This repair shop is the best ever. Leo is always kind and I've been satisfied every time about his service. I've always gone there to change engine oil. His service quality is always pretty great and it's even so fast. I am not native speaker, so sometimes I felt hard to say my needs exactly. But he always caught my point and gave me his best service. I fully appreciate that. 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

Leo's is honest, nice and good-skilled. I fixed my front brakes and AC condenser at his shop many years ago. Both of them lasted till now, maybe 7 or 8 years. read more

Great shop! Here at Foreign Auto Clinic they where completely fine with me bringing my own shocks, engine mounts, and belts to be replaced on a mercedes clk430. Now the car drives like a dream. Importantly, I could feel them caring for my car and all was explained to me in detail. It is a small shop, but a good one. I will be bringing my car here for repairs that would cost much more at other shops around this area. Great! read more

Leo is as good as it gets. He is honest, skilled and goes out of his way to help. Auto repair is a tricky business, I know, I ran a shop for 15 years. Leo has a passion for car repair and for problem solving. Is it always going to go smoothly? No. Is he always going to be able to save your bacon with a last minute repair...maybe. The combination of integrity, honesty, skill, fair prices, straight talk (he thinks my car is too sporty for me) and genuine care in the practice of his profession sets Leo far and above 99.5% of the shops out there. read more

Needed an oil change/tire rotation for our car, brought it in here, had fast service with a much better price than a few other places around the area. Will definitely return. read more

Leo was kind, honest, and straightforward. Very affordable, and quick.

Another mechanic in El Cerrito Plaza asked me to replace the headlight switch. It is around 300 to 400$. Leo found out that the REAL problem is a fuse is burned. Finally, I paid 20$. Highly recommended! read more

The job seemed simple: a headlight replacement. But 1992 honda civics don't have a good design under the hood. It's not easy to replace headlights, and while I tried, I was unable to finish the job myself. New to the area, I looked at yelp reviews for local mechanics and decided on this one since it's closest to my home, though it had fewer yelp reviews than I prefer. I took my car in, new light in hand, and Leo finished the job for me in 30 seconds. I exclaimed, "You did it!" and he said, "No, you did." Honesty, check. Regardless, he finished what I started. I asked what I could pay, and he shook his head and waved his hand at that idea in my head - no charge. It's unusual to experience this rare ethical standard - in tandem with thoroughness and quick attention (as soon as I pulled in). Bonus: His oil change price is competitive - $36 - and includes a physical check of everything. Great deal. Given how old my car is, I know I'll be back, and I'll feel safe bringing it to Leo. Thanks, Leo! read more

Leo is the best. Been bring my cars here for almost 20 years. Never does what doesn't need to be done. Brought my car to the Toyota dealer for a recall and asked about something else. They said they'd run a diagnostic check for $180. I said no and brought it to Leo. He checked it out for free and there was nothing even wrong. Did an oil change and basic inspections for less than $50. There are closer mechanics, but I always bring my car to him. read more

I used to live in El Cerrito and found Leo and his shop by chance. I live in San Francisco now, but after trying some places closer, it's worth the trips across the Bay to have Leo do the work. Unlike other shops, he will understand the problem before replacing expensive parts. He will explain the problem to you in a way that you actually understand the issue, which makes the whole experience tolerable. His understanding of the mechanics of each make and model is impressive and his interest in the subject gives him instant credibility. I've never stopped recommending Leo over the years and everyone always comes back very happy. And the turn around time is impressive as well. The only time he's kept my car for more than 2 days was when it took a while for him to figure out that it was the computer in the car that needed to be replaced. (Probably took him so long b/c he didn't throw in a new fuel pump like the dealership wanted to do) And for diagnosing this problem he didn't even charge me. He's built a great business with some very loyal customers. Oh, and I have a car built here in the US, so don't think you need to have a foreign made car for him to look at it. He knows them all. read more

Our family has brought our cars to Leo for the last year and he has always helped us more than we expected. I have never seen anyone so good at troubleshooting problems or explaining them, and the solutions he finds are smart and in your best interest. For example, one of my door locks was damaged. I brought it to the Toyota dealer who said he could either change all the locks in my car for a few hundred dollars or so, or change just the broken lock and give me two keys. Leo showed my Mom and I how he could replace just the broken lock and fit it to my key. Just recently, I got an oil change done at the Northgate Sears and my car smelled of oil. I brought it to Leo. He opened the hood. There was a cap on the battery and oil everywhere. He said to drive it back to Sears and ask them to clean up the engine and replace the hoses and the damaged parts. Sears wasn't easy to deal with and their district manager claimed oil doesn't damage rubber. Because I don't know about cars, I wouldn't have had the confidence to disagree with them if Leo didn't tell me otherwise. We live far away, but from now on we're bringing our cars to Leo for big and small things. It's rare to find someone so good. read more

Leo is a great mechanic. Trustworthy and efficient - what more could you want from a mechanic. Highly recommend him.

I used to live in walking distance from Leo's shop and it was such a convenience to have my cars fixed by him! I have used his service many times and every time I felt peace in mind and knew he would take good care of them. As others have said, he is always honest and trustworthy. He always took time and explain to me the problem of my car (e.g., broken parts) after the fix. He has no problem in communication - unlike my current mechanic. It's always a pleasure to talk with him. His rate is not as low as my current mechanic, but is still very reasonable. I have absolutely no complaint about his price - he worked hard to provide outstanding service and he deserves it. Highly recommended!!! Try him and you won't be disappointed. read more

Called to ask if he can assist with a dead battery and he was very rude, hung up on me several times with absolutely no reason. He was my go to mechanic but I guess he is too busy to care these days. read more

To Single Women EVERYWHERE!!! An honest auto repair shop. I've meant to review Foreign Auto Clinic every time I have to go there but end up timing out or something. I have been going to Leo for about 8 years (soon as my Mazda was out of warranty). He is honest and never does more than is needed and his pricing is the most competitive any where. He has fast turnaround and calls immediately if he finds anything not covered in the original drop off discussion. I trust him completely. read more

I had a great experience taking a car to Leo for an inspection post-purchase. He is knowledgeable and honest and happy to take the time to explain everything. Awesome. Will be back. read more

I've been taking my cars to Leo for 15 years and have never had a problem. The work is always finished quickly. All the problems, including diagnostic work, have been explained to me and the replaced parts kept for me to look at. The prices are honest and there is no selling of unneeded work. Leo is an honest mechanic - a rare find. read more

This guy charges very reasonably and doesn't try to price gouge you like other places. Honest and competent mechanic. I would give him 5 starts except he's overworked and hurried, probably cuz he has a lot of customers. Had an oil change, spark plugs, air filter done and overall satisfied. read more

Leo is pretty professional. He is quite busy with his work. Every time I came to him, he was repairing a car. Since he is so occupied, he won't talk about one thing twice, and I have to make an appointment if I want him to check my car. read more

I had a clogged A/C condensation drain. The dealership said it would probably cost about $150 in labor to fix, which seemed hella steep. Instead, I brought it to Leo. Not only did he fix it right away, he didn't charge me a dime. When I asked about payment, he just waved me away. In my opinion, this is exactly the right way in which a good local business deals with small, simple jobs. I know where I'll be taking my future business. read more

Leo : He is master I am realtor know many car repair shop he is one I like my family too he know the problem and take care the right place my lexus AC and stair and I am heppy for his job done read more

This car repair place is the greatest asset in our neighborhood. The repair work is efficient and reasonably priced. Service is friendly. Further no promises are made if the owner is unsure if the work can be done, which usually it can be. Very reliable serivce and the shop is now offers smog certification services, also done very efficiently. We will always bring our cars here. read more

Leo is very honest, nice and great at what he does. I am so grateful to have finally found a mechanic I can trust.

My 1999 Lexus was making a strange whinning sound when I started it. Of course, when I took it in to Leo, thr motor turned over just as quiet as a mouse . Leo suggested that I leave it overnight so that he could start it first thing and take a listen. Every time I planned to leave it overnight, something came up to prevent. Finally the sound got so loud and remained for so long that I drove directly to Leo's shop. Of course again, when I arrived at the shop, the motor ran smoothly. Leo checked and tightening my fan belt and the car is running wonderfully. Thank you Leo!!! read more

If it takes him a few minutes and no auto part needs to be replaced, then he can do it for you for free! Leo is soooooooooooo nice!!

Leo is a honest guy. He gave me good advise about my car. He replaced the rear brake for my car. He provided good service for a reasonable price. I recommended Leo for everyone. read more

Don't do it. Bringing your car here is a roll of the dice--sometimes things work out well, and then, not so well. The engine light in my 2005 Jetta went on about the same time I needed an oil change. I brought my car here as I had done before. Leo said the engine light indicated a loose break pedal which he charged me to fix. This was not the problem. The car broke down at a stoplight a few weeks later and I had it towed to Foreign Auto Clinic. I told Leo the car was not moving in the different gears. Leo inspected the car and told me I needed a new master cylinder for $350. (I guess this is why the engine light was on in the first place). Okay. Leo broke a part putting in the new cylinder and had to wait four days for a new part. Then he called and said the clutch had to be replaced. Really? Didn't he inspect the clutch during the initial inspection? The clutch was not slipping at all prior to the break down. The clutch--$1600. (This is the second clutch in a car with less than 88,000 miles on it--does this make any sense?) When I went to pick up the car Leo was screaming at the helpers he had brought in to do work. He stopped yelling long enough to tell me there was a problem with the clutch grinding in third gear, and now the problem was the transmission! Unbelievable! There was no grinding, no clutch problems prior to Leo (and his helpers) touching the car. I've always thought that later model cars are a challenge for this shop. Did I learn this fact for sure in a very difficult lesson? When I told Leo the car was not fixed and was not worth anything with a grinding third gear, he agreed and laughed. Whatever. He had his money. read more

Having lived in various cities in both coasts of the country, I have learned to really appreciate a good mechanic when I find one. Usually, I would get ripped off a couple of times at a new city before I would find a good one. My wife and I relocated to the North Bay a few months ago from New York, and by chance we stumbled into Leo's shop which is located just a block from where my sister-in-law lives. One of the belts of my Pathfinder was making a high pitch squealing sound whenever I started the engine. It started happening after we had work done on the car in Oregon during a road trip. Leo popped the hood, fiddled around with his wrench, and fixed the problem in 5 minutes. He didn't take any money. I was so impressed that I have since been going back for all my repairs and oil changes. Leo is an honest and experienced mechanic which everyone knows it's hard to come by. You will be glad to go to him. read more

I never thought of reviewing Leo's shop until I forgot the phone number -- looked on the internet to find it and saw all the great reviews. I'm a little hesitant to add my glowing assessment only out of fear of overworking this paragon of car care. In the many years I've taken my clunkers in, I've seldom had to wait for an appointment (and never waited for emergency repair) -- I'd hate to see that change. Leo could charge more without my complaint, but I don't want him stressed by overwork! I agree with all the other reviewers about Leo's competance, honesty and efficiency. Since I know zip about cars -- just buy cheap and run them until they die -- at first he freaked me out with his detailed descriptions of what went wrong; however, I've come to appreciate his attention to detail and willingness to let me in on little known auto secrets. Have to admit, Leo's main appeal to me, aside from his friendliness, is his willingness to work with my low funds and old cars (currently a '97 Ford Escort wagon with deteriorating body but strong 35 mph engine/5speed trans). When my a/c compressor went out recently, he quoted me a fair price ($700), but I couldn't afford that, so he rerouted the serpentine belt to skip the a/c. He has helped me baby along several old friends, but also has no trouble dealing with the computer complexities of my son's Jeep Cherokee. Leo is a miracle worker. I only wish there were more small business owners around just like him. read more