CJ Foreign Car

Stopped in today to change headlight for my daughter’s car. They took care of it immediately. I was in and out in 15 minutes. In addition, they checked on a fix they did for me 8 months ago. They had figured out why my car was losing oil. I had taken it to another place and they charged me an arm and a leg and never fixed it. This place knew exactly what the problem was, fixed it and charged me reasonably. I highly recommend them and would only ever go to them with my VW. They are fast, smart, reasonable and fair!

The low rating that I am giving to CJ Foreign car is because of price *only*. I have always felt very comfortable and respected at that garage, and I’ve had maintenance done there twice. As far as I can tell, the work was done properly and competently. And a good thing about CJ Foreign Car is that it offers a twelve-​month or 12,000 mi. guarantee on work completed by mechanics there.
Now, for the price: unfortunately, I found out too late that I paid upwards of 40% more for a routine oil change for my BMW than I would have paid at the dealership where I bought it. I’d become a customer at CJ Foreign Car specifically because I was under the impression (based on one past estimate for maintenance) that parts and work were far less expensive there than they would be at the Service Center at the dealership where I purchased my car a year ago. Also, the garage is within blocks of my home, so the convenience has been another advantage.
I called my dealership to get an estimate on work that is recommended by a mechanic at CJ Foreign Car. I was given a quote at CJ Foreign Car of $ 415.99 to take care of the most urgent recommended maintenance; meanwhile, the Service Center at the dealership quoted a price that was, again, more than 40% less than the estimate from CJ’s. I’d like to believe that the quotes I’ve gotten are so much higher than what they «should be» (i.e., in comparison to prices at an actual BMW dealership) because the prices are simply what the garage’s owner has set to cover his business’s expenses. I truly hope that I haven’t been overcharged for any reason, like age or gender. Based on the respect with which I’m always treated, I’d assume not… but I also can’t reconcile such a significant price difference without further explanation from the garage.
All in all, if you want solid work done on your vehicle and don’t care about cost, then CJ Foreign Car is a perfectly suitable option. However, based on my experiences, it’s wise to shop around if you want lower prices without sacrificing the promise of quality work.

Great. Honest guys… Came in to get my 2010 audi a5 some new brakes and was very pleased with the service and price. i will be back. best place to go in silver spring!

The owner is incredibly rude and unprofessional. I took my car in this morning at 8am after he told me yesterday afternoon that I should come back this morning to drop it off. When I got there he was nowhere to be found and one of his mechanics almost yelled at me when I asked him if he could call his boss to find out if he would be in soon. Another customer was waiting there too when I arrived. He said he was also told to come in at 8 am and that he had been waiting there for 30 minutes already. When the owner finally did show up he ignored us for a good 20 minutes, all the while huffing and puffing about how much he hates he job. 45 minutes after I arrived, and I’m now about to be late to work, I finally asked him if I should even bother waiting anymore. When I asked the question he didn’t even bother to turn around and acknowledge me. He simply waved a hand over his shoulder and said «you figure it out.» So I left because that level of rudeness is completely unacceptable and I’m certainly not going to trust my car to someone that unprofessional. If you can catch him on a slow day it might be worth it, but be prepared for complete and utter disrespect when you arrive.

This is my go to spot. They always offer great rates with great service! On top of this, they always handle any additional small repairs. My car is like new every time I leave.

I had a new clutch put in my BMW in august 2014. They were very helpful and explained everything needed. In the end it was done faster and cheaper than other places. I will be using them for all my vehicles from now on.

After taking my 2005 BMW X3 to the dealer for repairs I just couldn’t afford the truck anymore. The dealer was costing an average of $ 300-​$ 1200 per visit. A friend told me about CJ Foreign Car repair so I took his word for it and decided to try them. The shop is quite dirty and unkept but the manager got my car in and dropped me off at work immediately. He later called me and told me everything that needed repaired and the total cost. ¹⁄₃ of the BMW dealer rates. He fixed my truck within a couple of days and I’m back on the road until something else breaks and when it does, I’ll be going back to CJ Foreign car to have it repaired.

I took my VW beetle in to have the headlight and tail light replaced, and was very happy with the service and price. Mark was very knowledgable, helpful, and nice. He even went to 7 – 11 while I was there waiting (the other mechanic was working on the headlight) to get himself and the other mechanic coffee and came back with a huge bottle of water for me (which was really appreciated on the hot day)!! Will definitely go back!

I am new to the area and took my GTI there today (with no appointment) because the windshield wipers were acting lethargic (one was flopping over the other). Mark said he would take a look and found (embarrassingly) there was all sorts of dirt and crud blocking the mechanism. After chipping it away and using some compressed air to blow away the debris he tightened the bolt on the sleepy wiper and low and behold it was fine. The best part? No charge, just bring him a cup of coffee next time I come in. I just found my new mechanic here in DC.

I have a bmw that i have taken here once, back around august and I will be taking again this monday. Now first let me say that they do, do good service. They have great prices and will get your car done in a good time frame.
The problem is, every time i had to speak to someone on the phone they were being very rude to me. The first time i spoke to them they called me very upset because the tow truck had put my car in front of their business and they were not able to move it. Mind you they called me at 7am in the morning, and the car had been there sense last night so my mother and I bother were very confused and what we were supposed to do. I had to take the metro bus out there to solve the problem.
Then this morning I called to reschedule my car drop off appointment from today until Monday. The person who picked up the phone had no idea what I was talking about saying «I had to refresh his memory». Then once I started to «Refresh his memory» He cut me off asking was I coming today. At that time I had already told him I was not, so once again i said no i was rescheduling to Monday. So he said «okay okay that’s fine bye».
He did not give me a time, nor did he take any of my information to even schedule an appointment.
There work is good, they are just very frustrating people to work with.

One of the worst experiences of my car owning life (including dealing with Renault’s dealership in Cairo).
Took a 99 Saab 9 – 3 to replace a belt.
1. They returned the car to me with the cover to the temperature sensor popped open.
2. The same belt they replaced snapped less than three weeks later. Of course when I took it back they claimed the problem was something that voided their guarantee. Then, two weeks later, guess what snapped again? Yep. Same belt. Called them and left a message that there was an emergency — as I was stranded in the street with my wife, daughter and dog (ie. no bus/​public transit as an option). So I went back to my original mechanic in Kensington. He fixed it and it’s been running fine ever since.
I don’t know why others have given these people anything more than two stars. But I would strongly recommend keeping away.
Oh yeah — they never called back.

The windshield wiper fluid of my 2007 BMW didn’t spray. I took it to a dealer and they gave the estimate of $ 1700 to fix. They said they had to change the computer system that sends the signal to the pump and the pump itself. So I declined, came back to search Unilocal,and found this place. No need to make an appointment. I dropped my car in the morning. The manager called me to update that a small filter was clogged and that was the only thing to change. He gave an estimate of $ 120 to fix. He called again when the car was done. I went there and tested it out. It worked perfectly. The bill came out $ 113. I couldn’t thank them enough for saving me so much money.

I had just bought a used 2008 528i and took it to the BMW dealership in Alexandria to get everything checked out. It needed both front brakes and rotors replaced, the popup sunroof deflector was bent so they wanted to replace it, change power-​steering and transmission fluid. BMW quoted me $ 1600. I said thanks for the loaner but now thanks.
I called CJ’s foreign car service and spoke with Mark the manager wonderful man he took the time to quote a price over the phone. Was able to complete brake job, heat and bend the pop up sunroof wind deflector to operate correctly, change fluids, in addition clean injectors, and change all the interior and engine filters saving me 40% price of the dealer quote.
BMW owners. They currently have 2 certified BMW mechanics, and Mark was a BMW engineer so the expertise is there with the right attitude good workmanship and good price.

My new favorite spot in MD to take my Volvo. Mark, the office manager is great! These guys are honest and hardworking. I asked them to find out what was wrong with my suspension. They had the car for most of the day. I talked with them in the evening and Mark said he’d had 3 techs drive the car and none of them could find anything wrong. When I came to pickup the car, Mark even asked one of techs to ride with me. We still found nothing and they charged me very little for all their time.

I brought a friend’s Mazda here for normal maintenance/​repairs on a 14-​year old car that runs well, has about 100,000 miles on it. The manager impressed me to no end. I He struck me as a straight shooter, very knowledgeable, competent and helpful. The bill was quite reasonable, and the work was done on time. (I felt my friend had been getting ripped off elsewhere by the way.) Overall, I was extremely pleased with the level of care and consideration. I have and will recommend CJ Foreign Car Service to friends.

My BMW was making rattling sounds and I thought it was going to be a fortune to fix. These guys found the problem and it was very simple. There was a part under the car that needed replacing and that was it. The bill came out to $ 128.00 parts and labor. I highly recommend CJ auto in Silver Spring! I will use them again. :)

I needed the rotors and pads replaced on the front of my BMW 330xi. When none of the local places could perform the work on a Friday, they readily agreed to do the work. Although I had to travel from Crofton, MD (about 27 miles), I was very satisfied with the timely fashion that they performed the repairs. They even dropped me off at Panera Bread to wait for the repairs. The price was less expensive than the surrounding dealerships and many of the locally privately owned facilities. I highly recommend them.

I have been here a couple time and have not been disappointed. I have a nice VW Bug that needed to be serviced and they were very quick, nice, and went over the top. I have had simple services done and a few more extensive things and both have turned out well. They noticed some minor problems that I didn’t notice and fixed them at a very minimal price.
They have great rates, great staff, and I think do an overall great job.
It is a crowded little spot they are in but do not hesitate to drop your car off at night or early in the morning. Usually they have lots of open spaces to drop it off and are very timely with calling you the next day about whats happening with your car.

Actually, I need to take this review back and second the concerns some other women have posted about this place.
I wrote this two days before they charged me $ 900 for repairs that I didn’t need after one «misdiagnosis» of my car’s problem that left me stranded and needed a tow a day after it left the shop.
Two days after this review, I was driving and my radiator light came on. I looked under the car to find a massive leak that was not there before I took the car in to them. Long story short, I went in to Passport and paid another $ 1100 to have the radiator fixed and the work CJ’s should have completed done.
Very disappointing and worthy of a BBB complaint. My only explanation is there have been some changes in staff that could be the cause, but I am not coming back to find out.
My advice: if you a lady with a used car, go to Passport and take advantage of their used car discount program. You will wait in a nice place, receive detailed repair information in writing before the work is done and get a warranty.

I went to CJ’s based on the review written, bad choice but I was in pinch situation.
Although CJ’s does good care work, they seriously lack in professionalism and follow-​through. I was very disappointed by the lack of follow through on getting a written estimate. Since they did have a sign posted that they are suppose to provide one by law, yet I never received it. It also to took them days to call me back with status on my car.
My recommendation, if you don’t mind bad customer service and a lack of follow through, you’ll be happy. However for me it was not a shop I would recommend. They didn’t even clean the interior after they got grease and grim in it.