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Prairie View auto shop not only fixes cars, but also investigates claims
John Lamb owns Lambs Automotive in Prairie View. | Brian O'Mahoney~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 25, 2013 1:17AM
PRAIRIE VIEW — Bringing a car into the shop for a routine checkup or a repair can easily fall to the bottom of anyone’s “to do” list when visits oftentimes result in additional charges for questionable fixes.
Lamb’s Automotive, however, is different from other automotive repair shops, in that its employees only give customers’ cars the fixes they need for the most reasonable price; its 35-year tenure in the Lincolnshire and Buffalo Grove area has proved this mantra to be successful.
“Our slogan is: You get what you pay for, you don’t pay for what you don’t get and you don’t get what you don’t need,” said President and Owner John Lamb.
Located at 16051 Deerfield Pkwy. in Prairie View, Lamb’s Automotive performs all facets of mechanical and electrical retail automotive repairs, specializing in high tech systems and performing regular maintenance and service work on cars of all makes and models.
Lamb and his employees are primarily focused on their workmanship, quality of work and honesty with customers, and ensure that they won’t charge extra for unnecessary services performed on top of what was originally agreed upon.
“If a customer comes to us with an issue, we are going to give them good advice with regards to what needs to be done,” Lamb said.
In 1986, Lamb’s extensive experience analyzing various car failures enabled him to acquire an additional genre of client requesting a unique kind of service: forensic mechanical investigation.
Lamb’s forensic investigation is a service that has for the past 26 years been offered to insurance agencies, police departments and private parties for theft claims; fire claims; product liability; service liability; and personal liability.
Unique to the area, Lamb said that this kind of work is akin to that of the crime scene investigators in the television show “CSI,” in that he investigates claims by analyzing the automobile(s) involved, and is available and qualified to testify in court as an expert witness in cases.
In one case, Lamb said that an individual sought out his forensic work in an effort to clear the name of a family member that was blamed for an accident.
“There are a number of different reasons a private party could hires us,” he said.
The cost for this type of work is generally $110 per hour, though each case is different and may require a different approach to pricing.
“We were first asked to do this for an insurance company in 1986, and we did a good job so they started telling other companies about us and we started to get a reputation within the legal community...and it kind of blossomed from there,” he said.
Prior to establishing his business, Lamb said he started out working on cars from his home garage in attempt to pursue a career in something he was passionate about. Prior to working with cars, Lamb worked as an engineer for a microwave antenna firm and then for a metal fabrication firm.
Lamb’s initial nterest in cars stemmed from working on them with his father, who worked in logistics for the army. This interest was further cultivated by building and campaigning a drag bike he built and later raced with his friends, and by acting as a judge for Chevy’s and Corvettes in multiple auto shows.
“There are all kinds of vehicles out there, and all have something different to offer,” Lamb said.
For more information about Lamb’s Automotive, visit www.lambsauto.com.
