Really recommend these guys for Prius work. They really helped me out in a tough spot a while back and were fair and frank which is obviously ideal in an auto body. Stew also taught me a bit about my car which was above and beyond what I expected. Fair cost, speedy service, and great staff. Thanks! read more

The Foreign Service - Cam the shop cat - Auto Repair Near Me - Roseville, Minnesota

We needed to get a 3rd party hitch installed on our Model 3 and this company was the only authorized installer nearby. Simply brought the car and hitch down, dropped it off in the morning, and everything was done and working great later that afternoon. While I know they're probably more well known for working on certain brands, they definitely seemed to know their way around a Tesla. No complaints, and would go back if I needed additional work done. read more

This shop is dirty, unorganized, and looks like nobody works there. Service will take weeks longer than promised and your vehicle will not have the repairs you'd expect done and work will be done incorrectly. You will be charged for services you didn't authorize or need and you'll be minimally kept up to date on progress and only when you call. This was my experience when I brought my bmw in for service. Just take one look at the premises before you bring anything here and form your own opinion. read more

The Foreign Service (in Roseville, MN) saved me $16,700. I own a 2017 Fiat 500e which is an electric vehicle (EV). My Fiat would not start and displayed the "service 12-volt battery" message. I replaced the 12-volt standard car battery and my Fiat would still not start. I had it towed to the FIAT of Minneapolis dealer. After 2 weeks of investigation, they told me that they would charge $17,198 to replace the power inverter module. (The part costs $14,910 and the labor costs $2,288.) I had my Fiat towed to The Foreign Service for a second opinion. They reset the computer errors related to the 12-volt battery replacement and my Fiat runs perfect again! They only charged me $500 to diagnose and fix the problem! Note that The Foreign Service does not specialize in the Fiat brand which shows their overall diagnostic expertise. I highly recommend The Foreign Service to service your EV or internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. read more

When my vehicle broke down in St. Paul, I worried about finding a shop competent and experienced with the charms and quirks of a VW Vanagon. Forum searches and word of mouth pointed to The Foreign Service, and I'm so glad I found them. They were extremely helpful and flexible considering my situation, and I could tell they have a wealth if experience that pertains to my vehicle. They got me up and running with many helpful suggestions, and I'd trust my wheels with them any time I'm in the area! read more

The Foreign Service - Cam, the shop kitty. - Auto Repair Near Me - Roseville, Minnesota

I feel bad about this, but... I went in with a dribble of an oil leak. I left with a $5000 bill, and an oil leak, I actually have a new oil leak from the 'power steering service' that was done instead of fixing the original leak. I've spent a very significant percentage of the retail cost of this car at this shop, and I'm no better off, or worse than I started. I still need the car to be fixed, but I can't make myself take it back again and again. Nice folks, though. read more

When I called, they claimed to be 'specialists' with classic Saabs. 3 Trips later, I still have a paperweight in my driveway. Each time it came back, the car would start for maybe a day. The service seemed like they were really trying and were very polite, but in the end, really added on more repairs before we actually got the car to start consistently. (or after the day it came home). I would assume they can do minor repairs, but if you have something tricky, I would take it somewhere else. read more

My household has been taking our cars here for decades. Saab, Toyota, any type of hybrid - this shop has the experience and expertise. I just had my catalytic converter stolen (finally! I've had the Prius many years now and how did they only just find me?) and this shop was able to quickly get a new one put on - now with the shields that may deter future thefts. Fast, reliable, honest, knowledgeable shop. I feel fortunate I live close enough that I don't need to go anywhere else. A big thumbs up! read more

​My 1999 Saab wouldn't turnover so I had it towed to The Foreign Service. There aren't many places willing to work on a 22-year-old car that's no longer in production. The ignition switch was a known problem. Stew, the owner, along with his staff, replaced the switch, resynced the new switch to the security system, installed the correct spark plugs and solved other issues.  Now the Saab is running again. They did nice work for me. read more

Last summer I brought my SUV to The Foreign Service for some tire work. Turns out, one tire had failed completely, and, as it was a 4WD with some 50K mile, I needed a new set. The Foreign Service sold me the best tires I have ever owned: Nokians. I also had them perform an alignment, and I must say, I have never had a more perfect alignment. Whenever I've had the wheels aligned in the past, the work lasted until the first pothole, basically. 9 months later, it is still driving straight and true. Turns out, all alignments are not alike. Since my vehicle has gone out of dealer warranty, I will only bring my vehicle to The Foreign Service. They not only tell you what you need: they tell you why the work is important. I am extremely confident in their service. read more

Well, I am going to give these guys a nice bump up in their ratings because they did me a real solid this summer and I think they deserve to be thanked and rewarded for that. I have a 2002 Saab and since these amazing cars are no longer being made, we devotees have to do the best we can with what we have. Thankfully, there are some awesome mechanics out there who also love them. While in Grand Forks this summer my car had some starting issues and the local mechanics were not able to figure it out. I called around to the Minnesota Saab guys and this shop researched some very through ideas and called me back with the suggestions, and offered to have a good local GF mechanic call them back to help them through it. Wow! Turns out it was a very subtle engine/body vacuum hose issue that only a very experienced Saab specialist would know and I took it to a closer shop in MN. But it was the good will of this shop that kept me out of the hands of unqualified mechanics with dollar signs in their eyes. Thank you ! read more

I am really surprised to see the couple of bad reviews on The Foreign Service. My guess is that these are people who just didn't like the fact that they had multiple problems and interpreted that as the shop not "getting it right". We had a series of problems with our 2001 Volvo V70 fixed last summer and have nothing but good things to say. While I am not a skilled mechanic, I am a mechanical engineer, so my mechanical BS meter is fairly well tuned and all of the explanations we were given made perfect sense, based on the symptoms we were experiencing and the relationships between the different systems that needed repair. We feel that they explained our issues clearly and gave us options, where there were options and didn't recommend service that wasn't needed. We brought in a car we were debating getting rid of and left feeling confident about the car. I would recommend this shop highly. read more

This is the most unprofessional auto repair shop ever! Took my Audi truck in to get an estimate and repairs done.They gave me no estimate couldn't tell me what the problem was. Had my car for 2 months and did nothing to it. I paid $200 deposit for a key to my car because they said it could be the key that was the problem. Turns out they couldn't purchase the key from Audi only the person listed on the title. They took weeks to tell me this and will return my $200 deposit. Told me because I no longer have the Visa card I made the deposit from, they can't return the $200. Should not be called the Foreign Service if you can't fix foreign cars! read more

The Concise Review (a more detailed one follows): The Foreign Service's shop has shown itself to be incapable of solving tough diagnoses. Added to that they will not admit to you that this is the case and instead will continue to try and solve the issue while emptying your pockets. My bill for this shop was close to $2000 and the problem I had with my car never got fixed. The owner Stew needs to take a course in customer-relations. His condescending and arrogant dialogs with me were not appreciated. I never thought he was looking after my interests but only his alone. I would at all costs avoid this shop and its owner and take your business elsewhere. I, for one, would recommend Borton Volvo. The total bill/time at Borton Volvo? $650/1 day The total bill/time at Foreign Service? Close to $2000/ 2 months Auto Repair shop that solved the problem? Borton Volvo I was highly disappointed with the service I received at this shop. Being a new Minneapolis transplant I had no idea where to take my 1998 Volvo station wagon when it started experiencing problems back in October. I was a little hesitant to take it to the dealer since you always hear stories about them 'over-fixing' a car and in the end you have a bill that will take months to pay off. Little did I realize that the same thing would happen to me when I took it to the Foreign Service shop. The first time I dropped off my car at this shop I was confident that the owner Stew knew what he was doing. I explained the problem I was experiencing as adequately as I could and had no issue trusting that it would be fixed when I picked it up a few days later. I was wrong. As soon as I got my car on the freeway to drive it home I experienced the same problem that had made me bring my car in for service in the first place. I was able to luckily drive it back to the shop without breaking down on the way. Round two. After this it was all down hill. I had to opt for one of the shop's rental cars at this point in order to get back home and to and from work over the next few weeks. This was due to the fact that they could never quite figure out what the issue with my car was. It was this and then it was that. It might be a whole bunch of little things and around and around it went. Finally, after telling me my radiator needed to be replaced and it having been in the shop for weeks I told Stew that I would be picking up my vehicle, no longer confident in his ability to resolve my vehicle's issue. After being lectured by Stew on how he had done all he could have done and how he had saved me from imminent disaster by replacing my radiator I left with a bill that was well over a thousand dollars and a car that still had the same problem that had brought me to the shop. It was drivable at this point though. Round three. About a week later I was driving my car and it started smoking under the hood. I was able to drive home and then proceeded to try and find out what was wrong with my car. Upon checking my anti-freeze I saw that is was bone dry. I thought this odd because it had just been at the Foreign Service the week before. After filling it up again and realizing that it was leaking out at an alarmingly fast-rate I called up Foreign Service thinking it had to do with the radiator that they had just replaced. It turned out that is was another hose connected to the engine that they had some how overlooked while they were replacing the pricier item, the radiator. This leads me to think that maybe my radiator never needed to be replaced in the first place, maybe it was just that hose that was leaking. So much for saving me from imminent disaster. Round four. After paying another three hundred dollars for the hose repair I proceeded to drive my car out of the parking but I never made it that far. Within 10 minutes of starting the car it began to violently shake and was undrivable. I was forced to call AAA and have a tow truck tow my car from Foreign Service's parking lot to Borton Volvo hoping that they could resolve and fix this issue with my vehicle. I informed Stew of this and he advised me that I needed to get a second opinion, he also told me not to go to Borton Volvo saying that they would just charge me a whole bunch of money and I would still have the same problem. He was wrong. Borton Volvo was able to get my car into the shop, diagnosed, and fixed within a day. I picked up a cleaned, fixed car that night and it has not had any issues since then. read more

I totally agree. I took my Volvo there a few times and they did not have a clue how to fix it. And when they did "repair" it, it was wrong. They should really just shut the doors. read more

The poor reviews come from customers who are taking out their frustrations on expensive repairs. I know how they feel. I drive a '96 Subaru and an '02 Volvo. However, I've had nothing but honest repair recommendations from these folks, and I am confident I would have paid more at a dealer, though I would recommend Borton over Kline for the Volvo. read more

I had to take my Prius in due to some engine lights. This was my first visit -- I wanted to take my car to a shop with expertise in hybrids and all the same diagnostic equipment as the Toyota dealer. Turns out it was a very simple fix, and nothing had to be replaced! It's nice to know that there are still shops around that do straightforward quality work without constant upselling or other BS. They were very communicative while the diagnostics were going on and spent a lot of time giving me a super useful list of things I should keep in mind as a Prius owner going forward, especially when going to a shop that doesn't specialize in hybrids. They were sure to point out when something was easy DIY. I understand that expensive complicated repairs are upsetting and people can get salty about it, but the negative reviews here are ridiculous. My experience at The Foreign Service was top notch -- their communication and customer service were awesome. I'm definitely going to be taking my Prius exclusively here from now on. The shop cats are also adorable! My only real complaint is that the location is somewhat inconvenient for public transportation but workable if you're willing to hike a bit. read more

Very friendly staff, did a great job at a reasonable price. I live 45 minutes away but I'll be back if I need more work done!

Direct and sincere. They are helping me keep my Saab on the road. Other mechanics gave erroneous estimates on repairs and/or created laundry lists of unnecessary repairs. For instance, had an electrical problem that confounded one mechanic at another shop (resulting in a laughably high estimate with an obviously wrong approach) but when I went to The Foreign Service they found an elegant and inexpensive solution. read more

I have been a customer at the Foreign Service off and on since 1997 and have never been disappointed. Other places I have used cannot compare. The staff do only what needs to be done and don't try to sell services that are not needed. Friendly, honest, reliable, authentic, trustworthy! read more

One of the worst auto repair shops ever seen in my life. I went there for a wheel bearing repair and they damaged the ABS system of my car. The next day I went back to have someone look at my car and stew the owner said this is not our fault and we can do nothing to fix your car .. we are not interested to work with you anymore. I think this guy needs to have a course of customer relations cuz he was so disrespectful. I had to call the cops to come to the site and create a statement about that . I am going to sue them through the court this week. This was the weirdest customer service ever . I highly recommend people not to try this shop ever. STAY AWAY FOLKS! read more

Stew, Kris, and Betsy were all extremely helpful when I brought my stalled '02 Prius into the shop. This place knows hybrids and was able to repair my ailing inverter for much less than what my neighborhood shop quoted. When the check engine light came on again after the repair, they took the time to diagnose the problem further and found a separate issue, but I feel confident that mechanic Jobe can get me up and running again for a fair price. I keep hoping that I'll have to wait for a repair so I can check out the brewstillery next door, but The Foreign Service hasn't disappointed me yet on timeliness. read more

We've had great experiences with the Foreign Service. They've maintained our 2000 VW Passat for the past years. They take the time to explain exactly what's going on with our car, and have helped us decide what to do and when to do it, given the age and mileage of our car (some repairs just aren't worth it). They're respectful and timely, and have great little rental cars available cheaply, which makes everything convenient for our busy family. Can't say enough good things about them! read more