Winnetka Auto Shop "Shining Example" of Family Business

Europa Import Inc. in Winnetka may look like a normal auto repair shop — but it's customers think its anything but typical. 

Europa, which has a perfect 5-star ranking on Yelp, has been creating loyal customers out of North Shore residents since brothers Mike and John Grabler first opened its doors in 1982. 

"Back then, we used to have to park our own cars in here to make it look busy!" Mike Grabler said. 

Europa no longer has that issue, with a parking lot regularly full of vehicles to work on — especially impressive since the business does little advertising, so most new customers come to them by word-of-mouth. 

"[Europa is a] shining example of a family-run business with personality that truly takes pride in their work," wrote Yelp reviewer Philip P. "All the previous reviews have been spot-on. ... These guys know German cars and tell it like it is."

Mike Gabler believes that the customer loyalty comes down to trust — once customers know that they can trust the Europa experts, they'll keep coming back. 

"Once you have trust, you almost can't do anything wrong," Gabler said. "You have to be brutally honest. You can't lie, because then you've got to just cover it with another lie." 

Gabler notes that trust is especially important with mechanics, as many customers have horror stories of being lied to and cheated at other auto shops. 

"I love, love, love this place!," Yelp reviewer Sarah L. wrote. "I will be sending all my friends and family to Europa for car repairs and I recommend that you do the same!"

Gabler said that while he doesn't read the Yelp reviews himself, he appreciates people who take the time to give them five stars.

"It's hard to say why," Gabler said. "But we usually don't get many dissatisfied customers — the ones that do probably don't go on Yelp, thankfully." 

Which Winnetka business do you think has the best customer service? Let us know in the comments below!

Editor's note: Yelp reviews have been edited for spelling and punctuation, not content. 

Full disclosure: The editor's boyfriend spent a year in high school working for Europa. The editor did not know him at the time and his experience working there in no way affected the reporting of this story. (Although Europa received nothing but rave reviews from her boyfriend as well.)