Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops

The Merlin mention the front universal joint bearing failed because the retaining seal failed and allowed moisture to enter the bearing capsOver a period of time the needle bearing inside froze and created excessive friction and overheatedThe result was failure of the bearing causing it to come apartThis resulted in the drive shaft coming off on the front yoke and damaging the yokeI should not have had to replace this bearings if the seal didn't fail and could of been lubricated by a lube portMerlin never told me I had only one universal bearing with a lube port and the other withoutThey should be responsible by paying for their mistake

In November 2012, our mechanic put in 2 new Moog brand u-joints on this customer's 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe. The Moog brand was requested to be used by the customer. My parts supplier sent me 1 rear u-joint with grease fitting and 1 front u-joint without the grease fitting option. My supplier does not...

stock Moog front u-joints with grease. When the customer came in in July 2014, I ordered those Moog brand u-joints again, one with grease fittings and one without grease fittings, as my supplier does not carry the from u-joint with grease fitting. We then ordered a Spicer Brand u-joint for the front u-joint which has a grease fitting and used that instead of the Moog u-joint without grease.The u-joints that were installed in 2012 lasted 20 months, and the front u-joint in question did not come back in the shop broken. It only came back with rust on the bearing surfaces, so it was unknown what part actually failed. To ensure customer satisfaction, we replaced the customer's broken driveshaft yoke at dealer list price and only $40.00 labor. (Our labor warranty is 180 days from installation, which he was clearly out of his warranty. The labor for installation in 2012 was $50.00 each u-joint.)

I've been to Merlin in Kenosha on many occasions to get tires, brakes and other work done on my vehicles. The service writer [redacted] is always friendly and courteous. The mechanics are professional and each time I have work done, it is always explained in a manner I can understand.

I went to this specific shop to have my catalytic converter replaced on my truck. I agreed to the price not knowing what parts of the catalytic converter would be replaced, (the piping too or just a weld on one). When I got home I crawled underneath and looked at what they had done and thought it was pretty pricey for the part alone. $627.97 not including the labor.
I got the part # and brand they used off the receipt and did an online search on prices. I found out I could order the exact same part anywhere online or at any auto parts store anywhere from 212.00 - 353.00.
Holy Cow, talk about price gouging. That's almost double and even triple the price from what anyone could order the part for themselves.
My advice avoid the business or do some research before you let these guy's take your wallet..

I'd been visiting family in Kenosha for over a week when the night before I was supposed to make the twelve hour drive home, I discovered that my 2005 Ford Escape wouldn't start. It was pretty late in the day, but when my sister called them, they kindly told us to go ahead and bring it by. We were able to jump start my vehicle and we made it to Merlin about fifteen minutes before they closed. They ran some diagnostics and thankfully it I only needed a new battery and not an alternator. They showed me a quote for the replacement and after agreeing on the price, they ordered one up from their supplier. Apparently the supplier's van broke down on its way to Merlin and one of the technicians at Merlin went and retrieved the battery. Talk about going above and beyond! They installed the new battery quickly and I was able to make the drive home the next day. I was super impressed with my experience at Merlin. The staff could not have been any nicer and I would highly recommend their service to anyone.

Very friendly staff explained in detail what the problem was. Fixed in a timely manner and reasonably priced. Didn't try to up-sell me anything. Let me know about a part that was starting to go, so I could prepare for that in the near future. Check newspaper, val-pak and Merlin's website for coupons. Will definately go to Merlin again.

Review: On 11/29/2012 the drive shaft front and rear universal joint bearings on my 1999 Chevy Tahoe were replaced because of normal wear. I was told at that time of this repair the universal joints they would be the type that have a lubrication port on them to be lubricated on a regular bases. On 7/27/2014 the front universal joint bearing on the drive shaft broke and caused catastrophic damage to the yoke holding the front universal joint bearing. I return to Merlin and showed [redacted] (the owner) the damaged drive shaft and point out the front universal joint bearing had no lubrication port. We both agreed without a lubrication port would be impossible for it to last without lubrication. The Brand name of the universal bearing are "Moog" who are highly known for their quality. They make both type of universal bearings. One without lubrication port and with a lubrication port. The bearings were ordered and installed on 11/29/2012 with the front bearing without a lubrication port and the rear bearing with a lubrication port. This would of been all right accept the bearing without the lubrication part failed. It failed because the seal that protects the internal pin bearings and bearing surface failed to keep water out of the internal bearing surfaces causing them to rust and create friction causing the front universal bearing to fail. Merlin decided to only replaced the universal bearings and labor at no charged. I had to pay $240.00 to replace the damaged yoke for the new yoke and $40.00 labor to install it. I fell this is unfair because the front universal bearing should of been with a lube port. There would not have been damage if they had ordered front and rear universal joint bearings with lube ports. 1. I feel Merlin failed to order the correct bearings on 11/29/2012 . 2. additionally the "Moog" universal front bearing without the lube port caused the bearing to fail due to poor quality.Desired Settlement: I would like a complete refund of the yoke $240.00 and $40.00 labor installation at best. Or I'm willing to agree to at least a compromise of paying me $150.00 refund for this damage.

Business

Response:

In November 2012, our mechanic put in 2 new Moog brand u-joints on this customer's 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe. The Moog brand was requested to be used by the customer. My parts supplier sent me 1 rear u-joint with grease fitting and 1 front u-joint without the grease fitting option. My supplier does not stock Moog front u-joints with grease. When the customer came in in July 2014, I ordered those Moog brand u-joints again, one with grease fittings and one without grease fittings, as my supplier does not carry the from u-joint with grease fitting. We then ordered a Spicer Brand u-joint for the front u-joint which has a grease fitting and used that instead of the Moog u-joint without grease.