Doug Walker is about as good it gets in terms of finding a mechanic who:…read more1. Knows his stuff. 2. Works on import cars. 3. Is honest, reliable & does what he says. 4. Is someone you can trust to do a job & to do it right. 5. Is able to communicate what is happening to someone's vehicle to just about anyone regardless of their mechanical knowledge, and does so in a way that helps the owner make educated decisions about how best to keep their car in good running order. I live about 50 miles away & will take a vehicle to him to be worked on, as I know others will do as well. Doug's Imports is known thoughout Southside Virginia as being THE place to carry a vehicle - particularly imports - for repairs. I first came into contact with Doug in the late 80's when he had worked for the VW dealership in Martinsville (which closed about the time he opened Doug's Imports). I then dealt directly & got to know him throughout the years as I took my 87 VW Jetta to him (as well as other vehicles) for periodic repair. I've recommended him to others, who have been as happy with their results as I have been with mine. I know that he's worked on friend's Volvo's, Toyotas, BMW's, SAAB's, and Mercedes (in addition to VWs of all types). And I'm sure that list is far more expansive than I could know. Doug knows foreign automobiles like the back of his hand, and is the most thorough mechanic I know of. Specifically, my case in point is a problem I had with my 87 VW Jetta. It would run great all the time, except when the temperature got above about 95 degrees & I would need to go somewhere during the day. I could go out & try to crank it until the battery ran completely down - it would not fire at all. However, the next day, when it was 95 degrees then too (and I did NOT need to go anywhere during the day), I would leave work & it'd fire right up & run fine. It was only during days when the air temperature would get over 95 & I needed to go somewhere during the day that I'd encounter the problem with it not firing at all. Morning, night, rain, cool days - it would run great. But on days when it was super-hot, I could just about bet on it giving me a problem. I took my VW to Doug - which naturally brought on a cool spell, during which the car cranked for him flawlessly. It wasn't until we had a scalding hot day a few days later that Doug was able to reproduce my problem, which he was then able to trace, identify & fix in short order. Doug discovered the problem to be a cold solder joint on a fuel sending unit that he could then reproduce on the vehicle. In that, he determined that the intense heat - particularly that reflected off asphalt - was expanding that cold solder joint on the fuel sending unit under the car to the point where it would not make contact enough to send fuel to the engine. If the car was moving, or unused during the day to the point where it cooled off a few degrees when I used it in the afternoons, it would cool sufficiently to make contact to allow the sending unit to work. What Doug did was one thing that won me over as a customer - Instead of taking a shotgun approach - a hasty use of a wide range of problem-solving techniques that would have been nonselective & haphazard in addressing the problem - something that could have needlessly replaced a number of functioning components on the vehicle that were not related to the actual problem, resulting in a repair bill that could have exceeded several hundred dollars or more. Doug instead listened to the person who spent more hours in the car than anyone, and once he was able to reproduce the problem, quickly zeroed in on the issue, fixed it & had it back to me within a couple days, for less than $250. And, it was a problem which has never happened again. Now, that is a thorough mechanic. A 5 star rating is not high enough for Doug's Imports. My personal experience with them has been far & above any others I can compare it to. They know that one reason you purchased an import car was the reliability factor & that with proper care most foreign automobiles are capable of being 200,000+ mile vehicles. And too, they realize that their long-term success is in earning your repeat business, and the business that comes from your recommendations - neither of which is likely to occur if you are having to take it back & forth to have the same thing fixed again & again. That's why they strive to identify & fix the problem the FIRST time. If the above isn't sufficient to get you to go to Doug's Imports, add to it that Doug is a super person, is easy to deal with, and is one of the nicest folks you could ever want to meet.

I went there last minute to buy parts for my car and the guy (I didn't get his name) that helped us…read morewas so sweet and helpful! We barely knew how to get the parts out and he was there digging in the car with us him and the lady, whose name I also didn't get, were so pleasant and lovely to deal with!

Didn't have an appointment but the owner was kind enough to check my vehicle anyway. They were…read moreextremely busy at the time. My check engine light was on and the owner ran the diagnostic himself. He explained the problem and quoted me a price. The work was done while I waited. Again, although they were extremely busy they attended to me in a timely manner and the cost was fair. By the way, this was my first time there. I would recommend ERI without hesitation.

Great local place. You get to interact directly with the owner who is very customer oriented. Steve…read moreand his staff are very knowledgeable about automotive repairs and can fix anything.

On a road trip, in a strange place is not where you want to be when the dashboard starts lighting…read moreup! A local auto parts store found 3 transmission codes and recommended Butch's. What we thought was going to be $1000's in repair costs turned out to be much, much less as Butch found it was a wiring, and not a transmission issue. A quick fix and we were on our way. Made it home safe and sound on the other side of the country (AZ) without issue. Highly recommend this shop to anyone in the area! Can not say enough good things!

Always happy to do business with these guys. Small salvage yard with good nitch parts. Ask for…read moreGeorge or Brian

4/17/15 It all started with a "check engine" light. Three…read morediagnostic evaluations later, I was told that a new catalytic converter would be in my near future. Fourteen hundred dollars!!! Say what? Fourteen hundred dollars for a catalytic converter?! No way! I've found that overpriced quotes are the norm in the DMV. When I get quotes like this, I immediately call my dad in southwestern Virginia. He possesses a wealth of car knowledge and when I tell him about the ridiculous repair quotes from shops in the DMV, he immediately calls around to the local car repair shops to find parts and better prices for labor. On this day we were directed to Performance Automotive by my dad's buddy by the name of Tadpole, that works at the Napa Car Parts Store. We were told that Performance Automotive, a family owned business, had a state of the art diagnostic machine. The Napa Store and Performance Auto are on the same street so it took us no time to get there. The garage is not directly located on the street so it took us a few minutes to find the garage. We arrived and were immediately serviced by a young lady with the infamous state of the art diagnostic machine in her hand. She hooked up my car and within minutes had a diagnosis. Turns out I don't need a catalytic converter. The service engine light could be an indication of numerous things. I was told not to worry as long as my car is running fine. She even told me I could drive to California at that very moment! :) My dad and I left confident in the diagnosis and relieved that I didn't have to spend any more money on my car!

Bobby done a great on my mother's 2008 Toyota highlander good people here folks highly recommend.read more

Tune up 800+. They left a screwdriver in the engine fan which broke it and car overheated. I found…read moreanother screwdriver sitting on the engine. I called them and they said it was unbelievable. Very rude and I don't recommend them at all.

Honest and certified mechanics, after a costly mistake at Mr T shop , Speedway help us fix are car…read morecorrectly. Thanks Trina !

I had an issue driving back home from vacation where the gas tank cover on my 2016 Pilot would not…read moreunlock. We looked for the nearest Honda dealership. A technician at Nelson was able to open the cover, showed us where the manual override was located in the back cargo area (helped diagnose the issue since the manual override did not work, so probably cable running between actuator and locking mechanism). They helped us get back on the road and did not charge us anything. Thank You!!! You turned a bad situation into a positive. Wish my local dealer was that nice. Thanks Again!

Had an appointment to look at a car we drove about 1 hour and 45 mins to be told they had know idea…read morewho we were or what We there to see . After talking to the lady that greeted us we were told the car was never on there lot and was at another lot were it had been sent to another dealership in there group were it was being sold . The GM did not even come out to talk to us till I told the young lady I was leaving a review., then she came out to tell us it was not there fault and to have a good day. She acted like it was no big deal. The only bright side was we talked to someone and was sent to one of the other lots in the group were they were tryed to find us a car but with no luck .