Vince’s Auto Service

Called to see if I could get in without an appointment, I was looking for tires, no problem. I dropped my car off, luckily my partner lives right down the street, got a call with a quote about 30 mins later, cheaper than I had been quoted elsewhere. Unfortunately they do not use customer parts for repairs, but no problem, I understand liabilities. I will definitely come back here for auto service.

I went to get a head gasket replaced and noticed the next day that the bolt that held up the metal rack that held the 4 spark plug wires was freshly snapped off. The younger kid that worked on it seemed pretty enthusiastic – but apparently was ‘too’ enthusiastic… I also found a magnetic extension tool left by mistake under the hood… Holy Amateur Hour!

Came here for a inspection and was quoted at about $ 1000 for repairs on my 1999 Honda. Called around to make sure I wasn’t being swindled and this place had the lowest rates around. The guys were honest and helpful — took care of all the extensive repairs in a few days flat. There was a discrepancy between a price verbally quoted to me by one of the repair serviceman and what I was actually charged. I communicated with the owner Vince who honored the price that was originally told to me without hesitation. Although I was annoyed that the mistake in pricing was made at all, I was happy that the establishment allowed for a quick appropriate remedy which was satisfactory.
Vince runs an honest establishment. For as long as I am in Pittsburgh, I will be going to Vince for my repairs.

Just had my front brakes and rotors replaced. Absolutely great service all around. Levi (real cool dude) not only called twice to make sure I understood what he was going to work on as he found issues, but he also showed me the parts he took out when I picked up my jeep to make sure I knew exactly why I spent the money I did. Fair price too. I’ll definitely be a returning customer.

Finding a good auto technician can be a serious challenge.
As my Unilocal history should show, I live all over the place — I go to school in Boston and fly into Pittsburgh every week where I rent a car. This week, however, I had my own car with me because I am on spring break and so I decided to drive down.
Cue this morning, 9am, I go to the car to drive my fiancé to work and after scraping all of the ice and snow off my car, I find that my wipers aren’t working. I couldn’t get them to go, even after scraping some ice off of them.
Convinced my wiper motor is broken, I immediately look up local auto shops. This is such a panicked feeling, because never having been to a shop in Pittsburgh, I didn’t know who I could trust.
I find Vince’s through some great reviews on here and I call. Vince picks up and he is so nice and accommodating! I explained to him my situation and he said no problem and that they could look at my car right away if I came in and that I could wait for it. He was so, so understanding of the fact that i didn’t have anywhere else to go and even without having a previous appointment took me in right away.
Once at the shop, I took a seat in the office and they pulled my car around. Less than five minutes later the guy walks into the office and says I don’t need a motor after all — my wipers are working they were just frozen to the windshield! We all had a good laugh but I was seriously so grateful for their honesty! He did mention that my wipers were old (which I knew!) so I asked them if they wouldn’t mind replacing them. Not only did they replace my wipers right there on the spot, but he also topped off some of my fluids because I told them I was driving to Philadelphia tomorrow. The prices were beyond fair and I couldn’t believe they took me in right away.
I don’t always have my car with me in Pittsburgh, but when I do over breaks and over the summer, I am so relieved that I now know that I have someone I can take my car to. They are awesome!
Thanks, Vince’s Auto!

They are all extremely kind and do amazing work. Very impressed at the quality of service and work: I will continue to bring my car here if anything is wrong with it!

Went there for an auto inspection, only to have them quote me almost $ 700 for «needed repairs». I am no car expert, but considering one of their suggestions had been recently replaced, I called foul. Went elsewhere and was passed without issue the same day.
They may be good mechanics, but they clearly drum up business with inspections. I don’t appreciate being held hostage.

I first found Vince’s on an emergency situation. Note to all readers don’t let your inspection and emissions lapse near a cop. I called as soon as they opened and they had me in that very day. They were also more than accommodating in the fact that my paperwork wasn’t all in order but since I was able to prove that insurance and registration were current they were able to finagle some magic within the system to get me cleared and through. The check itself was done quickly and thoroughly to boot. When I was told I needed an new part to pass the inspection (exterior mirror, damn hooligans with bats) they told me they would pass me if I paid parts and labor that day as the new mirror needed to be ordered. I completely understand this. If you are going to put your reputation and possibly your state license on the line you need a guarantee I am coming back. What really shocked me was the bill. Emissions, inspection, parts and labor all came to… a hair over $ 200. I almost felt like I was robbing THEM! When the part was in they called me to inform me promptly and when I was finally able to get my car in the fix was done before I could get back from the quick stop a block away for my daily caffeine fix. Customer service is top of the mark here. These guys do it right. The only thing that might put a visitor off is the fact that since these are hard working guys who work in a primarily open air/​open door garage they do smoke. I don’t mind because that is one of my own personal vices (sorry mom) but a non smoker might be put off. I say forget the second hand stuff and go anyway cause these guys are tops at providing great work and some of the best customer service I have ever had at a mechanics place. 5 stars all the way.

I am not car savvy at all and have heard plenty of warnings about car mechanics who try to sell you extra stuff and services, more than your car actually needs. This is one of the few auto repair places in Pgh that got 5 stars, and I was weirdly skeptical of the flawless ratings but decided to give it a go.
that being said…
THIS PLACE ROCKS!
I called in the morning, they told me to come around 2. I needed an oil change, tire check and one of my rear brake lights replaced. When I got there, the man (didn’t catch his name) told me that it would take a little time but asked very concernedly if I would be waiting around or if I would be able to come back later. Earlier I had read (in one of these reviews!) about someone going and sitting in the café Espresso a Mano (10 min walk, on Butler Ave) so I brought work and planned on waiting there. (side note: that was a great call, and the barista there told me a lot of people apparently do that routine– drop car, go get coffee, go back when called)
It all worked out and I got a very friendly call a little less than 2 hours after I had dropped it off saying that he had fixed the light and changed the oil and tires were checked and all the other lights were good too. I really appreciated the fact that, especially since I know nothing much about cars, they were very upfront and didn’t once try to sell me any other services or confuse me.
It was also pretty well-​priced, the whole thing came out to $ 50.
I’m a happy customer. GO HERE! and go to Espresso a Mano while you’re waiting, it’s very cute and baristas are super friendly!

Peace of mind is worth a lot, y’know? I get really edgy whenever the car is doing something it shouldn’t because I never know how deep the problem goes. The radiator on my ol’ 97 saturn wagon was leaking, and I was pretty sure the car was going to overheat and burst into flames at the next long red light. I envisioned taking it to a mechanic, close my eyes and hand over my wallet. But then a friend recommended Vince by saying «I pretty much let him do whatever he wants to my car.» I thought, what kind of mechanic inspires that kind of trust? Then I met Vince. He and his crew know exactly what they’re doing and they know exactly what you need. I didn’t have to have an tough conversation about keeping costs down; Vince told me he’d do only what had to be done to get my car running right and back on the road. But when I came back to pick it up, Vince had been thorough and kind enough to tighten some loose spark plugs which was totally unrelated to the radiator. The price was more than fair and I was happy to pay it. I could tell that Vince is a guy who just wants people to have cars that work right and he knows that when you treat people fairly they will come back to you. It’s what I plan to do!

I second the five-​star-​only reviews… the staff here are all very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating, and the prices are very reasonable. They gave me a great deal on new tires, and I get all my oil changes done here. They’re pretty speedy, so you can drop your car off for an oil change, walk down to Espresso a Mano for a cup of coffee & read a bit of your book, and they’ll give you a call when it’s ready! Plus, they’re just interesting people to talk to.

I got to say, this place has great attitude and service! I called several shops to ask about my tire replacement quote and Doug from Vince’s Auto was the best! He was very patient and willing to give me a really detailed breakdown on the cost of labor and parts!
He didn’t try to push and make me buy a new tire or anything, and respected my wish to choose whatever tire I wanted along with the help of his expertise.
The quality of the work is still pending, but just for their service and attitude, I think they deserve a good rating!

I can’t speak enough praises about this place.
I was traveling between Chicago and Providence and found my car’s steering scarily unresponsive to my input. I stayed in Pittsburgh with a friend and spooked when I took it to a place that quoted me over $ 2000 and a wait time of 3 days (I would have had no place to stay!).
I then went to Vince for a 2^nd opinion. Vince made me feel right at home and not only was able to fix my car that same day, but he billed me for another service that solved the problem and only costed $ 800!
If you’re going somewhere else, you’re missing out on supporting a local business that treats you like royalty and will be honest about your options.

Fantastic place! Took my car here to get the headlight replaced (pretty complicated for my car). Turns out the connector came loose. They were honest, told me what happened, and quickly fixed it. In and out quickly and money saved! Will be coming back.

These guys are AWESOME. I’ve taken my crappy old beat-​up car to them multiple times in the past few years and always received excellent service, honest opinions, and very reasonable prices. They’re also one of the only auto places I’ve gone to that doesn’t talk to me like I’m a complete moron just because I’m female — everyone I’ve ever talked to there has been respectful, polite, and willing to explain things in however much/​little detail I required. Don’t let the somewhat run-​down appearance of the place scare you away — Vinny’s is the best!

Marne hit the nail on the head! my family has been going to these guys for about 7 or 8 years now. quaility serivce, they fix what is actually broken instead of throwing parts at your car or truck, knowledgable and always a good price.
a good way to support a local biz instead of a chain!!!