5 /5 Robert Okazaki: Passing through Belvidere and stopped for gas; noticed the smell of coolant and checked under the hood to see coolant sprayed all over the engine compartment.
Checked google maps for nearby auto repair; found Sipes Auto and saw that very good ratings had been posted about their services.
I called and talked to Dave, he troubleshot the problem on the phone and said to let the engine cool down, then drive it for the 2 minutes it would take to get to his shop.
Arrived with the temp gauge past the 3/4 mark. Dave immediately began to look at my car. I was pleasantly surprised at this as his garage and lot were full of cars and he and his staff seemed quite busy working on them.
Dave found the problem, which was a cracked radiator hose inlet. Said getting a new radiator would take 2 hours and installing it another 2 hours. I assumed he would not be able to begin work that day and started thinking about car rentals or Uber rides back to the Chicago area. My next surprise was hearing he could work on it as soon as the part arrived.
Dave directed me to a local diner for breakfast and afterward, I took an Uber to the library. After 4 hours had passed, Dave called, telling me that the job was completed. My last surprise was seeing parts and labor costs that were well definitely under the prices that Ive paid for auto repairs in suburban Chicago.
I highly recommend Dave and Sipes Auto for his great service and how he treated me as a stranded customer. He is not part of any of those large auto repair conglomerates with fancy waiting rooms. Just a good old fashioned auto mechanic. 5 stars is not a high enough rating. Thanks Dave!
