Chicago Motors Auto Service

I called them early in the morning to see if they can help me out with a flat tire. I asked for a quote and got none. Still I went there because I trusted Unilocal reviews which are pretty good. Apparently my experience with them was quite the opposite.
1. The guy Rick was rude af. He doesn’t seem to care about customers.
2. He said I needed a new tire but failed to mention why or what kind of damage was done to my old tire just from hitting a pothole. BTW, my old tire was like two month old.
2. I was waiting just to know that my tire is so unique and there’s no one in town that has it in stock. I naively believed him for a moment and told him to order one for me which would arrive on Tuesday. Since I’m here as a tourist I wasn’t planning to stay till Tuesday. Later on a hunch I decided to contact local MB service center and they immediately told me that they do have the tire in stock. Means he just lied to me and made me wait two hours!
3. Then the fun part. I rushed into Mercedes servicing and popped my trunk BOOM! there’s no tire. He kept the wheel without even letting me know. I called him and he tried bullshitting me.
He said the store was already closed and he can’t do anything about it. Another lie because according to Unilocal their store closes at 3 pm and it was 2 pm. I literally had to raise my voice to make him return the wheel. Otherwise he wouldn’t have done it and I would have been stranded in Chicago for an extra day that could jeopardize my work, business and life!
Bottom line: Liar. Shady. Not customer centric attitude and stubbornly rude.

Joseph and his team conduct their business with professionalism and great integrity. I wanted to get a used car checked out before I purchased it so I had the person I was going to buy it from drive over to Chicago Motors for an automobile inspection. After a thorough inspection, a multitude of problems were discovered by his crew. He took me out to the garage to point out each and every one of these. He also took the time to explain how dangerous the car was and advised me to absolutely not purchase it. I was so thankful that I had him check it out before completing the purchase. He even told me that if I wanted to get another car looked at before buying, I could bring it in for a free inspection! Joseph and his team are attentive and they truly care about the vehicle you are driving in. That was a dangerous vehicle and it was in no shape to be sold to an unsuspecting customer. He took quite a bit of time out of his day to talk to me and give me guidance on what I should do to alleviate the situation. Although I am still trying to get my deposit returned because the car was not being sold as advertised, I would highly recommend heading over to Chicago Motors to get a car checked out before purchasing it. Joseph and his team are some fantastic people!

The staff here are so friendly and helpful. I’ve been coming here for years and have always had the best service. I love that it’s family owned, the staff actually cares. Hope to be coming here for years to come!

Yesterday morning my wife went to turn on our kia mini van and nothing… so after calling my a friend of mine who is in the business, he referred me to chicago motors. Within 2 hours they came and towed my car, called me and told me what was wrong, gave me a great price and my car was back within 24 hours!!! To add some more great service from this place the owner called me personally about my catalytic converter (it was stolen in front of my house about a month ago) and gave me a fantastic price and fixed that as well!!! I have to say i have been screwed before by garbage mechanics, but i will no longer take my care anywhere else except here!!! Thank you Joseph and your crew for being GREAT at what you do, i will recommend you to everyone I know!!!

Joseph and his crew are the best. Beyond their expert knowledge, you will be very happy with the service, competitive pricing, and customer service experience.
There is a reason that they have been doing business and are #1 mechanic in Chicago.

I’m not a mechanic, but I feel so bad for recommending these guys to my girlfriend. They had worked on my Audi before with no problems. She took her vehicle in this winter for a tune up, tire rotation, and an issue with her heat.
Here are the problems:
1) They started work on her car before getting the ok from her. They called with the quote and said that they already have the whole dash taken out. Really?
2) They did rotate the tires, but didn’t bother checking the pressure. 3 days after she got the car back I checked her tire PSI and each were low. Is it too much to ask to properly inflate tires? This is listed as a free service on their website as part of their 31 point vehicle inspection.
3) They don’t even bother to put a sticker in your window, reminding you of your next service. Another common practice totally overlooked.
I was done with these guys after they took advantage of her. When I took my car to my new mechanic, he pointed out that my coolant was orange instead of the standard pink/​purple of any G12 coolant. He said that these guys either diluted the G12 (BIG NO NO) or used non G12 (BIGGER NO NO). Thanks, Chicago Motors!
Oh, and I gave them 2 stars only because I liked Joe, the owner. He has since retired which likely explains the downward trend in service.

Bad bad bad experience with these guys.
After Joseph had charged me for a diagnostic and provided an estimate to replace the radiator he came up with an additional diagnostic and said the engine was not working and needed replacement. What kind of mechanics are these people that can’t diagnostic a bad engine?
After spending $ 600 to repair what he said was broken he wanted an additional $ 2,700 to repair the engine.
I would stay away from these guys.

I I have always heard about mechanics who prey on female customers, but this is the first time I experienced it.
I went in with my 2004 Suburu Forrester with 90k miles that had an engine light going off. The car isn’t in great condition (engine has a piston that misfires and the belts have been squealing lately), but the mechanic by my work who I trust completely says it should last for years unless the misfiring piston gets worse.
It was Saturday and I wasn’t at work. No one else nearby could run a diagnostic on the car for hours, so I took the car into this place which is two blocks from my house.
After waiting for 30 minutes with my baby while they run the diagnostic, the guy at the desk tells me the car is shot and should never be driven again. The belts are falling apart, the coolant reservoir is bone dry, the car is junk. I asked what the diagnostic code was and he said it related to the cooling system, but wouldn’t tell me anything specific.
I thought this was odd because no one has ever said anything was wrong with the car before, but I took him at his word. I had, after all, noticed some squealing belts. I asked him what he recommended doing with the car.
«Well, I do buy cars.» [redflagredflagredflagredflag] «Just leave it with me, and I’ll do a full inspection to let you know how much I would offer.»
Anyways, after freaking out, I took it to another mechanic (Velasquez Mufflers and Brakes on Belmont) who managed to squeeze me in. The diagnostic would not give them a specific code, so they needed to run more test which they wouldn’t be able to fit in before they closed. I asked them to top of the coolant and they found a faulty sensor which is probably causing the engine light to go off. Total cost? $ 270
I haven’t gotten the work done yet because the car is drivable. We’re trying to schedule repairs around pre-​school and daycare pickup/​dropoff schedules for two kids. I’ll follow-​up to let you all know if the repair did the trick, but I couldn’t wait to post a review about this smarmy hustler.

Finding a good mechanic is like finding a needle in a haystack. Being from Logan Square I wanted someone local. I was having an issue with my truck it was making a knocking noise on the front driver side and rear passenger side thanks to the pot holes. I found this place online and decided to give them a call. I spoke to Joseph really nice guy. I set up an appointment and brought the truck in to get looked at. They told me exactly what was wrong with it and how must it was going to cost. The price was reasonable and the work was done correctly. I’m happy to say my truck is running good as new and the knocking noises are gone thanks to Joseph and his knowledgable team! Good job guys!

I think the two best qualities about this place are their honesty and skill in their craft. I have been a loyal customer to this business for over 21 years. I have always been treated well and have never felt «taken» after any repairs.
The second reason I keep going back to them is that they employ automotive technicians instead of just mechanics. The difference is the amount of training and experience their technicians have in their field which is demonstrated in the way they solve difficult problems that I have run into.

They do great work I will always bring my cars here. I had a broken brake line. They looked at it repaired it and also fix a gas line. Next day they were done.

They are very knowledgable about my car and even gave me recommendations, i will definitely have my car serviced here from now on… HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Can’t say enough about these guys! Great service, honest, quality work. I trust them completely. I’ve been taking my volvo there for a few years now and they have never disappointed.

I’ve been coming here for years! The service is exceptional. They have a huge waiting area with TV and magazines. The staff are always super friendly and honest. I drive in from the suburbs just to come here because I know I’m getting good quality service and parts. Lots of good restaurants in the area as well as a CVS right next store to kill two birds with one trip! Chicago Motors does not condone the killing of birds though, they’re way too nice for that! =)

I now bring my Mercedez C230 and as usual the price is great for the service. I trust these guys 100%

I had them quote replacing a wheel bearing. Joseph had one of his mechanics confirm that the problem was the wheel bearing. He provided a reasonable quote but would not confirm that he could complete the work that day given their close time on Saturdays. I greatly appreciate his honesty and plan to take my car back to them when I need someone I can trust.

This place is so good that it made me take the CTA (after dropping off the truck and then to pick it up) for the first time since 1989.
It’s my second time using them for difficult repairs and this last time was another great example of why I go here for auto repairs.
I dropped off my truck on a Tuesday night, spoke with Alex Aponte and he wrote down my concerns and what I wanted them to do.
I was called two hours after having dropped off the truck with a list of what they discovered and how much it would be. They always ask you to approve before they start any work.
When was the truck work done and ready for pick up? Not even 20 hours after having had dropped it off near their closing time. Next day service!
I am very happy and will be using them again.

Best service I’ve gotten at an auto-​service shop, EVER, hands down. They are honest, quick and genuinely care about you & your car. Joseph is the man.

I generally use Speedline on Damen, but now that I live in Logan Square, I thought I should try a new place that was closer and Unilocal recommended. I called Chicago Motors to see if they could help with my Jeep Commander (since I noticed they specialize in foreign cars). They said they would be happy to help out. I needed brakes. They recommended that I use genuine Mopar parts, and I agreed.
They also replaced a bent tire valve stem for $ 70 that Marino Jeep wanted to charge me $ 195 for! The bastards at Marino Jeep said that since I had the tire pressure monitoring system the «new valve had to be programed into the computer system, hence the $ 195.» See my other review of Marino Jeep if you’re interested in a scalding review.
Of course Victor at Chicago Motors laughed when I told him that story. He even showed me his invoice as well as empty Mopar part boxes for the valve stem, pads and rotors. He said the valve stem is expensive, due to the TPMS but no «programming» was necessary. He charged me a couple hundred bucks in labor plus the parts invoice and I was on my way.
My cell phone rang a minute later, and the receptionist told me to come back — they noticed my burned out rear brake light. This bulb replacement was done free of charge. I also got a coupon for a free car wash at Windy City Car Wash on Fullerton. I will be back for service. A+

Walter, I told you I would post this review, but it’s obvious that you don’t need it. Getting car repairs are times of crisis akin to going to the dentist for an out of work community college student trying to have a good time on a minimal bank account statement (who also has a fear of her oral hygienist). Not only did Walter give me a great deal and walk me through exactly what I was paying for, and why, but he even got on the phone with my mother the attorney who was demanding his credentials.