C & H Auto Service

The service here is great. Carlos fixes everything right the first time for me. He’s great about communicating throughout the service process and explaining what exactly the problem is and how it’s affecting the car. He’s always very accommodating when picking up and dropping off. I would also especially recommend him for electrical problems. I’ve been coming to Carlos since 2010 and he’s successfully repaired all of my cars, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. Highly recommended and thanks again Carlos!

My mother took her car to Carlos in Jan 2014 to fix an issue she had with her car not starting in the winter season. For some reason the car had a short and it would drain the battery. He put on a cut off switch in the car, changed battery, serpentine belt and & tension pulley. He charged her $ 922.00 which is very expensive for an elderly woman on a fixed income. We assumed the car was fixed. She brought the car home and the next day she prepared to go to work and the car did not start again. She called him about the issue he sent his mechanic to jump the car and I had to drive the car to the shop. He called her and said he needed to change a new module on the car and it would cost an additional $ 340 which is ridiculous!!! But she needed the car to go to work so she would try to drive it until he changed the part. He said he would try to find a used one so it would be a little less expensive and get back with her. After 3 days he never called her back. To this day he has never tried to call her.
She proceeded to file a complaint with the Chicago BBB and in his response he has continuously been dishonest about everything. Now he is saying he will fix it all for free and that he tried calling her several times but was not able to reach her. Which is not true!!! He should have given her have the money back so she could take it to someone who knows how to fix this issue.
Several people have indicated that him adding a cut off switch was not the answer as that was not the real issue. The ethical thing to do was to say «hey not sure why the car is still not working, let me return some of your money and I am sorry that I was unable to help you and I don’t have the right equipment to find the problem. He is very old school, you cant understand his writing on any paperwork & he is very messy.
People beware where you take your car, this is the reason people don’t trust mechanics in Chicago. Carlos you need to get with the times and tell the truth!!!

Great mechanic, trustworthy and honest. It’s really important to have a solid neighborhood mechanic, Carlos is excellent.

Honest? EXPENSIVE!
It started out with a tic tic (lifters) noise in the old Mercedes engine. Took the car to C&H, The initial estimate was around $ 1200. After they took the car apart, they told me that is going be a lot more than that the original estimate.
New estimate was around $ 5000 to fix the car. Ok — I still decided to proceed with the job at C&H. This estimate was with me ordering the parts myself and bringing it to the shop (~ $ 1800). At the end of the day, when I took the car home, I paid an additional $ 3000 on top of the second estimate ($ 5000) and the parts that I ordered ($ 3000).
This is the last time I will step foot at C&H. I have had Carlos work on my Audi and a Mercedes at least 5 or 6 times. My overall assessment is that the shop is way too expensive and very old school. Messy paper work. If you go to this shop, you have to believe everything the shop tells you. The problem is — whatever they tell you is too expensive.
Lessons learned:
1. Shop around
2. Research everything including prices for parts
3. Document everything and make sure you approve any additional work
4. If you decide to go, bring an additional check
I will say this one last time the get off my soapbox. Overall, I would say C&H is three to four times more expensive than other other shops.

I took in my 2007 Honda Accord because there was an awful scrapping noise that suddenly occured. I didnt want to go to the dealership because I always feel like that are ripping me off somehow.
Carlos was fantastic and very upfront with the costs and what needed to be taken care of immediatly or what could wait. I was really happy with his service and I will be returning to him for all my auto needs.

Carlos is great: knowledgeable, considerate, and great to do business with! He replaced my trans sensor for 525 when I was quoted over 1200 down the street at CarX. Highly recommended!

Carlos is a very sincere, honest mechanic who takes pride in his work. I would recommend him to anybody looking for a mechanic on the north side.

Carlos is a truly honest and excellent mechanic. His shop did excellent auto body work on my new car. He is very fair about price, super available about answer calls and getting back to you, and his crew does great work. He also even argued with the rental car place to give me a car that I was entitled to after being rear ended. He goes above and beyond what a mechanic should do. I highly recommend him. After my warranty runs out, I’ll be going to him for any repairs. He was also one of the best estimates I found in the area.

Truly an honest, dependable mechanic. I was in over a year ago for some major work on my 1989 Miata … worked with me to priortize what had to be done versus what could be postponed (based on my budget)! Put everything in writing, faxed to me for my approval. (I did ask him to do that.)
He just called me to ask if everything was okay, he had not heard from me in a long while, and wanted to make certain I «was not mad at him for something»! What a guy. I’ll be bringing my ancient wheels to him next week as I’ve been postponing another round of car repair.
Go to him!

The last HONEST mechanic in Chicago!!! I wouldn’t bring my cars anywhere else! I have a Honda and a Nissan and Carlos has never failed me. When the warranty on my cars expired, I went to C & H for some repairs. Carlos was honest and kept me aware of all of the cost and repairs my cars needed.
I have referred several of my friends and family members to C & H and they have all received the same great service and care.

Carlos runs a very good repair shop for Mercedes and other specialty cars. He has serviced several of my Mercedes for 20 years and I am always confident that he will do the best job and will be honest and fair. When he is servicing the vehicle you can call and he will be able to tell you everything about the job because he is personally involved with your asset. These are qualities not easily found in this business. And… Carlos is a great guy!

I have been getting my 1985 BMW 635 serviced at this shop for about 10 years. I feel that Carlos looks after my car as if it were his own! He and his staff seem to take a lot of pride in their work and knowledge, which is great, especially when it comes to classic cars, like mine. My husband now takes his BMW station wagon in and I have referred many of friends with non-​European cars, who are now also very happy customers of C &H. I highly highly recommend this shop to anyone looking for quality and honest auto service.

An experienced foreign auto mechanic wiling to go the extra mile is a rare find.
No more bootleg alley repair shops. They are rip-​off artists with a wrench…
A trip to the dealer? Get serious. They want you to trade your old car for a new car note $$$…
As an owner of an older Benz (300E), I go to C & H for quality repairs. My Benz is my life. I trust Carlos with my car. Money well spent. End of story.