friday ⁴⁄₂₅. So book Friday. Then I call Thursday to try to finalize a time, they never pick up the phone so I eventually leave a VM for them. I wait until lunchtime today (Friday) to call them back, then never pick up the phone again. When I finally get somebody they say the next open slot is another full week, the next Friday again. I told them I’ll just pick up the tires today and be on my way as I can’t wait 2 weeks to put tires on my car. Both times I talked to them on the phone they did not want to give me the time of day, as if I was inconveniencing them.
When I picked up the tires the guy seemed cordial, and helped me put them in my car. He said they were just «too busy». Well guys, I’m glad business is that good in this economy but getting bumped once after waiting 5 days, then getting bumped 7 days tells me you don’t need my business. Your heart may be in the right place but if you don’t have time for Tire Rack customers, PLEASE get off the program. Please.
I packed all 4 tires into my M5 (that’s 1 275 in the trunk, and the other 3 in the nearly-​new back seat in case anyone was wondering how) and now they are in my garage. I’ll have to find another installer and cart them there. How they can let a customer cram tires that have been sitting there for 5 days into their pride and joy of a car and just drive away blows my mind. They take 1 hour to install, max. Fix the issue and just install the tires, right? Nope, they’d rather just let you drive away.

Axel is probably the most knowledgeable Mercedes technician in the Chicago area, if not the entire Midwest. His father was a Mercedes master mechanic, and Axel carries on that tradition, with decades of experience and numerous clients that have been with him equally as long. What I like most is his no BS approach, low price considering the attention to detail, and candid appraisal of what really needs to be fixed/​serviced, versus the typical dealer service center.
My ML430 is currently at Axel’s getting new tires and several new parts needed in addition to a big service (140,000 miles). Axel, or his son Nick who also works at the shop, called me with updates, including telling me that certain parts they thought might need to be replaced, actually don’t because they still have a lot of life left in them. In my experience, not many dealer service centers would be that candid.
Five stars. Don’t expect to get coddled or babied, but do expect to have professionals who know exactly what they are doing perform the right amount of service on your car, and let you know exactly what needs to be done without selling you on what you don’t need. I won’t take my vehicles anywhere else.

I trust Axel implicitly – he’s amazing. He and his son Nick run this shop where you can find multiple gull wing Mercedes next to brand new BMWs and Porsches. I wouldn’t dream of taking my car anywhere else, and I live almost half an hour away (without traffic) in the city. Their work is second to none and their rates are very competitive. If you have a european car that needs any kind of work, I highly, highly recommend you take it in to see them or give a call.