ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (Jan. 13, 2014) — A former employee of the Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops franchise in Hannover Park, Ill., has opened his own Merlin franchise in Elk Grove Village.
"I'm very excited to be a part of the Elk Grove Village community and offer customers professional vehicle repair and maintenance that can help their automobiles reach their full life potential," said Mitesh Patel, the franchisee who operates Merlin's latest shop.
"I hope to help the Elk Grove Village community understand the true mileage potential of today's passenger vehicles by introducing them to Merlin's 'Drive for 200,000' during the course of every business day."
Mr. Patel began his automotive career in 2000 with the company in Hanover Park, Ill., where he quickly progressed to the position of general manager, according to Merlin. During his tenure, the shop achieved numerous Merlin awards for excellent customer service and sales achievements.
Mr. Patel has a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Merlin called Neil Patel a "key member" of the Elk Grove Village shop team, serving as the general manager. Before joining Merlin, he held the position of Oracle retail application consultant with OLR Retail in Minneapolis. He also was one of the lead application consultants for a global software project for Advance Auto Parts Inc.
Services provided by Merlin shops, according to the company's website, include:
• Tire replacement, rotation and balancing;
• Air conditioning service and recharge;
• Batteries, starters and alternators;
• Belts and hoses;
• Brakes;
• Coolant;
• CV joints, boots, axles and U-joints;
• Engine and transmission mounts;
• Engine gaskets;
• Fuel injection cleaning;
• Fuel pumps and filters;
• Maintenance tune-ups;
• Mufflers and exhaust;
• OBD and diagnostic scans;
• Oil change and lube;
• Power steering fluid;
• Radiators, water pumps and thermostats;
• Shocks, struts and springs;
• Steering system repair;
• Timing belts;
• Transmission fluid and filter change;
• Wheel alignment; and
• Wiper blades and light bulbs.