The owner is so honest and hard working. We take our Subaru Legacy and Forester here all the time and he'll tell us what's needed and even send us home if things are ok. In this day and age, an honest mechanic is worth their wait(!) in gold. read more

Came in to do a Oil Leak Check for a 2013 Mercedes C250. Leo is an amazing mechanic and very knowledgeable about the situation you maybe having. For me he went into great detail about why i was experiencing my issues and what to do going forward. He also walks you through the process of what he did to show you exactly where the problem is coming from instead of just telling you. Many shops have there one off's but my time being there and talking to Leo helped alleviate the nervousness of being there, he is very reputable and does honest work. Would recommend if you are in the area. read more

This is the most honest, skilled, dependable mechanic I have ever visited. Two other places told me I needed my power steering fluids replaced and the rear brakes replaced. I took the car in to Foreign Auto Clinic and he told me the brakes are fine (they haven't been squeaking or anything) and my power steering uses a motor, not fluids! Meanwhile he replaced the fluids in the transmission, coolant and brake and did an AMAZING job. I can't recommend this place enough! read more

This place is great!!! The owner is a total expert, has decades of experience. He has saved me hundreds of dollars. Other shops told me I needed work done; he checked it and said there was actually no problem. read more

My car kept overheating and I thought it needed major repair. Leo told me to go buy a new cap for my coolant and refused to take any payment. I know any dealer would have used this opportunity to make a lot of money. This kind of honesty is rare in this business and I take my Subaru to Leo for everything. Thank you Leo for being a stand up guy! read more

Originally referred by a friend, we've been taking our cars to Leo for years. From regular tune-ups, to brakes, to more involved mechanical issues, he has always done wonderful work at a fair price. Trustworthy, prompt and only does the work that needs to be done. Last time I was in for something, I asked if I needed a tune up while I was there. He said I was good for another 10k miles and no reason to waste money doing it early. Thanks Leo! read more

As usual, Leo was wonderful! Did outstanding work for a fair price. Leo is a dream come true!

We recently moved to El Cerrito, and the squeaky suspension of my old X5 has been bothering me for a while. I was looking for a new mechanic. Reading the Yelp reviews, I decided to take my SUV to Foreign Auto. Leo suspected that the replacement of a part might stop the squeaks. It's hard to trust any new service, but when we came back to pick it up, he immediately showed us the old part and explained what he replaced, which showed us honesty. Based on an educated guess, sometimes, even a pro has to try one thing to eliminate the problem. Sure enough replacing the right part stopped the noise. Thank you Leo! read more

I have been taking my car to Leo since he started. And he does a good job, and his prices are fair. I recommend his service highly.

Mr Leo is the best! My dad was his client and now me, for over 30 years. He is direct and honest, tells you like it is and try to save you money if you buy this on eBay.. I had my catalytic converters stolen twice and he has built a cage around it to keep it safe. He did it and finish the job even before my insurance company got a call. Reliable to the core. read more

I have had only positive experience's with Leo. He is fast, diligent, and reasonable. A friend recommended me to him a couple of years ago, and I'm so glad she did. I really appreciate him and also love supporting a local business rather than a big chain. read more

I took my car into this independently owned shop just to fix the breaklight, he had the work done in 10 minutes and charged me $10.00 . I went back to him for the yearly service needed on my Mercedes and it was finished in 4 hours and was half the price of the shop that did the service the year before. The shop owner is very honest and does a great job. He does all the work himself and explains things very clearly. I will continue to take my car to him for all future mechanical needs. I recommended him to a friend from work and she also had a positive experience. I highly recommend this shop read more

Engine light came on on my dodge caravan and was running rough. I took it into Foreign auto clinic and he found a sensor problem and suggested a tune up. $537 later the engine light still comes on. Second check he says it's the same sensor. ?? I ask him about the tune up, turns out he only replaced the spark plugs! For which I was charged 2 hrs labor, that's $290 for a job that can be done in 25minutes. ( plus $78 parts) What's more, when I go to another mechanic who finds the same problem he says the throttle sensor module that was replaced at a cost of $110 ( plus labor if $40) is listed as around $30-40 new! From that experience I would advise anyone using this mechanic to question exactly what work and how much it should cost because, as other reviewers have said, this guy might rip you off if he can. read more

I called to see if my door lock can be fixed and the owner mechanic politely gave me an advice over the phone. I tried it and it worked! This shop can surely be trusted by putting the customer's loyalty First over money. read more

I am writing only the fact here. He charged $554.00 to change 4 brake pads for my car. After I paid, my boyfriend told me this is way too expensive so I checked other places for estimation. Yen's Auto 1299 San Pablo Ave $350.00 Midas $420 ( life time guranteer for the parts ) yourmechanic.com $311.00 And when my boyfriend called this guy for estimation with the same model of my car, he said $450.00. So Foreign Auto Clinic charged me $100 more because I am a woman. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

This auto shop was recommended by my father in law and now I know why, the gentleman is very knowledgeable and friendly. And most importantly, the turn around on the repair was super fast. I will most certainly recommend this shop to others. Thank You! read more

Friends recommended us this place and they have been right. Needed FAC services twice and each time got it fixed quickly for a good price. They don't add extra work, or try to fool you with BS work you won't need. They are very busy, make sure you get in there and in the queue fast. My place to go for mechanical troubles. read more

Leo has always been great! Our family has probably been using him since he's opened many years ago. He never charges too much and is very smart and thorough. When we had an old Porsche 944, we had a problem where we threw thousands of dollars trying to have the dealer and all these "Porsche Specialists" fix and when we brought it to him, it ended up being a $2 part that went wrong! Go figure! read more

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! read more

Leo (the owner) is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable about cars. If you have something electrical that needs to be looked at, definitely get it checked out here. They've got one of the most organized garages I've ever seen, and their prices are surprisingly low. There's a Subway right across the street, or the library a block away if you need to keep yourself occupied while waiting. I've never had to go to either, though... for short routine maintenace, they get your work done at lightspeed, notwithstanding their busy schedule. Even larger jobs are finished in a timely manner and you'll have your car back again ready to hit the road. read more

My husband Kevin (another reviewer of Leo's) failed to mention the work we have had done to our cars! We bought a new Eurovan and Leo has been awesome with fixing all sorts of things with it. Put in a new air conditioner and compressor (we bought the parts online and he installed them), new door locks and some obscure plastic part that pretty much runs everything that managed to break when we put the key in the ignition to leave Sea Ranch. Leo saved the day. Great service. Very reasonable prices. read more

I have been going to Leo for over ten years. I trust Leo enough where I can drop off my car at his shop and ask him to just fix it. If it's not worth fixing, he'll tell me. Otherwise he just gets it done and for an honest price. I live in Alameda now, but I still take my car to Leo. Leo is a hard working, extremely intelligent, honest mechanic. I haven't seen too many of those around. I do wish he would get some better signs though. It looks like his oil change sign was printed on Print Shop Pro on a circa 1986 Epson dot matrix. Oh yeah, one more thing. Leo has a heavy accent., but his English is fine. It's not a problem, just putting it here so you won't be taken off guard. read more

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. read more

I've been going to Leo's place for years. His work is excellent, and his prices are unbelievably low. Most importantly he is honest. For example, the other day I brought in my old Toyota minivan because the headlamps were extremely frosted. I asked Leo if he could fix the problem. He told me he'd need to replace the entire headlight assemblies ($250 each) and the labor would be $300 since the job would require the bumper's removal. Instead Leo recommended I buy a kit from O'Reilly's and polish the headlamps myself. He even gave me tips on how to do it effectively. Most mechanics would have gladly taken the $800 repair job - not Leo! Honest to a fault some would say; but for me he's a breath of fresh air. I wonder if he would be interested in getting into politics? read more

I take my 2006 Subaru Impreza here and have found the service to be excellent and this establishment to be very honest. My spouse and I will be getting a 2nd car soon and it too will visit Foreign Auto Clinic. Thanks so much! read more

Leo is great, honest and to the point. Tells you what is wrong and will fix it for a great price. Plain and simple. Will not try to sell you on extra things to do to your car for extra money. Family has been going to him for years. read more

I've had my older cars in the past repaired by him. Like a few on here have stated, he doesn't want you around and can be rude. I normally get around this. But today, I'd called to see if he could take out a stuck spark plug socket. He told me to bring it in, but he never mentioned that his time was limited. My tow truck took over an hour longer. But I'd called to keep him informed that I'll be there. Which he said okay. When I arrived, it was after 10 a.m. The guy had a b@tch fit, trying to lecture me on a time that I'd promised, and that he was backed up with cars. Okay. I'm cool with that, and there's nothing that I can do but just come back around, which would have been the courteous way to tell me this. The guy talked to me as if I was a child. And the only reason why I didn't put him in check was because I was trying to get my car fixed vs arguing with him and not get it fixed at all. He walked over to my car, tried a few things, but was not able to get the socket off of the spark plug. No problem. But Leo, that is his name, really didn't put any effort into it and really didn't want to be bothered. You can take your car there if you like. But BE prepared for a potential attitude. This guy is an @sshole. I really wanted tell him this, and if this wasn't an emergency, I would've. But I just said to myself. Eff it. Focus on getting someone else to fix your car. I wouldn't recommend a mechanic, while good at what he does, expects you to tolerate his attitude. Be aware! read more

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. read more

This note sounds too good to be true but it is. My wife's 1991 Ford Escort driver seat belt was loose and I took it to auto repair shop which has a very good reputation. I was quoted 300 dollars for the seat belt retractor and labor. The auto repair shop tried for two weeks to get the part but had no luck. I took the car to Foreign Auto Clinic, explained the problem to Leo. Leo took a look at the belt and readjusted it. The whole operation took thirty seconds. The belt is working fine now. read more

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

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. read more

When my A.C. stopped working I first took it to the VW dealer. They said it needed a new compressor and quoted (this was years ago) around $2,000. Whoa! This was a '97 we're talking about... I declined and started making some calls. I took my car to someone who supposedly did AC work on San Pablo somewhere in Berkeley and he sent me to someone else nearby. Neither could find anything wrong with anything. No compressor trouble, and no leaks. They just pumped in a lot of AC fluid (I forget what that stuff's called), charged about $100. Okay, the AC worked, but every time I put it on, it dragged the engine. I lived like this for quite a while (years). Finally I got a good mechanic (Robs Automotive), and asked him, but it turns out he doesn't work on air conditioning. He sent me to this (very nice) guy on Stockton Street. And guess what? He actually found the source of the trouble. It was some bit of tubing that had been bent out of shape! I think he's a genius. He really looked for the source of the trouble, and was clearly knowledgeable about why it couldn't be this or that, did a lot of deductive reasoning, and didn't stop until he found it. The repair was inexpensive and my AC's been working ever since. And he's a very nice man, and as someone mentioned, he's happy to explain (in detail, with pictures) what's going on. Now I can't decide who I like better, him or Rob! read more

Around thanksgiving 2019 my 2006 Toyota Tundra was requiring some maintenance. To try to keep it nice and simple Foreign Auto clinic was the location I decided to have them work on my vehicle. Rack and pinion where replaced I paid foreign $1,400.00 just for labor. The following day after picking up my vehicle from this shop and getting it aligned I decided to get back to my job routine. I hauled approximately a 10-15 feet long trailer with about 900-1200lbs of material. As I was towing I noticed my steering was completely off almost crashing into parked vehicles. Tires had an aggressive negative camber on both front wheels. I decided to get it checked out by a professional mechanic. He noticed the two main screws from the rack and pinion where absolutely striped from thread one of them wasn't even threaded on nor torqued to specs, rack and pinion was only holding on to my tie-rod ends and steering shaft. I took my vehicle back to foreign auto to either het me my money back or fix the problem. He clearly wasn't happy and told me he was too busy with other customers and had no time to work on my truck. I asked for my full refund back due to him creating a bigger problem. He refused to help me nor return my money. Please do not go to him. He clearly doesn't care about his customers and other civilians on the road. He set me up driving that truck with no main bolts on the Rack and pinion. These positive reviews are fake don't get fooled people. Paul 777 is the best mechanic in the east bay. read more

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. read more