Foreign Auto Center

I brought my 2007 Subaru Forester in with a bad wheel bearing. The team found a few other issues with my car (things I had suspected might be a problem sometime soon, not any «surprises» like the last time I went to the local dealership). They had it fixed up by the end of the day and it’s now running smoother and quieter than ever. The mechanics at Foreign Auto Center were friendly, accommodating, and courteous. I would take these folks over Cityside Subaru any day of the week.

What would I do without Foreign Auto? My 2006 VW Golf has spent a lot of time here and so have I. Nick is a great guy, always kind, always real and always willing to explain what the issue is and what my options are. The mechanics are top notch and the vibe is friendly. I trust Nick, he is my car guru, which is something money can’t buy. It’s important to me too that the place is very relational — my car broke down on Christmas Eve and I had it towed here. In the craziness of the day I got home again only to realize I’d left my apt. keys inside my car. I raced back on the T to find Nick, Jimmy and all their guys sitting at a long folding table they had set up in the garage having Christmas Eve dinner. Nick invited me to stay and eat with them. I had to run to catch the train, but that image has stayed with me and affirms for me that this is a local, family place that does excellent work.

I am thrilled with the mechanical service at FAC, however, my car smelled like an ashtray! This was a non-​smoking car, no cigarettes had been smoked in this car since i bought it new in 2003! very annoyed.
the work was under the hood, so the mechanics must have designated my car as the smoking lounge and have spend hours sitting in the car smoking on a cold day. The windshield was blurred by a layer of condensed smoke and was nauseating driving to and from worcester. i spent half of saturday cleaning glass and hard surfaces, placed boxes of arm & hammer, and a day later the car was somewhat improved, but the headliner and carpeting are difficult to clean without shampooing the fabrics.
If you use the Foreign Auto Center, insist that your car is non-​smoking and a cleaning fee will be charged if cigarettes were smoked in the car!

These guys are good and fast. One of the pulleys on my BMW broke and caused the serpentine bekt to brake too. Took the car to this shop first thing in the morning. Had it back within two hours. They got the parts, fixed the car, changed oil and fixed one of my tires too. Nick has a take-​no-​prisoners attitude sometime but he is a really good guy and a great mechanic.

My favorite auto shop. They are prompt, professional, on time, and very clear about what they’ve done and what they would like to do. Before starting new work, they check in and provide options. Pricing is very reasonable. I own a BMW and prefer taking my car here over the dealership.

SAVED ME! I drove my 1984 Mercedes 300td up from New York to attend a conference in Cambridge. When I went to leave (the day before the three day weekend of July 4^th) the car would not start. I googled «German Auto Repair» and Foreign Auto Clinic came up. Being in Cambridge I also checked the «Car Talk» site and found the shop listed there as well. Great reviews, so I gave them a call. They could not have been nicer. I described the problem over the phone and he told me it sounded like a fuel problem. I called AAA and they flat-​bedded the car to his shop.
Within 5 minutes he had the hood up and, like a surgeon, called his assistant to bring him an assortment of tools. I stepped away to grab a coffee and upon my return, he had fixed the problem. He didn’t even charge me for the service.
He suggested what may have caused it, and showed me how to do a roadside repair if it happened on the drive back to New York.
What appeared to be a huge setback was solved and I could not have been more pleased with the speed, honesty and professionalism I experienced at this shop.
If I lived in Cambridge, this would be my mechanic of choice.

Great service, very realistic and willing to help you without taking you to the cleaners.

Foreign Auto definitely lives up to its great reputation and gets it done right the first time.
I do most of my own auto maintenance and repairs including brakes, oil, cooling, belt driven components, and electrical but when it comes to internal engine work I don’t have the right setup and experience to do it right. They were very open and honest about what my car needed and didn’t need, and I am pleased with the job they did rebuilding my engine head and replacing some aging parts.
Since they were popping my engine open anyways, I had them replace a few extra parts such as the timing chain tensioner, knock sensor, and some other preventative maintenance parts like the fuel filter that I know are normally a complete pain to get to. They also took the time when I picked up my car to show me the old parts and how each of them was near its end of life, preventing some costly future repairs.
It’s refreshing to find a repair shop that has the right philosophy and will tell you flat out if you don’t need really something done, and suggest appropriate preventative maintenance when it will truly save your time and money in the long run.

Took my VW Golf 07 to get an oil change: lost my air intake cover. Not a big deal but clearly lied about it and claimed it was no big deal. Another time, an alignment. Car kept pulling to the right. Nick took a ride with me, said he noticed nothing. Come on! NEVER GOING BACK.

I’ve been taking my 2000 Toyota Camry to Jimmy for 4 years. I’ve never been disappointed with the quality of service, price and timeliness. I’ve had everything from my timing belt replaced to getting new rear lights and a suspension replaced. These guys know what they are talking about when it comes to cars. I wouldn’t take my car to any other place. Highly Recommend them!

I took my BMW to this shop for an oil change. Good overall. I was a bit upset at the beginning when I found out that they used Liqui Moly oil although on the phone they said they use original BMW oil. After research, it turned out Liqui Moly it’s fine too. So, it’s all good.

I’ve been going there forever — Nick and Jimmy are the greatest. The last honest men.
BMW and Mercedes and Audi are Nick’s specialty — Jimmy does Japanese cars.
So don’t bring your Galaxy 500 but if you want to pay a ¹⁄₃^rd of the dealer price, wait a ¹⁄₃ rd of the time, these are your guys — with all the sophisticated toys to service the computers… of the new age cars.

These guys are fast, but they are a bit sketchy.
I took my car there for a repair (alternator). When I came to pick it up, it was back on the rack, because they ‘noticed’ a very squeaky pulley after their repair, which they did not notice when they check out the car before the repair (indeed, the noise is very noticeable now). I never noticed this before I brought it to them/​it did not have this problem, and they wanted to charge me to fix it. In fact, they had already started work on without even asking me. I really believe it was something they caused.
I am never going back.

Go see Nick! trustworthy, reasonably priced, gets the work done when he says, friendly.

Needed to get a tire replaced and this was in my area. They replaced my tire the same day, gave me a good price, and were friendly and professional. There’s so much mistrust of car repair shops and sometimes the fear that they might be cheating you but not here. Highly recommend it!
They specialise in foreign cars –Asian and European

I was in Boston to visit my sick daughter when my car started stalling out. My daughter Unilocaled Foreign Auto Center — 5 minutes from where we were.
Jimmy (their Honda specialist) immediately took a look at my 2006 Honda Accord, and diagnosed a broken air filter and quoted me $ 250 to fix it. Additionally, he fixed the rattling heat shield for no extra charge. Within two hours, I was back on the road!
These guys are the BEST. Honest, quick and accurate.

I’m selling my Subaru Impreza to a friend, and I needed to take it in for a pre-​purchase inspection. I called on a Wednesday to make an appointment and was told to come in on Friday morning.
I showed up and the mechanic looked at me like I had two heads! He had no knowledge of me or my car and was incredibly rude and dismissive — and he kept insulting my car! I mentioned that I had called, and he told me that I probably spoke to his partner, who wasn’t in today. It was a complete waste of time — and a terrible experience. I wouldn’t recommend them to ANYONE based on the way that I was treated — and it’s not like their prices are great, either (they quoted me $ 90 for a pre-​purchase inspection, which is on par with the other shops in the area). Save your money and go ANYWHERE else.

By Friday, I was done driving around in the sweltering heat with no AC and I needed it recharged ASAP. I Unilocaled for someone nearby and Foreign Auto Center had 4 stars and excellent reviews. I called in the afternoon thinking it was doubtful they’d have time for me but they told me to come in. Hallelujah!
When I got there I was met by someone who asked if I was the lady that called. Yes, yes, I am. Please deliver me from the oven that is my car… and they did.
Nick is a happy-​go-​lucky guy who knows his foreign cars and runs a great operation with excellent service. He will fix whatever you brought your car in for and suggest other needed repairs without pressure. «We’ll fix it next time you come in,» he says, «No need to do it all in one day.» Okay :)
His staff is friendly and respectful and the prices are right. For years I’ve been traveling from wherever I’ve lived to my hometown near the NH border. No more. This is where I’m bringing my car from now on.

I have been going to Foreign Auto for past 2 years, since my BMW got out of warranty. Nick is great. It’s hard to find an honest auto repair shop but this is definitely one of the best ones I have been to! They will let you drive out without paying anything if the car doesn’t need any repair.
Every time I leave my car there, I am confident that they won’t charge me for anything that’s not needed. They are very efficient with their repairs and schedules too. I highly recommend this place if you are tired of your dealer telling you to spend a few grand or buy extended warranty on your car.

My girlfriend and I love this place. They replaced our car’s battery quickly and refilled the tires for free unasked. Friendly, professional, and efficient.
Also, and this is kind of bizarre, but I’m pretty sure they have free wifi, so you can get some work done while you’re waiting.