I can't say enough good things about these folks. Several times now, they have gotten me out of a bind. Once, the loaned me a battery charger so I could get my car started and over to them. Today they saved me a TON of money. Another repair place told me I needed new rims. Carmelo checked them out and was able to repair them at a fraction of the cost new rims would have been. And they did the work in just a couple hours. Thanks so much for being a great neighborhood resource. Keep up the good work! read more

The most honest mechanics ever! They are trustworthy. I came for an oil change and they let me know right away. Showing me that my wheel bolt was loose. I am thankful for their service read more

I sometimes wonder if this place knows how good it is. It's now 18 years that I've been having them service my cars. Unfailingly honest, competitively priced, terrific advice . . . and oh, yeah: when they fix something it is fixed and stays fixed. I've been having cars serviced for 46 years [bought my first one when I was 2 - :-) ], and I have never received such excellent service as I have at Lincoln Square Service! read more

I have been taking my car(s) to Carmelo at Lincoln Square Auto Service for 20 years. They have serviced Honda, Kia, Toyota, Suzuki and Hyundai vehicles for me, always with respect, care, detail, honesty and transparency. I would (and do!) recommend them to anyone looking for auto work to be done. So grateful to have found them so many years ago! read more

I cannot recommend this place more. I've been taking my car here for years and have always had positive experiences. The entire team is professional and friendly, the mechanics are extremely knowledgeable, and they take great care of my car every single time. I appreciate how they take time to explain things in detail and answer any questions I have, and I always think pricing is very fair. I highly recommend Lincoln Square Service to everyone. read more

Carmelo fixed my old lemon of a car 10 years ago for less than half of what the dealership quoted me for a rebuilt transmission. He also found me a body shop that could replace a window for $40 when my car was broken into. I only stopped going here because I now live almost 30 minutes away, and have a newer car that up until now hasn't needed many repairs. I recently took my newer car to a more local place first as I was running into what seemed like transmission issues again, with no alerts or lights on but a clear shifting issue. The other place did a diagnostic, charged me $120 and shrugged their shoulders that they didn't know but the transmission was probably failing & asked me to pay over $7100 for a new transmission. My car is 7 years old, serviced regularly, not even 75k miles on it. I could accept 3-4k but 1/4 of the cost of a new car?? That felt crazy. I am SO glad I called Carmelo again. First of all, he just knows EVERYTHING. The experience and amount of knowledge he's clearly built out of years of caring for customers is really awesome and honestly, rare to find. He was also able to explain the potential things he's looking for to me, a decidedly not car person, in ways that I could understand, without being condescending or expecting me to know already. He took my car in next day, looked at it, said he knew a trick from his transmission guy, and seemed to have fixed the issue through manually shifting. I came to pick up the car (he let me come 45 minutes after close!) and he wouldn't let me pay him anything, just told me to keep driving it to make sure there weren't any continuing issues. So far, so good! Even if the issues do continue down the line and I have to come back for repairs, the fact that Carmelo is willing to try everything he can to see what the real problem is first, and find any solution instead of just throwing his hands up and insisting I need a new $$$ transmission, that speaks volumes to me. And nothing can beat a guy who just "knows a little trick" for everything! I'll gladly send anyone to Lincoln Square Service for repairs. read more

I got a flat tire today, en route to my son's school. I discovered that the tire was flat a few blocks away and given it was minutes from my son's pick-up time and I also had my 8 week old son with me, I decided to hobble along to the school on the bad tire and would figure out what to do next after I picked my older son up. Much to my incredible luck, when I pulled up to the school, I noticed that right next door was an auto body shop - Lincoln Square Service. I've passed this place each day that I've taken my son to school and never paid close attention. I called the number on the side of the building, hoping desperately that someone would pick up. They did and I explained my situation. At first, the gentleman I spoke to told me they were extremely busy and he offered to give me the number to a tow company that could help. But when I pressed a little further, explaining that I had a 2 year old and an 8 week old in the car with me and was 45 min from my home in the suburbs, he told me to hold on and passed the phone to the shop owner, Carmelo. Carmelo came out to where my car was parked, got my spare, filled it with air and swapped the tires. He moved quickly and quietly and when he was done and I grabbed my wallet and asked how much I owed him, he refused to let me pay him. This afternoon would have been absolutely miserable had I not gotten Carmelo's help. I can't thank him enough for his kindness and would highly recommend his shop/services to others in the area. read more

No complaints- they are very accommodating with scheduling, and willing to find a way to keep cost reasonable.

Had 4 yrs of going here because even though Carmello never called me to get work approvals, he did a great job of working inexpensively on fixing the problem. But things didn't stay great... Then he had a few workers quit. Then he couldn't work on my car in a timely fashion & I stuck it out. Then Carmello seem to over charge me for a job he did because the problem did not seem fixed. Tried to talk to him, didn't get anywhere. That time it took a week and I had to call to ask when my car would be finished at least twice, including the day they actually finished it. Wasn't the first time I had to call & follow up with him, nor that he kept my car for many days. He still never called to get $ approval, but You figure he knows his job. This time I started to wonder tho. I didn't need work for a yr. I went back again, with a bad battery...this time he charged me for a new battery, cracked a sensor on the car that did not need repair, charging me for that & labor and "fixed" something else I'm not even sure of. Wound up costing $500 just for a battery & it took 7 days of me with no car & no calls asking for approvals before doing work, let alone to tell me my car was done. So I don't go here anymore. found a trustworthy, reliable shop just north on Western. This place was once great, but hasn't been in about 2/3 yrs. good luck!!! read more

I have NOTHING but good things to say about Lincoln Park Service. One of the best decisions I've ever made was bringing my little VW here for an oil change. The prices were more reasonable than the place I had been taking my car before and they took far less time to get the job done. (Still the bulk of a day, but not 2 days like the place I'd been going to before. Don't ask me why it took 2 days - I don't know.) The next time I brought my car in it was because one of the lights in the dashboard came on. I left it there overnight and asked them to just fix whatever was wrong and Carmelo called me the next morning to say that he thought it was just a gas lid issue. Apparently if you don't twist it tight enough it can set off a light in some cars. (Who knew?!) He reset the light, told me to call if the light came back on, and DIDN'T CHARGE ME. (Who has ever heard of not being charged for something - even time?!) I recently brought my car back again for an oil change, tire rotation, yadda yadda. I park on the street and a few months ago someone decided to just have a seat on the hood of my car. That's what it looks like anyhow. I parked my car one night and it was fine and when I went to drive it the next morning what appeared to be a huge butt mark was on the hood of my car. I've been embarrassed about the damage ever since but was unwilling to take it in somewhere because I assumed I'd be charged an arm and a leg. Lincoln Square Service FIXED my hood when I brought the car in for the oil change. They did so without me asking and without adding an extra line item to my bill. !!!!!!! It's hard for a company to truly impress me, but Lincoln Square Service has done just that. On my multiple visits they've always gone above and beyond to be helpful, do more than they're charging me for, and I've always left feeling like I didn't pay enough. It's not often, or ever, I can say I feel that way. I cannot more highly recommend you take your car to Lincoln Square Service! read more

2nd visit and Carmelo and Lincoln Square Service is STILL the best I have experienced. Reasonably priced and prompt service, Great job, would highly recommend. read more

I've taken my car here several times and I have always been satisfied. The work has always been completed on the same day I brought the car in and the price is right. My litmus test for a mechanic is when they tell you things like "you didn't need a new part -- just an adjustment". I feel sorry for the reviewer who seems to base his review on how the employees look. Besides dude, if you want to see what a "real" convict looks like then pull up a picture of Bernie Madoff or even former governor Thompson. Not to mention a whole bunch of former US congressmen. read more

Finally! A nice, small, neighborhood auto shop with integrity and good service. I know - I thought it was a myth, too. The first time I stopped by, the owner (Carmelo) fixed my rattle for free. It was a quick, easy fix. Even so, how many shops do ANYTHING for free, besides an estimate? But I still had a fwap-fwap in the front end, which Carmelo diagnosed was bad rotors (just by test-driving it). He also said I would need new brakes - which I knew, and if I brought it in on Saturday (the only day I could) he would fix it same day for no more than $400, all included. Turns out I also had leaky wheel cylinders in the rear (which also contributed to my squishy brakes) that tacked on another $200, but I'm glad they found it. They called me with the estimate, including a specific break-down of cost for parts and labor. Then, true to their word, they had it finished same day - no more fwap-fwap, no more squishy brakes! Everyone at the shop from Carmelo, to his wife Gloria, to Ivan the mechanic were warm, polite and communicative. Gloria filled me in on the history of the shop (and how Al Capone used to get his cars fixed at that location, way back in the day), while I waited for them to finish up the work. They even gave me a hand-written 'coupon' for 10% off my parts next time I come in! This is an old-school auto repair shop that still prides itself on good work, good service, and affordable prices. An undiscovered gem in axel grease. read more

I cannot write enough good things about Carmelo and his team. They are honest, hard-working mechanics who know the ins and outs of cars. They do right by their customers and give it to you straight. I feel so lucky to live down the street from them! They recently had to do extensive work on my brake lines that were rusted out. . It was a pain in the butt job and I know they did not charge me for all the labor it involved. That's the kind of people they are. If you are looking for a new mechanic who does great work and who you can trust, look no further than these guys. read more

Things have really changed in the past year or so. Most recently, I had a winter service, immediately after which I spent over $300 at my, sadly, new car place (and had some scary stalls) fixing some basic things under the hood that had gotten pretty far, and should have been noticed during the inspection. I also paid for a tire repair for a tire that I had to replace literally a week later (also, somewhere else) - the tire was really beyond repair. I guess everyone is entitled to a bad week/ season and I've always had such good service here that I wouldn't even be unwilling to go back, except that when I was there the last time for my service, I got a lecture by the person at the desk about how wrong it is to be forced to wear masks (needless to say, with the person's mask fully down). That tipped the balance for me... I'm all for diversity and everyone's right to believe what they want, but the large signs about how much the business cares for my health and all the protocols they're following were weirdly juxtaposed with this awkward convo and some expensive, scary, preventable issues that hit during the winter storms. So. Also, it could've been a coincidence, but I got pulled over literally 24 hours after my service for a burned out tail light. Sigh. read more

We brought in our 2001 Olds Aurora to a GM dealership because the stability system light came on. We were given a $3k estimate to replace brakes, rotors and hubs. Really?!?! After reading good online reviews, we brought it into Lincoln Square Service and asked them to check the brakes. They said the brakes and rotors would need to be replaced. There was nothing wrong with the hubs! Paid $700 and they did it the same day. I'm very happy with this place, read more

Carmelo is the best! Great work, professional, honest, and very fair prices. I can't say enough about them - Very highly recommend.

I dropped my '99 Buick Century off after hours, and used their key drop box service. They were able to look at it the next day and fix a coolant leak. They replaced a clamp. They only charged me for a half hour of labor and the parts. They were very helpful and a friendly staff. I will definitely bring my Buick back when more problems come up. I wished that they called me once they found the problem though. I didn't know anything until I walked in after 5 to come and see if it was ready. read more

Went here on the advice of a mechanic friend in Madison, and am a happy camper. They had several opportunities to rip me off on a suspension issue, but instead of spewing BS, they simply tightened a few bolts. They even took the trouble to find a used part for a different repair, saving me at least $75. Hourly rates ($91) are reasonable, and they gave realistic time frames- the stuff they couldn't do today or tomorrow, they were up-front about. The stuff they could do today, they banged out in less than an hour, and charged accordingly. No condescending tone, no attempts to flatter, pressure, or flirt in order to upsell something I probably don't need (seriously- does that even work on the average jaded Chicago woman?). Courteous, professional service with reasonable rates. I'll be back! read more

I have been having my cars repaired here for at least 20 years. I have NEVER been disappointed. I was disappointed at the earlier review. I don't know how someone who brought their car in because their temperature gauge was going up would think that the mechanic was going to predict a head gasket blowing???? read more

Has an issue in August with one vent blowing cold air and the other blowing hot air in the front of my car when running the AC. Made a call out to Carmelo after reading the reviews here and he fit me in the next morning. He diagnosed the issue later that day, gave me a call to let me know he had to obtain a new part and that the car should be ready in two days. I get a call the next day that he was able to get my car repaired more quickly than expected and that all-in I'm looking at a total cost of under $50! Quick, convenient, communicative and affordable. Carmelo has earned my business for all future repairs and he should earn yours too! read more

Carmelo and his crew at Lincoln Square Service do great, quick work and are always willing to talk you through all the options for any car issue you're having. I like to do as much of my own repair work as possible (under the close supervision of my in-laws, who actually know what they're doing) but their garage is in the suburbs and sometimes repairs can't wait. In those instances I never hesitate to go straight to Lincoln Square Service. read more

I have taken my car, a 2006 Audi A4, to Lincoln Square Service multiple times now over the last year since purchasing it. I have had a variety of services done, from a simple oil change to diagnosing a repairing a bad high pressure fuel pump. I have complete trust and faith in the shop's ability to fix my vehicle with a caring attention to detail. Carmelo is a great business owner that goes above and beyond to make sure all your concerns are addressed. He patiently listens to your cars issues or any fears you may have concerning your car. He is one of the most honest people out there and has always done his absolute best to fix my car. It's not very easy to find a trustworthy independent mechanic with the ability to work on complex issues that crop up in Audi's. I would recommend anyone to seek out Lincoln Square Service the next time they need any sort of auto repair. I'd also like to mention that Lincoln Square Service accepted my third party warranty. read more

I have been taking my old Land Rover Discovery to Carmelo for a little over 5 years now and am happy to say that he is one of the most honest and easy to work with auto shop repair owners that I have worked with. I have tried other places that I felt as if I was trying to be taken advantage of and never have I felt that way at his place. Good, Honest and reputable service is how I would sum up my time using his place as a repair shop! read more

If you want an honest, amazing place to bring your car for repairs, this is it! No headaches, you can trust Carmello, he is awesome, he knows what he is doing, and he won't just do repairs to make money off of you. This place was recommended from friends and they weren't lying, so hard to find a trustworthy mechanic! read more

We brought our car here for the first time to have the suspension checked on our 11 year old Buick, and I was very impressed with their service and honesty. A few months ago, I had taken the car to a national chain auto repair place for a brake job and oil change (C---X), and this other place told me it also needed all new front and rear shocks and struts, and estimated $1,900 parts and labor (???!!!) So glad we took it to Lincoln Square Service for another opinion! The car had been riding a little bouncy, and we heard some squeeking in the steering. LSA found nothing wrong with our shocks and struts, but kept it another day to check the rack and pinion steering too. They told us they couldn't find anything wrong, the car is perfectly safe to drive. And they didn't even charge us anything for their time! They even called us before closing on a Friday afternoon to pick it up, as they are closed weekends and didn't want us to be stranded without our wheels. Very considerate! * NOTE: their business hours listed on Yelp are incorrect, they are actually open weekdays 8am-5pm, closed Saturday and Sunday. But they were nice enough to leave our car accessible in the lot to pick up after hours with our extra key. Overall, very impressed, and we'll be using them for all future repairs and maintenance. read more

I'd give this place five snowballs but I've only been here four times. These guys are very reasonably priced, reliable and relatively fast. Mr. Carlos Rios looks like he could break your face but he is actually a really nice guy. Mechanic Stephan definitely likes talk about cars. So don't be afraid to ask him even simple questions. Go to there website and you can save 5% on all parts in stock. http://www.lincolnsquareservice.com/specials.php read more

Great place to take your car. They do a good job, communicate well, and don't charge you an arm and a leg. I'm never taking my car to the dealership again, the markup there is at least 200%. Lincoln Square all the way! read more

Never going to the Dealer again!!! This Place is Great! Quick Knowledgeable Service and Super Reasonable Prices. No one tried to Sell me on "Additional Work." A Friend Referred Me, and now I see why. I am going to Refer Everyone I know here from now on. Now when something goes wrong, I have the Comfort of Knowing I have a Trustworthy Place to go. Having Very Little Knowledge of Cars, it is such a Relief to Deal with Good People and not feel like I've been Ripped Off. read more

This is the best place to take your car. They do great work for a reasonable price, and get it done on time. I get all my car work done here. read more

I just purchased a 2014 about 6 months ago. About 4months in I started hearing grinding while braking. Also my sensor for tired pressure kept coming on, so he checked my tires and found a nail and repaired it! Thank goodness! I live and work in the neighborhood, so I wanted to take my car close and to someone who is honest. I noticed people where I work taking their cars their. He was recommended by a neighbor. Needless to say Carmelo quoted me a great price. When I picked up my car, I could tell a big difference. Will take my baby back in for a oil change and tires. read more

We absolutely trust these guys and have always been pleased with the service. We started going here after we bought a new car from a dealer in the 'burbs and didn't wanted to trek there for service and didn't want to do business with the dealer that was nearby. The parts are cheaper, service is quick and we feel confident in the repair when we leave. We've been going here for years and have recommended it to all our friends, too. Good for basic service as well as bigger jobs, too. read more

I've been taking my car (an old 2000 Protege that I intend to drive as long as I can) to Lincoln Square for all of the eight years I've been in Chicago. I trust Carmelo and his team completely, and that is a rare thing for a single woman with little to no knowledge of cars/engines--stereotypically, I guess I just expected to be taken for a ride by all car repair shops. Instead, I lucked into finding a place where every experience has been fantastic. On one occasion, I was having an issue with my AC. They called, said something (?) was cracked, and that it would need to replaced, and the repair would be about $600. I said go ahead. A few hours later, they called back and said, no, actually, once we took it out, we realized it wasn't cracked, there was a leak from a bolt--total repair was now under $100. On other occasions, I've brought the car in for weird rattling noises under the hood, and they've fixed them quickly and inexpensively--and in some cases, for free--and even showed me how to resolve the issue myself. They have stayed beyond their normal closing time to ensure my car was done the day they had promised, even in cases where they discovered totally separate issues (like about-to-be-useless brakes) that required significant extra effort on their part. I once came home from a vacation to find my front tires completely, totally flat. I called to ask for the name of their preferred towing service--and instead Carmelo sent two of his mechanics to my house with a portable air pump, and they not only pumped air into the tire but then drove it to the shop themselves, so I didn't have to do anything. I cannot recommend them highly enough. read more

I had a friend of a friend look at my car and let me know what I needed. They recommended brakes and fixing something called sway bars on my car. I took my car into Lincoln Square Service (based on yelp reviews) and told them to replace the brakes, sway bars, fix a nail in my tire and look to see if there was anything else wrong with the car because I wanted it to be safe for a road trip home to Cleveland. The owner called me later to let me know that the brakes were fine, the sway bars were put on backwards and loose but didn't need to be replaced. He recommended a belt, fixed the tire, and put the sway bars on correctly. Basically, he could have charged me over a thousand dollars for the stuff that I incorrectly thought that I needed. Instead, he was honest and I walked out of there with a bill under $200. Yes. An honest auto mechanic. I'm sold. Now I "got a guy" for my car stuff. read more

Not the best for making follow-up calls, but they save you $. Carmelo really went the extra mile in trying to source alternative parts to fix my car a few weeks back. He was not able to find the cheaper alternative, but still came in under his original targets for $ on parts as well as $ on labor. In checking online for similar parts and labor time I found that in all cases Carmelo's prices were at or below anything I found. This place is close to my office and I will definitely be going back. Frankly I would probably drive up her from my home in south loop for the level of service I get at this shop. read more

Until its inevitable demise today, I brought my '99 VW Jetta here regularly and the guys were always great with it. The prices are very reasonable, but more importantly to me the people were open, honest, and easy to talk to. I don't know jack about cars, but I do know that they treated my Trashmobile with tender loving care until it was finally not worth fixing anymore. The last big repair I had done here was about a year back, and Carmelo was totally straightforward that anything much after that wouldn't be worth it. I'd recommend these guys highly as a regular place to stop in for service; also it's right near a bunch of transit so if your car is going for a sleepover you can still get home. read more

Very helpful and professional! All I needed was a simple tool to fix my car and he graciously gave it to me at no charge and simply said "bring it back when you can". There are still good people in this world! read more

Carmelo and his guys are great. We are lucky to live down the street and have taken our car here many times over the past 6 years and their service has always been quick, honest, and reasonable. Just this morning we took our car in, without an appointment, at 7am because we were worried about one of the tires and I needed it to get to work. By 8:30 they had checked it out, filled all the tires, and sent me on my way free of charge. It would have been easy for them to "suggest" we needed a new tire, but there is a reason they've been in business for so long! read more

I have taken both of my cars to be looked at by Carmelo and his team and I've been happy with the service each time. I have even taken the care in to get checked when I've heard a noise and they didn't charge me when it ended up being nothing. You don't get service like that often in the city! They're very knowledgeable, friendly, and have taken great care of our cars. I don't like when our cars get issues, but I know that Lincoln Square Service can take care of them when they do. read more

This place is great, everyone is courteous, they provide quality service, and at a reasonable price! Highly recommend bringing your car hear. read more