The Auto Repair Shops - Experiences of a South Loop Resident

Auto Repairs are notoriously shady.  A regular reader (and contributor) writes about his experiences and recommendations:

I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know I have officially used every auto repair shop in the South Loop (I think); Firestone, Good year and Auto Repairs Plus aka Mufflers 4 Less.  

I had such a great experience with Orlando at Auto Repairs Plus at Cermak/Wabash!
The other two places, Firestone and Goodyear are crazy expensive; especially firestone. Auto Repairs Plus labor rates are half that of Firestone and the owner, Orlando, is as honest as they come. 

He spent a lot of time going over what needed needed to be done and showed me exactly why, while my truck was up on the hoist. He's a guy that has been in business at that corner for 17 years and has seen the neighborhood evolve over the years. He loves our hood and always takes care of his neighbors, I'm proof of that.  

The other places in the hood are just high pressure sales machines that always push for the more expensive part or another repair "they found". I highly recommend, if you have a car and have any issues or need routine maintenance done, go see Orlando!

Generally speaking it seems like people on Yelp agree!  Do you agree?

(Hat tip: PF!)

Brand New Firestone Shop Takes Shape

Last we checked the Firestone at 1550 S. Wabash was being demolished and to be honest we weren't sure if it was coming back. Well that doesn't seem to be the case. Upon recently driving west on 16th street we realized the new Firestone store was taking shape (although hard to see look under the EL):

Glad to see this and best of luck to them!

The New Firestone Looks Much Better

We've had a couple of posts on the Firestone at 1550 S. Wabash that was demolished and has since been rebuilt. Well more progress is being made and the new structure looks 100 times better then the old.

Although the old shop had character and sort of a charming, dingy auto shop vibe (which we kind of liked), the new shop is much easier on the eyes and aesthetically a big improvement.

What's Going on With the Demolition of the Firestone Building?

We posted about a bunch of demolition projects in the South Loop a couple of months ago and it brought on some questions about the Firestone building at the corner of 16th and Wabash..

Recently we've received a bunch of emails (and pictures) asking us about this.  Unfortunately we haven't heard much so thought we would bring up the topic again and see if anyone knows anything about this.

We read a comment that they were simply replacing the roof, but judging by the pictures below that doesn't seem to be the case.

(Hat Tip to RL!)

Another Scary Carjacking Incident This Weekend

Another scary carjacking incident this weekend - be vigilant (via ABC7):

A 20-year-old woman sustained a broken leg Saturday morning as she was carjacked in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood, police said.

The alleged carjacker grabbed the woman from behind while she attempted to enter her vehicle behind a condo building at West 15th Street and South State Street at approximately 11:53 a.m., police said.

The woman sustained head injuries and could not recall details of the incident, police said. Her 2008 BMW was missing from the scene.

The building's doorman, Tony Thomas, and several residents rushed to her aid.

"When I got out there, the young lady was laying there," Thomas said. "In pain, crying out for help."

The woman is an employee of a nearby Firestone Complete Auto Care and was attacked during her break.

Demolition is the Word of the Moment in the Sloop

It feels like we continue to hear and read about buildings being demolished in the Sloop. A couple of months ago the Harold Ickes homes felt the wrath of the wrecking ball. Last week we read about the historic YMCA building on Michigan Avenue that might be coming down.

This week the Chicago Journal had an article about two buildings on Wabash that are owned by East-West University coming down and today two people let us know that the old Firestone garage (at the corner of Wabash and 16th) was also being demolished.

Seems like a lot of stuff is coming down in the Sloop.

Does anyone know if there are plans to build something else at the property at 16th and Wabash?

(Hat Tip: Nick D and BT!)