Since my last review Jim (Anderson) has sold the place to Ryan, a longtime employee at Andersons. This happens often in family owned businesses, and in this case it worked out great. Ryan continues Jim's commitment to doing excellent work and helping customers maintain their automobiles at reasonable prices. More than once Ryan has told me that I'd save money taking my car elsewhere to a place that had the tools to do it. One minor change is that Ryan no longer wants to do oil changes as the costs of having so many different brands and grades of oil in the shop had become prohibitive. He'll do them, but he wants something like $50 as he now goes to the store to buy the oils you want to use. That said, he's always been extremely honest and affordable whenever we've had repairs done there. It's still called Anderson's ( and Jim even occasionally is to be found there when things are busy), but under Ryan it remains an excellent repair shop. ___________ Old Review Below_____________ Anderson's is a small, unimpressive looking auto repair business on Country Fair in Champaign, between Springfield and John Streets. But they have earned my trust and become my go-to repair shop. Jim Anderson, the original owner is not around as much after he retired, but he made sure the shop is in good hands and he is around the shop from time to time to work on cars and check on things. I am not sure if he sold the business or simply hired more workers since he retired. In any event, the important point is that they are scrupulously honest and highly competent. If there is a repair beyond their ability they will let you know immediately and not try to fix it themselves For example, they don't do body work. I've never had a problem with their work, never had to bring a car back, and always found their prices reasonable, even low. More than once I've taken a car in and they tell me the fix is unnecessary or much smaller than I expected. Recently I took my van in because the brakes were squealing whenever I depressed the pedal. Expecting that I needed a brake job or rotors, I was told that when they took the wheel off they noticed the brakes had a lot of life in them but had visible rust and dirt. Their recommendation, drive the car more often; it got rusty because it sits so much of the time. He recommended that riding the brakes for a mile would be a really quick cure and wouldn't hurt anything, and he was right! He could have sold me an expensive brake job, but instead he solved the problem with no charge, not even for his time! He will always ask if you want the expensive fix or if you want the "good enough" fix when one exists. As far as I can tell, using him for ten years now, he's never sold me unneeded repairs. Even my wife feels comfortable taking her car to him without me accompanying her. He doesn't treat women any differently than he treats men. He won't take advantage of women or young people either. That said, I'm not sure I would take a car to him if I needed a transmission rebuild or something really specialized. My hunch is it would be OK, but I have no experience with this kind of major repair (knock on wood!). If I need one, I'll ask if he can do it, but I can say for certain that he can or cannot do such repairs. His prices, even for "expensive jobs," are always really good. Better than any other place I've found. Much better than dealerships, but that is no great feat. But his prices are always better than other independent garages I've been to. A lot of my friends use Rick's Auto in campustown, and I've used him too. Karch runs a fine shop, but Anderson's matches their quality at a much better price. All in all, I think you should feel good taking your car to Andersons. They'll do a great job and they will tell you if you should take it elsewhere. read more

"I've been bringing all 4 of my vehicles to Anderson Automotive for quite some time now, and I can honestly say he is hands down one of the best mechanics around. Not only is he incredibly skilled and knowledgeable, but he's also honest and transparent, which is something you don't see often these days. The labor rates are fair, and I always feel like I'm getting the best value for the work that's done. He takes the time to explain any issues and is never pushy about unnecessary repairs. If you're looking for a mechanic you can trust, I highly recommend Andersons Automotive. you won't be disappointed! read more

I am so relieved to find a god repair shop. The corporate auto mechanics who would sell you blinker fluid if they thought they could get away with it are a dime a dozen. I took my truck to Anderson's after being referred to them from Yelp and they did not disappoint. Needed my air conditioner fixed and was told by the dealer that it would be about $400. I also needed ball joints replaced and the dealership told me it would be $325. The air conditioning was around $150. After I drove home from the first repair, which was my air conditioning, I noticed that only one of the settings worked. When I told them about this, they informed me that they forgot to look at another part that was causing part of the issue with the air. They only charged me for the part when I came to get the ball joints fixed. The total bill to complete the air conditioning fix and the ball joints was $250.05. This place is honest, fair in their prices, and they will make it right if they make a mistake. read more

I drive old vehicles which periodically need repairs that I can't do myself. Anderson's reminds me of the garage my dad used to take his cars to years ago.. it's a small place, doesn't look impressive from the outside, but they do good work and for a decent price. They'll check the simple solutions first and will call you with a cost estimate before making any repairs once they know what is needed. Their estimates have all been accurate or even slightly higher than the eventual total cost. Update: Just another example of how they won't rip you off here... I took my truck in for what I thought was a major problem, expected it to cost a lot to fix. It turned out the problem was minor (and was caused by something I did wrong myself the last time I worked on it). They did a temporary fix to make it driveable again, told me what to do to permanently correct the problem, and only charged me $35 labor. And while I'm sure they had a good laugh at the dumb thing I did to cause the issue (I would have), they didn't do it in front of me. :) read more

My wife's car battery died and Anderson Automotive worked her car in the same day despite being booked into the following week. They had it replaced in 20 minutes. At her last service they had warned us that her battery was at the end of its life, we chose to wait (our mistake). Same price for this emergent and rapid service as had been quoted a few months prior. I wish they were bigger but Anderson Automotive keeps it small and personal. In short from panicked telephone call from my wife with a dead car full of children at 2 pm to a running car at 4:30 pm. Including the time it took to get it towed. read more

So glad to find this shop based on the Yelp review-fixed the a/c in my daughter's car-he quoted me a price much lower than I was told at the other shops I called. The problem wasn't the compressor (was what we thought & asked for estimate to replace) but some kind of relay that had gone bad. He was able to order the part & fix it within 2 days for a very reasonable (& much lower) cost. I was impressed by how honest & fairly we were treated-a different shop would have charged tor the first repair (but not do it) & tell me the other part was also needed at an extra charge. 10 of 10, would highly recommend! read more

These guys are awesome! We were traveling through Champaign in our rv and a warning light came on in our tow car that we couldn't fix. The Honda dealer wanted to charge us an arm and a leg JUST to diagnose the problem. Who knows what they would have charged us to actually work on it. After seeing the great reviews for Anderson Auto we thought we had nothing to lose by giving them a try. They diagnosed the problem right away and it turned out to be nothing. They did find a problem with our battery, put in a new one, and we were on our way at a very reasonable cost. It's hard to find places like this any more with honest, hard working people, who don't try to take advantage of you, knowing they will never see you again. They have renewed my faith in the human spirit. THANK YOU!! Honesty and integrity are two rare qualities alive and well at this location. read more

I feel lucky to find the shop based on the Yelp review! They helped me to fix my car (with the broken rear mount) with much lower cost than I was quoted elsewhere! They are very efficient and trustworthy. read more

I have been going to Jim Anderson for auto repairs for over 15 years and have complete trust in his work. They are competent, reliable, honest and offer fair pricing. Over the years I have referred many friends and family members to Anderson Automotive and have never heard anything but compliments for their work. read more

My son's car broke down when he was home for a visit. They fit him and charged a very reasonable price. You can trust Anderson's!

As others have said do not let the outside appearance fool you. The inside is well organized and run very professional. We called about an electrical issue on a taillight and the mechanic was very professional and had an idea of what was most likely the problem. Once we arrived he help us gave us an idea of how long it would take and called us when it was finished. It was ready when promised and he explained what he had found. The customer service this young man gave was top notch along with the excellent service. I would not hesitate to come back. read more

Wouldn't it be nice if you could have your automobile worked on by someone you can trust. Someone that only fixes what is broke. I have complete trust in Anderson Automotive. I know they will get the job done right the first time. Reasonable rates, top notch mechanics. Honest. Dependable. They will explain what needs to be done in a language that you can understand. What more can you ask! read more

Seriously overcharged on parts. The labor estimate was fair. I bought my own parts and had a local guy due the work.