I hate my squeaking brakes! I can't believe I payed $1,290 for this!!! I'm so angry every time I brake & hear that loud squeak....

The mechanic lied to me. Just to get an extra $30. I've used conventional oil or more recently a conventional/synthetic blend for my 2002 Honda since I bought it in 2003. The sticker says 5 W 20 conventional. He put in synthetic without asking and tried to tell me 5 W 20 means synthetic and the sticker on the engine block calls for synthetic because all 5 W 20 oil is synthetic. Not true. It comes in full synthetic, conventional or synthetic/conventional blend. I told him I've been using conventional 5 W 20 over the life of this car. I know that 5 W 20 means oil viscosity is 5 at 0 degrees F and 20 at 212 degrees. I'm doing something right because not everyone gets 20 plus years and 200,000 plus miles out of a 4 cyl gas engine. He just says "No it isn't! Honda makes the car and recommends synthetic! Look on the engine block sticker!" The sticker says 5 W 20, but nothing snot synthetic. He lied to get an extra $30 out of me, but I won't be back because he lied. Pretty short-sighted of him. I might have become a return customer and I might have written a nice review. I just have a problem with liars. read more

I got a flat tire and went right over. Sam did a great job managing expectations and fixing the tire within an hour. Great service and great value. This is the only place I take my cars. read more

I agree with the first review; this place is a square deal and I believe a very good value for what you pay. It's hard to trust an auto mechanic if you are not a gear head, since you may not know what they are doing or understand the jargon. The owner Sami is really a car guru and you can learn a lot about cars just having a conversation with him. I know I'm more trusting when procedures are explained. I also like being given choices (like, whether we want to use new or refurbished auto parts). Sami clearly likes what he does and it shows. We own older cars and are used to having to pay for the upkeep, but I know that we've gotten good work because the repairs we get from Advanced really seem to stand the test of time. They also have a great deal with Enterprise Rental for a loaner if they need to keep your car for more than a day. You can get a loaner for free and Enterprise will even come and pick you up at your house. This is invaluable if you need a car for work, which most people do if they live in the area. We've been using Advanced Auto for many, many years now and feel very confident we are getting good work at a good price. read more

I drove by and saw an Open sign on Saturday and decided to see if someone would be able to help me. The shop actually closed a couple hours before I came by, but Gabriel, the manager, drove in just as I was about to leave. He was able to diagnose my car's issue and fix it in under a minute. Super nice guy, definitely worth going to this place for your auto needs! read more

Sam is the best! He quoted me HALF of what the dealership was going to charge me! He shipped in the right parts for my VW and had everything fixed and ready for me to pick up within 48 hours. I will never take my car anywhere else. Thank you! read more

the owner sam is a hot head. BUYER BEWARE. he hung up on me because his worker scheduled an appt and now he can't honor it. it's the only day I can do it and I had an appt. he made no efforts to fit me in and instead yelled at me and hung up. classy guy, take your business elsewhere read more

I am amazed that this place has so many positive ratings. I suspect they were written by the owners friends. My experience was not so good. I used them, on the recommendation of TireRack to install my tires. I dropped the tires off on a Monday and said no hurry, call me when ready. They called me on Thursday at 8:12am to say the tires were ready. They then called again at 4:02 telling me to pick them up. I was in all day meetings so could not respond. I then got another call at 4:12 from TireRack saying that the owner had asked them to call me because he said that I had left my wheels for over a week, clearly not true. AAC then called me again at 4:13 and left me a threatening message that if I didn't pick up my wheels they would be shipped back to TireRack. Remember this all happened between 8am and 4:13 on the same day while I was in meetings. When I arrived the following day to pick up the tires, from the clearly cramped and over crowded premises, the foreign owner ,Sam, became loud and aggressive telling me that he didn't need my business and I should leave. I paid and left. I am truly amazed to be treated this way. I suspect he is not completely mentally stable. You have been warned. read more

Sam runs a great shop. He is our family's go to mechanic. Everyone on staff is professional and does high quality work. I stopped paying the dealer markup years ago thanks to Advance Auto Clinic and haven't looked back. He stands behind his work and I will confidently recommend Sam to anyone that has an older german car. read more

I apologize it has taken me a month to write the review. I can't tell you enough how pleased I was with the service I received. My car needed a lot of work and I was prepared to hear the worst. I went in knowing it would be at least $900-$1000. Sam called me about an hour after dropping the car off and told me what he thought was wrong, and laughed at how loud the car was, I laughed too, I can't believe I let it get it so bad. So a few hours later I got another call that everything was going smoothly, then a third call...they noticed it was time for an oil change and asked if I wanted one completed while the car was there, I said yes. When I picked up the car Sam told me that he drove it again to make sure all of the work was done correctly, he explained that the vibrations were gone and the steering was much better. My bill was $1112, for front struts, stabilizers, 2 engine mounts, ac belt, alternator belt, oil change, and all the labor. As a first time client I received 20% off of my parts! which saved me about $145. I was very pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the service and personalization that the whole staff gave. I will definitely recommend them, and my father who lives in the area, will now go to them as well. So I'm finally writing the review because in the mail I received a card with my personal access number on it for their website. I can check what work was done on my car, or if they had recommended a service that was not performed, then an appt can be scheduled online. I love this! What mechanic shop does that? Advanced Auto Clinic is a very professional shop, I would highly recommend it! Anne Leonard read more

Sam Cherro, the owner, will smoke a whole cigar in your car for one. Your car will smell like a chimney when you are done with it. These reviews are fake and written by friends. The admin rounds to the nearest 1000 for your estimate depending on what car Sam needs to buy for himself that week. He owns multiple high - end cars and subsidy's this hobby on your bill. I took my car to other shops after Advanced was done taking the car, and they had multiple negative things to say about Advanced and the car once it was done. Take your car here at your own risk read more

Sam and team are always dependable, fast and thorough. Our family has been going here for a long time, and even after moving, I still bring my SUV here. The team is quick to answer questions and set expectations on the work being done. A great team to work with! read more

Been dealing with Advance for a few years now. I drive a '07 MB E350 that is out of warranty and repairs can be costly. Everytime I go in for an oil change or any other repair Sami the owner is always up front about the cost. I've been to many repair shop and they always tell me I need more then what I went in for. I just brought my car in the other day for an oil change, and ask if I shoud replace the battery. He looked at me and said, are you having problems starting my car? I told him no and he said then why buy one. I trust him so much that I recommend him to everyone I know. I even got my brother to bring in all his company trucks to be repaired there. read more

As hard as it is to find car shops you can trust - this one stands out for integrity, quality and reasonable pricing. I have been dealing with these folks for over 10 years with many cars (and a couple of motorcycles). Mercedes, Jeep, Ford, GMC, Harley-Davidson - and have had wonderful experience with all of them.. I would never take my cars any place else! Note: Many times the cost of repairs have been less than what was quoted - these guys are more than fair. read more

Best mechanics - best customer service - never feel ripped off or taken advantage of - super nice, and lastly communicative and what they tell you the cost is, it is! No games! I would recommend them to my 95. Year old grandmother and not worry a bit! read more

DO NOT trust Sam the owner. He ripped me off once and tried again. The first time my car was brought to him, he fixed my timing chain and heads of my Honda CR-V. I paid him 1,500 cash and never receive a receipt as he was a long time "friend" of a friend that trusted him. My car broke down again and was returned to his shop for repairs. Luckily for me I brought my cousin with this time around when picking up the car. In turn I was told the total for the repairs was another 1,000 due to valve replacement. Sam printed out the receipt for the 2nd visit. My cousin looked at this receipt and saw that there was work done on the car that Sam had supposedly done the first time I came. We asked to see the receipt from the first visit, in which the total on it was $653, not the 1500 he had told me it was AND that I had paid him. Not only did he overcharge me the first time, he stole from me and tried to rip me off again! Sam offered to let me drive away with my car if I paid him $500 and "got off his property." He snatched the receipts from my cousin and threaten to call the cops on my cousin for exposing his scam. We ended up giving him the difference of $150. Which was the amount I paid the first time (1500) minus the $653 it actually was, plus the $1000 from today. So I actually overpaid him. And proceeded to tell him to have a wonderful day. Unless you want to be royally screwed over. DONT GO HERE. In regards to his response he is a liar. I had the car two weeks after his repair and brought it back. This guy is a joke and a thief. read more

I've been going to Advanced Auto Clinic for almost 10 years now. I have had many cars - Audi's, BMW's, Land Rovers, etc. and every time I have a problem, I take it to Sam Cherro at Advanced. Not only does he fit me in on my schedule, he's fast. AND he provides loaners. What mechanic does that? I'll tell you - none. And pricing - he's the best. Very affordable to say the least. So, if you're looking for someone you can trust with your second most prized possession, Sam's your man. He even gives you options for new or refurbished parts, if applicable. I can't say it enough, use Sam if you really need good work done. And he's right off the Edens in Wilmette, it doesn't get any easier for access. read more

run ... do not walk to get away from these guys. In fact, I suggest you walk before taking your car to these guys. Over priced. Rude. And those are my nice comments read more

They beat other quotes on major jobs by a large margin. Very honest, very fair. If something isn't repaired correctly, I can return and it's no charge. Super-friendly and helpful. Most places will pad prices on parts and labor. This place stays busy all time. The do not need to squeeze you. read more

Brought car in for some issues with front right tire. They invoiced me to replace the control arm and ball joint on both sides, (or so the receipt says) instead of just the one side for some reason, charging me double. Three months later same sound comes back and I bring the car in to which I am told, "the car is old, it is going to make noises", literally what was said to me when I brought it back. Decided to bring it to another mechanic who informed me that there was no work done on the control arm at all and that was where the noise was coming from, not to mention that driving on it was kind of dangerous. I go back to Advanced where they tell me the work was just for the ball joint when the receipt clearly shows they charged me for labor to replace the control arm and ball joint. I decided I didn't want to deal with them anymore at that point. There are a host of issues here from not being able to diagnose the problem initially to charging me double, to services not rendered and finally and most importantly, putting my life and my family's lives in danger. read more

I took my car to Sam's recently because my car was consuming oil ,was making a loud noise, and needed the right front light changed.A friend of mine told me what the problem was, so I pretty much knew what needed to be done. I told Sam on Monday about the oil problem, the noise, and the light.He told me the car also needed shock absorbers , I also wanted the car to have a tune up . He called it doing a safety check , he told me I did not need tires, he was going to rotate the tires and do the alingment, the cost around 2000 dollars. He told me my car was going to be ready the following day (Tuesday) by 1700. Around 1500 he called the house and spoke to my brother and told him it was going to be ready by 1730.Around 1740 he called to tell me that the car was ready. I arrived there at 1750 to get my car. Sam was in the office and I noticed that the bill was now 2204. He started shouting at one of his employees, and then proceeded to inform me that the brakes needed to be changed. Sam never called me about the brakes, he just did the work on the brakes without my authorization. He told me the car was fine ,he had taken care of the problem. Closing time is 1800. At 1800 I got home and the first thing my brother noticed was that the right front light ( the light that Sam replaced) was yellow in color and not as bright as the left front light. I immediately called Sam and informed him, he did not answer so I left him a message in his answering machine. I drove to work the following day (Wednesday) and I noticed that the light was not as bright and needed to be changed. I called Sam from work the next day around 0930. He told me that he received the message I left in his answering machine but did not want to wake me up. I told him about the light and he asked me "can you see with the light" I said that the light was not as bright, and that my car looked funny with one yellow light and one white light, plus he had charged me 110 dollars for the light plus another 18.79 for shop supplies. I heard him swear on the phone, then he told me to wait a week to see if the light will change color, and if not he will replace it. That day I left work around 1900, it was dark already and I heard the same noise that my car was making, when it was loosing oil. I talked to my brother that night and he asked me to check the oil. I told him that when I get to my parents home, by now Friday, we will check it. I got to my parents home around 2000. On Saturday my brother decided to check the oil. The car had lost at least a quart of oil, and we also noticed that a cover was missing from the car, the one that covers the air filter, now the air filter is visible, before you couldn't see it. and another cover was loose, the screws were missing, they had just placed it on top unsecured. I thank God that the cover did not fall into the belts underneath, my car would have come to an abrupt stop in the expressway, I could have gotten killed. I also noticed that one of the screws of the light he changed was loose. I called Sam immediately and left him a message in his answering machine. My brother is going to take the car back to his shop on Monday. I don't know if Sam felt rushed to finish the work or what, my late father always spoke well of him, but I don't know if I can trust his work anymore. read more