Sun Auto Service

Just a couple of days before I needed to drive my son to college, my car started smoking and smelling like burning oil. I was afraid it was something horrible. Visions of head gaskets needing to be replaced danced through my head. I took the car to Sun on a recommendation from a friend and because they had Saturday hours, and I’m really, really glad I did. Hugo was friendly, helpful, and — since I live about 90 blocks away — he suggested I hang in the neighborhood for a bit and give him time to look at it, he might be able to get it back to me by noon. So that’s what he did, and that’s what he did. He had my problem fixed and back to me 2 hours after I had dropped it off. And for a fraction of what I thought I was going to get hit for. They are great, fast, honest, and I will definitely be going back.

I would definitely return to Sun Auto for all my car troubles. They were honest, fast, fair priced and very nice. Thanks Sun!

I have been using this shop and working with Hugo for the 10 years I’ve been in Chicago. They are kind, fair and go above and beyond. I always feel a slight panic when I have a car issue and I am consistently put at ease when I know Hugo and team will be helping remedy. I’d recommend this shop to family, friends, and you!

No star for this one. One of the worst experience ever. I Took the car over for an oil change and also asked him to take a look at the check engine light that came on. I spoke to him on the phone prior to picking the car and he never mention anything about charging me extra for just checking it out. When i came to pick up the car to my surprise i was charged about $ 240 for an oil change and a diagnosis. Stay away from this shop. IT’S A COMPLETE RIP OFF.

This is my first Unilocal review, but this place was so professional and helpful, I had to leave a comment! I got a flat tire parking on the street. I saw Sun Auto was only .2 miles from where I was parked. They came over and put enough air in the tire for me to be able to drive over. They called after I left saying the oil needed to be changed — which I knew, so they took care of that too. They asked about another repair, but didn’t push when I said that I didn’t want to take care of it at that time. Everything was fixed and ready within a few hours, and the price was less than I was expecting. I would absolutely go back to Sun Auto again and would recommend anyone else to too!

I’ve visited a few mechanics around the city, based on location and reviews. I’ve found some outstanding ones, and been less than impressed by a great deal more. Sun Auto has fallen in to the «good experience» category, and has become the first recomendation I give to my friends looking to take their vehicle in to a local shop.
The family run shop is easily accesible at the corner of Damen and Belmont, near two major bus lines, for when you need to get home after dropping your vehicle off. They’ve got a decent sized lot you can park your vehicle while it’s waiting.
The Sun Auto Crew have maintainted, and repaired my 2005 Subaru Impreza RS quickly and at a very reasonable price on more than one occasion. I find the manager and employees to be friendly, professional, and not talk to me like I’m an idiot. In fact, they’ve gone above and beyond at times to get me my vehicle back in a speedy manner.
As per above, the service was performed quickly, and I was able to drop my car off at the end of one day, to pick it up the next. I’m sure this varies for what work is being done, but for my situation, this was the solution. The work I’ve had done was belt and oxygen sensor replacements (which I intially installed incorrectly myself,) and alternator/​starter issues.
If you’re in the «shop small and local» camp, with a multi-​generational family business, this is defintiely the right stop for you.

I got a flat during today’s snowstorm. Deep down inside I knew I was overdue for a new full set of tires. They had me in and out the door in about 37 minutes. When I start racing my Honda at Indy, I’ll recruit these guys for the pit!

This place seems to have mixed reviews but I was pretty happy with the service. I have a brand new mazda and it didn’t start on Friday night, right on the corner of Belmont and Damon. I was able to push it to the shop and leave it over the night. On Saturday morning I went there at 7:45am with my bike to see if they can fix my car before anyone else. They arrived few minutes before their start time at 8am, which was a big plus. I thought the problem will cost me $$$+ since I assumed it was the started or rely. They were very careful investigating the issue and found out that it was a minor problem and were able to fix it within less than an hour. Definitely recommend their services to the people in the neighborhood. Thanks Sun Auto!

My husband and I have been using Hugo for about 10 years and have NOTHING but great things to say.
Over the years, we have brought our Range Rover, Jeep Laredo, a Jeep Rubicon, vintage Jeep Wrangler, vintage Porsche, Audi TT, and both of our Lexus’ to Hugo. (That’s over the course of 10 years, we don’t all of those cars simultaneously!). Hugo and his crew are able to service every car (foreign or domestic, vintage or new) and every problem (from the usual up-​keep of an oil change to bigger issues).
Sun Auto is always there to take care of me — when I have had a dead battery, they’ll come out to where I am and either give me a jump or tow my car to their station.
Hugo Sr. AND Hugo Jr. are fair and honest men. That’s all you need to know. Trust them with your car.

Hugo and his crew are trustworthy and honest. They get repairs done on time and don’t make promises they can’t keep. I’ve been taking my cars there for 15 years now and have never been dissatisfied.

so we bought a used car off craigslist in jan… we knew there was things wrong with it. we took it in to sun auto (by recommendation of our friend) last week to see how much it would cost. he printed out a list of all the things «wrong» with it and it was WWAAYYY over what we could afford. my husband had to ask several times what would be the most important thing right now to fix (since we didnt have enough for it all we would come back later) first off… he WOULDNT tell us. he just kept going in a circle about how its all important and it all should be fixed (yay we know. but we dont have alot of money!!) then he finally said the timing belt and water pump. right after he compared them to our back window which doesnt roll down… ummm…a TIMING belt is WAY more important then a back window! yay we wanna get that fixd but its not important!
so to change the timing belt and water pump he wanted to charge us $ 800!!! we thought that was steep…
we called the guy who sold us the car and got his mechanics number… we took our car in to the other guy and he said to change the timing belt and water pump it will be $ 350 including labor! WOW less then HALF the price SUN AUTO wanted to charge us. also we took in the print out sun auto gave us and the other mechanic said half the stuff he printed where small things that shouldnt even be listed and shouldnt be charged separate since they can be done in a bundle with everything else!
.he told us some mechanics like to make a BIG LIST (which we had!) and say you need alot of things done when really you need a few things done and some small stuff…
either which were NOT going back to sun auto again… from the start we thought it may cost a bit to fix our car but the price sun auto wanted to charge us for just 2 things was not right… and since we found another place to do it for HALF THE PRICE its just INSANE!

Sun is great. Bring the SUV in for an oil change and I’m treated like I’m spending money on having an engine overhaul! The main man couldn’t possibly be better. Pleasant, friendly atmosphere, and the pricing is very fair. This place is a found jewel in the big city!!!

We were recommended this place by B & L Automotive. My boyfriend took his car in for an inspection and met Hugo. The car was making squealing noises, the brakes were going out, and the driver’s window motor had seen better days. He quickly assessed the car for issues, and then scheduled a date for service. He recommended the closest rental car service as well. On the scheduled date, we dropped off his car and heard from Hugo within a matter of a few hours. Huge simply oiled the window motor (our Lexus dealer had quoted $ 1100 for the work), changed all of the belts, and gave us all new brakes. The price was fair for the work and we didn’t feel like we were charged for unnecessary parts or labor.
After seeing his work, I took my car in the next week. Even though I only dropped my boyfriend off to pick up his car, Hugo remembered me. I mostly needed a general inspection before winter. Hugo and his team checked all of my systems, belts, fluids, suspension, brakes, and exhaust. He found only a few minor issues and asked if I wanted an oil change since mine was due (which I had completely forgotten about). I thought I would have to schedule the work to be done on another day, but he fixed it within two hours and for a couple hundred bucks.
I have been wanting to find an alternative to our dealer repair places as they are so expensive. I will definitely take all of my business to Hugo and Sun Auto from now on!

Spoke with Hugo on the phone about getting some repairs on my car and he suggested I bring it in so he can look at it first hand.
I don’t have problem with that at all. Hugo asked me to leave the car which I said sure I would do so and come back later. I told him while i was leaving to call me and let me know what the price would be for the brakes and rotors to be replaced. I get a call a few hours later and they are telling my car is finished and I should come and pick it up. I asked what did he mean by finished? He stated that they replaced my front pads and rotors ad rotated the front tires to the rear and checked the rear shoes. I’m like OK but I never said for you to repair anything on the vehicle. I was told to bring it in so you could check what was wrong and then put together a price and let ME decide if I wanted to go ahead with the repairs.
I was upset because they repaired the car without calling me first. I fully intended to have the car repaired by them no matter what but I was still pissed because I never was given a total on the job until it was finished.
So with my heart pounding and steam coming out my ears I asked what the damage was going to be and the whole price came to a total of $ 373.13 which I thought was very fair considering I had the same service done about 4 years prior and it cost be almost $ 550.from another shop.
I explained to them i would loved for them to call me prior before they started the work on the car and they did apologize about the misunderstanding was what they called it. I would use them again based on rates and repair time. But I would make sure this time to make sure i tell them several times not to do any repairs until I ok them to do so.

Hugo Sr. has been providing service for our 3 cars for 7 years since we moved down the street and I thought we would try out a local shop instead of trudging over to the dealer.
I find them to be the reliable, honest, and reasonably priced for the big jobs.
I highly recommend Sun Auto on Damen.

AAA towed my car here after it died on i90 two years ago. Hugo told me that it was the head gasket and would be a $ 1,200+ fix and began to upsell me on what I needed to fix, including parts irrelevant to what HE said was wrong.
A. It was my first car.
B. I was a girl who, at the time, only knew where the engine, battery, and gas tank were on my car.
But — I wasn’t naieve and I’ve been warned by friends and family that many auto places prey on young girls with car trouble.
This is one of those places.
I ended up driving it back to my apartment in Roscoe Village and having a mechanic swap out my radiator for $ 200! He was able to diagnose the problem with the same question I was asked about the smoke color coming from the hood of the car when it broke down and a little tinkering under the hood.
Thanks guys!

I have had two different experiences with Sun Auto and so I have mixed feelings on them. The first time I went was to get some minor body work done that i was paying for out of pocket. His price seemed reasonable and he did a great job. In fact I was ecstatic with the work he did.
The second experience i have with them was for a routine normal oil change. I picked up the car and drove it for two days before i noticed anything wrong. I came out one morning and a huge oil spill was leaking down the driveway. I attempted to drive it the 2 blocks it is from my house to his shop but my car didnt make it. All the oil had leaked out and i had to get towed there (at his expense). It turns out they left the cap off. The whole thing was a bit scary because i thought i ruined my engine.
Would i go back, probably but only in a pinch.

I have taken my car here for a few minor repairs and could not be happier. I moved to Chicago a couple years ago and was worried about finding an honest and dependable mechanic. I was referred here to Hugo’s shop by a friend’s Dad who is a big car buff.
Another story: My friend brought her Benz here after a getting a ridiculous quote from the dealer. They wanted to replace the alternator, turn signal and battery. Sun Auto says the battery is just fine and by replacing the alternator, the turn signal starting working again! The Benz dealership would have simply replaced the whole turn signal unit even though it works just fine!
Glad I found out about this place.

I have been using Sun Auto for years now.
Hugo has always been upfront and honest with me.
Sure they cost a bit but to me it’s worth it because I trust them. That is very important. I certainly don’t feel like I am getting ripped off.
Really, everything in Roscoe Village costs more, so why wouldn’t a mechanic!
I like that Hugo always remembers me too. That’s service!
I will continue to go there as long as I am nearby!

This review may not be fair since I didn’t actually bring my car here. But I had every intention of doing so since they are right behind my house until I showed up one morning and they couldn’t have been any more unhelpful.
Apparently in Chicago, it is a good idea to get a «winter tune up» which is exactly what I asked about. The guy (not sure of his name) acted as if I was speaking Arabic, like he had NO clue what the hell a winter tune up was. Please!
I asked if he could give me some sort of estimate based on what I would need for my car for the winter and well of course, he couldn’t tell me. He asked what kind of car, the year and the miles. He then proceeded to tell me I didn’t need anything done to my car because I had so little miles. LOOK JERK. I F*CKING JUST MOVED FROM CALIFORNIA. MY GOD DAMN CAR NEEDS TO BE WINTERIZED, WHATEVER THE HELL THAT MEANS is what I wanted to say to this douche bag.
Instead, I politely said thank you and walked out. I will never go here because the one guy I dealt with was such a complete jerk that on principle, no matter how damn good they are, I would never in a million years give them my business.