Sometimes when you're stupid in life and do things like forget to check to make sure your spare tire is functional, you need places like this that will stay open late for you just to make sure your car works and that you can leave the area as soon as possible to minimize the spreading of stupidity to their neighbors and friends. Thanks to a monster of a pothole on southbound Caldwell which eats up right side tires like I eat Kumas burgers, I found an oasis of warmth, compassion and reliable people who know how to fix your tires, treat you with humility and leave you with some money in your pocket and whatsoever's left of your dignity. Long story short they stayed open an extra hour just to fix my flat tires, helped me replace my balding tires with a decent deal and even lent me some tools to help me get my car mobile to limp into this place so I wouldn't have to shell out another $100 on a tow. In times of despair and confusion its good to know good people exist. read more

Every time I call, I get a number, then the number goes up, then when you pick it they add in something and they never tell you labor costs that they throw in at the end. I would stay away. read more

Worst Mechanic ever Not only did He promise He would fix My Truck in a timely manner a week later nothing then when I came back to see what was the issue He said He no longer wanted to fix it. Paid almost $250 for testing. No work done buys parts without telling You!!!! He told Me if I wrote a bad review on Him He would do the same for My Company. Also Tony the Guy You Hear so Much about is No longer the owner. Joe is Beware read more

Just moved into the area and needed help with a ball hitch for my truck. Owner, Joe D'Agostino, offered to help and didn't want any money to do so. People helping each other out is what this world needs. I plan on bringing my truck here just for the kindness. Thanks Joe! read more

I am so happy I found this place and Pedro! After having a bad experience with a "5 star" Chicago auto body repair/mechanic shop located at 5401 n. Kedzie where they literally put my car together with parts missing and an incorrect, sloppy repair - Pedro saved the day! He quickly identified what the issue was on my 2008 BMW X3, fixed it and was very reasonable with his fee! He also pointed out the faulty repair performed by the other shop as well as the missing parts that shop failed to put back in my engine! Pedro even assisted me in contacting the owner of the prior shop to try explain to them the parts of my car that they failed to reassemble, sadly the owner was rude and not willing to correct the issue. Thus losing me as a customer. I am picky when it comes to service on my vehicle, Pedro is the real deal! Honest and communicative and very knowledgeable. I found Pedro through my daughter who also had several great experiences with him and his shop. It is important to support small local businesses ESPECIALLY when they are knowledgeable, skilled and reasonably priced! Give this shop a chance, you will not be disappointed! read more

I have had consistently good service from this place. Also, good prices and I never feel like I am getting up-sold on anything. It's refreshing when you usually feel ripped off at jiffy lube and dealerships. read more

I hit a pothole today on Cicero and Caldwell and was able to drive the car to this auto shop. Pedro, the service manager, was so helpful. They didn't have the tire on hand but was able to locate one and had me on the road in less that 2 hours. Great service, thank you. read more

Pedro has been absolutely excellent. He is respectful and honest which is KEY! Pedro has done work on my car and was able to fit me in last minute and for a portion of the cost of other places, he simply does not try to rip you off. The prices are so fair. After such great service I referred my mom to see Pedro after issues with her vehicle. My moms car was in and out in less than two days after other shops failed to repair it correctly. We are so grateful for such great service and will absolutely continue to bring our business here. Thanks Pedro you are the best! read more

Wow! What outstanding service from Tony..thank you helping me out, got me in &out.. Really fair and honest

I DO NOT recommend this place. They are either clueless on how cars work or out to rip you off. I had used them a couple of times for minor repairs so when my car died relatively close to their shop I had it towed there. After 5 days they finally told me it needed a timing belt and water pump for $2,800. I had my timing belt changed 30,000 miles previously so was very suspicious of this diagnosis. And I had a really bad feeling every time I spoke with Pedro and honestly didn't trust him. The car was towed to Albany Auto where they found it was the alternator . At a very reasonable price and I'm driving again. read more

My Forerunner tire went flat and I stopped at Central & Caldwell service. Pedro and his team changed out the tire with the spare and marked the damaged tire so I could take it back to Costco for warranty replacement- all for an exceptional price. They are great. This shop is honest and does great work. I feel lucky to have them in the neighborhood. read more

"DO NOT" use this place for anything, and ifyou have any money left Do not get a car wash, they charge $40.00 for and car wash that is absolutely horrible and it took 52 minutes. read more

They do a great job taking care of your vehicle. Pedro the owner is a good guy and he charges fairly. If you're in a big hurry with a complex job it can take a while, as they are usually pretty busy. Be prepared to leave you car. This is a no nonsense repair shop, but they get it done right. read more

First rule of parenthood: teach your children to shut the car door ALL THE WAY. Dead battery - dead, dead, dead. We bought a new battery from these guys for my husband to install and still the car did not start. Central & Caldwell then sent a mechanic TO MY HOUSE to see if the battery they sold me was properly charged. While at my home they checked the fuses, and voila, one was blown! He got the car to run and I followed him to the service station - thus avoiding an expensive tow. My car was fixed in less than 30 minutes and it cost me half of what a tow would have. In addition, on the way out I noticed my radio was not working. They immediately brought the car back in, replaced the fuse, and did not charge me for it stating "it was their mistake." These are my Mechanic Angels! Visit them! read more

Brought my (recently-purchased) 6-year-old SUV in because of a brake noise and alignment - someone else had aligned it twice and it was never straight. They told me the brakes were fine - I didn;t need to spend any money! WOW! The he explained why the car was pulling to the left, that it actually needed a part replaced. All done, with a complete 4-wheel alignment-for less than $250. Honest, reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy. I'm impressed and I'll keep coming back. These guys are good and I highly recommend them read more

We have four Toyotas in our family, average age of about 13. These guys do everything for them, including tires, replacing broken off side view mirrors, detailing. Recently, two of our cars visited the Toyota dealer for a recall involving the air bags. While there, the staff conducted a detailed, multipoint inspection. No doubt as a courtesy to me but also hoping to drum up some business. However, the inspection uncovered nothing wrong. Nothing. The service manager at the dealer was gracious enough to complement me on how well maintained the cars were. Well, these guys here deserve the credit. It's not fancy, no coffee, no TV, not much schmoozing but they do get the job done for very reasonable cost. read more

They always do more than they need to/ go the extra mile. I have been bringing my cars here for years and always get great service. Nice to have a auto shop close by that you can count on, with reasonable prices. read more

A local gem of a place. I've been meaning to write this review for a while. These guys are the best mechanics in the entire Niles/Skokie/Sauganash area. Just one look at the shop parking lot will tell you all you need to know - a nice mix of domestics and imports, old (including some classics) and new, common and rare - you can tell that these guys are capable of taking on anything. And do they ever. I have a '90, somewhat quirky (not many of these left around), and they have done amazing work with some fairly intense projects that she's thrown at me (and at them)... I'm not talking just routine maintenance. Here's what you need to know: very friendly people, encyclopedic knowledge of cars, honest prices, they will explain the nitty gritty if you wish to understand the what/why/whether of the job (not a given everywhere, as you probably know - some shops just treat customers like the customer doesn't have enough IQ)... and above all: the job gets done RIGHT and gets done right the FIRST TIME (definitely not a given everywhere, as again you probably know). Never had a problem with these guys. Never had to take the car back for something that was done at C&C. You can tell they take a huge amount of pride in what they do. PS: They have a great car wash/detail area kind of tucked away in the back that will make you feel even happier about your (newly repaired) ride. Everybody working at this place rocks. Keep up the good work, guys! A++++++++++++++ read more

I took in my 20+ year old pickup truck that was running very badly. I honestly hadn't done much maintenance to it, as it gets driven very infrequently. Central & Caldwell gave me a sizable estimate to do the work needed, and prioritized it. I decided to go ahead with all the major work (broken exhaust and flakey old engine management sensors, so on). It's difficult when a vehicle has a broken exhaust and multiple issues to pinpoint exactly why it is running badly. But they went above and beyond to perform additional work and replace additional parts in a quest to get this old truck running well again, charging me only for the parts. I'm quite pleased with their service, and the truck is chugging along well enough now over a year later. read more

This is my neighborhood service station so started going because I could walk there. But now would go out of my way for Pedro's service. Always fair, no long waits, really go out of their way to find reasonably priced parts. They even washed and detailed my car when I was having my AC replaced. Can't recommend highly enough! read more

These guys are great. I am a gearhead and like to do most of the maintanence on my our cars myself. But, sometimes need professional help. They have always been helpful and friendly. The latest example is when my BMM needed some hard to get tires. Their distributor said it would take about 4 weeks to get them. When I found them on the internet and asked if they would mount and balance them for me, the response was "of course". So a few days later I had the tires and Central & Caldwell had them balanced and on the car! They have been so esay to deal with over the past 10 years that I even feel comfortable sending my kids there because I am confident that they will get quality service and be treated fairly. read more

On July 16th, 2012, at 7AM I took my car (Dodge Neon 2001) to "Central & Caldwell Services Inc. The AC was not working - blowing hot air. The shop just opened and the owner very confidently stated that he will fix the problem. So I left the car there expecting he will fulfill his promise. Next day I got a call from him (his english was way worst than mine) explaining that there is a part (sensor) that is not working and needs to be replaced, BUT because the car is out of production there is no part available from nearby suppliers and he needs to order that part overnight from another, out of state supplier. Well, outside is 100 degrees, so I'm almost in a liquid phase, gave my permission to go and buy the part, thinking that next day I will drive my car in a sane environment. That does not happened. 5 days no calls, no mail, no email .... Next monday i said I'm taking my car no matter what. So after work I went there and hi came smiling telling me that hi fixed the problem but the AC is working very slow because there is another part that does not work and hi could not find it. I did know what to say. Well, hi performed some work (I'm going to cross check that with another car technician) so asked for money. I paid. The AC did not work at all. No matter how long I kept the car running - it was blowing HOT air. I'm going to complain at BBB.org, Edgebrook Commerce. Not that something is going to happen, but just for the sake of mine sanity. :) Thank you read more

This is a great car repair shop in my neighborhood. Their service is prompt, professional, and perfect. The rear reflector on my van was broken a couple of weeks ago, and Pedro ordered the replacement right after I brought the car in and informed me as soon as the part arrived. They also repainted the adjacent area without charging any extra. The work was extremely careful and detailed. My experience with them was very pleasant. I would think of them first whenever I need car service. read more

My car overheated near their shop. I pulled in the lot after regular business hours (unbeknownst to me) and they were extremely gracious and serviced my car anyway. Saul and Pedro gained a new gained a new customer today! read more

These guys are great. I've taken my last two cars there for regular and emergency service. They are always honest, understanding of how hard it is to pay for unexpected repairs and willing to offer alternative solutions or prioritize what needs to be done. They even fixed my 9 yo car & then took it to the IL EPA testing station to make sure it passed the test! I never feel cheated after a visit which is unique in my experience. I will continue to bring them all my business. read more