Normally car repairs get me very anxious, and the circumstances in which I came upon Ervine's were quite dire. A strange bad noise so significant we can feel it vibrating through the steering wheel, but we can't see anything wrong. The sort of noise that sounds... expensive. And dangerous. Like "feeling cute, might throw a wheel on 131" dangerous. (Turned out it was something in the axle) Well it took a few weeks to get it all taken care of, but that included fully exploring the bizarre issue (it was a really weird one), researching the parts, (harder than it seemed, my car was one of those "they changed everything 2 months later" unicorns where getting the right piece can be tough), waiting for shipping, and performing the fix, all on the backdrop of the July 4 holiday. But this was the least expensive and least stressful car fix of the four I have had this year. That's saying a lot! The people are so friendly, and so comforting, and so informative. Everyone we spoke to was just lovely. I'm a nervous girl who doesn't know cars and cold calling a new place kinda scares me. But it is a female run establishment, and when I called to explain "my car sounds weird and scary" at 900 words per minute all in one breath, the woman on the other line totally got it, and the vibe I felt from the place immediately made me feel better even before the car was there. Then, they kept us informed the whole time with texts and calls, so I always knew what was going on. It is always nerve wracking to be playing Mystery Diagnosis with your only vehicle when you can't just buy another, so the updates were really important. They took really good care of us and our car, and the biggest thing that made this whole thing not stress me out as much? Free. Loaner. No interruption to our work schedules, no panic about not having a car, no $50/day rental rate ticking on and on... None of the other places did that, not even the dealership. Some of the places before, renting a vehicle cost me as much as the repair! Our Santa Fe is getting up there in years, and there are more fixes yet to be done. But after this last experience, I know who I'll be going to for them!
Shiloh, we're so glad to hear that you felt heard and safe with us. The repairs on your Santa Fe took longer than we are used to and we appreciate your understanding in the craziness. We look forward to seeing you and Ark again in the future!
- Ervine's Auto Repair & Grand Rapids Hybrid and EV