Smooth ride today after replacing 10 year old tires (and a 16 year old spare) with period correct tires with the classic tread at Charlie's Foreign Car. Niko, the owner did a great job of getting these "deep six" Porsche wheels fitted with the proper stems! Bearings replaced as well- loving the drive! (Vredestein Sprint Classics 185's from Nederland --- Charlie's stocks them and treats your classic car with great care.) Highly recommend! read more

Charlie's Foreign Car - Great tire service! - Auto Repair Near Me - Encinitas, California

Went in Friday morning and was treated rudely by the receptionist. Didn't seem like she knew what she was doing.

Fantastic place, truly better than the rest. Sean took care of me and a Mustang GT I have and my 3rd party insurance company making it painless and easy as can be for me. He kept me updated along the way and was extremely on top of it, courteous, and professional. I used to also take my e46 m3 here all the time and everyone the way they handle things is top notch. Easily the best shop in north county. read more

We have been using Charlie's Foreign Car for over 15 years. Family owned, they treat their customers like family too. We had a 1994 Volvo Station Wagon that they kept going for about 300,000 miles. They have been servicing all our cars: BMIs, Mercedes, Toyota Truck, Jeep Wrangler. Their knowledge and customer service is second to none. Mark Ryken has taken over keeping my current Mercedes issue free. No matter when I call, he always greets my issue with a courteous timely solution. He is the best. Last issue was a frustration non-emergency center console malfunction. It had become derailed and I was unable to open the bottom portion of the console, which housed a ton of my goodies. I just drove in and literally 5 minutes later Jim had it completely fixed - at no charge of course. To my utter amazement, he knew exactly how to fix it immediately. I give Jim, the Mercedes guru, Mark my personal consultant, Nikko and the whole gang all my votes for the best Auto Repair Business in Southern California. Way to go everyone and thanks a million. read more

The best knowledge of any auto! They know their product or will identify your problem! Family owned and operated a local business since forever...the buisness that's still around while others go big box corporate... I will support local independent businesses as they are our foundation for real customer care and our future! Thank you Niko (and Charlie) and all staff! read more

My 1985 Nissan truck has never run better after a visit to Charlie's. Go here. Follow their suggestions and your machine will run correctly.

I called Charlie's after the transmission blew in my car. I didn't know if they did domestic cars but they do. Aldo was amazing!! He went over and above to help me out. He dealt with the Carmax extended warranty people and when the second transmission also blew he took care of that very quickly too. They are really nice there and do great work so don't hesitate to go there. Great job, thanks Aldo for all your hard work!, read more

I have never in my life experienced the service level provided by this team. Incredibly responsive. I initially reached out on a Sunday afternoon (they were closed btw...) and had a response from Niko within minutes and we scheduled a time to talk. Niko spent 15 minutes with me on the phone assisting in diagnosing the issue with my 2001 BMW 330 CI electrical problem. Incredible!!! He gave me several ideas to try to fix the issue myself. I will go to this group with any and all issues in the future. read more

Great service at fair prices. Highly recommend them.

So impressed with this auto repair shop! I had what I thought was a major repair that turned out just to be a light bulb change. I called ahead and received very nice service from Shelly and upon arrival, John spent a good 15 minutes figuring out the issue with my light panel. They will certainly be getting ALL of my future service needs... I can't imagine what this would have cost me at a dealership! Thank you!! read more

Great Service and super fast. They helped me out with my budget even though it was tight. I strongly recommend them.

This is a great family business where you are treated better than the dealer at a lower price. Their motto is to leave your car cleaner than you left it. They wash it after they service it. I came here after finding a good shop in Del Mar that was consistently a little higher than Charlies, so I decided to try them. I was blown away at their professionalism and HONESTY. I have had some very bad experience with aftermarket mechanics and had gone back to the dealer. Charlie's is as close to a dealer shop as you can get. Very clean, very courteous. Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive. And they always stand behind their work..... Ihave had BMW, Volvo and Lexus fixed by them. They knew all of them well, but they seem to specialize more in European cars. I would bring them ANY car!!! read more

I recently moved to North County from Arizona. My 2002 E430 had been serviced exclusively at the dealer since I purchased it new. I needed some work done and found Charlies online. Based on reviews, I took a shot. It is rare to get lucky on the first go-round, but I could not be more satisfied with the service I received. They were courteous, professional, prompt and reasonable. I would recommend them to anyone unreservedly. read more

I love any professional that tells you when something isn't worth fixing. These folks have taken care of one of our old cars for years and there have been occasions when they have suggested cheaper shorter term fixes that were more appropriate than "lets just replace the whole thing for $2000". Feel like these people are honest, tell it like it is kind of business owners which is what you want in a mechanic. Especially if it's an older car. Highly recommed them. read more

This is a great place to take your car. They are friendly, knowledgable, and the best part - honest. Their Certified mechanics/technicians are top notch and they do very good work. I'd recommend Charlie's without any reservations. read more

I called yesterday because my car was stuttering a bit upon acceleration and Niko said, just come on down and we'll take it for a drive. Well, we did take it for a drive and Niko was blatantly honest -he said "don't fix this car". It's almost 12 years old and he suggested to sell it as is and get the equity out of the car instead of gambling on another year or so and getting nothing for it. This was the third opinion I had had on this car and the other 2 guys were very willing to take my money on a hunch that "maybe they could fix it". Niko didn't charge me a dime, but I will be a life-long customer because of it. He was kind, courteous and most of all honest. It's nice to know there is one honest place out there. read more

I've been taking our cars to Charlie's for 15+ years now and have always had good results (Corvettes, Mercedes, BMW). Their work is top-of-the-line and their charges are comparable to other places that are sub-par (i.e. Sears, Pep Boys, Jiffy Lube, etc.). You can always trust their work is done right, done as promised, and to the price quoted. read more

Trustworthy. Experts. Honest. Courteous, Thorough. Don't be put off by all the Mercedes and Beamers in the lot. They have worked on my Toyota truck and Subaru Outback for years. I have hardly needed any work on these as Charlie's does the routine oil changes and checks everything. When I would ask them if I should trade in my Toyota they would say, ' Why? It's perfect." They also gave me ( free) advice about car makes and potential problem cars I was thinking of purchasing. Since switching to Charlie's 15 years ago I have spent less on car repair than ever before. read more

Came here for front bumper repair and they had me in and out with it looking 100 times better in less than half an hour! Friendly and helpful staff and a great experience! Will be coming back here! read more

Exceptional customer service: courteous, plan spoken, and prompt follow up. Coupled with expert car repairs always on time and within estimate provided. Charlies foreign car repair represents the gold standard for all successful businesses to follow. read more

Took my 2006 MB R to see them and had great service! Asked what other service I should do - they said nothing at this time. Seriously. They have earned my business forever. read more

I am a long time Encinitas Resident and have been taking my cars to Charlie's for many years. If all businesses in the United States were run like this one, this country would be in much better shape. They do excellent work, have the highest levels of honesty and integrity, charge a very fair price for the value that the customer receives, but most of all everyone in this organization are just nice people. They also give generously back to the wonderful community in which we reside. If you have a car repair facility located around the corner, have your car towed to Charlie's and let them do the work. You will become a lifetime customer. read more

I drive a VW GTI that now has 115k miles on it. Over the years, my poor car has been passed around to numerous mechanics, until I started taking it to Charlie's. Before I came to Charlie's, I thought the norm for getting your car fixed was a dirty mechanic shop with grease all over the place and nowhere decent to sit. Charlie's, on the other hand, is immaculate. There's a waiting room, the customer service area is detached from the garage, and the garage itself is huge, and also pristine. Pros: * Customer Service is second to none. Their communication is great and their knowledge of cars incredible. I've even had my car returned to me washed on a few different occasions! * Did I mention the knowledge of cars? I think Niko is 3 for 3 on properly troubleshooting check engine lights (which my stupid VW is notorious for). In fact, the first time I brought my car to him was because another mechanic replaced some parts that didn't fix my problem. * Most importantly for an auto shop, these guys are honest. They have such great customer retention because they truly look out for their customers, and will never sell you something you don't need. * Be sure to ask for the Charlie's license plate holder and you'll get 10% off too. Cons: * You generally need an appointment. Unfortunately, a place this good gets backed up, and it can be difficult to ask for an oil change and get it that same day. Plan ahead and make an appointment. Bottom Line: If you aren't totally THRILLED with your current mechanic, give Charlie's Foreign Car a try; you'll be happy you did. read more

The most efficient I have come across, no games ,no trying to talk you into something you don't need ,clean and friendly . No surprises ,just good service read more

Awesome. Perfect. Reliable. Totally honest and super capable. These guys rock!! I have been taking my Mercedes S and SL, my VW GTi, plus my exotics to Mark for years. Recently I picked up a 1969 American car that needed a lot of work, and they have Amazing Dave who totally nailed it for me. They love cars and love delivering. They always come in on or under budget. I cannot say enough great things about Charlie's!!! read more

Excellent experience! They are friendly and really nice. The business is clean and organized and has a nice waiting room. All I needed was a headlight replaced and they did it quickly and only charged me for the bulb, they did the labor for free! read more

This is a great family owned business! They are the best in car knowledge and are super nice people as well. You won't go wrong bringing your foreign car to them. We have several cars in our family and they all go to Charlies! Their customer service is fantastic!! read more

We are visiting from out of town and our rental car got a flat tire down the road. They took us in promptly and all staff were so helpful. Kyle put the spare on really fast for us and said it was free of charge before they wished us a safe rest of our trip. Amazing service! Highly recommended! read more

Last August my car battery died and I need to get to San Diego early the next morning for a medical procedure. My sister, whom I was visiting in Encinitas, referred me to Charlie's Foreign Car Service. After having my car jumped, I didn't arrive until close to their closing time and they didn't have my battery in stock. Niko found an auto parts store where they had one and due to traffic they arrived nearly an hour past their closing time but Niko stayed to replace it for me. ABOVE AND BEYOND service!!! read more

I've been taking my aging Nissan to Charlie's ever since moving to Encinitas in '99. I was impressed when, after hearing from the Nissan dealer up here (no longer in town) that I needed an expensive "maintenance" service, I took my car into Charlie's for a second opinion and they told me I didn't need most of the stuff the dealer was recommending. They are totally honest. Niko is great, as are all the other folks who work there. They always will provide a ride back home and a pick up if I have to leave my car, and it was no problem to bring my daughter along too. I am sold on Charlie's. read more

My husband came to this auto repair shop over 20 years ago when he got his first car and got great service. We moved over the years and are finally back on the coast and came back to Charlie's. They still have the same great service. Plus, their "shuttle" is a cute VW! Couldn't ask for anymore then quality work and good pricing and friendly people. read more

Amazing customer service. I have nothing to say but I will be going back and highly recommend them. Friendly, drove me home and back and they have a Uber account if there is no one available and done when they said it would be. Oh yeah a happy camper and also enjoyed a Starbucks expresso read more

I was referred here by my friend, so when my vanagon didn't start up one morning I towed it down to them. They had it back to me the same day and Scott was super communicative and friendly. He called back to check up and make sure it was running well a few days later. Overall great customer service and a happy van! Will definitely refer people and go back in the future. read more

Niko and Charlie's Foreign Car were amazing? Friendly and generous, as they repaired my side mirror quickly and did not even charge me. We have brought our cars here in past and will continue to be loyal customers. Thank you Niko! Julie V read more

I recently took my car, a 2008 VW Jetta to Charlie's when it was overdue on an oil change and some maintenance. My usual mechanic is Ryan at Metric Motorz, but he was unavailable to work on my car, the only day I could take it in. The car was leaking oil and I was concerned that it may need more work, so I brought it in to Charlie's, which is even closer to me than my guy in Vista. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to deal with these people. For one, Charlie's has a great-looking shop. It's clean and upon entering, there is a front counter where one of the three or so people behind it will help you out. Angela was my greeter and she was very personable and efficient. Within minutes of me walking in she gave me an estimate for an oil change and I was pleased that right off the bat, it was about $20 cheaper than what I pay my regular mechanic, yet still using the quality synthetic grade that my car requires. Then, they have a lobby area that is private and if you're like me, you can set up shop in there and keep yourself busy making phone calls, reading, or making lists of things you need to do from here to eternity. Angela had offered me a ride home if I didn't want to wait the two hours or so that she estimated would be my wait, and that they'd pick me up when the car was ready, as well. Even though I didn't require that, it was good to know that I had that option. Within an hour and a half, my car was done and a quality oil change, a replacement bulb for one of my front headlights, as well as a maintenance check-up and topping off of all of the car's fluids; was still just under $100, where my regular mechanic, and the dealer would have charged me between $50 to $100 more. Before leaving, I also talked to Nico about some specific used cars makes and models that I'd be interested in checking out and possibly purchasing should he come across them. At one point while I had been in the waiting room area, my phone had gone dead and since I was expecting an important call, I asked Angela if she or any of the staff happened to have a charger compatible with my phone. Within minutes she lent me one and I was charging my phone, and was back in business. Overall a very pleasant experience and I will definitely continue to bring these people my business. read more

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

Just moved here from Chicago. And wow! I left my lights on and these gallant people came to help.me luckily split! Five stars for going above and beyond to make me feel welcomed to town! read more

I can't say enough good things about this group. I had taken my car to the dealership, where they told me I needed $5k in repairs. The staff at Charlie's showed me why I didn't need the repair the dealership said I had to have. They are honest, reliable, kind and reasonably priced. I will always take my car to them. read more

On my way to visit Encinitas I ran over a massive tire scrap and damaged a few parts on the underside of my car. Charlie's was the closest car repair to where I was staying and boy was I lucky. Niko was amazing and generous and the rest of the team were friendly and helpful. They made my car safe enough to drive back to Denver and didn't even charge me for the service. I highly recommend them for any job large or small. read more

Long time client, needed a super rush and they squeezed me in. Much much appreciated.