Lou’s Garage

My back left brake recently developed a terrible scraping sound. I’d had the brake pads and rotors replaced and it went away before returning shortly within a month.
I absolutely dread visiting auto mechanics because I don’t know enough about what’s going on to understand if they’re being honest with me or not. I found Lou’s on Unilocal and brought my car over today just after they opened. Jeff quickly diagnosed the issue, got me an estimate and they replaced the caliper and brake pads by the end of the day. Super pleased with the service, transparency, kindness and most of all the price.
Thanks, guys! I’ll be back the next time I need service on my car!

Absolutely perfect garage. Fair prices well below those at the dealership. No BS, no embellishment — just straight talk on what’s wrong, and what it will cost. On sone occasions when I’ve had to take my car elsewhere for service, I call them and run down the list of services suggested by the other repair places. They tell me if it’s worth it or not worth it.
I drive close to an hour away from where I live for these guys, and for good reason.

I bring all my cars to Lou’s– great work by great guys who are honest and down to earth. They’ve worked on a variety of my cars from my 68&69 El Camino’s, 1980 MG, 2003 Wrangler to my 2006 Silverado 2500. Overall each experience has been great and these guys are great to just talk too.

I very rarely leave Unilocal reviews but felt compelled to leave one because these guys are great. Honest car mechanics can be difficult to find and Lou’s is to the point and fair. And they do great work. 5 Stars.

Been driving past this some what dumpy auto place for 18 years and never gave it a second thought. On a nice day in January I took my 66′ Mustang for a ride and decided to stop in to see if they would do some work on the car. Meet with Jeff and really liked his demeanor. I dropped the car of last week to get estimates on a bunch work and just like he said I got a call back to discuss in a very timely manner. I’m impressed for now. I will update once work I completed. But for now 5 stars just for the 2 experiences, which were way better the other shops.

I brought my SUV to Lou’s today because the rear wiper and front/​rear wiper fluid wasn’t working, which you obviously need in a Chicago winter! Chris took a look at my car, replaced a fuse, and charged me nothing. I told him that I was more than happy to pay him for his time/​work — his response was to bring the car back when there was something REALLY wrong with it. With this kind of honesty and service, you can be assured that I will. Thanks again Lou’s!

Their honesty, good work and fair prices will make you a customer for life. I am a car guy and have been to many car repair shops, these guys are the best.

My family takes our cars to Lous garage, and this recent event is just one more reason why.
My 2007 car died on me as I was traveling north from the city. I got the car towed to Lou’s where they found out an issue with the water pump caused another issue with the timing belt.
This water pump was only 1.5 years old so it was still covered under the manufacturer warranty. Chris at Lous originally ran to a roadblock getting all damages covered but he pushed through and got all labor and supplies done at no cost to me.
Shocked that he was able to do this I said «Chris, allow me to do something for you guys. Buy you all dinner, give some money, etc». He refused and just said «its the right thing to do and you shouldn’t have to pay anything»
Honest and trustworthy this time and every time. Many thanks to Chris and the group at Lou’s.

My family has gone to Lou’s Garage for years. Always straightforward and reasonably priced. Exactly what I think most people care about.

I had previously brought my car into the dealership because the wheel was shaking when I braked. They told me that I needed new break pads and rotors as well as a new wheel bearing on one wheel. It sounded like a lot of work (and a LOT of money), so I called Lou’s to get a second quote. Lou’s quoted me about $ 100 less than the dealership and ended up saving me another $ 100 from their original quote (I only needed the rotors shaved down, not replaced). My only complaint is that the garage didn’t call to tell me my car was ready. I finally called at the end of the day to see how it was going and they had already finished… would have been nice to know that earlier if the car was ready for pick-​up. Otherwise, I have only good things to say and I’d use this garage again.

My family has been taking our cars to Lou’s for the past three years. Before that, we dreaded anytime a car needed even something as simple as an oil change-​everywhere else we went, we felt like we were being taken. Someone recommended Lou’s to us and we will not go anywhere else now.
They are honest, kind, very reasonably priced, and talented. Import or American, luxury or POS, Lou’s is quick to service it. If they can’t fix it, they’ll tell you who can. If they think it will be too pricey, they’ll tell you where it can be done cheaper.
Honestly, I was hesitant to write the review because I love Lou’s and don’t want them to get too busy. But I do tell everyone I know that this is the place to get service.

I live in Oak Park, but my car overheated about 2 miles north of Lou’s Garage and I just happened to make it in there— thankfully! Chris was great. He replaced my water pump and timing belt in a reasonable amount of time for a great price. I would recommend this place and only wish it were closer to Oak Park. PS: Duke– the 65 lb puppy in the office is pretty darn cute!

I have a 1966 Buick Electra. It is difficult to find a repair shop that wants to work on a vintage car. Luckily, I have a friend who recommended that I give Lou’s Garage a try. Chris, the owner, is a great guy, who will tackle repairs on any car, new or old. Turns out, my Buick need a simple master cylinder repair and the car was ready in a jiffy and at a fair price. Excellent!

I have 2 drivers and 2 classics and I trust them to Chris and Jeff at Lou’s Garage. (I hear Lou is long gone). These guys are great. Example, I just took in my wife’s Saab 9 – 3 Conv. for an exhaust noise. $ 3.00 clamp, problem solved. You know that’s a $ 200 deal at a Saab dealership. You will have never met more honest and mellow mechanics.