Because he is a one-man garage, he can be busy sometimes. Nonetheless, he communicates well and relatively quickly. He does good work.

My son, a student at U of I, had a sudden problem with his car (a Nissan). I looked up the closest dealer and saw they were not getting very good reviews. I looked up local repair shops and saw Average Joe had great reviews. I called ahead and Joe pretty much had it figured out before my son even got his car there. He fixed it in no time and charged what I thought was a fair price. If my son has any other issues with his car while he's at school, I'm definitely sending him back to Average Joe. read more

I left several phone messages about getting our old Mercedes serviced and the alternator tested, and never got a reply.

Average Joe is great. I'm a college student at uiuc and i needed a quick not crazy expensive repair done in order to go to work , school , etc. He first of all fit me into his busy schedule, then explained everything, even transferred my car over to another body shop and now my car is amazing. He also is extremely worth the price- which was very reasonable. 100% coming back. read more

Joe was very clear about pricing and what the repair would be. We talked about needing to do the timing chain along with the water pump on my Ford edge. He did it for a really good price and the quality of work has been great. Drove it halfway across the country within two weeks no issues at all. read more

Good help from trauma of accident. Very nice women and men. Informative good explanations read more

Have a kid at UIUC that needed at honest repair. After reading other reviews I contacted Joe who did the necessary work for a fair price. Would absolutely use him again. read more

Joe Patton is far from average. He's very kind, takes the time to explain everything in layman's terms, and he doesn't treat a woman like a dumb girl. Ladies- you know what I'm talking about! I'd give 10 stars if I could. He's the best mechanic in town. Reasonable rates and wait times, an absolute pleasure to work with. read more

How do you know a mechanic is trustworthy? When their advice to you makes them no money, when it would have been easy to lie and make $$$. My 2011 Mazda's subframe completely failed while driving, due to a recall I wasn't made aware of. I had it towed to Average Joe's because it was the closest to the break down with good reviews. Joe was really quick at looking at it, and giving a quote. It was a very high number, but not unfair, considering the extensive and severe damage. He was honest enough to suggest that it may not be financially wise to put that much into fixing an older vehicle, and it might be better to part it out, which I appreciate. After hearing from another Mazda owner that it was under a recall, Joe was able to help confirm the details. He gave a tentative estimate for some of the damage that may not be covered under the recall, and indicated I might get some pushback from the dealership (He was correct, they were a pain). He went out of his way to meet us when the tow truck came to take it to the dealership. After 3 months, I finally got Mazda to cover the repairs. However, the cost (not to me, thankfully) was about 40% more than Joe's original quote. If I had been paying out of pocket, it would have been to Joe. The dealership noticed some other unrelated issues, but I declined, and I'm bringing it back to Joe, this time and every other time I need service for as long as I live in town. Good mechanics that care more about quality and honesty than exploitative profit are worth more than gold. I hope he gets enough business to make better money than corporately owned mechanics that pay their staff poverty wages while charging customers whatever they can get away with. read more

Joe was the best mechanic I have had the honor to take my car to. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and quick. Unfortunately, I was leaving Champaign which is why I needed an oil change, I only wish I can find such a great mechanic in my new area. Thank you Joe for great service I recommended you to all my friends still in town! If you're in CU area and have a vehicle that needs some work, please go here. Especially if you're new in town. All students undergraduate or graduate, this is the place to go! read more

This is such a responsible, professional and friendly auto shop. You might need to call and schedule a visit because Joe's usually quite busy. But he sure gets your car fixed well!!! read more

I called Joe based on the positive reviews and a recommendation from a friend. Joe was kind enough to squeeze me in for an oil change the day before I was driving my car out of town, even though he was booked up. He called me prior to starting any work, explained what he would be doing, and was just overall kind and thorough. At no point did I feel like he was talking down to me or trying to upsell me just because I'm a woman, as I have experienced 99% of the time with mechanics or service stations. His prices are fair and he does good work. I'll definitely be going back to Joe for future service. read more

Getting my car worked on by Joe was a great experience. I was able to get my flex pipe fixed in no time, and was able to get an honest opinion regarding another part that I was interested in fixing later on. Affordable, great work! Will definitely come again when needed! read more

Joe is amazing at what he does. He explained everything about the repairs needed for my car and was very responsive when I initially contacted his business. If you're looking for a reliable place for car maintenance which is reasonable in terms of price, I would recommend Joe's place. read more

First time at Joe's but I will be a regular customer from here on out. Joe is reliable, humble, courteous, and knowledgeable. An honest mechanic and independent business owner like Joe is such an asset to the community. I think I would especially recommend him to people who maybe don't know cars that well and feel like they might be taken advantage of or talked down to at other places. Joe is not that kind of guy. Very highly recommend! read more

I went to Joe for a basic oil change. When the car before mine took longer than expected it left me without a car for an entire afternoon; but Joe offered me a ride home during his lunch break so I didn't have to wait around all day. So kind of him! He serviced my vehicle well and provided customer service above and beyond the call of duty. I'll be taking my other vehicles to Joe in the future. He's a real stand up guy! read more

Joe is knowledgeable, professional, honest, and kind. You can rely on him telling you what is necessary to do for the car, what is a nice-to-have, what can wait and what cannot. I switched to him after bad experiences with other car repair businesses in town, and have been using his services for about 3 years on a regular basis and can't recommend him highly enough. I just sold my car and moving from Champaign and can only hope to find a good mechanic like him where I move. Thanks for everything Joe! ps. I put the same review on Google too, not a bot. read more

Only place in town I was able to get my AC fixed short notice. Reasonably priced and great service and responsiveness. Definitely recommend!! read more

Average Joe Auto Repair is a great place to get your car repaired. We used his service two times in our manual-gear Subaru. Both times he did a a good job, have us a great service and always charged us a good fee for his service! Highly recommended!!! read more

Average Joe NOT so average when it comes to car repair. He absolutely knows what he is doing and is trustworthy and does fair pricing. I totally trust his opinion and his work is impeccable. read more

Joe is hands down the best mechanic in town. I found Average Joe from Yelp and decided to get an online quote. Right off the bat, he was very responsive and great to communicate with. When I took my car to him, he identified the precise issue and explained the problem and solution very clearly. I am also extremely satisfied with the rates I got for the repair and parts. My experience with some other places in CU over past 4 years has not been so great, with suggestions of broad repairs without necessarily understanding the actual cause. So I really appreciate the skills and knowledge Joe has to help his customers. He deserves all the yelp 5 stars and more. I am only sad because didn't find him sooner, and when I leave CU I probably wouldn't find someone as good at the new place. read more

He is no average Joe, He is THE JOE. I've called Joe about 30 min ago asking for his help, I live in Chicago, my daughter is a student at U of I down in Champaign , my daughter was about to get in her car a short while ago and noticed that the windshield wipers simply don't work...it's raining hard and she is about to come home for the holiday weekend...Joe was very kind on the phone,he agreed to take the time to look at the problem on such short notice, as my daughter arrived he looked at the car, found the issue and addressed it like a real PRO, He couldn't fix it unfortunately because it's an Audi and it's all computerized but regardless, he is a real professional and i really recommend his services. read more

I have had my vehicles worked on by Joe for several years now. He is always very professional and HONEST. He explains things very well only fixes thing that need to be fixed. He is highly experienced and works hard to get you in and out as quickly as possible. read more

AMAZING. I can't say enough about my experience with Joe. I was quoted $1200 at two other "reputable" locations. They both wanted to replace my entire exhaust. I told Joe that the issue was the broken flex pipe and he said he could do the job by welding the piece. He told me up front that the job would be $250 at most and I ended up walking out the door having paid $247. I have not written reviews, but I felt compelled to write one for this shop. Like others have said this is the epitome of your honest local repair man. It's safe to say that I've found the right shop to take my car read more

This. is. the. place. to. go. Joe is the epitome of honest local mechanic. He tries to find solutions to save you money when possible, and has always done a quality job the 4-5 times I've patronized him. Can't recommend enough. read more

Joe is the most honest mechanic I have encountered. I called Joe when my daughter's car was making a banging sound when the car is moving. I called Joe if he can take a look at it later that day. He said yes and when my daughter brought her car there, Joe found a big rock stuck to the wheel. Joe removed and was not going to bill her for his trouble. He only accepted the little cash that my daughter has with her. I am sure if we take the car to the dealer or another mechanic, they would have charged a lot more. Joe is such a nice and honest guy. read more

I sent my car to be repaired by Joe. He does not disclose that he charges for estimations by the hour, so you still have to pay even if you decline service. He took weeks to get back to my about my car. My car simply had a heating problem and now it's making a horrible noise and heating much faster. My car is in worse condition. He tried to charge me $900 for a water pump replacement, on a nearly 20 year old car, that can be bought at a junk yard for $40. Absolute scammer. read more

Joe is conscientious, thorough, very competent, and trustworthy. Even when he's busy, he is accessible and returns your calls and emails. I've had him as my mechanic for ten or more years and he has always done reliable work and made good referrals for work he cannot do in his garage. He never recommends more than what is needed for the repair and is ethical in his dealings with me. read more

I've only brought my car to Joe once, but he was very honest and did a great job. I'll definitely bring my business to him in the future, and would recommend him to others, too. read more

Joe is a dependable and straightforward mechanic. I've taken three cars to him over the last 6 years and he always does competent work. On one occasion when I took my car in for a diagnosis and he was unable to find the problem after a focused inspection, he was honest with me and charged just a half hour in labor. If the issue came up again (it hasn't) I'd still go see him first because he's thorough, honest, and he answers my questions without making me feel uneducated about cars (even though I am). I feel good knowing that I have a reliable mechanic I can turn to here in CU. read more

Extremely happy with Average Joe's Auto Repair after my son at U of I was having problems with his car on campus. Joe took great care of fixing the issues once having it towed to his shop. Such a nice guy and very trustworthy! Kept in contact with us about the details and pricing of the repairs before starting, and was thorough and quick with completing the job. Very affordable, too! Will definitely use his repair service again!! Thanks Joe! read more

Great mechanic, passionate about his work, very reasonable costs, was able to fix a problem with my old Mazda that two other shops can't, specializes in old low-value cars. Cons: it's a one man shop, so call before coming; the neighborhood is not nice read more

Joe is a very honest mechanic. He is excellent at fixing my low cost car at a reasonable price. I've got my car fix for overheating problem at $979. The cost includes fixing a timing cover gasket leak and replacing the thermostat. He also helps me removing a Check engine light for free. I would highly recommended him for anyone. The only downside thing is you need to call in advance since he is very busy. read more

I went to Joe based on the many excellent reviews he had on here and boy, did he live up to the praise! Joe was courteous, understanding, and very thorough in his work, which is very much appreciated. The cost was very reasonable, and he is a very honest person who explained everything he did and how. Will be coming back again! read more

Joe is an honest guy and he knows what he's talking about. I'm a mechanical engineer and I would completely trust him to do any and all work on my car. He squeezed me in despite short notice and gave me a fairly priced quote very quickly and seamlessly. I really appreciated his insight and suggestions for maintenance on my 97 Ford Explorer. I can tell that he takes the time to really look into your car and is very patient in explaining the extent of the work that needs to be done. The world needs more mechanics like this guy, I give him a 5+/5. read more

Trying to find a reliable mechanic in a new town is a daunting task, but reading reviews on yelp regarding average joe's proved very helpful. If you are in a hurry, this may not be your guy. Joe was happy to have me come in the same day i called to diagnose my 2005 subaru outback's noisy front wheel and to make an appointment a few days later to perform the repair. He completed the repairs in the time promised and under the estimated cost. Joe is low key and not into high pressure sales. He patiently explains the problem and the solutions for the non-mechanically inclined. Joe considered the age and mileage on the vehicle and made appropriate suggestions to solve the issue. I have since returned and had joe repair 2 other problems with solutions i am highly satisfied with. Lisa, Savoy, IL Fall 2017 read more

Joes is a great mechanics. So knowledgable and trustworthy. A real hidden gem. I will be coming back as long as I can.

I am very fortunate to have found Joe in town. He is very helpful when it comes to explaining what the issue is with your vehicle. He walks through it with you step by step, and he diagnoses the problem very thoroughly himself. Overall, just a very chill and polite person to work with. I don't think I'll ever go to another mechanic again. Especially the dealers, where I get ripped off every time! read more

This is a small, tucked-away, completely unassuming shop, but Joe is hard-working, honest, and brilliant. I've lived in Champaign-Urbana 15 years, and have patronized several shops before finding Joe. But this one; I'm going here and no place else. For instance, our '92 Camry had a steering issue, and two other shops said we needed to replace the entire power steering system, to the tune of about $1,500. I heard about Joe and took it to him. He wasn't convinced it needed that work, and sure enough, he discovered the u-joint on the steering shaft was seized. A few hundred bucks later, the Camry was steering as good as new. read more

Joe is fabulous! I have been having a problem with my car for the past year that I have been having a really hard time getting fixed. The last couple of mechanics I went to have assumed that I am giving them bad feed back about the problem because I'm not super knowledgeable about cars. I have been getting work done on it for the past year or so but it hasn't addressed the problem. Joe took it out on a test run in town and on the highway. He wasn't sure what was going on, but gave me a series of things that it could be and things to look for. As someone who doesn't know much about cars, I really appreciate that he didn't just pick something to work on but took the time to explain what to look for to to figure out what is going on. As an added bonus, he didn't say anything super offensive which was pretty cool. read more