West Town, Chicago · Mobile repair since 2016
A&E Mobile Mechanic is a fully equipped repair van that parks next to your car — in your driveway, your alley spot, or the lot at work. Same diagnostic tools, same parts sourcing, same hands. No tow, no waiting room, no shuttle.
Recorded on the way to a call
Most people don't need a shop. They need their car back before Monday.
— Anthony, owner and lead mechanic
01 — Services
Everything below is done on-site. If a job genuinely needs a lift or a frame machine, we say so on the phone before we drive out — no surprise tow bills.
Pads and rotors swapped in your parking spot with the wheels off and torque specs from the factory manual, not from memory. We bleed the lines, check the hardware, and road-test on the block before we pack up. Squealing, grinding, or a pedal that sinks — that's a same-day call.
A code reader tells you which sensor complained. It doesn't tell you whether the sensor is bad or the wiring to it is. We pull live data, back-probe the harness, and give you a straight answer: fix it, watch it, or leave it alone. Written estimate before any part is ordered.
Chicago winters kill batteries in the first real cold snap. We load-test the battery and the alternator separately so you're not buying a battery when the real problem is a slipping belt or a parasitic drain. New batteries come with the install and the old core hauled away.
The jobs that strand people. Clicking starter, dash lights dimming at idle, a belt squealing on cold mornings — all doable in a driveway with the right tools, which we carry. We'll tell you up front if your model buries the starter under the intake manifold and the job is better off indoors.
Oil and filter, coolant top-off, washer fluid, and a look underneath while we're there — leaks, torn boots, worn tie rods. You get a photo of anything that worries us. It's the cheapest way to find a $900 problem while it's still a $90 problem.
Clunks over the speed bumps on Le Moyne, a shimmy at 55 on the Kennedy, a steering wheel that won't sit straight. We replace in pairs where it matters and always recommend an alignment afterward — we'll tell you where to take it.
Buying a used car in Chicago? We meet you at the seller's address, put it on stands, and check rust in the rockers and rear subframe, frame damage, fluid condition, and stored codes. You get a written verdict with photos before you hand over cash.
We keep vans, box trucks, and work pickups running for a handful of contractors and delivery outfits around West Town, Logan Square, and Pilsen. Set a rotation, we come to your lot on a schedule, and you get one invoice a month instead of eight receipts.
02 — How it works
Year, make, model, and what it's doing. A noise, a light, a smell, a car that won't turn over. Anthony answers most calls himself and can usually narrow it down in two minutes.
Diagnostic fee, travel, and a realistic window. If it's a job we can't do at the curb, we tell you now and point you to a shop that can — that call is free.
Driveway, alley, street spot, or workplace lot. You don't need to be there, though plenty of people watch. We text when we're 20 minutes out and again when we're done.
Nothing gets ordered or installed without a yes from you. Parts are sourced same-day from suppliers on the Near West Side. Card or cash at the end, receipt by text.
03 — Service area
We're based on W Le Moyne St in West Town and cover the city plus the close suburbs. If you're inside the map below, we can usually be there the same day.
04 — Hours
Weeknights and overnight are our busiest window — that's when a dead car actually ruins your week. Saturday we're off. Sunday we run a shorter day for scheduled work.
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM |
05 — About
A&E started in 2016 out of a single van and a rented spot off Le Moyne, after Anthony spent eleven years in dealership service bays on the North Side. The pitch was simple and hasn't changed: the same work, done in your driveway, at a price that doesn't include a building, a service writer, and a coffee bar.
The van carries a full tool set, a two-post-free jacking setup, an OBD-II scanner with manufacturer-level software, and a parts run that goes out twice a day. Most jobs finish without a second trip. When a part has to be ordered, we tell you the honest lead time instead of promising tomorrow.
We're a small operation on purpose. Two mechanics, one van, and a phone that a real person answers. If we can't get to you, we'll say so and tell you who can.
06 — Reviews
Rated 5.0 across 3 reviews.
"Car wouldn't start in the Jewel parking lot on Ashland at 9 p.m. Anthony was there in forty minutes, tested the battery and the alternator, and had a new one in. Didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need."
"Had him do front brakes and rotors in my alley. Quoted a price, charged that price, and showed me the old pads. My dealership wanted nearly double."
"Met me at a seller's house in Berwyn to look at a used Civic. Found rust in the rear subframe the seller hadn't mentioned. Saved me four thousand dollars."
07 — Contact
We don't take bookings online — every job starts with a two-minute phone call so we can quote it properly. Call any time Monday through Friday, or Sunday between 10 and 5:30.
Looking for the shop in person? We work out of a private bay and don't have a customer waiting area — call first and we'll meet you at your car.