Customers trust their cars to West Loop Auto Body
November 6, 2009
By Eva Hofmann
For nearly 35 years, Drew Passaglia has been servicing customers’ vehicles in the West Loop and River North areas, starting out as Loop Amoco on Grand Avenue and Wells Street. With the help and partnership of his brother, Bill, who retired in 2008, the business evolved.
After Loop Amoco, there was Passaglia’s Automotive, and later Deluxe Service Stations. Today, Passaglia proudly serves Chicago’s automotive needs at West Loop Auto Body, 318 S. Morgan St. He also runs a second branch at 3363 W. Columbus Ave., which opened in 2004.
Early on in the business, Passaglia became certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (known in the business as ASE-certified) in mechanical repair and later in auto body repair. “These days, you would not want me to personally work on your car,” Passaglia said, laughing. “I leave it up to the younger, more technical people we have on staff.”
The shop’s staff of ASE-certified auto body technicians provides personalized attention to customers and strives to ensure the safety and value of each customer’s automobile are maintained to manufacturer specifications.
“We do all makes and models,” said Passaglia. “Always have. It seems that the more popular the vehicle is, the more of it we get. Because of our relationship with Grossinger, we do a lot of work on Toyota and Lexus models. BMWs are also frequently serviced at West Loop, and we’re becoming quite good at hybrid repairs.”
Body and mechanical
West Loop Auto handles both auto body repair and mechanical work, including standard maintenance. “We do all types of maintenance, which is what we started out doing 35 years ago,” said Passaglia. “Maintenance is probably more important now, though it’s more neglected,” he continued.
Whether the brakes or something else causes your car to break down, West Loop Auto’s fleet of tow trucks is at your service. The company’s flat bed trucks are especially designed to protect high-end vehicles in long over-the-road transportation. Its standard tow trucks are designed for those tight downtown parking garages. “Wherever you drive, we will tow,” said Passaglia. “We have contracts with towing companies outside our geographical area. We also offer free towing seasonally to Gazette readers. Just look for the ads.”
That is just one aspect of West Loop Auto’s outstanding customer service. Once your car is in the shop, West Loop’s trained staff will guide you through all your questions. They understand how to repair your car and how to explain the repair process. While many body shops subcontract their mechanical work, West Loop Auto’s staff of master mechanical technicians perform the entire repair process at one location. This saves time and money on the repair.
Auto body repairs are performed by ASE-certified and factory authorized auto body technicians, who work to ensure that your automobile is maintained to your manufacturer’s specifications. Because West Loop Auto’s technicians are factory-trained, DuPont and BASF back their paint work with a lifelong worldwide warranty.
Long-term relationships
The West Loop Auto staff cares about its customers and about the work they do. “We are a family-run location, but that family has grown to include many of our employees, who have spent their whole careers affiliated with West Loop or one of its predecessors,” said Passaglia. “We don’t look at a customer as a one-time proposition. We want to be a one-shop location for all our customers’ automotive needs.”
For more information, call (312) 738-1975 or go to www.chicagocollision.com.
