Foreign Auto Clinic

Leo is as good as it gets. He is honest, skilled and goes out of his way to help. Auto repair is a tricky business, I know, I ran a shop for 15 years. Leo has a passion for car repair and for problem solving. Is it always going to go smoothly? No. Is he always going to be able to save your bacon with a last minute repair… maybe.
The combination of integrity, honesty, skill, fair prices, straight talk (he thinks my car is too sporty for me) and genuine care in the practice of his profession sets Leo far and above 99.5% of the shops out there.

Leo is truly a gem. I cannot agree enough with other’s experiences here, but will share some of my own experiences that make me 100% trust the job he’ll do:
Took a Honda Fit to the dealer since the interior dome light was out and the fan blower was making a terrible sound. I had tried replacing the dome light myself but it didn’t fix the issue. Dealer quoted something like $ 180 just to LOOK at the issues to give an estimate for the fixes. Took it to Leo at Foreign Auto Clinic, dropped it off. Literally 20 minutes later, he calls and says it’s fixed. I hadn’t even finished my coffee yet! The bulb I had tried using wasn’t good, so he installed a new bulb (fixed the light not coming on problem), under $ 3 part, and held up a Starbucks napkin that had been blocking the internal fan /​air system intake port. Only charged for the bulb. I gave him some money for his time since I was definitely grateful to have saved so much. When was the last time you voluntarily paid a mechanic MORE than they were asking for?
He successfully installed a replacement motor for my 220k miles Toyota Previa that I had ordered from Japan (my old one had a broken head gasket, and to really fix it right would have cost almost as much. He finished the entire job in less than 2 days of the vehicle being in the shop, sooner than he had promised, and totally in line with our pre-​agreed on estimate for the job. The couple of extra parts that needed getting for that job he let me know ahead of time.
This is THE GUY you want to have in your phone if you live anywhere in the Bay Area and you appreciate a truly honest mechanic. Almost don’t want to recommend him in case he gets too popular, but his prices can’t be beat (the number of times he’s looked at something that was concerning to me and didn’t charge for that is just remarkable) and his service, HONESTY and follow-​through CAN NOT BE BEAT.
Also, if you’re wondering, it’s just Leo who works here, sometimes with an assistant mechanic, but you will get his direct attention on your car. Also I love that his bookkeeping system is writing down your phone number, and the make /​model of your car in his notebook. OLD SCHOOL. :)
Totally recommend this shop, I will always come here as long as I live in the area. 10 stars if I could.
Tip: It’s useful if you bring your car in first thing in the morning, because he does get a lot of work coming through the shop. Call ahead of time to ask which day would be best and maybe verify again the day before. It’s totally worth it.

Where do I start? Leo is AMAZING!!! He’s very honest and knowledgeable. His prices are fair and very competitive for auto repair shops in the area. I was referred by a friend who has her and husband’s cars fixed here and her reviews of past experiences were overall 90% positive and she’s hard to please. I go to him because I believed my friend when she said he actually takes care of your car and cares for them overtime as if he was the owner.
I was told by another mechanic that I needed new tie rods (inner and outer), sway bar links and a new steering shaft joint OR some bull crap totaling $ 600 bucks JUST FOR THE LABOR. My car was making all kinds of clunking and loud knocking when driving. LEO took my car for a drive, came back and hoisted it up and located the problems. He tightened the bolts on my newly replaced suspension I had replaced elsewhere and all the clunking is gone. 10 minutes of labor and $ 0 for parts.
My SUV was bottoming OUT when I hit the tinniest of bumps so I new it had to be my shock absorbers. My car did the same last year and I had to have it repaired so I knew my truck would also need new suspension soon. Leo charged me a VERY fair price. I asked for my old parts — they were in the packaging inside the boxes the new ones were shipped in resting in the back of truck when I came to get it. They popped my pretty shinyyyyy new bright shocks on and she rides like new.
I like ONE MECHANIC taking care of my vehicles and LEO IS THE MAN!!!
—-ADVICE — - Call him and BE ON TIME. Time is money so don’t expect him to wait on your car, another might beat you to the punch. CALL FIRST and get an early appointment and you could possibly avoid an overnight stay.

To Single Women EVERYWHERE!!! An honest auto repair shop. I’ve meant to review Foreign Auto Clinic every time I have to go there but end up timing out or something. I have been going to Leo for about 8 years (soon as my Mazda was out of warranty). He is honest and never does more than is needed and his pricing is the most competitive any where. He has fast turnaround and calls immediately if he finds anything not covered in the original drop off discussion. I trust him completely.

I’ve been using this shop since 2001. Reliable & honest mechanic tech. This is the place I will always refer to friends & relatives when they need a mechanic. I will be coming here for as long as this place is in business.

Small shop, very busy but makes time for me, super honest, quick, get in early before the lines pile up. Fixed busted power steering hose, loose serpentine belt, engine matters. Can usually get the car back same day or within a couple days. Amazing speed! Now he watches over cars from other family members.

I had a great experience taking a car to Leo for an inspection post-​purchase. He is knowledgeable and honest and happy to take the time to explain everything. Awesome. Will be back.

Leo: He is master I am realtor know many car repair shop he is one I like my family too he know the problem and take care the right place my lexus AC and stair and I am heppy for his job done

Don’t do it. Bringing your car here is a roll of the dice – sometimes things work out well, and then, not so well. The engine light in my 2005 Jetta went on about the same time I needed an oil change. I brought my car here as I had done before. Leo said the engine light indicated a loose break pedal which he charged me to fix. This was not the problem. The car broke down at a stoplight a few weeks later and I had it towed to Foreign Auto Clinic. I told Leo the car was not moving in the different gears. Leo inspected the car and told me I needed a new master cylinder for $ 350. (I guess this is why the engine light was on in the first place). Okay. Leo broke a part putting in the new cylinder and had to wait four days for a new part. Then he called and said the clutch had to be replaced. Really? Didn’t he inspect the clutch during the initial inspection? The clutch was not slipping at all prior to the break down. The clutch – $ 1600. (This is the second clutch in a car with less than 88,000 miles on it – does this make any sense?) When I went to pick up the car Leo was screaming at the helpers he had brought in to do work. He stopped yelling long enough to tell me there was a problem with the clutch grinding in third gear, and now the problem was the transmission! Unbelievable! There was no grinding, no clutch problems prior to Leo (and his helpers) touching the car. I’ve always thought that later model cars are a challenge for this shop. Did I learn this fact for sure in a very difficult lesson? When I told Leo the car was not fixed and was not worth anything with a grinding third gear, he agreed and laughed. Whatever. He had his money.

Leo is awesome! First time here. I do all of my own mechanics but was caught out by a failed alternator with only a few hours left before I had a 6 hour drive out if state in front of me and I had regular work occupying that few hours… Leo diagnosed quickly, correctly, and had me back up and running at a very fair price.
Honest mechanics are hard to find nowadays. Leo is one of the honest few left and a great service to the industry
I highly recommend his shop.

I’ve been taking my cars to Leo for 15 years and have never had a problem. The work is always finished quickly. All the problems, including diagnostic work, have been explained to me and the replaced parts kept for me to look at. The prices are honest and there is no selling of unneeded work. Leo is an honest mechanic — a rare find.

There not enough space to print how great/​amazing/​the best… leo is.
Im lazy so I will not print it :)
He is the most honest mechanic I ever meet.

As a small business it is hard to find time to bring our vehicles in to get them tuned and fixed. Leo is very accommodating and always takes care of our entire fleet! He is an honest guy running an honest business. He has always been able to diagnose our issues and take care of them promptly. 5 Stars for Leo.

Leo is very honest, nice and great at what he does. I am so grateful to have finally found a mechanic I can trust.

This guy charges very reasonably and doesn’t try to price gouge you like other places. Honest and competent mechanic. I would give him 5 starts except he’s overworked and hurried, probably cuz he has a lot of customers. Had an oil change, spark plugs, air filter done and overall satisfied.

I have lived in the Bay Area over 30 years. I have tried many mechanics. Leo is truly the best.

Excellent! Another shop tried to charge me x2.7 the amount I eventually paid here at Foreign Auto Clinic. Called the stealership and they tried to charge x3.8 for the same repair! I saved a boatload of money for changing my drive belt here, and the service was great with wait time very reasonable.
EDIT 2÷20÷13
Brought my car all the way from Milpitas today since I called last week, and the owner said the next week would be fine, just bring it in in the morning. I came in today and he said he has too many cars. Like other reviewers, the guy needs more help, and the helper couldn’t make it in today. My front belts could snap anytime, and he did say I can leave it there until 5pm, but it looked doubtful, and I’d probably have to wait much longer or go without the car for the night, which wouldn’t work. I guess you need to make sure to call him right before you take your car there. Don’t think I can take my cars here anymore since I live so far away and his schedule always seems booked. Keeping appointment schedules would be good too since he could’ve called me yesterday or today and let me know he couldn’t do it.

Called him, dropped the car off. 1 hour later, they called with a quote. 2 hours later they called and said it’s done and ready.
Great service, great turn-​around time, showed me the damaged parts and explained everything very clearly.
Definitely taking my car back to this shop.

I hope to live in a day where there are no such things as «crooked mechanics». Alas, I am still in a time where it simply isn’t the case. Thankfully, Leo and Foreign Auto Clinic are in my periphery.
Cars are not my strong point. They break, you tow it, you have it fixed miraculously. I wish I had more to offer but that simply is it. My life is too busy to learn to fix my car, though it is on the bucket list of tools of the trade.
Leo is professional, honest, and doesn’t push any products or services that aren’t necessary. He is timely, charges reasonable prices for the quality of service, and I’m usually in and out within a few hours for an oil change and look over.
Thank you for keeping our family cars healthy and running well! Thank you, thank you!

Stopped in here after reading all the great reviews, and needing to address the squeaky-​squeaky in the front wheel of my Accord. I didn’t have an appointment on a Saturday afternoon, but Leo was good enough to take me. He gave my wheel a quick look, then the other wheels and determined that my brakes on all wheels needed to be replaced, including resurfacing the rotor on one of the rear tires. He walked me over to the corner of his shop and showed me a variety of brake pads and rotors removed from other vehicles, giving me a very complete lesson about brake wear. I could tell that this guy not only knows his stuff, but LOVES to talk about it. It’s hard to imagine, and indeed inspiring of envy to see someone do the same thing every day and still enjoy talking about it.
I left my car with Leo, and he was done with it in about 2.5 hours. He also found a nail in my rear tire, which he plugged, and found that my turn signal and brake light bulbs needed to be replaced (which he did free of charge!). Overall a very good experience at a reasonable price. I have been looking for a reputable mechanic in the area for some time now, and I think Leo’s it. My wife’s car needs its rear brakes done as well, and I’ve hesitated for months because I dreaded having to deal with another shop and possibly another repair scam (see my Berkeley Honda review), but I’ve indeed got Foreign Auto Clinic in that car’s future now.