The Foreign Service

Well, I am going to give these guys a nice bump up in their ratings because they did me a real solid this summer and I think they deserve to be thanked and rewarded for that.
I have a 2002 Saab and since these amazing cars are no longer being made, we devotees have to do the best we can with what we have. Thankfully, there are some awesome mechanics out there who also love them.
While in Grand Forks this summer my car had some starting issues and the local mechanics were not able to figure it out. I called around to the Minnesota Saab guys and this shop researched some very through ideas and called me back with the suggestions, and offered to have a good local GF mechanic call them back to help them through it. Wow! Turns out it was a very subtle engine/​body vacuum hose issue that only a very experienced Saab specialist would know and I took it to a closer shop in MN. But it was the good will of this shop that kept me out of the hands of unqualified mechanics with dollar signs in their eyes. Thank you !

Stew, Kris, and Betsy were all extremely helpful when I brought my stalled ’02 Prius into the shop. This place knows hybrids and was able to repair my ailing inverter for much less than what my neighborhood shop quoted. When the check engine light came on again after the repair, they took the time to diagnose the problem further and found a separate issue, but I feel confident that mechanic Jobe can get me up and running again for a fair price. I keep hoping that I’ll have to wait for a repair so I can check out the brewstillery next door, but The Foreign Service hasn’t disappointed me yet on timeliness.

Last summer I brought my SUV to The Foreign Service for some tire work. Turns out, one tire had failed completely, and, as it was a 4WD with some 50K mile, I needed a new set. The Foreign Service sold me the best tires I have ever owned: Nokians. I also had them perform an alignment, and I must say, I have never had a more perfect alignment. Whenever I’ve had the wheels aligned in the past, the work lasted until the first pothole, basically. 9 months later, it is still driving straight and true. Turns out, all alignments are not alike.
Since my vehicle has gone out of dealer warranty, I will only bring my vehicle to The Foreign Service. They not only tell you what you need: they tell you why the work is important. I am extremely confident in their service.

Very friendly staff, did a great job at a reasonable price. I live 45 minutes away but I’ll be back if I need more work done!

Called to get a quote for Nokian tires. Service Manager lady said she would call me back with a quote. She must not want to sell me expensive tires because she never called back to do business. I bought them at another tire place and had them put on within two days.
Was also thinking about taking my car here for service but not anymore. Customer service is too important and there are plenty of other businesses that provide it.

The poor reviews come from customers who are taking out their frustrations on expensive repairs. I know how they feel. I drive a ’96 Subaru and an ’02 Volvo. However, I’ve had nothing but honest repair recommendations from these folks, and I am confident I would have paid more at a dealer, though I would recommend Borton over Kline for the Volvo.

When my vehicle broke down in St. Paul, I worried about finding a shop competent and experienced with the charms and quirks of a VW Vanagon. Forum searches and word of mouth pointed to The Foreign Service, and I’m so glad I found them.
They were extremely helpful and flexible considering my situation, and I could tell they have a wealth if experience that pertains to my vehicle. They got me up and running with many helpful suggestions, and I’d trust my wheels with them any time I’m in the area!

I totally agree. I took my Volvo there a few times and they
did not have a clue how to fix it. And when they did «repair» it,
it was wrong. They should really just shut the doors.

The Concise Review (a more detailed one follows): The Foreign Service’s shop has shown itself to be incapable of solving tough diagnoses. Added to that they will not admit to you that this is the case and instead will continue to try and solve the issue while emptying your pockets. My bill for this shop was close to $ 2000 and the problem I had with my car never got fixed. The owner Stew needs to take a course in customer-​relations. His condescending and arrogant dialogs with me were not appreciated. I never thought he was looking after my interests but only his alone. I would at all costs avoid this shop and its owner and take your business elsewhere. I, for one, would recommend Borton Volvo.
The total bill/​time at Borton Volvo? $ ⁶⁵⁰⁄₁ day
The total bill/​time at Foreign Service? Close to $ ²⁰⁰⁰⁄₂ months
Auto Repair shop that solved the problem? Borton Volvo
I was highly disappointed with the service I received at this shop. Being a new Minneapolis transplant I had no idea where to take my 1998 Volvo station wagon when it started experiencing problems back in October. I was a little hesitant to take it to the dealer since you always hear stories about them ‘over-​fixing’ a car and in the end you have a bill that will take months to pay off. Little did I realize that the same thing would happen to me when I took it to the Foreign Service shop.
The first time I dropped off my car at this shop I was confident that the owner Stew knew what he was doing. I explained the problem I was experiencing as adequately as I could and had no issue trusting that it would be fixed when I picked it up a few days later. I was wrong.
As soon as I got my car on the freeway to drive it home I experienced the same problem that had made me bring my car in for service in the first place. I was able to luckily drive it back to the shop without breaking down on the way.
Round two.
After this it was all down hill. I had to opt for one of the shop’s rental cars at this point in order to get back home and to and from work over the next few weeks. This was due to the fact that they could never quite figure out what the issue with my car was. It was this and then it was that. It might be a whole bunch of little things and around and around it went. Finally, after telling me my radiator needed to be replaced and it having been in the shop for weeks I told Stew that I would be picking up my vehicle, no longer confident in his ability to resolve my vehicle’s issue. After being lectured by Stew on how he had done all he could have done and how he had saved me from imminent disaster by replacing my radiator I left with a bill that was well over a thousand dollars and a car that still had the same problem that had brought me to the shop. It was drivable at this point though.
Round three.
About a week later I was driving my car and it started smoking under the hood. I was able to drive home and then proceeded to try and find out what was wrong with my car. Upon checking my anti-​freeze I saw that is was bone dry. I thought this odd because it had just been at the Foreign Service the week before. After filling it up again and realizing that it was leaking out at an alarmingly fast-​rate I called up Foreign Service thinking it had to do with the radiator that they had just replaced. It turned out that is was another hose connected to the engine that they had some how overlooked while they were replacing the pricier item, the radiator. This leads me to think that maybe my radiator never needed to be replaced in the first place, maybe it was just that hose that was leaking. So much for saving me from imminent disaster.
Round four.
After paying another three hundred dollars for the hose repair I proceeded to drive my car out of the parking but I never made it that far. Within 10 minutes of starting the car it began to violently shake and was undrivable. I was forced to call AAA and have a tow truck tow my car from Foreign Service’s parking lot to Borton Volvo hoping that they could resolve and fix this issue with my vehicle. I informed Stew of this and he advised me that I needed to get a second opinion, he also told me not to go to Borton Volvo saying that they would just charge me a whole bunch of money and I would still have the same problem. He was wrong. Borton Volvo was able to get my car into the shop, diagnosed, and fixed within a day. I picked up a cleaned, fixed car that night and it has not had any issues since then.