I had an appointment for tires installation along with my bf (2 cars), the guy at the front desk told me immediately "just one" without even asking if we had appointment, my bf needed the installation faster since h works with his car and his tires were really bad, his installation was okay and fast, but the treat to me was really bad, they didn't had a line waiting or offer me another time for my installation, just a simple and rude "NO, just one car" I'm never coming back to this place!!! read more

I had my brakes done here about 6 months ago and was happy with the service and pricing. Today I stopped into to get an estimate to repair a rattle that was occurring somewhere under my car. $750. I was told I needed a new catalytic converter. That didn't sound right- I had no indicator lights suggesting there was a problem. So, I took it to Ozco Repair at 2735 W. Lawrence, a shop I had used for a tire problem. They told me it was a loose heat shield and charged me $60. They also topped off my fluid and checked my tire pressure. If my catalytic converter goes kablooey in the next month, I'll amend this post. In the meantime, I do not ever plan to return to Cax X at 5150 N.Western Ave. AMENDMENT: Bob called me immediately after I posted this review to invite me to return to the shop so he could explain/ show me the issue he saw as a concern with the converter. I appreciate his prompt and courteous response. read more

I am coming to count Bob and the folks at Car-X among my friends. Consistently kind, quick, and courteous, Bob and the team are exceptional at what they do. I'm always well taken care of and trust them with my car, and I'll trust them with my next one too. read more

I worked with Bob Malek and he was great with customer service. Another shop made an error on my vehicle and he had nothing but a yes mentality to fix it. He explained the process in details and provided a very reasonable price quote for the additional work I needed. I am extremely happy with their service read more

Car-X Tire & Auto - Car-X on Western and Foster in Chicago - Auto Repair Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have been to this Car-X location several times for things like flat tires, burnt out headlamps, oil changes etc. and I cannot say enough how thankful I am for them. As a woman I've had more than my fair share of mechanics try to upsell me to replace unnecessary things on my car in an effort to get me to spend me hoping I won't understand (as a woman). These guys have NEVER done that, the services I receive are always the services I've come in for. Prices are extremely reasonable and I feel confident coming in here knowing I'm not being taken advantage of. Thank you guys! That peace of mind is astronomical. read more

I have been coming to this location for many years because of the honest, fair priced service I get 100% of the time. Bob is one of the best in the business. He knows his stuff and never tried to over sell anything. Always fair and HONEST! Please give these guys your business. You will not be disappointed. read more

I can't say enough great things about this place, but especially about Bob. He was incredibly helpful and professional from start to finish. He didn't try to upsell me on things I didn't need. He exudes confidence in an honest and reassuring way. He trouble-shooted with my car and its pesky tire pressure light above and beyond in an effort to prevent me from unnecessary spending. Everyone I came into contact with was friendly and courteous. And service was so fast! Prompt communication. I am grateful to live only a few blocks away from this location! read more

Went here for a brake job. Only a front brake job, pads and rotors. I was called to the back and the mechanic pointed to my car on the lift and said " you have to replace entire tailpipe because it will fall off soon." Really... he said " you need this today and it's $2200.00." 'Right do the brakes I have to get back to you on this." I immediately call my mechanic, he tells me to come over after he gets back from work (McGrath Acura). He looks at it and tells me there is nothing wrong, it just looks rusty from the Chicago winter and salt. I can change it all for you it will cost 1400.00 but you don't need it, leave it alone. What if I just trusted him and did as he suggested? Needless to say it was my last visit. read more

Great service and fast! Love going there, easy appointment scheduling too! Definitely recommend for anyone

I live around the corner and have taken my car here a few times - they work so fast that I've usually missed a call from them by the time I walk home! The owner Bob is incredibly kind, dependable, and explains in basic terms what's wrong. The prices are more than fair/reasonable and the team is always willing to do anything I ask (replacing wiper blades and fluid on top of an oil change and brake replacement). Could not ask for a better neighborhood shop! read more

We had two nails in our tires and were worried we wouldn't find a place with spots that didn't close at noon on a Saturday. Car X is opened later than most on Saturday's and they patched our tires in less than an hour for a great price. We'll be coming back for sure. read more

We will not be bringing our car back here. Came here to have our front control arms replaced in August and fast forward a few months our transmission died on our car. Another mechanic found the problem and said the only way this could have happened was when they did this repair at Car X. We have been fighting with them for months to pay for the transmission repair that we had done elsewhere for $3200 and they will not take responsibility for their mistake. I would definitely not recommend this place and we will still keep fighting with them until we get this resolved. read more

Manager Bob is very friendly and knowledgeable. They do great work, pretty quickly, call you back when they say they do, competitive priced. If you need anything done with tires and an oil change, this is the spot. read more

Had a tire blowout on the way to work. Bob was extremely friendly, fast, and helped find the right tire for the right price. Prompt communication and had my car ready in a couple hours. Thanks! read more

I am an Uber-Lyft driver, and my car needs to be in top condition for my safety and the safety of my passengers. CarX in Western and Foster is my place to go. Today I will get new tires for my Prius C. For $500, I get top-quality products, and I am confident they will do an excellent job installing them because I never had a problem. Every day I see blown tires on the road. I never had that problem. I recommend CarX in Western and Foster; Bob will care for you and your car problems. read more

Very fair and professional staff and business. I have a '97 Camry with an engine light on and I don't want to put a lot of money into it due to its age and worth. Lots of other mechanics and shops wanted $100+ just to look at it. Car-X listened to me and kindly offered to do a full diagnostic and physical examination of the car for FREE. I dropped it off the next morning and within a couple hours they called me to let me know what they'd found. They didn't pressure me to do any repairs or try to sell me anything I didn't need. I felt they were honest and transparent which I really appreciated. read more

Honest. No Scam. No BS. Went in for an estimate on my muffler. It was very loud and trying to sound like a race car. The manager threw my car up on the lift and showed me what was bad and what was good! The part that was broken & rusted off he said they can cut that part off and weld a new piece there for $90. The other piping was still strong & sturdy and that the rust i asked about on the muffler was only the on the shield (outer layer) and the actual muffler was still in good shape!! I was out of there in 45 minutes. My first estimate from the Velazquez muffler guys said 2-3 hours and $350 for the whole job, he said the entire piping was bad, the muffler was rusted and the obvious part that was broken/rusted off (which was the only true problem) Sooooo happy I got a second opinion at CarX!! Thank you guys a million times! Highly recommended!! read more

Always super efficient, honest, and accommodating. I have been coming here for years for oil changes and they never disappoint. Highly recommend for the area. read more

There's an auto shop I've been going to for many years: Car X at Foster and Western. Bob Malek, the Manager is a man of integrity - very honest and competent. He has proven to be beyond reproach. His well-trained crew do the actual work. I was having trouble starting my car last week and his team determined that I needed a new alternator and a new battery, which they installed. However, later that evening my car failed to start again, but it did start the next morning (it was hit or miss), so I brought it in once more. They checked out the newly-installed alternator and found that for some unknown reason it had burned out, so they put in yet another alternator. Bob thought the previous one was defective for some reason or that a guy may have dropped it, but hoped that this other one would be good. If it didn't start again I'd have to take it to the dealer for a diagnostic because it could be an electrical issue and Car X didn't have the equipment to do that. Fortunately, the new alternator is working just fine and my car has been starting with no problem. I highly recommend Bob and his team. read more

One star minus one = ZERO stars I will never again go to this CarX as long as I live. I specifically asked for a heavier grade of oil for my old and smoky car. They put regular oil in, then refused to replace it with the correct oil, though I was willing to pay for the more expensive oil. Worse than that, I asked them to check my belt and they said it was worn and needed replacing. I looked at it, agreed, and said fine, do it. They put in a belt that was the WRONG size; too big. Can you imagine what that did to my alternator? I ended up having to be towed, and had to replace the alternator (but not at their shop, of course) at considerable expense. I complained, but they were indifferent. Each CarX is independently owned and operated, so it's no reflection on other CarX locations. This CarX SuX. read more

One star & that is generous! I have gone here on many occasions for minor car repairs & oil changes and have been generally pleased with their service--but NO MORE! Recently my car started acting up--it kept chugging every time I stepped on the accelerator & the speedometer was going crazy. When I tried to reverse out off a parking spot--it would not budge. So, I headed quickly over to this CarX--explained what was happening & they looked at my and said it sounds like you need a new tranmission. My car only have 73,000 miles on it!!! Anyhow, I left it there so they can look at it--well about an hour later==they called & said--you need a new transmission & quoted me $1,600 for it--my heart sank into my stomach. Truth be told, I dont even think they looked at it. Well, I decided to think about it & went to pick up my car. I then remembered that a friend of mine just finished his mechanic courses & I gave him a call. He came over looked at my car--and immediately said--it isn't your transmission. He took it to the shop he works for & they ran a complete work up & you know what it was?!?!? A fuse had blown!!! So, he replaced it, and the total cost for the diagnostic, the fuse replacement and labor--$200. It has been running great ever since. SO--I am NEVER going to this Carx again!!! What a rip off!!! read more

Do NOT trust these guys I had gone to these guys a couple times for basic maintenance (eg oil changes and an alternator). They always seemed very pleasant and patient, but I made the mistake of trusting them to take care of my good friend (who is female) and they took total advantage of her. She needed a battery installed - I even called ahead and asked them to just install the battery that I had bought for her. They ended up not only refusing to install the battery that they had agreed to do over the phone, but charged her twice as much for a battery, plus labor AND convinced her she needed a new alternator.... that I HAD JUST REPLACED THE YEAR PRIOR. Total crooks - push your car to the mechanic down the road before taking your vehicle here. read more

Here is my first review from Dec 2010. I have two things to say about my experience at this Car-X. 1) I came in with a flat tire. They found a screw in it and plugged the hole for $20. And I was out of there. So I went away happy. 2) But. The mechanic tried to tell me that I needed a new tire b/c there was a previous plug in that same tire. Which makes zero sense. I told him to just fix the flat. He was obviously trying to cheat me. Beware of this place. Don't trust them at all. I won't go again. read more

Since our normal place was closed and we needed an oil change asap, I looked up the next closest place, which was Car-X. I usually like the independent auto service places since they are usually honest and cheaper. I told them about the $19.99 oil change coupon online, so they gave that to me. The guy at the counter was really nice and friendly, so they get a star for that. We came to pick up the car after about an hour, and the mechanic had us come take a look at the struts that he said were about to break. It was really hard to see anything, but he said if they weren't replaced, it would eventually break and our tire would blow out. His estimate was $540. We said we'd think about it, and went home to do some research. We called around to a few other places, and found somewhere that would do it for only $350! So we took our car there, and had them look at it, and they came out to say that they didn't even need replacing! What?? Car-X is definitely just looking to make some $$. I hate that you can't just take your car in for a regular oil change and not be scared into getting something else fixed. read more

Crooks! What scheisters!! I really wish I had read these reviews beforehand, although I have been here once or twice before with seemingly good results... come to think of it, I had to reset my own check engine light after their last oil change so never mind. What a miserable experience! The only time I could go in to use my $29 groupon for an oil change, safety inspection, new wiper blades, and tire rotation (not bad!) was before work at 7am. In my morning fog, I allowed the mechanic to conjole me into not needing the tire rotation because the "better tires are already on the front." I later asked my mechanic friend and he said, yeah, total bullshit. Always get the tires rotated. Secondly, the groupon was only for two "regular" sized blades, and even though one of my blades is ridiculously SHORTER, I got charged an extra $6. So, yeah, I got screwed for $35 for an oil change and 2 (of the three needed) blades. What weezly, lazy, jerks. Never again!! read more

CarX has fixed a couple tires on my husband's car, and put in new brakes on mine. Quick service, nice folks, price is right.

These guys will try to scam you! I had a broken exhaust pipe and they fixed it fine. I went here to buy tires and they gave me tires with no bs. Then the next time I come back, I needed 2 valve stems replaced as the back 2 had rusted from a crappy aluminum cap I bought, and couldn't get them off. Which was my mistake, I thought they were stainless steel and wouldn't rust. It seemed like a simple in and out job for not a big cost. The back 2 had metal sensors, the front 2 were rubber and were fine, I had check them the day before. I could get off the front 2 caps by hand no problems. I tried to cut one of the back ones off, and it had a deep visible scar. I also got coupon from their store in the mail for a free tire rotation. It said FREE tire rotation, and if you need an alignment $20 off alignment. So I get into the shop, and the guy wont honor his coupon from his own shop, saying I have to buy more service to get the free rotation. I'm not sure if the guy was just having a bad day or what. So I had to argue with him to get him to honor his own coupon! Then later they bring me back to my car and say they rotated all my tires and I need new value stems for all my tires. And showed me the back one I cut as an example. When I knew damn well that was the back one that I had told him to replace, he tried to say it had been moved from the front, to confuse me. He was just trying to scam me out of $70 and I had to argue with him, and I eventually called his bluff and he charged me for the work that was needed. I'm just so sick of these dam sleazy car guys trying to scam you for BS, when you know what is needed. I feel sorry for the women that don't know alot about cars that come in here. And I was going to come back to spend far more money on new tires, but now I'll take my business elsewhere! I just want them to do the work that is needed and not scam and BS you! read more

Recently and inexplicably, I discovered that my front license plate was dangling dangerously off the front of my car. I do live in the city, so I suppose someone might have unsuccessfully tried to steal it, but in either case, it was dangerously close to falling off. I've been really busy lately and hadn't had time to address it immediately, but knew it couldn't wait too long. So, on Tuesday at about 10:45am, I was on my way to the airport, and decided to quickly pop in to this Car X to see if they could help. They got on it right away, and in about 5 minutes it was all fixed. When I pulled out my wallet? "No, No, don't even worry about it." What?? So naturally, I pulled a $10 out of my wallet and tried to find the guy that did the work, and he wouldn't take it. After 5 minutes or so of arguing I gave up...but will take my car in for other things. Good people. Thanks, guys. read more

I have my own mechanic that i got to for most things, but he doesnt replace tires, so i was forced to find someone that does. After calling around the city, i found the best price was this CarX so went in. The wait was longer than i had anticipated, but cant really hold the fact that they were busy, against them. The waiting area has really comfortable seats/couch and a TV, so i was good... Once my car got up in the air, the mechanic brought me out and showed me my shocks, struts and brake pads and informed me what I need to do and when. I wasnt aware i needed work done, and will go back to my mechanic of course, but this guy was very cool and took the time to explain everything to me. Finally, i talked to the manager, Bob, when checking out and he was also very cool and open to explain the issues with my ride. I have a 'hookup' for parts, so he gave me some #s of prices with/without parts. I've never used CarX before, but this experience @ this store kept my opinions on the positive side. I think all the negative feedback is more directed @ the industry than this shop. Cars are ALWAYS being a pain to us, so we need a scapegoat and people are just using the store. Hey, i've only been here once, but would go back again if need be! read more

Not sure why this location has two listings, but I think it would be helpful for my experience to be posted on both - here is what I posted last year regarding my experience there. I brought my car here last spring to use the oil change, tire rotation and wiper blade deal I'd purchased on groupon. The front desk manager was nice enough. About 45 minutes after I dropped the car off, I received a call that the car needed new brakes. This didn't sound right to me, so I told them to just take care of the oil change. The next weekend, I took the car out to my regular mechanic in the suburbs who told me I had plenty of life left on my brakes. I'm glad I went with my gut on this one and got a second opinion! read more

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions- but my opinion could not be any more on the other end of the spectrum than some of these reviews. I have been going to Carx for about 10 years. I have never had a bad experience. I generally go between the location on Western & the location on Ashland. I have done many different services here- I have gotten my brakes fixed, I have gotten my air conditioning boosted, and I have had my tires replaced! Not to mention the convenience of my in and out oil changes! Bob (the manager at the Western location) is always up front and honest with his diagnosis and always prompt with calling me PRIOR to any work being done on my car. (as I drop my car off). IT GETS BETTER- I just found out the location on Irving Park offers the emmission tests!!!! I did have to make an appointment with the 800 number- but it was awesome to not have to sit at the seedy place I normally had to go to get my emmission tested! KUDOS TO CARX! I will be back for sure! read more

I live on Foster less than a block away from this location and can't believe I have been living here for over a year without realizing what is right next door! I have a 2002 BMW and any car at that age will need small fixes often. In the last three weeks I have needed two tire patches, a new headlight, a synthetic oil change and a new battery. With each visit I knew my diagnosis/financial quote in under an hour and my car was ready for pick up in under two hours. Not only that but the customer service is OUTSTANDING. I highly recommend this location for anyone that needs a quick fix on routine maintenance at a fair price with amazing customer service. read more

Simply the most honest place in town. The owner, Bob has done me right for years. I would never take my car anywhere else!

The guys on Western and Foster did my oil change and rear brakes, and were quick, pleasant and reasonably priced. What puts them in the five star club: I asked them if they could pop out a dented bumper, fully expecting them to refer me to a body shop. But they did it, saying "no problem." Great experience. read more

Let me start of by saying that I live on the same block as this Car-X. This is the 2nd time I've there and it's as good as it gets. The owner is honest and genuine. Great communication and they are FAST. I have a buddy that owns his own repair shop in the burbs so I go there often but have over the years always searched for a trustworthy shop with competitive pricing. I can't speak for other car-x's but I can speak for this one and I would not hesitate to go here. As far as the other negative reviews , I feel like other people often think they know more about cars then they really do. I've always had used cars so I know that once you fix one thing , something else is bound to happen sooner or later that needs to be fixed. Just The way it works. read more

I underwent wheel alignment in Jan. Same problem occurred in July. So I called them again, and they told me to bring it in. I came in to hear that they have 90-day policy, so they charged me full price at the end. In the receipt, there's a list of unnecessary problems I "should have fixed". With this receipt, I can't fight my battle even if it is their fault for my car's malfunction within a year. NEVER GO HERE! read more

WARNING! DON'T EVER GO TO THIS PLACE FOR ANY WORK. Make sure you read all the negative reviews before you read the positive reviews and you'll see what I'm talking about. I first started going here because my father in-law sold me his car and said this was where he would go to get it serviced. I've been coming to the shop only to get oil changes for the past year or so. But recently, the car has been having some mechanical issues: had to have all four tires replaced (luckily I did not purchase from this shop), muffler, exhaust, new belt and adjustment. My first concern about the competency of the shop was when I brought the car in regarding low brake fluid. Bob said it might be because of a leak. After putting in dye (to see if the brake was leaking fluid) they could not figure it out. Good thing I did some research and discovered that the problem was a potential leakage to the brake booster. I later came to the conclusion that these guys didn't know what to look for or what they were doing. I came back to have a wheel alignment and the car is still out of alignment after three alignments. When I told them the car was still out of alignment after the second time (showed them a video I'd taken with my cell phone while driving) they said it was fine after doing another alignment. The car is now more out of alignment than ever. They recently put in refrigerant for the air conditioner and didn't say there was any problem with the compressor. When I started the car two days after the refrigerant was put in (on idle) the car was vibrating very loudly and making funny noises. I brought the car in and after they put it on the rack told me I needed a new compressor. Told me it was an urgent problem. Even offered me a lift home, that's how bad the problem was! Cost: $1,200. He (Bob) was really insistent I leave the car and that it would be ready by the next day, but that it was unsafe to drive home in the condition it was in. If it smells like shit, chances are it is. Always trust your instincts! I told him I had to take the car back home but would return later. Went to another dealership instead and got a second opinion. Nothing wrong with the compressor. In fact, the vibration had stopped after as I was on my way to the other shop. When I talked to Bob a couple of days later and told him I went to a few shops to get the compressor checked out and that none of the shops found any problems, he didn't have a viable explanation. I told him how the vibration had stopped after leaving his shop. He told me his guy "...sprayed something on the compressor" when he had the car up on the rack (he never told me this while I was waiting for the results of his findings) and that was the reason the car was no longer vibrating when I left his shop. But he was adamant about the fact that I would eventually have a major problem. He tried to explain that he did nothing wrong but that if I was dissatisfied he'd be willing to offer three free oil changes to keep my business. But I wasn't buying it. I flat out told him I would not be coming back to do business and told him to check out his Yelp reviews instead as he could really learn a lot. Told him he's losing customers that have never walked into his shop. The fact that he didn't inform me about what his mechanic did to reduce the vibration on the day I brought the car in for inspection regarding the vibration, infuriates me and only brings me to the conclusion that if I did pay out, chances are I would have paid for some 'spray' with no work having been done at all. "...sprayed something on the compressor." Really? So let me tell you: This guy Bob at Car-X, slick as an oil change and probably one of the nicest guys you might think you've ever run into--got an answer for everything. But don't be fooled. When he's finished with you, he'll leave you with a bill (for services you may or may not have needed), a smile and look that says, "Look forward to doing business with you again soon. Have a nice day!" You've been warned. read more

I love these guys. When my wife had a bad experience with a (well reviewed) local auto shop with a rack and pinion install, I sent her to these guys. They helped her figure out the things the other guys did wrong -- this involved multiple trips. Most of the help in that situation was done free of charge as an ancillary service to other minor repairs like an oil change. These guys did not need to go the extra mile, but they did. My wife got taken advantage of by the other shop and got free, caring, respectful advice here. My last experience here was when my Prius battery died. I called them and they said they could not get the battery in the time frame I needed. They were able to tell me which AutoZone to go (that night) to that had the battery in stock. They charged me just $25 to install it and were flexible about their closing time to accommodate my mad rush to the AutoZone. But back to my wife's problem. We spent a lot of $ on a job THE OTHER GUYS MESSED UP. We had to take it in to the other guys 3 times to get it right. Please understand that CAR X could have just sold us a repair. But more importantly: the other shop had been stonewalling us about the repair before. The other shop would not have made it right without the knowledge this Car X shop gave us. We were able to prove their mistakes. Multiple people at this Car X (from the owner on down to multiple mechanics) cared about the fact that we spent a lot of money on a bad repair, and unlike most other shops, didn't just want to take more of our money to fix the other guys' mistakes. That to me demonstrates their true integrity. I stand behind them 100%. read more

Just wanted to continue my praise for this location. I have been coming here for six years now and they have been a critical part of my repairs and driving safety concerns. I have recommended them to my friends, and every one of them has told me of their positive experiences here. I just got a new car, and will continue to use these fine gentleman as my pit crew. If you are looking for honest and excellent service, these are the guys to trust your car to. read more

First, I believe it's always tough to trust a car repair place because it's always expensive and you never really are sure if they are doing what really needs to be done. However, my litmus test for a good mechanic is if I know what the problem is and they come back with the right prognosis. In addition, if they advise against getting something done, it's also a good sign. In one case, I took my car in to have the brakes looked at. I could literally see that the front rotors needed replacement and were making noise. I also knew that the rear brakes were ok because I took them apart and they looked good. When I took the car in, they told me that I could get all the brakes done but really only the front ones needed work. In another case, I was told not to get a repair because they knew I wasnt keeping the car long and it wouldnt be worth the expense. I've had tires plugged, brakes repaired and difficult headlights replaced. Bob at the front desk always treats me right and while I still have trouble trusting any car repair place 100%, they are as close as I can get to trusting someone. read more