Been going to Lester for almost 4 years with both of our cars. He does fair, honest work and will always squeeze you in for an appointment. He is nice, friendly, and helpful and quite the character! I always look forward to picking up my car and getting to chat. (We've also had great experiences with the guy with a ponytail, whose name escapes me.) We take our cars here regularly for oil changes and inspections and for anything else that might arise. The only thing we've asked for that they couldn't do was switch out winter/summer tires, because they don't have the right lift (or something, idk.) We have had many mechanics try to upcharge, overcharge, or cheat us because they assume we don't know a lot about cars. Lester's is not that way at all. They will not do work they don't think needs to be done and will go out of their way to save you work and money. When they actually do need to do work Lester will walk you through step-by-step what was wrong with the old part and why and how it was fixed. Once I took my car in to have the A/C looked at because it had been making a growling noise the summer before and it was just starting to get hot again. Lester said he and all of his guys drove it around a little bit and couldn't get it to make any noise so they weren't going to charge me anything. He then proceeded to say if I ever heard it again I should just drive by and yell for him to come out and look at it-even if I didn't have an appointment. They also knew of a neighbor with the same make and model as me who had a harmless noise with their A/C and while they were there they kept looking out the window to see if he came home so they could show me. I mean, that's above and beyond! I would highly recommend Lester's to anyone-and I have! read more

He's THE BEST!!! He's the most honest mechanic I have ever had!!! You are not going to find anyone better than Lester. He is like finding a diamond in the mud!!!! Love this guy!!! He's courteous, priced great and will only do what your car needs done. He will not add on made up crap! This is a guy u can trust. read more

Everyone in our family goes to Lester. He does great work and is 100% trustworthy! We definitely recommend him.

So, this is what happened. I went their complaining about a possible over heating and requesting a change of oil. This was my first visit there. They topped off my coolant for free and changed my oil. I had a check engine light on for which I knew the code and was holding off on repairing it. They charged me $20 for reading the check engine light code and turning it off. I didn't want that. I pointed this out on the bill and he said that, its fine, I can just pay for the oil change (~$42). He asked me if I had $42 cash on me. If I did, I could have paid and left a happy customer. But I didn't, so I gave him my card and he went in the back and swiped it for the full price ($42 + $20 + tax). When I was signing the transaction receipt, I told him that he swiped for the full price. This apparently pissed him off a lot, he very rudely handed $20 from his pocket and asked me to "Get out of there" - and walked out. I tried to talk to him and explain my reason of asking - it not being the matter of $20 but of the principle that he said he wasn't going to charge me for what I didn't want. But he wouldn't listen, was very rude and said "You're Done" and "Get out" more times. I left. I ain't going back where they treat customers like that. read more

This is the only place I've ever taken my car and not felt like I was getting ripped off or condescended because I'm a woman with little knowledge of vehicles. Lester takes time (a lot of time lol) to explain everything to you. The work he does is thorough and the price is extremely fair! I've recommended this place to many. read more

I'm not a car girl and Lester couldn't have been more accommodating. I needed an inspection and he was able to take me the same day I called. He's open past 7pm so the evening hours make it convenient to pick up or drop off. Very honest and upfront about the work he did, too...typical Pittsburgher who knows his stuff. Labor was $70/hour and parts were cheaper than other places. Cost me $3 to have a break light replaced. Couldn't have been happier with the quick, honest, convenient service. Lester's the best! read more

These guys are extremely transparent, so I had to hit them with that five star. I had an issue with my throttle on my 2013 Dodge Avenger. I first took it to Butler Street Motorworks, which does a cheap oil change and other things for free, but that changed their price on me the 2nd time I brought it there (telling me it was going to be $800 at first, then $1,500). When I brought it to Lesters they looked at it and were frank with me: because Chevys/Dodge sucks and their electronic throttle systems are shady, they thought no single car repair shop would be equipped to do it ethically unless it was brought to the source, a repair shop at a Chevy/Dodge dealership. They were absolutely correct. Butler Street Motorworks was going to do a shady job for a way more money than the dealership was going to do, and rather than doing likewise to pocket money, Lesters was open with me about my issue. I encourage you to bring your vehicle here. read more

Best auto shop in PGH. Just honest hard working old school car dudes. I took my car to a place that wanted to charge me $600 and a list of things I didn't think needed done such as new breaks when mine were mostly new. Took it to Lester for a second opinion and he talked me out of things the other shop said needed done and went into detail why my car was in good shape. Ended up spending $90 for an inspection instead of $600. I'll be a customer here for life. Just don't expect any BS or fancy treatment. Be a normal nice person and they'll be nice back. This isn't a giant national chain, just some hard working locals. Ignore the 1 star reviews below. They seem like some real jerks and Lester will toss it right back if you are rude. He's the only mechanic I trust because he tells it like it is and won't lie to make a few quick $. read more

I have been a customer at Lesters for a while now, and his shop was always fantastic except for my most recent visit. I brought my car in for just an inspection and oil change & when I showed up to pick it up, I had a bunch of other charges on my bill. They never called me to let me know they were doing anything else. I had 2 filters replaced, a $10 charge for "cleaning and adjusting rear brakes." My dad works on my car (Lester has jokingly offered to hire him in the past because he does such a good job) & I called my dad afterwards & he said "he took me for a ride" & that I didn't need any of the filters right now or anything done with my brakes. This is extremely disappointing because I've always had really good experiences with this shop in the past. My only guess is that now I have a new car, so I was treated differently. I used to have a 10 year old Pontiac & never had these issues with this shop when I had a shitty car. Super disappointing, because he has always been fair and honest in the past & I've never had surprise charges. Not sure that I can come here anymore now. read more

My son and I have taken our cars (a beat-up old Dodge van and an '07 Audi) to Lester for repairs and inspections. They were accommodating and capable on all fronts. Prices are not only reasonable, they do the repairs in whatever way works without unnecessary expense (unlike dealers and other garages that replace rather than fix - which is lots more expensive). As for the few reviewers who fault Lester for being short-tempered, I've never seen ANY evidence of that. This outfit's an honest, reasonably priced, skillful, and most cooperative shop in my experience. They were recommended to me by a local businessman (Tom, at the Framing Gallery in the nearby Ice House), so thank you Tom! read more

For normal maintenance, inspections and other auto related service, check these guys out. I couldn't be happier with my experience. Labor rate was quoted at $65 per hour, which is approx half what it would be at a dealer or some corporate garage. read more

Dude flipped out on me on the phone because I told him I had my brother bring his scanner to a family function to read / look at the cause of my check engine light which this garage adamantly did not have time to look at even though I gave them 3 weeks notice that my inspection was due. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST TAKE IT TO YOUR BROTHER THEN!" and basically told me to go eat a... Well, you get the picture. Wow, I hadn't thought of that.... unfortunately my brother's garage is an hour away vs. 3 blocks away. The dude should not be dealing with customers if that's how he talks to people. I thought the review about the psychotic tendencies was wrong, but, no. read more

Very accommodating, and very informative. I appreciate their willingness to work with you, and to explain their work, plans, questions and concerns. Decent price too. This should be a 3.5 though as they weren't very clear on how long it would take to finish the work. And it kept dragging on and on... read more

The crew here is amazing! They squished me in for a late inspection and had my car back to me that night. Very honest and trustworthy! Extreme well priced! You won't be disappointed!!! read more

Dude just flipped out on me. Super uncooperative and I can't stress this enough to STAY AWAY!!!! No idea what I did to set him off other than taking an extra couple of days to come get my car. He's apparently closing soon, good riddance!! read more

Good people, good work, very reasonable prices. They let you bring your own parts and don't give you BS.

I called in for a last minute state and emission inspection and they took me in. All together it came to around $99 and they didn't try to sell me on anything crazy. read more

No complaints about the repairs to my car but have to say I never in my entire life was treated so RUDELY by the owner!! The anger and rage was borderline scary. Numerous times I've seen him throw his phones and break them in pieces in front of other customers!!! Someone has a serious anger problem there!! I would never ever take my car there again nor would I recommend it. The inappropriate anger and rudeness was way beyond what any customer should expect - just for asking a question. No thank you!! Never again! read more

I've been taking my car here for a few years, thanks to a recommendation from someone who grew up in the neighborhood. As far as I can tell, they are found by word of mouth and treat customers well. I've always found the guys here to be kind and helpful. I honestly don't think they do unnecessary things in order to charge you more money. I've never felt like I've been ripped off, which was my experience with every other place I've been in the past. There are a few things they can't do because they don't have the proper tools or equipment or something. When that happens, I just ask where they would recommend and the places they've sent me on a few occasions were also great. If Lester ever retires/closes the garage (fingers crossed that it's no time soon!), I'll know a few other local places that I know I can trust because they were recommended by Lester's. read more