Four Wheel Drive Repair

Committed Since Day One
Hi, I’m Marty Fay, the owner of Motor Works. We began serving the DeKalb and Northern Illinois public in March, 1984. Since the first day our purpose was to be a one-stop-shop, offering every conceivable automotive amenity. A critical part of that commitment was and still is providing expert four wheel drive repair and service. To that end we have three ASE Master Certified Specialists on staff.

Passing The Torch
On the first day I opened my new shop, Motor Works, gobs of customers needing four wheel drive repair started walking through my door. It would normally be odd for a specialized clientele like this to visit a new shop by the dozens. However one month earlier, my building had been called DeKalb Four Wheel Drive. That’s right. The former owner went under and I purchased the structure, some of the tooling, and portions of the inventory. And had the fight of my life getting him and the rest of his junk out of my building so I could open. Please read The Permanent Tennant below.

A Seismic Shift
Four wheel drive had traditionally been relegated to trucks and it couldn’t be used on dry pavement. It required the driver to shift a lever inside the cabin, then exit the vehicle and lock in the front hubs. At the minimum this is a minor inconvenience, in poor weather it was a real pain in the you know what.

Enter the 1972 Jeep Wagoneer and Cherokee with their revolutionary full-time all wheel drive (AWD) system, Quadra Trac. Dry pavement, or wet, on road or off, no shifting or locking in required. Just drive.

1980 would see AWD come to the automotive platform with the American Motors Eagle. This was the birth of the Sport Utility Vehicle. Early adopters Audi and Subaru would soon follow. This trend would continue, accelerate, and multiply making today’s modern AWD cars and SUV’s ubiquitous.

Rampant Complexity
Today’s modern 4x4 and AWD systems are ultra complex, with full computer control. Our technicians go to school constantly to stay current with continual changes. Motor Works’ dedication includes thousands of dollars of unique tooling and computer scanners.

Schedule Today!
If you would like to bring your four wheel or all wheel drive in for repair or service please schedule an appointment online or call us at 815-756-2882 to speak to our friendly staff.

The Permanent Tennant
In February 1984, I purchased DeKalb Four Wheel Drive from the bank, who had foreclosed on the delinquent owner. I had given myself exactly one month to get up and running. A daunting task if you had seen the inside of the building. The windows were all boarded over, the insulation had fallen out of the ceiling, the walls stood black with filth and the concrete floor had ½ an inch of dirt embedded into a hard covering. The single gas furnace did not have a chimney. Instead the owner left the exhaust open in the building for extra heat.

As if this weren’t enough to overcome in a month, I couldn’t get the guy to remove his remaining tools and equipment. I tried to be nice at first, letting him finish a few jobs he still had left over. But day by day his jobs hung on and he showed up less. Frustrations rose, words became strained, and we came near to blows more than once. I was finally fed up and came in one morning with a week left until opening, having decided to let the police handle the problem. And such a strange sight met my weary eyes. Overnight he had cleared out all his junk. My relief was such I didn’t know whether to pray, cry or pass out.

Working with help, sometimes 24 hours straight, the place got washed, painted, the windows unboarded, and the furnace vented properly. On opening day it was organized, bright and ready for business. I was tired almost beyond endurance, but I smiled for my new clients. And many of those were former DeKalb Four Wheel Drive customers. Generally speaking they loved shop’s new look and demeanor of the proprietor. (Hey, that’s me!) But some of them only wanted to talk to the former owner and weren’t too pleasant about it either. I took this a little hard at first, but after a while it all became clear. The former owner owed them all money. And with that I’ll close. Thanks for listening, Marty.