Car-X Auto Tire & Auto

I had a slow leak in a tire, so I went here to see if they could repair it. As it turns out, that tire was pretty bald, so I went and bought a new one. What I liked was that Teddy (I think that was his name) took me into the work bay and SHOWED me on my car why he recommended a new tire, instead of just telling me that I had to buy a new one instead of repairing the old one. He explained everything patiently and answered my questions about how much everything other things would cost IF I chose to have them done — no pressure, though. They did the work quickly, too.

Per my mom: «I took my vehicle to Car X on 74^th & Stony Island because the brakes seemed to be going bad after I had had them repaired within 1 year at a price of $ 1,300 at that Car X.
Russell, who said he owned the place said they needed to keep it until the next day. After that, he said it had multiple problems and he wanted someone else to look at it.
On the 5^th day of them having my vehicle, he told me that his technician had broken my wheel lock with his power wrench and they needed to take the other two wheels off. It would cost ME $ 60.00 plus $ 60 for a new lock. At this point, they had done NOTHING about the problem that had caused me to bring the vehicle to Car X.
I told Russell that if his technician broke the wheel lock, his business was responsible for it. He said „No. So far we haven’t gotten a dime from you.“ I repeated hat the broken lock was their responsibility. There was nothing wrong with it before their tech power-​wrenched it.
Russell said that if I were him I’d come and get my vehicle because he was „going to put it on the street.“ I asked him not to do that. He said if he were me he wouldn’t want Car X to work on his vehicle after I said there were responsible for anything they broke. He said come it OR ELSE. They were not going to be responsible for anything.
I called the police and they said they would call the shop. The police officer said that he refused to come to the phone. She advised me to go to Car X and call the police when I arrived, which I did.
Two officers came and asked to see him. He refused to come out of the back cowardly claiming that he didn’t want his customers to hear his conversation with them. The police went into the back, told me to take the car and there would be no additional charges and not to trust them to work further on my car or ANY car that I care about.
The police had to go back to get the original copy of the invoice which Russell had refused to give me. Then they had to o back again to get my key, which Car X had not given me.
Only go to Car X if you want to be played for a fool! This is a terrible establishment that shouldn’t still be in business. »

I called this place to see if they sold and replaced starter batteries. I was told that I had to bring the car in and I could not even get a quote until I paid they $ 29.95 to do an inspection first. Seriously? For a car battery? Ridiculous.

I brought my car here to be looked over because I’m moving cross country and knew my car had a ton of issues, including a bad transmission. Upon my first arrival, the shop was clean, comfortable and Russell was extremely welcoming. He listened fully to me as I explained the issues with my car and that I had a long drive ahead of me. His concern and friendliness put me at ease. Russell and Teddy kept me up-​to-​date on diagnostics as they had information and went thoroughly through the issues that needed attention for such a long drive just a day later. They were honest, had a few options to present to me and their analysis of my car was in line with what I had been experiencing while driving my car. While the work they would need to do to make my car safe and drivable for a long journey is out of my price bracket and I’ve decided to forgo the work and purchase a new vehicle, I would recommend this shop to anyone looking for an honest, friendly and concerned mechanic. I appreciate their time in really going through my car to spot issues. Even though a new car is in my future, they made this experience as painless as possible and I would certainly bring back a future vehicle for work.

I went here to have my front tire replaced after it blew out. They were extremely friendly, helpful, and clear when explaining everything to me. The lobby is clean and comfortable. I was very pleased with the service and plan to return for future car servicing.

I just moved to the greater Chicago area and didn’t know where to get my breaks fixed so I had a friend who told me about this location. I’m so glad she did because I not only received quality work, but outstanding customer service! Russell helped me and was very professional and kind. The quotes on price and timing were accurate and it felt great to have an autobody shop that knows what they are doing !! Will be a return customer and will tell my friends! Thank you!!!

Death Wobbles.
That was how you would describe the noises and shaking the front end of my car was making. Also the blower for my A/​C went out on the one sweltering day this summer and I knew it was time to take my baby girl in.
After checking two other mechanics, I came in here with a fair idea of what was going on and how much the competition was charging and what they could do for me. Russell and Mike were kind of enough to bring me to the bay and show me exactly what was happening and gave me the best price of all the places. They checked a few other things out for me and even fixed what was getting my key stuck in the ignition for free. Not once did anyone treat me like «a girl» but treated me like an informed customer that they wanted to keep for a long time.
It was nice to feel good and relaxed after going to the mechanics and be treated like family. Especially driving away with the AC on full blast and on the smoothest ride I’ve had since I bought the car.

I have an 11 year old Nissan with brake issues. It was 8 years old the first time I brought it in to this particular Car-​X for service. I am always wary of going in to new repair shops for any assessment because I feel like they usually take one look at me, see a woman and mentally add $ 500 to the bill. I had been to three other shops, all of who had given me enormous estimates for wildly different «problems.» A friend recommended Car-​X on Stony Island to me and I am so glad! Russell and crew took me into the garage area and showed me exactly what was wrong all while giving me examples of what these parts should really be doing and what they are supposed to look like. Because it was a larger and fairly expensive repair, they helped guide me in deciding what should be fixed right away and what could be held off for a bit. While it was a big chunk of change, I firmly believe that you get what you pay for and in the end, I couldn’t have been happier with the repair.
Three years later, it is the only place I take my car. Yesterday, I had to go back for some minor work and was treated with the same respect and friendliness I have become accustomed to when dealing with this crew. Thanks for making my car repairs far less stressful, guys!

DON’T GO HERE IF YOU ARE A WOMAN OR EXPECT FAIR PRICES
Quote from Russell the «owner”– «Do you think this is the way to get a fair price from me?»
This was his response when I questioned Russell about a very expensive recommendation for service he had just provided me. So in other words, don’t ask questions about your car (dumb lady) and basically kiss his a** to get a fair price. Shouldn’t he provide fair pricing to everyone? Of course the answer is NO as evidenced by the very extreme language Russell uses to describe needed repairs to raise alarm in customers. Lamar (the former manager) was honest, fair, knowledgeable, and very respectful. I knew exactly what was wrong and how urgent it was. Russell is the exact opposite of that in his quest to gauge customers for his financial gain. He was so incredibly disrespectful to me that I just had to walk out while he was shouting at me about how I’m not a customer because I wouldn’t do the repairs he suggested («…a customer actually pays for repairs» even though I’ve been going there, and paying, since 2007). Needless to say, I will be reporting him to the Car X regional manager (of whom he said didn’t exist), the BBB, and whomever else I can report his disrespectful treatment to. This Car X is BAD BUSINESS!

Terrible, disrespectful, fast service though. I would never recommend it for more than an emissions test.
I went in for an emissions test. When. I walked in, the owner was having a scream fest with a lady who felt like her car was worse then than it was before she brought it to them. The lady was rude but so was the owner. She said she was going to come back with her licensed mechanic who happens to be a woman and the men that work there burst into laughter saying that they weren’t scared and they didn’t care about a female mechanics opinion.
After the lady left, they called her «ghetto fab», delusional and other names. Sure, she may have been out of line but they were very unprofessional. A nice lady tried to give them some constructive feedback about customer service and professionalism (seeing as they were obnoxious, and they were eating behind the desk and still talking loudly about the lady who had already left). The owner told her that if she had a problem with him, he could put a chair outside the shop for her.
Ps: the owner is also the manager for anyone who runs into him.

WORSE SERVICE. EVER. EV — -ER!
This is my second scathing review of car repair service along the South Stony Island Ave corridor. You’d think I’d learn my lesson by now!
Car overheated this past weekend while standing for quite a while in bumper traffic. It immediately cooled down once I got moving, but I decided to be cautious and get it checked out. Bottom line: Car-​X estimate –«oh yeah, there’s definitely a leak» — $ 1600+ dollars. I waited 2 ½ hours to finally get JUST THE ESTIMATE. Told them to immediately pull the car off the rack. Went to Sears. Thorough diagnostics, etc. «No leak, ma’am». Estimate? ZERO. They did advise another vendor if I wanted a second opinion. There’s something fishy about my not being able to blast these guys on Google reviews, which is where I originally saw the 4-​plus star rating.

My 11 year old car was in bad shape. This Car-​X is out of my neighborhood, but I was referred to it by a friend who recently got work done here. I really needed a reliable mechanic because I needed serious brake work done. Russell was very helpful in showing me what was wrong and honest with the price (that’s a first!). I even got to apply for a 0% for 6 months credit card which helped a lot since I didn’t have the money for the repairs up front. About a month later, my car is still working great and I couldn’t be happier with the work.
Thanks Car-​X!!!

Naïve as I am, I thought I would give my friend a lift to the U of C campus and go happily about my day. However, this was not to be – such a fool as I to think it would be No Big Deal. The moral of my story is that no good deed goes unpunished. After dropping off said friend, I proceeded merrily along (cue happy music) until I abruptly made contact with a stray chunk of cement in the road. Apparently, driving while paying not-​too-​much attention is not the best idea. Long story short, I wound up at this establishment to get a replacement for my now-​flattened tire. Although I am indeed female, I was treated as if I were an intelligent life form by the staff. I did not let on fully about my ace moves on the road with the cement, but I am pretty sure they figured out what happened in a general sense. Although I wound up spending a chunk of change, such things are to be expected when replacing a very good tire in an altogether unplanned detour on what could have been a leisurely Saturday. Recommended for those with «car trouble» who, somehow, don’t enjoy the feeling of being condescended to by those working on their wheels.

These guys are friendly and do a good job. I came in not knowing what was wrong and then as they found problems they showed me and made sure I knew the options for fixing it. Of course I know quite a bit about cars and gave them some good starting places.
They were a bit slower than I would have liked but it was tolerable. I definitely recommend getting here early since they don’t make reservations and they seemed to be constantly full while I waited.

Well i have used this place before and was always impressed with their friendliness and honesty. However I had to wait in the place for 7 ½ hrs for a brake job. I got there at noon and was still there at 7:45. They did give me a coupon book and offer to give me a ride home around 4 but said it would be another hour so i didn’t take them up on the offer. They never gave me a time line. Another woman was also there for over 6 hours waiting. She said they never said how long the bakeup was. Another guy left his car there all day and they never even looked at it.

Nice people, but couldn’t help me:
I had an OLD car, was leaking gasoline. They said I needed a new GAS TANK for my car, but that THEY couldn’t do it. They really didn’t offer much help as to how I could get it repaired.
But they were very nice. And they charged me nothing for the 2 hours of poking and prodding that they did.