Had a wonderful first trip to Charlie's today and am grateful that I was able to have the staff take a look at my car since my normal mechanic is now 50 miles away. Everyone was so helpful and professional, and the service given was just great. Highly recommended! read more

After living 20 years in the area and having had a particularly questionable recent experience with my local car dealership, a neighbor suggested that I contact Aldo at Charlie's. If there were a 10-star review I know this place would get it. I do believe I've found my new car industry BFF's when it comes to providing service with the highest level of integrity. Parking can sometimes be a little bit of a challenge but this morning Aldo quickly went out and moved my car away from the red zone to avoid a potential ticket. Also, don't let the word "foreign" deter you from taking your American car in; they accept any and all vehicles with an engine and tires. Thanks to everyone there for making me a believer in what's possible in the realm of impeccable service and communication. read more

Hands down the best mechanics in San Diego. No BS. No wasted time or money. When your time and money are valuable to you, you are going to want to go to Charlie's Foreign Auto! read more

I love these folks. I have a 2005 Acura and had only used the Acura dealer for service since the car was new. When I moved to Encinitas in 2011, I started going to Charlie's based on a friend's recommendation. Great service, honest advice, and fair prices. That's what I need! read more

I can't overstate how pleased I am with the work Niko and his crew did on my 2004 Boxter. I had some serious electrical damage due to flooding. Almost all the onboard computers and electrical connections on the inside of my car shorted out and needed to be replaced. There were some vexing issues most repair shops would have given up on. Niko, the owner, went to extraordinary lengths to forensically solve electrical issues that ultimately were traced back to two new faulty modules that Porsche shipped from the mothership in Germany. I highly recommend Charlie's Foreign Car for expert repair, attention to detail, fair pricing, and going the extra mile for the customer. Many Thanks Niko and team. Tom Willardson. read more

After moving to Carlsbad from PB I'd been looking for a new mechanic. I always hate taking my car into new places. I never know if they are telling the truth or trying to pull one over on me. My car had been having some troubles and after receiving a questionable quote from another mechanic, I felt uneasy and wanted a second opinion. I started looking around and found Charlie's Foreign Car on Yelp. They had great reviews and I decided to give them a shot. Niko got back to me super quick. I took my car in and it was such a great experience. Niko was ready right when I pulled up. He took the time to actually listen to my car, explain what was going on and made me feel very comfortable with the conclusion. I will be taking my car here from here on out! It's so hard finding people you can trust now days, especially in a new area. Thanks Niko!! read more

I discovered Charlie's Foreign Car after watching a YouTube video of an rear air suspension repair on a BMW F15 X5.... same as my wife's car. After watching that video showing Niko diagnosing and repairing a faulty air compressor pump, I knew Niko was a skilled mechanic. So, I called Niko and explained that my wife's car was having a similar problem with its air suspension too. Although I live 60 miles away in Orange County, Niko gave me all the time and attention as if I was a local customer. After speaking with him, I made an appointment to drive down to Encinitas so that he could diagnose my wife's car. Today, he confirmed that a loose connection to the compressor pump was the source of the problem, so I was pleased to learn there wasn't some other electrical problem. He also scanned the entire car for other issues too while he had his scanner connected to the car. Very satisfying visit. Felt I was dealing with a true professional. I would not hesitate to make the drive again if I encountered a problem I was unable to figure out myself. Thanks Niko. read more

Had great service from them! They went above and beyond to fix my splash guard with no cost at all. I recommend them for anybody who needs service done to their car. Great auto repair place hands down! read more

My wife and I have been taking our cars here for a few years now. These guys are honest, communicate well, and do high quality work. Their prices aren't the lowest, but it's certainly cheaper than the dealership, and like they always say, "you get what you pay for." At Charlies, I know my car is in good hands, and that is worth paying for. read more

Amazing! Getting your car fixed can be a very expensive and stressful situation, Charlie's takes that away! Everyone I dealt with there were complete gentlemen. It's one of the first places I didn't feel like they were going to try and nickel and dime me. Highly recommend!! read more

Finally I have found a mechanic I can trust. I took my 99 BMW M3 there after getting a quote at BMW of Encinitas and Charlie's beat it by $2,000.00. Charlie's also had my car done before it was promised. They have the cleanest shop I've ever seen and everyone there was really nice especially Niko who helped me numerous times to re-set my check engine light and didn't charge me. I won't go to another mechanic while I live in San Diego for anything. Also, they have a dealer style waiting room with free drinks and food. A real class act!!!!!!! read more

Family owned and it shows. From Julia, Niko, Shelly and Charlie you always get the best service. Mark and Tom up front are really helpful and don't make you feel dumb about asking "dumb" car questions. I have been a customer for many years and I believe that they are the best in North County. From my BMW, VW, Buick and my Avalon I have always felt that they were straight up with me on costs and repair. I never feel pressured or wondering if I had been taken... There shop looks like an Air Force hangar as it is always clean and neat. Highest recommendation! read more

I've taken my car to Charlie's a few times in the past and was satisfied, but this most recent experience was outstanding. I was unable to start my car and had a tow truck take me to Charlie's to diagnose the problem. Turns out, it was just a simple switch on the clutch that had prevented it from starting. After they reset the switch, all was OK. I know there are many shops that would charge for the diagnosis, even though it was an easy fix. Charlie's didn't. In a previous visit, I had taken my car to another shop to diagnose an intermittent honking problem (Yes, it was really, really awkward when my car would decide to honk at random times--always when I was sitting behind someone, going through and intersection, or passing someone walking on the street. It's evil timing was uncanny!). They told me I would have to get a new steering wheel and it would be more than $2K. When I brought it to Charlie's, they told me it was a common problem with my particular model (which most mechanics are aware of) and they had a quick fix that cost around $100. That's when I knew I could trust them. This latest experience is yet another example of why I'll always bring my car to Charlie's. They're professional, honest, knowledgeable and they care about providing great service to their customers. They've earned a customer for life! read more

Best auto shop in town. They gave me the lowest estimate out of all the shops in the area and it didn't change when it came time to pick up. The repairs they did are top notch. My car is smooth as new. read more

Niko and his team are the only people I trust to take care of my vehicle. It's so hard to find a trustworthy mechanic. Niko has gone far above and beyond to help me with every car issue I've had in the past ten years. Thank you! read more

I've been going here for several years. I've always had excellent service, repair results, communication and excellent consultations. In a few instances they have let me know that I didn't need an expensive repair quoted by another auto repair. They gave a full explanation of the details and visually showed me. Car repair places can be intimidating. I'm glad we found you. read more

Love this place. They are trustworthy, quick and reliable! I have brought two different cars here for oil changes and general maintenance. This past time deserved a review since I had three different service lights on for my tires on that refused to go off. Their tire specialist was able to run a diagnostic review to make sure nothing was wrong. He determined the service lights were malfunctioning and just needed to be reset. I was in and out in less than 30min and they didn't even charge me. read more

Excellent service and super nice crew, best mechanic in Encinitas! Nico helped me out after a severe hit and run in LA, thank you so much to you and the rest of your guys. Would come back any time, plus you get to see some super cool veteran Porches there! read more

Great Service & Trustworthy, and Professional. Charlie's Foreign Car Service certainly know their business, and owning a BMW you want it done right. I am offered a loaner car or shuttled to my home, I never worry about being taken advantage of - I get straight answers, good value in repair cost, the staff is friendly, I enjoy going to their shop, it's clean. I also started to take my other American vehicle there because I fully trust them and they stand behind their work. A very happy customer, Alan Fine read more

Charlies is great because the owner is available and takes an active interest in making sure you're taken care of. I've also had positive interactions with the other employees. I started going to Charlie's to get my car "tech'd" for track events. They give a BMW cca membership discount and were reasonably priced. Even better, they beat the snot out of the dealer when it came to mounting / balancing tires and oil/brake fluid changes. Good, local mechanics are *very* hard to find. I feel lucky to have one here. read more

I had Charlie's Foreign Car install a Fabspeed Muffler/Exhaust on my 2013 Porsche Boxster S today and boy was I impressed with them. I dealt with Niko and he took the time to explain every detail about the installation. They did an excellent job and the price was extremely reasonable. The local Porsche dealer that sold me the car didn't want to touch this job. I'm very pleased and would highly recomment Charlie's Foreign Car. The people there are also very friendly. The facility looks top notch (equal to or better than the Porsche Dealer's service area). read more

Just moved to Encinitas and needed a 60k mile service on our Volvo. They were great, fast, friendly and pricing seemed fair for the work they did. We will go back. Hopefully not too often tho ;) read more

I take my 911 to Charlie's Foreign Car for anything that needs attention because they are the best at what they do. The customer service is excellent and the mechanics are great. They are the best in North County SD! read more

I'm so ADAMANT about this review and experience, as this was sadly reminiscent of a scene from 'Dateline,' addressing crooked garages, and I'll share with as many as I possibly can! The rich are just paying the invoices here blindly??!! (and I'm an Encinitas native myself). Here's what transpired - my daughter, who just began driving, noticed an oil leak and I advised her to take the car down the street here to Charlie's. She was quoted $2,100 for a vacuum leak. Knowing this was not correct, I called and twice confirmed this price, giving them every opportunity to "find their mistake" while playing as if I knew nothing about cars. The next morning I visited, knowing this place was in for a rude awakening! First off, I wanted to know WHY an OIL CHANGE was given with an oil LEAK, told the previous day an extra $88 oil change had been performed the previous day? Who adds six quarts of oil KNOWING the car was brought in for a bad oil leak? They then changed their story and said, "oh, it hasn't been done yet." (not what was conveyed to me the previous day). Now for the $2,100 vacuum pump. I called their bluff, raised **** in the lobby, and sure enough, they finally ADMITTED - "okay, you're right, we made a math mistake, the total should have been $1,200, we're so sorry." A $900 DIFFERENCE, THINK ABOUT THAT. However, not only were they caught in the act, but the "new" $1,200 price was STILL absurd. They reasoned the part was $400, and that 7 hours of labor was needed, bringing the "revised" total to $1,200? STILL NOT ACCURATE, but I was still stunned with the original $2,100 quote. With a $400 part, that's it, to get to that $2,100 total wasn't possible (unless it was an oil pump issue which DOES require a ton of labor), yet they maintained it was a "math error," and then STILL tried to charge a ridiculous $1,200 amount for a job which should have been so much less. FYI - This is a long noted garage and/or dealer trick, charge an obscene amount, and IF the charge is questioned, admit a mistake and move to the next. The truth was, and is, my daughter, a new driver, unaware of costs, was taken advantage of. NO QUESTION, UNTIL I intervened. When I showed up LIVID, and they soon realized I DID know a thing about cars, it all changed. Anyway, we had the car towed within minutes, and guess what? The vacuum pump issue was fixed at another garage, in 90 minutes (remember, Charlie's was asking for 7 HOURS of labor). TOTAL price at the new garage? $600. PLEASE BEWARE, THESE GUYS PLAY THE PART OF A CARING GARAGE, RIGHT NEAR THE BEACH WHERE THE RICH DROP THEIR CARS OFF, AND PAY THE INVOICES. Something's NOT right here. Please heed my words, OR, pay their prices, your choice?! I at least feel better sharing, perhaps a visit from Dateline would be warranted? (Or Turko Files from KUSI here in town). PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK, especially with so many honest garages in town! read more

Niko at Charlie's is a Rock Star!!!! Niko was my advocate when dealing with the insurance company during a recent accident. Unfortunately, our car was at Charlie's for a month before the insurance company decided to total the car. If Niko had not been involved from the very beginning, the insurance company would have issued a small check and I'd be driving an unsafe vehicle. Niko did research when the insurance adjuster tried to claim a part was damaged before the accident, and he determined a more important (safety) part needed replacement. He had to prove this to the insurance company. Niko either spoke me, an adjuster, a supervisor or manager of the insurance company, on a daily basis. Even though our car was 'totaled' in the end, due to the cost of the 3 parts (for a 2005 BMW 545i), Niko hung in there and helped me through this process. Niko/Charlie's are the experts. They deal with vehicles and service needs every day. They want you to be safe. It's not about performing a job, it's about keeps us safe and secure on the road. Their customer service far exceeds anything I've ever experienced in my 40 years of driving and for this I highly recommend going no where else. You and your family are worth the best!!!! read more

Great people. I have fourteen vehicles in my small business, and I rely on Charlies to keep them running. Great, hardworking, honest people. If they tell you that you need to spend $5, you should feel confident that will solve the problem. If they tell you that you need to spend $5000, you should feel confident that it is a good choice. read more

I rarely write positive reviews but I have to give props to Charlie's Foreign Car Service. I needed an oil change and thought I would check Yelp for well-reviewed local stations. Charlie's beat out the others by a landslide so I scheduled an apt. The staff is very professional, friendly and courteous. Not only was the oil change less than what they quoted (less than all the others) but they also did a full vehicle inspection and even hand washed my car! Great experience and will definitely be back. Thank you! read more

I needed an oil change like something major so I looked on yelp and found this place, 2 blocks from my place *sweet*. So I call, book an appointment, come in on appointment day and asked if they could check out this oil leak that I have been noticing for the past *cough* 2 years or so and pointed out where I thought it was coming from. An hour later (right on time) the call me and tell me they changed the oil and found the source of the leak I pointed out to them, and told me they could fix it later that day when they received the parts needed, I couldn't leave my car because I had to go to work, so they offered to drive me to work later when I brought the car back! How awesome is that, I couldn't even get my friends to do that so I was super impressed. Shelli, who helped start this business 34 years ago with her husband drove me to my job (just a few miles away) and was extremely nice and friendly. I will definitely come back again (if needed of course) *side note* she didn't even realize they were on Yelp with awesome reviews so I told her to check it out! Hope she's reading this :) thanks! read more

I have a 14 yr old BMW X5 that Charlie's keeps running for me. Recently the lights on the dash went out so I could not read the odometer. The cost of replacing this part was a $3000 - which was more than I was willing to pay. One of their mechanics looked into it and figured out how to repair it himself without replacing it. And instead of replacing the whole unit he figured out how to just replace the bulbs. I was so impressed that he took the time to learn how to do this. The communication has always been great and the service has been excellent. read more

We got a flat fire on the way home from San Diego to Orange County and ended up here. Everyone was very professional and friendly. Nico helped us quickly get back on the road and we couldn't have asked for a better experience. We even left with a recommendation to have breakfast at Honey's and it was delicious. Thanks again! read more

I love Charlie's!!! We've been taking our car here for years and they are always super honest. They don't push us to make unnecessary repairs, and they do a great job when they do make repairs. Plus they are very nice and easy to deal with. We recently went in for a pre-trip checkup and they worked with us, getting our car in last minute so that we were ready and safe for our trip. They really cared about our safety. We will not take our cars anywhere else! read more

I've used Charlie's for my car a few times now and every time they've gone above and beyond my expectations in terms of service, quality of work, and just general friendliness. I messaged Niko through yelp and got the fastest response I've ever received from anyone on yelp, and Niko, Scott, and everybody else over there are just awesome. If you're looking for an excellent mechanic with great prices, no hassle, and amazing customer service; look no further. I'd give 6 stars if I could. read more

Our 2011 VW Tiguan has a direct injection engine. Many of the luxury brands and some domestics have moved to this technology with their gasoline engines. The theory is that it improves combustion efficiency which thereby improves fuel milage and performance. Sounds good, right? It is good up to about 50-70K miles when the carbon build-up in the valve chamber gets so heavy that it actually has the opposite effect - robbing the mpg's and performance and, in our case, setting off the engine warning light permanently. Bob Baker VW told me to use fuel injection cleaner in 4-5 tanks of fuel. This can't work because of the direct injection! Anyway, I spoke to Niko and he said there was a new product available that might help instead of tearing the top end down and cleaning the ports and valve manually. Well, it didn't work as had been promised by the vendor and both he and I were disappointed. Niko and I came to an agreement that he would do the 'old school' service for just the cost of the materials. When I came back to pick up the vehicle Niko had pics and video ready with before and after shots of both services - impressive! Charlie's has earned another client for life. Thanks Niko! read more

Took my car into Charlie's for the first time today for a 60k mile checkup. I feared getting a huge bill because the car had been sitting idle for the last four years and consequently didn't get serviced. Perfect opportunity for a shop to run up the bill! But I was told the belts and hoses were good and didn't need to be replaced. So my first impression is that they are an honest and competent group. I will be bringing my car back the next time it needs service. read more

I just moved to the area and I was used to taking my car to my local Dealer in Santa Barbara for the past 8 years. So, I decided to do the same and take my car to the Honda Dealership in Carlsbad. They told me I needed new brake pads and needed them ASAP. I was told by a really good friend to take my car to Charlies Foreign Car and have them do the work because that is where she & her family have taken their cars for years and they were trustworthy. I was a little skeptical taking it somewhere "new" (somewhere other than the dealership). Marc was very helpful and told me they would inspect first...well, low and behold, he said my brakes were in good condition and did NOT need to be replaced! I was incredibly thankful to him that he was honest and did not replace them just to make money off of me. From now on, my car will get ALL of it's maintenance work done at Charlie's. Good bye Honda Dealership and Hello Charlie's!! Thank you again Marc! read more

This place is the greatest, I was in a dilemma ,my Mercedes just turned off while at a yoga meditation retreat in Julian , I'm from the Alhambra / Pasadena area , needless to say a little stressed, my first contact was from the son of the owner by phone , he was so prompt on calling me Monday morning from an contact message I'd left over the weekend ,he was so upbeat ( not in the ,I'm a slick salesman kind of way) , with a no problem we can take care of you kind of way ,on arrival on the back of a tow truck they came out to greet me and the driver immediately , the first impression of the facility was nice spacious and clean, it's not a "dealership" but as nice or nicer then most of been too , the mother also helps out as well , any way I could go on, and on , they helped me get a hotel , dropped me off picked me up , fast efficient service , with great value , soooo , friendly , professional , value based , taking customer service to the next level , thank you , you were my safe haven in the midst of my storm read more

Best place to take your car !! They are professional , knowledgeable and affordable. Every time I bring my car in for service , it has been an enjoyable experience !!! read more

I stopped in on a Friday at 10 am during the busiest time and Niko came out and fixed my windshield wiper. I was new to the car and it was a simple fix took five minutes. Very friendly and honest group here. read more

I would never take my car any place else but Charlie's. The work has been great, service is outstanding. The people that work in the front office are very knowledgeable and accommodating, prices are more than reasonable and they have always done their best to make it right for the customer. They are competent, on time and easy to deal with, even with difficult customers like me - from simple oil change to engine repairs. read more

Please be aware that when you schedule an appointment for an oil change at a "scheduled time", you would think that the scheduled time would be the start time of when your oil change service would start and be completed within an hour. I scheduled an 8:00 am oil change appointment and was told that my service completion time would be 11:00 AM. I explained that I told the service representative I would be waiting. His response was: " I must of forgot to note that on your appointment " The key to when you schedule your service is to inform the service representative that you will be waiting and you expect the completion time to be no more than an hour. There are other choices and I choose to move on!! read more