Motor Werks of Barrington – Mercedes-Benz

Unfortunately, Unilocal filtered or hid my review a while back; maybe you can find it under non-​posted reviews, or whatever they call it. I would stay away from this place. I took my 3 cars (2 bought there) for over 10 years; but, not anymore. The management or ownership has changed. … And shame on you RC, of Honda Service.

Wow.
Wired the cash, had a service pick up the car the next day. Car arrived in Ohio with no temporary tag. Nice to look at, but had to park it in my garage!
Next day, got a call that, Ooops, we needed to complete papers to get a tag. Ok. Completed the papers, (no paid return envelope) and paid to have them expedited.
Next week, Monday through Thursday, nothing. Made it to Friday and called. Ooops, our papers were sitting, unopened on a desk of a vacationing employee! (Still looking at the car in garage.)
Promised to send the tags, Next Day Air, SATURDAY delivery. Saturday evening. Nothing. Called.
Ooops, not sure what happened? I got the FedEx tracking number. Checked the FedEx site. They paid for «weekday» delivery. I’ll get the tags someday on Monday. Maybe.
Still looking at the car in the garage. That’ll be almost two weeks of looking at this car in my garage.
Listen, if a dealer wants to sell over the internet, they need to step up their game and FOLLOW THROUGH.
Perhaps Motorwerks of Barrington is great with local transactions, but BEWARE if you are an internet buyer.

. I recently had the displeasure of trying to remove the wheel on a Honda Fit that was serviced by Motorwerks of Barrington’s Honda service department. It appears that the excuse for a mechanic that performed the last tire rotation thought he was more intelligent than the smart engineers at Honda who designate an 80 ft lb tightening torque for their lug nuts. The lug nuts were put on with an impact gun, and there was also a nut missing. The threads were OK, he just decided it wasn’t necessary to put it back on. I know for fact that it was on when the car went in for service, as I was the last one to touch it prior to Motorwerks. I ended up destroying a lug wrench and a ratchet trying to remove the lug nuts, in the lovely 4 degree winter wonderland. Not to mention the risk to the owner of the car if she had gotten a flat by herself. She would have never been able to remove the wheel.(Consequently, I couldn’t either). I ended up using a calibrated torque wrench to see just how tight the genius had gone, and it was over 200 lb ft. (My torque wrench stops there). I must say its a testament to Honda products that the lug nut didn’t break. Honda service departments have access to the Honda special tool program, which has torque wrenches specifically for tightening wheels, perhaps the service manager, (who refuses to return calls to my friend who serviced their car at their location for over 10 years) should invest in some torque wrenches and training for his lackluster techs on how to tighten a bolt properly. Save your money and take your car somewhere else, especially for the hourly price this place charges.

Following is a history of the dealership.
I purchased 3 new cars here. I serviced my cars here since 2004 so I have a good understanding of the place. My best friend worked their for 10+ years, then got canned without warning one day. Also, since Ed left the Honda Group, the place has been steadily declining in the service department.
Last summer, I brought my wife’s car in for a preventative maintenance service. The conclusion was a problem that I would later discover, months later. For all the mechanics out there, you know it’s a problem to torque lug nuts down with the impact gun. You are supposed to run the lugs down, then torque them while the vehicle is grounded. Well guess what? The Honda tech at Motorwerks used an impact gun to tighten the lugs on the right front wheel and I couldn’t get it off. I bent a 3/​8″ snap on ratchet with a 3 ft breaker bar trying to get the lug free. Yes, the release torque of the nut is so high that I broke my socket and ratchet. BIG PROBLEM.
It’s clear that the restructuring and the sale to AutoNation is going to bring big change and I will NEVER use MotorWerks again, or recommend them to anyone. What at Terrible experience. I echo the sentiments of all the recent reviews. Look at them all, 1 star, no stars, etc. A big F U to Motorwerks.

The most unethical dealership I’ve unfortunately ever had to deal with. Long story short, they «accidentally» sold the car that I put a deposit on (I gave the salesman my credit card 3x to put a reserve on my car), signed both the original purchase order and signed/​scanned/​emails copies of the purchase order to the salesman, and my credit union overnighted a live/​certified check in the full amount… and they still sold the car «by mistake». No concessions were ever provided or actions done to remedy the situation. They stated they would do everything in their power to make up for the mistake but I only received 1 call from them, and that was from the salesman who «accidentally» sold the vehicle. The sales manager who I worked with for 3 days, Dean Ramis, was too much of a coward to call me directly and never bothered to apologize even through email.
I’ve notified Infiniti Consumer Affairs but I seriously doubt this dealership cares about me the consumer even though I held up my part of the deal by securing my financing and signing all the pertinent information within 24 hours. Its been a week and I still haven’t received the $ 25 owed from the dealership and the interest accrued from the car loan that has since been voided by my credit union. This dealership simply doesn’t care. Once the car was sold, they couldn’t care less about the person who they harmed.
STAY AWAY.

What a nightmare! Halfway through the car wash, my father’s car stopped. We heard a thumping sound. Confusion struck. When my dad hit the windshield wipers, we noticed that we were lodged against one of the big cleaning brushes in the wash — and the car behind us was bumping into us. How this happened, neither we nor the car behind us knows. But it’s telling that there’s no one positioned at the entrance to the car wash to spread out the entry of cars.
The «accident» was strange, but the reaction of the Motor Werks staff was terrifying. First, delay: neither of the lead managers were on site. When the Service Manager finally arrived, he made the situation worse. After asking what happened, he asked with snide insinuation: «Were your wheels turned when you entered the wash»? My dad said no. As I emphasized, he’s been through a car wash a few times in his life. After fumbling for a response, B.P. explained that Motor Werks would not be liable and that (I repeat his veiled threat) we «better hope» we «didn’t damage» the car wash. Zero compassion, level of understanding, or sense of responsibility or decency. Gross condescension. This was a freak accident that could have been avoided if, as noted earlier, Motor Werks had someone guiding cars into the car wash (like every other car wash).
Long story short: Motor Werks, if you aren’t going to hire someone to guide cars into the car wash, you do not deserve to reassign the blame. I’m (sadly) disgusted with your service and your contempt for customers.

SALES AND FINANCE DEPARTMENTS: AWESOME. No complaints there. Professional, what you see is what you get for pricing. True Car certified dealership, which says a lot about the integrity and transparency.
My issue is with the SERVICE DEPARTMENT. I don’t think I have ever seen such an unorganized mess in all my years of getting vehicles serviced. The issue is that the communication in this department is AWFUL. No one seems to know who is in charge of what, who spoke to who, and what is supposed to be done. «Too many cooks in the kitchen», if you will. I went in for some small fixes, warranty protection, and to purchase seat covers. I was greeted promptly where they took thorough notes of all of my requests (or so I thought). I was told it should take about 4 hours, but got a loaner car since I had appointments to go to in the meantime. I was told my would be ready the next day and I would get a call. Well, no call by the morning. So I called them. A few times. Nothing! I had no idea what was going on with my car and neither did anyone else I spoke to! I finally got what I thought was my answer and was told it WASN’T ready, so I planned to keep the loaner car longer and run some additional errands. Then about 30 minutes later I get a call that my car HAS BEEN ready. I asked for a total due as I suspected this lack of interdepartmental communication most likely also lead to a breakdown in communication for my requests. And I was right. My seat covers that I had asked for weren’t even done! I said never mind then; I didn’t have time to wait longer for this. It was then said to me I could get a better deal on them for the trouble, but it would be less for me to get them at Auto Zone. So I said fine, I’ll check that place out and will be there soon. I get there about 35 minutes later to see a detailed invoice of just one of the things I had mentioned, so I asked if the other items (unrelated to the seat covers) were actually done or not. Well, I had to wait an additional 30 minutes just to find out! I asked the girls at check out what was taking so long and they couldn’t even give me an answer, no one knew or no one was answering. Well, I finally get my car and leave.
So fast forward a bit. I checked out Auto Zone as recommended and was not impressed with the ratings and quality on the seat covers, so I called Motorwerks back to see if I could just get the seat covers from there since I was told I would get a good deal on them anyway for the issues I was having. But guess what?! There is no record of this conversation and I was again bounced around, this time to Accessories who said they would speak to the man I had spoken to that told me I could get the seat covers for less and they would call me back on Monday. That was now 2 weeks ago and I have never heard back from anyone. Needless to say I will be purchasing any and all additional items from a competitor and will only come back when absolutely necessary (unfortunately one of the after market warranties I purchased is not available at a competitor, so I have to return again no matter what).

I had a pretty terrible experience at Motorwerks Barrington. The first time I visited the dealership, I was checking out BMW Sedans. The agent made me feel really cheap by discussing price and finding out my limit. Anyway, I could give him a benefit of doubt there.
Last week I visited them again to buy an Accord, I visited them with a pre-​negotiated price, which another dealership was offering me. Doddy (or someone with a similar name) spoke to me and said they would either beat or match the price if I come to the dealership. It was Saturday and almost 5:00 pm. Based on their words, I visited them and left the original dealer who had offered me the lowest price. When I visited them, they not only refused to match but quoted higher price for the same car. I could not buy the car when I really needed to buy one. I would never trust them with their words. A dealership of that size can’t keep their words for a few hundred dollars, and mislead people to visit their dealership. Ultimately, I bought the car from Autonation O’hare.
With all fairness, I also had a good experience with one of the salespersons at Motorwerks, Joseph from Infinity. I did not settle for infinity but he treated as really well.

After 15 Years of not owning or operating a motor vehicle, this is the first place that confirms once again, that car dealers are good and creative at lying. The façade and demeanor may look attractive, but the intention is deadly.
Dear Salesmen, when someone comes to you with an approval from their bank, stop trying to push your financial institutions. Running my credit 2 – 3 times does nothing but lower my credit ratings. This is what I wanted to avoid in the first place. I even warned them, please do not attempt unless you know 100% you are getting a lower rate. After vainly trying, they then come to the conclusion, they are going to use my Bank.
Edward introduced me to his Finance person Jeff at Barrington Motorwerks. I tried to get them to sell me the car at the value estimated on Kelly Blue book, but they refused claiming the car is fully loaded and I need to pay $ 5K more. I told them to cancel the deal. I received a call back quickly stating they will make it work. Edward seems like the middle man as opposed to the Salesman who can take matters in his own hand, control the sale and close it. So many uncertainties, so many doubts, too many run-​around.
Jeff the financial person at Barrington Motorwerks finally gets back to me and claims my bank is saying that they can’t sell me a car bc I don’t have a valid driver’s license. This information comes to me 5 min before I head to see them and after I’ve asked my father in law for a ride. What a shame guys! That’s pure B. S! Didn’t the salesman ED get this info before I started the process? My bank needed a valid state issued ID and I went through all of this before coming to the dealership. Pre-​approved by the bank guys!!! I know what the real problem was! Motorwerks of Barrington is not an approved dealer on this list :

You lied to me and please get informed on who can and can’t purchase a car! I can buy any car I want in the world as long as the cash for it.
Not advised for new purchases as you will be talked into trying to use their financial institutions and eventually not getting the real picture on what’s going on. Lack of clarity and transparency.

The worst of the worst.
I visited to test drive a BMW and a Mercedes.
The dealer is old, dated, and unclean. The restrooms smelled of a sewer backup.
The staff was highly unprofessional. The salesperson I was provided kept disappearing to operate some sort of centralized appointment computer.
I was required to help the salesperson complete a lengthy survey/​paperwork before even viewing, let alone driving a vehicle.
The sales person had not a clue about the option packages and equipment in the vehicle. It was as though the sales person had no knowledge of the vehicle at all.
After the test drive, the manager was highly pressuring and insincere.
I visited a competing dealer in Schaumburg, where the staff was much more professional, respected my time, and provided me with an excellent deal and service.

Service dep: very rude
: don’t keep promises
: try to increase your bill
: adding repairs that I didn’t ask for
: never back again

Do not do any repairs at this place. Went for an oil change and received an estimate of other things to be fixed. $ 1100 worth. Front brakes and rotors, brake fluid flush, transmission flush, all the air filters, some other things I don’t remember. I said okay and left. Little did the «customer service» associate knew that I am not a woman he can scam. I am an engineer and knew he was lying about all of the problems my car apparently had. The brakes were at 40%, the transmission fluid and brake fluid were changed less than a year ago. All the filters were clean. I went to 2 other shops just to be sure, because I could not believe that the this place would have the audacity to try to scam me at this scale. I could not believe it. Well, I believe it now, and so should you. STAY Away. They will not just overestimate they will bluntly lie about the repairs needed. SHAMEFUL, DISHONEST PEOPLE.

I had a wonderful experience buying my new car. My sales person was Jack Ball and he was very helpful in answering my questions and finding the car that was right for my family. I made 2 trips to this dealership despite it being far from my home because I had heard good things about their service. They did not disappoint! Everyone I encountered at the dealership was very courteous, friendly, and professional. If you want a positive car buying experience, go to Motor Werks and ask for Jack.

Excellent Dealership. When you need a porsche, go speak to Rudy Baum or his manager Brian Guzy.

Brought my 2 month old Mercedes back because a splash guard under the car had come loose during our snowy drive up I-​90 during a storm. Told that they would fix it as a courtesy, but the part needed to be ordered. 1.5 months later the car is in for the replacement and they decide that they won’t fix it because now they think we ran something over and the part they agreed to replace is just one of three parts (and not even the worst damaged one). There is literally no way for them to have missed the worst damaged part unless the technician did not examine the underside of the car, which they claimed to have done on the repair ticket. I cannot tell if they lied then, or are lying now, but it is one or the other. This is the second time we’ve been lied to at this dealership, and we’re done giving them chances to be honest businesspeople and decent human beings.

I arrived at this location to select a replacement for my aging BMW X5. As I’m well up in years, I have trouble walking and have the luxury of a handicapped permit.
Motorwerks seems to have only one handicapped parking spot. It appeared to be occupied by a company owned BMW inventory vehicle.
I had to walk (hobble) from the far south side of the facility to the door located a good walk to the north.
At this time I passed a salesman by the name of Jack Ball and asked him about the transgressing vehicle. He was rude and unprofessional and told me that it was not his concern and if I was concerned, I should go inside and tell «somebody».
I felt that he not only had a hostile attitude but a threatening one to boot.
I will never return to that «high class» store as long as I live!

I might be a little biased based on this particular situation, but I had a wonderful experience at Motor Werks today. I was visiting my mother in the facility across the street when I suddenly realized that both my headlights on my Mazda 3 were out. Yes, both. It was around 4pm (nearly sunset) and I live over an hour away. I was in big trouble, and there are no Mazda dealerships in the immediate area to help me out.
I’ve known Motor Werks since I was a child (having gone to the middle school around the corner), though I know they do not sell/​service Mazdas. However, they do sell Hondas, so I was hoping even if the Mercedes, etc. did not use the same headlights, maybe the Hondas (as another Japanese car make) would. I took a chance anyway and headed to the service center saying basically, «I have a bit of an emergency. Both my headlights are out on my Mazda and I live over an hour away. I know you don’t service them but I didn’t know what else to do and was hoping you could help me.» The kind folks there took pity on me and said they’d check to see if they had the same bulbs in stock. Everyone was so sweet and accommodating and realized the urgency of my situation.
Thankfully, they did have the bulbs in stock. They took my car despite me never having visited there and the fact that they do not service Mazdas and replaced my headlights. They did not even charge me labor, only parts, so it was almost the same as if I would have bought the bulbs at Advance Auto Parts or the like. I was just so grateful that they didn’t try to swindle me and helped me even though I have a car make they do not service. I was tremendously appreciative and drove away in under an hour with new, working headlights and less than $ 35 departed from my wallet.
Unfortunately, since I do have a Mazda, I do not think I will be returning, since as I mentioned, they don’t service them typically, but I am incredibly grateful for them being so helpful and kind in a pinch for a gal in need.

I was recently in the market for a new BMW 335 M Sport and was shopping around for the best deal. Although I did not buy my vehicle here, let me be clear: it was merely due to the fact that they did not have the exact car that I wanted at the time. I wanted an Alpine White RWD model, but the one they had was Estoril Blue. If they had a white one, I would have bought from here, hands down.
Brian was my salesperson and he is the reason that the next car I buy will be from Motor Werks. Brian made me feel welcome unlike my experiences at some other BMW dealerships in the area. After all, shouldn’t you feel welcome if you’re about to drop $ 50,000 on a new car?
What I admire the most about Brian was that he didn’t beat around the bush and make 21 trips back and forth to the sales manager to get me the best price. He gave me the best price and deal that he could right up front. I know this for a fact because I was shopping at other dealers for some time and am very familiar with money factor rates, trade in values, and incentives that were offered at the time.
Brain, if you’re reading this, I will be back for my next BMW in a couple years. I am shooting for a European Delivery next time! It was a pleasure working with you.

Brian Piotrowicz is your man if you wanna buy a new Honda,
BY FAR the best new car experience ever. No haggling… we were offered a fair price from the get go. it took me literally 2 phone calls and 60 – 75 minutes in the dealership to drive away in a new car.

So in 1999 I bought a brand new Infiniti from them. Fantastic experience from beginning to end. They treated me well, the facility was nice, they were very well trained about their vehicles etc. 15 years I have had that same truck. So I was very happy to return and buy another.
Jump to 10/​21/​2014 — Walked in to Infiniti in the afternoon and it was DEAD inside. The facility had changed very little other than the cars and the staff of which there were plenty. We were approached (not greeted) by a Gianni or something like that as he never introduced himself. We told him what we were looking for which was not new this time but certified pre owned and the the price we were looking at. He quickly ran around to his desk and pulled out a packet with the car listings. A minute later he was having us moved to another salesman. No goodbye, no nice to meet you, no real formality. A total brush off. It was rude and left a horrible taste in my mouth. I may not be rich, but I was willing to spend my $ there for the right car. To be treated like that by a guy who’s tattoos were easily seen thru his thin white shirt pissed me off. I make good $. I don’t need to prove it to you in order to be treated nicely. It’s your job to want to make my car buying experience a good one. You sell the cars, you don’t own the car dealership. It’s not like you are a better person because of the car type you sell.
Just to put it in perspective our family recently purchased a New Land Rover Evoque with all the bells and whistles. Gianni made a huge mistake as you never know what the next car I purchase will be. Money is Money. But it won’t be your commission.
So we were moved to John who was in Used Cars. Which was fine and I understand that. He is the only reason I raised my review from 1 star after my visit. And the only reason I would still consider this location. He showed us not only Infiniti but Mercedes and everything that was within our criteria. He also treated us very well.
The car purchase is not over. And my time with MW is not over yet either. And based on my past experience and John I’m still keeping the door open as we look for our next vehicle. But I’d be hard pressed to want to deal with the other guy even if $ was not an object.
I would like to also note that during my warranty time with Infiniti and Motorwerks they have been awesome. They provide realistic timelines. They know their cars. And they clean them to almost showroom look when done.
The inside is pretty dated and drab in my opinion. Almost funeral home like. But they do have an extensive selection of new and used. And I think if you do your homework you will get a decent deal.
And as I stated during a prior purchase with them, they treated me like a king. They bought us dinner as it was getting late while signing the papers. So there is a great deal to like about this location. And as time wears on maybe I’ll be inclined to revisit my review and upgrade the rating. But for now it sticks.