I called this place on Aug 3, 2015 (a month ago!) and they never returned my call! I even called back a week later asking if anyone was going to call me and the lady on phone said they were busy and would get back to me. Shame on them for not even trying to get new business! Hope they treat their existing customers better. read more

Nal's is a great shop. They are very friendly, they really take the time to explain things to you and they don't make unnecessary repairs. As a woman, it can be stressful to take your car to a mechanic. Some of the mechanics I used to go to spoke to me differently than their male customers. I guess they assumed that I didn't know enough about cars to comprehend what they were saying. Not at Nal's. I've brought 2 different cars to them and I always felt that they were upfront and honest with me and never once treated me differently than I've seen them treat any other customer.. read more

I've taken my VW here for a few things, and have been generally happy. They will use your parts if you provide them, which is nice to cut down on the marked up prices you'll pay if your mechanic provides the parts. Last week, I brought my VW in to check on a few things: water ingress in the trunk, pooling in the side storage bin above the wheel, an oil leak and slow wipers. Now, I told Nal's that I had replaced the taillight after being hit by another car, and that I thought that was the source of the water leak. I also told them that I'd replaced the valve cover a few times but had noticed oil wetness on the top of the engine, at the side near the pollen filter. Dropped the car off at 9 a.m. as scheduled, and waited for a call. Late in the afternoon, Nal's called and said they couldn't find where the water was coming in and couldn't find an oil leak. I explained exactly where the oil leak was and talked about where the water was pooling and where to look. Keep in mind that the oil leak is visible on the engine; there is a wet spot on the engine head on the side closest to the cabin filter, which is probably a cam tensioner seal going bad. Nal's said they'd look again at both issues, but that they'd need the car another day. The next day, they said they couldn't find where the water was coming in. Now, I had about two inches of water in the trunk side storage bin where the jack is stored that I had bailed out earlier in the week, and the carpet was still wet. They said they checked the tail light and even retightened it so the seal was flush and tight. They diagnosed the oil leak as a timing belt tensioner gasket, which at the front of the engine, and which is no where near where the visible wet spots are at the back of the engine. For the wipers, they said the transmission that actually moves the wipers had seized up and couldn't be service and would require replacement. I paid about $120 for the diagnosis and an oil change. They also told me that my hood latch, which had been working before I dropped off the car, was broken, and that a brake light was out, which they could replace for $2.50 for the bulb and $10 for labor. It takes a minute to swap out a bulb, so I declined. Today, I had a chance to look over the work and was very dismayed to find that they hardly did anything over the two days they had my car. First, just looking at the tail light, I could see a half inch gap between the seal and the car, which would easily allow water to come in. All that was required to spot the source of the leak was to remove the bulb assembly, which just requires pinching the plastic assembly to release the two plastic latches and pull the bulb assembly out. I have no idea how they could have missed the gab between the tail light lens cover and the car body, or failed to notice it when they supposedly retightened so it was supposedly flush to the body. The only explanation I can come up with is that they never looked at it in the first place. I also fixed the hood latch myself. Those are poorly designed and prone to breaking, which is why I had a spare on hand. But I'm annoyed because it was working before I brought the car in, and then it wasn't. I appreciate Nal's patience in explaining things, but what they've said just doesn't reflect the reality of the work they should have performed. I'll update this with a picture of the oil leak to show just how obvious it should be, especially since I already told them where to look. I should have taken a picture of the tail light to show how wide the gap was and how hard it would be to overlook, but I just removed the three screws that hold the tail light cover on, realigned it so the seal would be flush with the body, and tightened it down. That took 10 minutes, most of which was simply going back into the house to find the right sized socket. If your mechanic is going to lie to you about the little things like checking that a tail light cover is properly installed, or that they can't find an oil leak even though you tell them where to look, how are they going to handle the big ticket items? I won't bring my car back to Nal's. If you choose them, be sure to check over their work to make sure they actually did the work. Or go somewhere else. I stand by this review and would be happy to answer any questions about it. Feel free to contact me. Tom read more

I've been taking my cars to Nal's for 25+ years. I now bring my cars in from the Western suburbs to have it worked on at Nal's. Al and his team are the best mechanics in the city - bar none! They do things right the first time, never do work that is not needed and always charge a fair price. Thank you, Al, for all the years of phenomenal service! read more

I got my very first car serviced at Nal's, a "pre-owned" 1984 Datsun 810 "Maxima," God rest her soul, I loved that car. Twenty years, two cars and three neighborhoods later, I'm still taking my car there. Oh, and two El rides each way when I bring it in. These guys (and at least one gal) do a fantastic job, and I trust them. I'll say that again, in case you're skimming this: I TRUST THEM. That makes them a rare shop for a skeptic like me. In fact, I once brought a car in for a tuneup, thinking that was a regular thing one needs to do. That's a thing of the past, but instead of just doing one and charging me for it, they just did a $35 inspection of the whole car. Also, I'm a nerd; so I usually like explanations. They always tell me what was wrong, speak in clear, layman's terms and answer all of my questions. read more

I used this shop for 30 years. It seems that they flourish via "word of mouth." I had two Honda Civics during those 30 years and both were still running very while at the time of sale. I never did any comparison shopping so I can't vouch for their prices. Peace of mind was a priority. I did not have a chance to say goodbye before selling my car. I can add that they are very gracious when it comes to explaining what they do and the reason for the charges. read more

Had another issue with my Bravada - they fixed it at a very reasonable cost. One concern I had was when I went into my car to leave the rear view mirror had fallen off. They claimed it was that way when it was left there which it wasnt. However, they fixed it on the spot, no questions asked. They will continue to get my business. read more

Still coming to Nal's auto and never disappointed. Al the owner is really knowledgeable about Hondas and Toyotas. I was considering purchasing a used Accord or Camry and Al gave me some great information. Thanks! read more

I lived on the Southside of Chicago but would come up to Nal's just because I knew they were honest and reliable. On multiple occasions, they hooked me up with minor repairs free of charge. Wonderful place and very friendly people! read more

Before I even looked on Yelp, I called this place once to inquire about buying a car battery and having them install it. The man on the phone advised me to buy the battery on my own, then bring it in to them to have it placed (if I couldn't find someone to do it for me. Back off, I'm a single girl in this city---there is no way I can do that on my own). He told me, "It will be a lot cheaper for you. But try to find someone to do it for you, you don't want to pay to have that done by us!" I just thought, wow, he could've taken advantage of me, but he didn't. He was just trying to save me some $$$. Then I went in to get my oil changed, had a question about a squeaky sound on my tire, and a man gladly took a ride with me in my car to give his point of view on the tire. Very honest, very nice peeps. Go Nal's! read more

My experience at Nal's was customer service at its best. The check engine light came on in my '08 Mazda 3. I tightened the gas cap and gave it a few days to reset by itself. It didn't so I took it to Autobarn Mazda in Evanston, where I bought it. The car had a 3-yr warranty. Since it's 2010, I assumed the warranty was still in effect. But no, the Autobarn tells me. The warranty expired 9/25/10, 3 yrs to the day after the car left the manufacturer. The day of my appointment was 10/4/10. Think the 'ol Autobarn might cut me a little slack and say geez, the warranty just expired last week; we'll go ahead and scan it for the error code at no charge, and if it needs repairs then we'll have to talk about the cost? Of course not!! They wanted $70 to scan it and told me I would have to wait 60-90 minutes. I called Nal's while I was still at the dealership to see what they would charge for the scan. Greg told me he would do it at no charge!! He said $70 was a big rip-off. I loved having the satisfaction of telling the Autobarn service manager that a neighborhood mechanic would do it at no charge. When I drove away from the Autobarn, the engine light didn't come on. Seems maybe it was a gas cap problem--they just screwed it on extra tight and the light went off. They had to have seen that before I left, but they still would have been happy to take my money and make me wait. Greg at Nal's scanned my car--it takes about 2 minutes--and gave me the error code, which indicated a leak somewhere in the emission system. Then he called the dealership for me, to tell them the error code and get more info. There's a manufacturer's technical bulletin on the potential problem, and it's an emissions system issue that Greg told me the dealership would HAVE to fix at no charge. Of course, that doesn't necessarily stop the dealership from exaggerating what's really wrong and adding on a lot of extra charges for services I don't really need. Greg printed out the manufacturer's service bulletin for me, advised me to wait and see if the engine light comes back on it. If not, it was the gas cap. If so, he said take it back to the dealer and tell them they HAVE to fix the specific emissions problem, no charge. He warned me that even if it's a simple fix, to expect the dealership to find something to charge me for. If they try to do that, he said to call him and he'd try to estimate what a fair charge for the repair should be. He did all of this for me at no charge, and I had never taken a car there for repairs. I had been going to Ashland Tire & Auto, but after an unhappy experience there last year decided I would go next to Nal's. It's for sure I'll go back when my car needs service. Two morals to this story: 1. Skip the dealership service centers unless you're still under warranty, but even then you still might need a second opinion. If you have to, call another mechanic right in front of them. 2. If you're in the market for a new mechanic, try Nal's. read more

Nal's helped me out again last week. It has to be the third time I've gone in there thinking I was going to have to drop $750 and it ended up being less than $100. They have always done me right and I wanted to make sure they get the credit they deserve. My car has almost 200k miles on it and I expected to hear the worse when I thought the front end was driving a little hinky. My car was out of pocket for less than a day, the bill was less than $75 and my car is driving great. About nine months ago, my car battery was dead. I called ahead and they told me I could walk over and pick up a box to jump the car. I drove over to return the box and they didn't want anything for letting me use it and didn't try to get me to replace the battery - "Drive it around for 30 minutes and you'll be good to go," and it was. It's so nice to know there's a business in the neighborhood you can completely trust when it comes to your car. They are always pleasant and explain everything thoroughly. I'm a loyal customer. Thank you! read more

Fantastic company! They are top notch people who really care for your car. They do not nickel and dime you and do not try to rip you off. I brought in my BMW to have an oil change, and they were fast, and extremely professional. I highly recommend them! One little catch is that they are hard to find, as they are located under the EL tracks. read more

Only 4 stars because I went there only once. My brakes were squeeking, so, I took them to Tuffy at Diversy and Southport. TheTuffy guy said I needed front and rear brakes. He seemed honest, but, for $950, I thought it was worth exploring. I went to Nal's based on the reviews here. They charged $400, and said that I didn't need to have the rear brakes done at all - they were only have way worn, and aren't as important anyway. So, Nal's did the job, and did it for $500 less. They seemed very honest - like they care about their work. I will definitely go again. read more

I searched Yelp looking for an honest mechanic to do some minor repair work on my car. Nal's seemed like a great choice, according to most of the reviews here: close by, honest, good workmanship. The few bad reviews must have been anomalies, given all of the good reviews, or so I thought. My mistake: I shouldn't have believed the hype. I had two problems with my car: an odd scraping sound from a wheel (like the brake pads were worn and were rubbing), and my brake lights were not working. I dropped my car off and told the receptionist what I wanted the mechanic to look at. Because I'd been burned at other shops, I made a point of asking her whether their policy was to call before doing repair work on a vehicle. She told me it was, and said they would call me as soon as the mechanic had diagnosed the problems, they would tell me what was wrong, and ask if I wanted them to fix it before doing any work on my car. Silly me, I believed her. After 4.5 hours waiting in vain for Nal's to call me, I finally called them, asking if the mechanic had looked at my car yet. Their response was yes, and he'd already done the work to fix the problems he'd found. I was shocked: after explicitly promising me they wouldn't do work without telling me what they wanted to do first, I find out they'd been replacing brake-light bulbs and had removed and done work on my brakes themselves. I stopped what I was doing and got to the shop as fast as I could, to try and get my car back before it cost me too dearly. I went into the store and asked for my car, pretending everything was fine; I now knew I was dealing with a shady establishment and didn't want them to tack on a bunch of extra labor costs if they saw I was already displeased. The mechanic told me he'd replaced all four brake light bulbs; which if they had called me like they said they would, I could have told them wasn't the problem: I'd done the same thing less than six months ago. And he said he'd knocked off the rust buildup on the rotor which was causing the squeaking. I escaped with my car but only after they'd gotten $140 out of me. And to top it off, as I drove away, the scraping sound coming from my brakes, which they claimed to have fixed, serenaded me out of the parking area. Bottom line, I was lucky I only had to pay the small amount I did. Maybe I just got Nal's on a bad day, considering the other reviews posted here. In any case, I'm not going back; $140 to fix nothing is enough of a lesson for me. UPDATE: Nal's called and offered to refund my money. That's at least a nice gesture, and shows someone their cares about their rep. But I still won't go back to them for service: I'd rather have the right work, which I authorized, than an apology and a refund. read more

I have been using Nal's for several years now and I am very impressed. In my 35 years of driving and dealing with repair shops I have never had better experiences with such honest people. Always get work done quickly, correctly, and at a very fair price. I HIGHLY recommend using them! Even if they are backed up and can't take your car right away it is WELL worth the wait. read more

The ONLY reason I don't use them anymore is because I bought a new car. The past several autos I had I always brought here, and they were always upfront, courteous, and went out of their way to ensure I was happy and understood why things were being done. Looking for a reliable mechanic who won't BS you? Look no further. read more

Been back many times since my first review. Even now that I'm 5+ miles away, I still take the car back to Nal's. They're honest, reasonably priced and incredibly friendly. Will never go anywhere else. read more

I was very impressed with the service at Nal's. They were honest, friendly, and not pushy at all. And their prices were reasonable. Only negative is trying to find the place the first time....you have to enter from the alley! read more

I've been here twice with my 2002 Honda Civic, and both experiences have been very favorable. Lynn, a member of the front staff/ receptionist is very friendly. The mechanics I have spoken with are always very understanding and try to explain everything, even without me asking for any sort of explanation. Better yet, the pricing! The Honda dealer (Carr's on Western Ave) was going to charge me $660 for replacement of front struts, but Nal's price was $480. Also the dealer told me at my 90k mile maintenance check that my controlarm bushings were broken (another $380) but when I got a 2nd opinion at Nal's, the mechanic couldn't find anything wrong. Got the struts fixed the same day and got my car back just fine. Couldn't be happier, and not going back to the dealer again. read more

This place does great service at great prices. If your a first time customer remember to go south from Irving Park to the alley and its under the tracks. My last experience was kind of weird as I had to call to find out that my car was ready - as I waited for a phone call. But once I got there after closing the guy behind the counter was very friendly and wanted to explain everything. read more

THE ONLY CAR REPAIR PLACE YOU WILL EVER NEED!! Al, I miss you! i have moved to Boston, but my stepson still lives in Chicago, and I referred him there. Now he loves them too. This place is honest, reasonable, friendly, and they do NOT talk down to women...or to anyone else. I learned a lot about cars there. Now, if I have an issue with my car, I call AL first, and he gives me an idea of what the problem might be over the phone. I call him the "car doctor". I had to write because I read a review that said something about this shop scamming someone...NEVER! I took my cars to them for 20 years, and they would never do something like that deliberately. All of their people are certified, and they all rock! So please, do yourself a favor and take your car to Nal's. They will save your car and will save you $$$ too. read more

I've gone to Nal's a couple times in the last six months. For different issues, for my own and my grandmother's car. My experience there has been great. They have been very prompt in getting my car in their and looked at. They've been very detailed on all issues and they've done great work. I recommend them if you live in North Center read more

All the great hype about Nal's is true. These guys are honest, trustworthy and reasonable.

Nal's is awesome! Be sure to make an appt because like everyone else has said, they are usually booked at least 5 days out. They are honest, fair and really great to deal with. The only issue I had was that the part they ordered came in and it was the wrong part, so I had to wait another day before getting my car back. Aside from that, it was a good experience and I would definitely go back. read more

I took my '95 Mazda Protege to Nal's for years. I was never disappointed, never felt cheated, never had to go back in for follow up repairs. There is nothing more I could ask for in a mechanic. read more

Honest and sharp. Been taking my cars here for years. Call first, if possible, to get onto their schedule, because they are always busy.

Convenient, trustworthy, quick turn around. I took my car to many many estimates, and Nal's was the best quote (for the SAME fixes) by $250. Thank you Nal's, I will be back. read more

I've been to a lot of car repair shops in Chicago, and have never met a more honest, no BS kind of shop. I would recommend Nal's to anyone. I brought my car into Nals when I had my side view mirror swiped. They did it for $100 cheaper than what my dealership wanted to charge me. I had the misfortune of having another vehicle swipe the mirror off my car the following week, but I took it back to Nal's and they glued the part back on FREE of charge. That's top notch customer service. read more

Nal's is by far the best. I have been gooing there for years, and two times they diagnosed a problem the was under recall. These guys have pride in their work and doing the right thing for their customers. read more

I went to Nal's after reading the great reviews online. After looking at my car, Nal's recommended that I replace my front sway bar links, front right bearing and front brakes. I decided to switch out the first two since the brakes could wait. I picked up the car and everything seemed fine. About 10 days later, I was ready to change the brakes with my father-in-law back in Cleveland when we discovered that the sway bar links were disconnected (i.e. broken) so I had to get them fixed for an additional $225 in Cleveland. I prepared myself for a fight with Nal's to be reimbursed. Yesterday, I went into Nal's with the receipt for the second job that fixed their mistake and they surprisingly offered to cut me a check for the repair job. I told them that if they fixed my front brakes, I'd call it even since I had to take the time to get it fixed again and then come up to Nal's to show them the broken parts. The owner (?) agreed to fix my front brakes at no cost and did so the next day. I told myself that either way this turned out, I would write a review of Nal's. They aren't the cheapest place in Chicago, but in my case, they did stand behind their work, which goes a long way in my book. read more

This is my first review on Yelp. I highly recommend Nal's. In the span of 1 month, I have taken 2 cars (Honda, Volvo) to them and for both they have done a great job. I am always skeptical about auto repair places (as I know nothing about cars), but from having called around to various other shops, Nals is a fair, reasonable provider of services. In fact, today, I took in the car to get new trunk struts and windshield wiper replaced and they handled it quickly and correctly (and again priced very fair). Anyone living in the city, should consider Nal's as their first option. read more

Upfront, fair, knowledgeable and fast. Great guy to top it off. New to the area and had to find a mechanic in a pinch. Called a few, but knew Al at Nal's was the guy after talking to him on the phone. He got me the cheapest OE part and his labor cost was reasonable. Plus, he's a super nice guy and will explain to you exactly whats going on. He even gave me a few "quick fix" tips to try before getting my car towed in to him. In short, he diagnosed the problem, ordered the part and had me up and running in a pinch over 24 hours. Communication was great during the whole process. read more

I don't know if its worth rating this place given the message will mirror those previously posted, but I have to. I've lived here 3yrs and I've finally found "my" auto shop. sadly I resorted to driving 2000+ miles to my hometown when my car was actin funny. I honestly think most of the shops up here are cooks (see previous review), but wow. I can't say enough (thanks just doesn't seem to capture my emotions), but this place is amazing. ill recommend the shop to any/everyone for anything. read more

I went here after I had a couple of other really bad experiences with mechanics, and because I couldn't correctly remember the name of another shop I went to who seemed trustworthy. I decided to try this shop because of so many positive Yelp reviews, and they did do a good job. It took awhile to figure out was wrong with my car, but I guess it was a difficult problem to figure out. The car had to be listened to and worked on when it was as cold as possible outside since that's when it was at it's noisiest. I was skeptical about this, especially after the two other bad experiences, but it turned out it was for real. The owner Al did a lot of phone consulting with me, explaining why they were doing this or that. He said I could drive the car for a week and if putting new coils in didn't fix the problem, he would take out the parts and I wouldn't have to pay him. I couldn't believe he trusted me like that. Yes, it was finally fixed! I was so happy! He told me that some shops just won't, and don't care about putting in the time to do a good diagnosis of the problem. I guess it's all about money for them, but Al seemed genuinely fond of cars, and was interested in doing a good job. I also ended up purchasing a new battery which I am not sure I needed, but it is quite possible. The only reason I am giving them four stars and not five is because the man I talked with about paying my bill wouldn't let me see the invoice for the battery, and wasn't able to explain why I couldn't see it. I had just been screwed over on parts at another place, so I really needed clarification on this. I would recommend them. The only reason I am using another shop is because they are closer, and Nal's is larger and really busy, and is harder to get to while driving. It is however, conveniently located right next to an el stop. read more

Great service at an affordable price. They easily could have swindled me for a new alternator but were honest and helped me get back on my way. read more

These days, it is so hard to find a reliable place to fix your car, but I consider myself very lucky because I found Nal's. I strongly recommend this place to anyone who owns a car. I was driving back home after a long, tiring day spent at the office when my car started making strange noises. I didn't know what to do, so I decided to take a look on Yelp and search for a good place where I could take my car. Nal's was the closest one, so I went there. Honestly, I have to say that it was pretty late and wasn't expecting to be attended by someone, but to my surprise, a mechanic came to me the moment I got there. I told him about the problem and he seemed eager to help me. I waited for several minutes until he checked my car (they have state-of-the-art equipment and it wasn't hard to spot the issue) and then, he explained everything to me in an approachable way. He gave me the exact price from the beginning and after only two hours, my car was in perfect condition. I will definitely go back there every time my car will need repairing. read more

Twenty years on, I remain 100% happy with Al and his crew. I have learned things from them and do not feel that they are intent on ripping me off. They are intent on retaining customers. Given their busy schedule, "secret" location and no advertising, they are incredibly successful. It is located under the Brown line Ravenswood stop on Irving Park just east of the Damen and Lincoln intersection. You get through it via one of those classic little Chicago alley byways. Regarding prices, I cannot really comment since I do not comparison shop. Despite my very moderate income, I would not change to save 50 dollars, just as an example. That said, I think their loyal clientele is a testimony to their quality and fairness. They often give me an advance "heads up" on work that will need to be done, such as brake replacement. The woman in the office is a treasure. read more

I took my 2002 Niassan to Nal's with an accelerator problem. What happened from there was a mess. Since Nissan changed the part on newer models, only rebuilt parts were available. First part, bad. Second part, bad. Third part, finally good. It took time Why 5 stars? 4 because they kept me informed at every step, let me know that they were on Nissan's case about the bad parts, and at the end of the day, my car runs better now and the price was much lower than I expected. 5 because a month later, my check engine light came on again. I dropped in because they weren't far. They checked the computer, found it was a loose hose, and told me that it might have been jostled by our lovely Chicago potholes, or they might have jostled it when they had it before. Because it *might* have been them, they charged me nothing. A month later? It probably was a pothole and I wouldn't have argued in the least over paying the minimum. That kind of service well after the job deservedly earns them a 5th star and my future business. As others have stated, they're a little hidden, alley south of and parallel to Irving accessible either by Ravenswood (west side of Metra tracks) or Wolcott Building is just west of the L tracks, door right under the stairs down from the Brown Line station on the south side of Irving. read more

Great service. If it's your first time, it wouldn't hurt to get directions when you call, since you've got to find your way under the tracks. Luckily, I still had the number in my phone from scheduling an appointment. After driving around for 5 minutes looking for the address I was able to call when I dropped my truck off a few days later. Had some standard work done, rotate tires, alignment, take a look at the muffler to see if they can quiet it down, and check if it needs a tuneup. They took a look at the spark plugs, told me my truck didn't need the work, did the tires/alignment for less than Fulton - Desplaines Garage quoted me, and quoted for the muffler replacement, which isn't loud enough yet to justify the $450. Affordable, quick, and straight-up with the customers. As far as auto repair goes, that's all I want. I'll be going back. read more