Southside Auto Repair in
Lexington (KY)

Talk about professionals! After having coolant leakage issues, I had 2 friends quickly look at the problem, and then as a final check, I went to these guys. Everything they said checked out and their honesty assured me that they weren't trying to pull any wool over my eyes. Southside Auto Repair gave me a diagnosis of the issues I've been experiencing, complete with photos in the overview they sent me. I can say I totally trust these gentlemen. I look forward to making this shop my go-to mechanic in the area! And, to add to this, the estimates were in line with the Hyundai dealership. Again, just that extra reassurance to go with these guys!

This auto repair shop starts off with a full inspection of your car after which they text you an email link to their website which has pictures and descriptions of everything that needs attention rated as red yellow and green. There is a surcharge for it, but it’s well worth it, allowing you establish a Professional relationship with them. This is the first time that I’ve used their service, in which advised me of things that I did not know were in need of and did so at a fair and reasonable market cost.

If it's one thing I've learned in life, going the cheap route is never the right answer in regards to these type of issues/problems...particularly, when it comes to ensuring the safety of family. Chris conducted a thorough diagnostic inspection of vehicle & went over the issues in detail. He didn't try to oversell what needed to be addressed. And, took the time to allow me to get over initial sticker-shock & digest the fact my daughter had been riding/driving in an unsafe vehicle. After weighing options & re-consulting my brother, who had recommended Chris & Southside, I gave him the go-ahead to get the vehicle repairs in action immediately. Chris explained everything & took it from there. When I had time to better inspect the initial inspection diagnostic report (which, is well worth the money itself!!), I determined I needed to ask Chris his opinions on additional underlying problems/issues identified in the diagnosis. Again, he didn't try to oversell what needed to be done. Made his recommendations based on my questions/concerns. It took a couple of extra days to get everything completed due to the complexity of problems to be resolved & the fact Chris and his team absolutely do things right. In the end, the finished product will give extra years to an older vehicle at a fraction of what it would cost to try to purchase a newer (still, used & possibly with its own problems) vehicle. I feel indebted to Chris & safe in any decisions and repairs conducted by he & his team. When completed, he told me I pretty much had a brand-new vehicle that would serve our needs for several years. My daughter called me on her way home while driving the vehicle and couldn't believe what a difference the repairs & upgrades made. She echoed Chris's words...saying it was a completely different vehicle. Note: This is a nearly 20 year old vehicle with approximately 60K miles. My daughter is in college & things are tight financially. We had not anticipated investing in another vehicle for several more years. Chris seemed to understand my predicament from the get-go. And, walked us through things...which, calmed me despite fact we didn't know where to come up with money at this point. We are glad we went on & made the investment. What he & his crew did bought us years on a vehicle that is sorely needed. And, I appreciate that fact.

I was relieved to find the service. They have a tow service & repair. Good communication of issues. Great service & great price. I will use Southside Auto Repair in the future.

I just moved to Lexington for college and my dad found Southside for me. They were able to take my car in right away, and managed to do an inspection and get it fixed very quickly. Everyone I spoke to was very kind!!

Southside Auto is by far the best shop I have ever dealt with in my 52 years of owning a car. They are friendly, honest, and fair. I’ll never go anywhere else but to Southside Auto Repair for my auto servicing.

Broke down on the interstate on my way to North Carolina. Tow truck driver said I had picked the most honest and reliable mechanic s in town. He was wright. Highly recommend.

I don’t usually write reviews, but I felt the need to share this experience to warn other people from coming to this establishment. I brought my car in to recharge my AC and check for leaks. They refused to do this service after finding a “safety concern” in my engine. Stating that they can’t be liable for doing ANY work on my car except for this “safety concern” that they wanted to charge me $1800 for. Ridiculous. When I went to pick my car up after they had it for 2 days and didn’t do ANY work to it, they told me I had to pay a $175 diagnostic fee. When I asked what the $175 was for exactly they said that they simply looked over the car with their eyes. They didn’t even hook it up to a car code scanner! $175 fee for them to LOOK at your car with their EYES. Shameful. I took it to my usual auto repair shop and they told me the “safety concern” wasn’t even diagnosed correctly and fixed it for me free of charge AND recharged my AC for $160. Southside Auto is a scam. Do not bring your vehicle here.

Took my car in they were very nice and explained everything to me so that I understood. Gave me different payment options and had my car fixed in a timely manner! Very good experience, would recommend this shop to anyone who needs quality work done or a diagnosis on a car problem!

Edit in response: I appreciated the “transparency” until I went to another shop who told me that my car was not junk and could be fixed for a much lower price than what was quoted by you guys. You guys have a very friendly staff and I love to support small businesses as an employee of multiple around town, but I felt lied to. I also got a free inspection of my car just down the road at S&S… so the expensive inspection was a bit off putting in retrospect, especially considering all the BS that was on it. The single star is for friendly staff, the rest of my experience did not earn more stars. All love and wish yall the best, but I feel inclined to share my experience.

Chris was great . He really took care of me. Everyone that I had interaction with provided me with great service. Price was reasonable, and repairs were done in a timely matter. I’ll be back .

Professional, kept in contact, answered any questions fully. I was a certified nationwide Customer Service Trainer for Macy's for 20 yrs. I know good C/S when I see it! We broke down while traveling out of state from Ohio...bad enough, right? However, it could have been much worse had we not found Southside!! We cannot that you, and Chris, enough.

My daughter dropped her vehicle off to get it checked out due to a popping sound when she turns. The list of things they say is wrong is 2 pages long and includes the a/c and the battery which have just been repaired or replaced in the past 6 months, and when we picked it up were working fine. The suspension/front end work that the vehicle actually needed was quoted at over $1000 more than the shop where normally have our vehicles worked on and ultimately took her vehicle to. It feels like they saw a young lady with an older vehicle and thought they could get over on her.

I brought my truck in with a power issue Wednesday (edit: not Tuesday) morning. They kept my vehicle for 3 days only to tell me it just needs a new battery. My wife had to call them every hour on the hour to get answers. Every time she called they told her they were "looking at it, right now." I finally got to pick my truck up Friday afternoon. I was charged $1,300. No vehicle for 3 days. A new battery. An oil change. And a transmission flush. At no point was I ever informed that a new battery. An oil change. And a transmission flush. Was going to cost me $1,300. I'm aware I should have pushed for more transparency. I suppose that's on me. Not to mention the work I've been unable to to complete during those 72 hours, as I need my truck for work. Just add this place to the list of mechanics that just want to squeeze every dime they can out of desperate people. I had to have my truck back. I was out of time. I don't know if there's anything I can do. I can't afford a lawyer, I gave the rest of the money I had to them. Actually it was on a credit card, so I'm just 1300 in the hole.

My experience with Southside Auto Repair was excellent. Chris is so pleasant and patient to deal with. He explained everything to me in great detail. You have to trust your Automotive Shop just like you do your doctor and they are very trustworthy. No they aren't the cheapest in town but you get what you pay for and the experience was well worth it, not to mention my car runs perfectly now. I don't know what I would do without the whole crew there.

Right after my son’s graduation from the University of Kentucky, his car broke down. I had just returned home to New Orleans, and as a mother, I instantly panicked—not just because of the situation, but because I was far away and unsure how to help. My son, still young and new to handling car trouble on his own, had the vehicle towed to the first place he could find. When I looked up the shop’s reviews, I was nervous—but then I made a phone call that changed everything. Michelle answered. From the first moment, she was warm, professional, and incredibly honest. She told me upfront, “We may not be the cheapest, but we’ll get the job done”—and that’s exactly what she did. Michelle treated my son like he was her own. She was transparent, knowledgeable, and reassuring every step of the way. The parts were ordered immediately, and the car was fixed the very next day. As a mother, I cannot express the relief and gratitude I felt knowing he was in good hands—especially with a woman who not only knew her stuff but showed true care and compassion in a male-dominated industry. Michelle, thank you for your kindness, your expertise, and your heart. You are an absolute asset to Southside Auto, and I’m forever grateful. With gratitude, Shalinda Austin On behalf of my son, DeJuan Daniel, University of Kentucky Class of 2025

I had a great experience with Southland Auto Repair! The team was super friendly and helpful throughout the whole process. They really went above and beyond by offering to give me a ride to and from the shop, which made my day so much easier. Not only did they provide excellent service on my car, but their customer service was top-notch. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable, friendly auto repair!

Chris and Jorge are great. They've been super communicative about the best direction to go when keeping our vehicles in top shape. We're repeat customers and will be coming back soon!

Service was fantastic and every employee we interacted with was friendly, trustworthy, and knowledgeable. They had our best interest in mind the entire time and would recommend them to anyone in the area that needs their car repaired. Great communication throughout the process. Thank you!

BEWARE: Their 3-year warranty is NOT what you think it is. It's NOT comprehensive and will NOT cover all damages associated with part failure. It's completely garbage and useless. - This is one of the most dishonest, unethical places I've ever been to. I got scammed out of over $2200 on a timing belt job. I specifically wanted to get it done here to take advantage of their seemingly excellent warranty. I asked them point blank to confirm that if the timing belt failed and I needed a whole new engine, that it'd be fully covered under warranty. They told me to my face that it would be. It wasn't until after the fact when I read the fine print that it said such damages are excluded and that warranty repairs cannot exceed the original cost of the job. When I confronted them about this, they basically called me a liar and that I was making stuff up. Of course it was too late at this point because they'd already done the work. Otherwise, I would've not let them touch my car. Still, they refused to offer anything to make it right and were extremely disrespectful. - Another thing they did was a bait and switch on me where they swapped out the timing belt kit for a lesser quality brand. On the original estimate they told me they were going to use the OEM-equivalent one that's standard in the industry, only to switch it out for a worse brand without my knowledge. The reviews for the one I thought they were going to use, had near 5 stars. The one that they put in my car had 1-star reviews where people were saying that it broke on them in the first few months, so now I'm basically waiting for the timing belt to break only for them to not pay for it. So not only did they lie to me about the warranty, they lied about the part too, so they played me twice. The staff are friendly until you have a problem with their shady business practices. They're not transparent about their warranty or their services either because they're incompetent or because they're deliberately trying to deceive you, although it's probably both. They'll add stuff to your bill without telling you. Stay as far away as you can from this place. You and your car deserve better.

If zero stars were an option, I'd pick it. 1. BE AWARE, they will do a "safety" inspection for which they will charge you $170. That's before they've even addressed why the car is there. What you get for that inspection is certainly not worth the charge. Sure, they give you pictures, but this is stuff must shops would look at and NOT charge you for. 2. Those safety items, when shown with the pictures they provided to my mechanic of multiple cars over several years, were considered nothing more than a "money grab". 3. When told I didn't want the items I did NOT bring the car in for, I was told it was "all or nothing". 4. Their services were literally TWICE the cost of the shop that did the work for me. Instead of $2,100, the shop I took it to charged me $330 for the work I actually needed done. My opinion, stay AWAY from this shop unless you just enjoy hemorrhaging money, in that case, they're a great choice. WRT Response from SS: This is the only shop that I've seen charge to determine the problem. This is especially egregious when it was pretty clear it was the alternator. The car likely even threw a code telling you that. $170 for that is unconscionable, and again, the ONLY mechanic I've ever been to that played that game. I was desperate and hopeful that the mechanic wouldn't try and take advantage of me, but got burned.

Special thanks to Jorge & Ben for their hard work this week! My car that is 11 years old feels almost brand new thanks to these guys. It’s quiet and drives so smoothly now. And my AC is working like a champ! I literally can’t thank them enough for checking out my car THOROUGHLY and getting it taken care of on a time crunch for me. They didn’t have to go above and beyond but they did. That’s something you don’t come across much these days, especially for a first time customer. They are knowledgeable and transparent. They take the time to explain things to you and answer any questions you might have. I will absolutely be back when I need work done again. If you’re thinking of using them for your vehicle needs, absolutely give them a shot!

Over $3,000 later and somehow my car drives and handles worse than when I gave it to them (which was not even the issue I brought my vehicle in for.) Mechanics do not seem knowledgeable based on the information I received over the phone. Ridiculous labor charges, was quoted a labor period of an hour and a half to change a battery which only takes ten minutes even for the most unskilled mechanic. Only reason it’s two stars rather than one is the customer service was relatively good and waiting area was clean. Would not recommend Edit: Your response is almost entirely completely false. I have been driving my vehicle for over a year prior to bringing it in. I got it towed to your shop due to the alternator going out. I only brought it to your shop because I was told you would be able to work on it the next morning, which turned out to be a lie that I chose not to mention prior to your response. Doing the bare minimum would have been to only get my alternator and battery replaced. I paid approximately $3,200 after removing some items your team suggested. I would like to know how this qualifies as the bare minimum. To your point about “getting the vehicle driveable” (which it already was) I had mentioned the vehicle had been sitting in a barn for just under 1 year prior to me receiving it when discussing the handbrake. Changed to 1 star.

Very professional and friendly place of business. Had to get a 3rd party car inspection done here on quick notice. They were able to accommodate me and my wife as we were out of state (Indiana). They gave a detailed and thorough report. I would highly recommend them. Spoke with Chris and Jorge the times I called. Thanks for your help. Kind regards, Mike

Excellent service, fairly priced, and a really cool t-shirt for free if you ask for it. Employees obviously take pride in their work and are careful to keep customers informed every step of the way. Top marks!

I travel across the US doing expedite deliveries for big manufacturing companies. The fear is breaking down away from home and having to go to a mechanic you don't know and trust they are not scum bags. I have had some bad experiences in this area. So it's nerve-racking. Last week I was having a little rattling on my front ened and I needed it inspected to find out if it was safe to continue with my delivery. Enter Southside Auto Repair. I found them online and gave them a shot. They were professional from the start and extremely helpful. Not only were they able to quickly find the cause of the rattle But they showed me it and assured me it was nothing catastrophic. They were honest and cared. That's more then I could ask for. Because of this they earned my business and I will be back for the major repairs when ready. Definitely a recommended in my book! Thanks guys!

Great place to have repairs. I had some hoses on my heater core break. Lost all of my antifreeze and couldn't drive my truck. They towed it and diagnosed other potential issues. Got the repairs done in only 2 days and all seems great now. Price was not too bad. It was a bit pricey but so was everyone else I called so I guess it wasn't pricey after all. Overall great service and easy to deal with. Got my truck back quickly and couldn't have been a better experience. Definitely recommend!