Advanced Auto Clinic Inc

Sam is the best! He quoted me HALF of what the dealership was going to charge me! He shipped in the right parts for my VW and had everything fixed and ready for me to pick up within 48 hours. I will never take my car anywhere else.
Thank you!

Advanced Auto Clinic is by far the busiest repair shop in the North Shore. Why? Because it’s hands-​down the best place to have your vehicle serviced. I’ve been going here for 11 years now and I’ll be a lifetime customer. Sam, the owner, is a great guy who will take care of your vehicle (s) like it was his own. Here are a few facts about the shop that you might not know (I’m a car guy and frequently chat with Sam during my visits):
— Equipped with EVERY official dealer diagnostic tool to diagnose problems on the spot. BMW/​Mini, Audi/​VW/​Porsche, Jaguar, Range Rover, Mercedes/​SMART, SAAB, Volvo, Nissan/​Infiniti, Honda/​Acura, Toyota/​Lexus, American brands, even rarer cars like Lamborghini. No guessing with diagnostics even when it comes to brand new European cars.
— Super-​fast parts suppliers with 99% same-​day delivery (grateful for this when I was in a pinch)
— Unbeatable parts and labor pricing, best in the area in my experience.
To the reviewer «David R.» — yes, Advanced Auto Clinic is listed as an official TireRack installer. However, due to the scope and popularity of the shop, tire service kind of takes a back seat and is more of an added convenience for local customers. Sam IS equipped with a Hunter Road Force machine, which is awesome and a must-​have for newer and more sensitive cars. I’d say you just caught them during a busy week.
Bottom line, if you’re looking for great expertise across almost every auto make and model at an affordable price, take your vehicle to Advanced Auto Clinic and get to know Sam, the owner. Liz is also a pleasure to work with!

Awesome place to go, Sam has been very generous when it comes to pricing and has been very accommodating with my schedule. If I call the day before that I need to bring my car in right away for an issue I might have he asks what time can I bring it. Even if I say 6 am he says that he will meet me there to make sure I don’t have to go out of my way. He offers everything from towing with a company he works with all the way to loaners, drop offs and pick ups if near by. Like I said before, nobody can beat the price he gives… finally a mechanic that realizes if you don’t over charge and stick to the timeframe quoted you will have return customers. No wonder his lot is always full. Recommended over 10 people including friends and family and will continue to do so… PLUS HE KNOWS GERMAN CARS… very rare to find a trustworthy shop to take care of German cars.

I’ve been going to AAC for almost 3 years and will only go to Sam to have work done on my car. He always treats me well and has the best prices. If he needs to keep my car overnight he always provides a FREE rental! No mechanic has ever offered that to me… ever! If it is work that can be done in a day, he, his wife or one of his mechanics will provide me a ride to work and they have even picked me up to bring me back to the shop! Who does that… NOBODY! The quality of the work speaks for itself, Sam goes above and beyond every time, he is quite simply the best.

I am amazed that this place has so many positive ratings. I suspect they were written by the owners friends.
My experience was not so good. I used them, on the recommendation of TireRack to install my tires. I dropped the tires off on a Monday and said no hurry, call me when ready. They called me on Thursday at 8:12am to say the tires were ready. They then called again at 4:02 telling me to pick them up.
I was in all day meetings so could not respond. I then got another call at 4:12 from TireRack saying that the owner had asked them to call me because he said that I had left my wheels for over a week, clearly not true. AAC then called me again at 4:13 and left me a threatening message that if I didn’t pick up my wheels they would be shipped back to TireRack. Remember this all happened between 8am and 4:13 on the same day while I was in meetings.
When I arrived the following day to pick up the tires, from the clearly cramped and over crowded premises, the foreign owner, Sam, became loud and aggressive telling me that he didn’t need my business and I should leave. I paid and left.
I am truly amazed to be treated this way. I suspect he is not completely mentally stable. You have been warned.

Best mechanics — best customer service — never feel ripped off or taken advantage of — super nice, and lastly communicative and what they tell you the cost is, it is! No games! I would recommend them to my 95. Year old grandmother and not worry a bit!

The only place I will ever go! They treat you like family, and do what they say and say what they do! I truly cannot say how happy I am to have found these guys!

I apologize it has taken me a month to write the review. I can’t tell you enough how pleased I was with the service I received. My car needed a lot of work and I was prepared to hear the worst. I went in knowing it would be at least $ 900-​$ 1000.
Sam called me about an hour after dropping the car off and told me what he thought was wrong, and laughed at how loud the car was, I laughed too, I can’t believe I let it get it so bad.
So a few hours later I got another call that everything was going smoothly, then a third call… they noticed it was time for an oil change and asked if I wanted one completed while the car was there, I said yes.
When I picked up the car Sam told me that he drove it again to make sure all of the work was done correctly, he explained that the vibrations were gone and the steering was much better. My bill was $ 1112, for front struts, stabilizers, 2 engine mounts, ac belt, alternator belt, oil change, and all the labor. As a first time client I received 20% off of my parts! which saved me about $ 145. I was very pleasantly surprised.
I really enjoyed the service and personalization that the whole staff gave. I will definitely recommend them, and my father who lives in the area, will now go to them as well.
So I’m finally writing the review because in the mail I received a card with my personal access number on it for their website. I can check what work was done on my car, or if they had recommended a service that was not performed, then an appt can be scheduled online. I love this! What mechanic shop does that? Advanced Auto Clinic is a very professional shop, I would highly recommend it!
Anne Leonard

Advanced Auto Clinic is the BEST! I wouldn’t consider going anywhere else with my car. I have an older car and have needed various repairs throughout the years. Sam, the owner, is exceptional — he provides excellent service, explains the problem clearly, fixes the problem in the timely manner, and is fairly priced. He is honest and upfront about any work that needs (or does not need) to be done. The shop is clean and easy to find. I can’t encourage you enough to check out this place. You won’t be disappointed. He is one in a million!

I’ve been going to Advanced Auto Clinic for almost 10 years now. I have had many cars — Audi’s, BMW’s, Land Rovers, etc. and every time I have a problem, I take it to Sam Cherro at Advanced. Not only does he fit me in on my schedule, he’s fast. AND he provides loaners. What mechanic does that? I’ll tell you — none. And pricing — he’s the best. Very affordable to say the least. So, if you’re looking for someone you can trust with your second most prized possession, Sam’s your man. He even gives you options for new or refurbished parts, if applicable. I can’t say it enough, use Sam if you really need good work done. And he’s right off the Edens in Wilmette, it doesn’t get any easier for access.

Very honest and very caring company. They will take care of you for a fair price.

It really is a great place to take your car. I even worked for sam for a period (Left for non-​job related issue) Sam is Always honest with his work and quotes and he is a good guy. He and his team are very good at what they do. Very friendly! He and his wife are just really nice people and they run a great autoshop!

Been dealing with Advance for a few years now. I drive a ’07 MB E350 that is out of warranty and repairs can be costly. Everytime I go in for an oil change or any other repair Sami the owner is always up front about the cost. I’ve been to many repair shop and they always tell me I need more then what I went in for. I just brought my car in the other day for an oil change, and ask if I shoud replace the battery. He looked at me and said, are you having problems starting my car? I told him no and he said then why buy one. I trust him so much that I recommend him to everyone I know. I even got my brother to bring in all his company trucks to be repaired there.

My 2000 Toyota Avalon literally died at their front door with a dead engine after being at the dealer a week earlier for an oil change and new battery. They were honest and knew their mehanical details and isolated a serious problem that the dealers knew existed from an earlier recall. he documented the problem for me and I filed a complaint w Toyota corporate. The charge for the extensive work done was only labor and 30% of what the dealer charged just to open the hood. I would definitely use for maintenance and any problems. Sami the owner was courteous, fast, and professional and explained everything to my dad who was an airplane mechanic.

I agree with the first review; this place is a square deal and I believe a very good value for what you pay. It’s hard to trust an auto mechanic if you are not a gear head, since you may not know what they are doing or understand the jargon. The owner Sami is really a car guru and you can learn a lot about cars just having a conversation with him. I know I’m more trusting when procedures are explained. I also like being given choices (like, whether we want to use new or refurbished auto parts). Sami clearly likes what he does and it shows.
We own older cars and are used to having to pay for the upkeep, but I know that we’ve gotten good work because the repairs we get from Advanced really seem to stand the test of time.
They also have a great deal with Enterprise Rental for a loaner if they need to keep your car for more than a day. You can get a loaner for free and Enterprise will even come and pick you up at your house. This is invaluable if you need a car for work, which most people do if they live in the area.
We’ve been using Advanced Auto for many, many years now and feel very confident we are getting good work at a good price.

They beat other quotes on major jobs by a large margin. Very honest, very fair. If something isn’t repaired correctly, I can return and it’s no charge. Super-​friendly and helpful. Most places will pad prices on parts and labor. This place stays busy all time. The do not need to squeeze you.