Had UFCR do a couple things for me. Valvoline said the inner section of my oil filter was damaged & they replaced it free. So I wanted to have it looked at make sure it was done right & figure out why/how it was damaged. Apparently Valvoline must have dropped it. The damage wasn't caused by the car or road. My car needed a total transmission flush.. they did it in a timely manner & things are working good. The reason I went to them was in the spring I had some issues & come to find out there was a recall for it. When I had called Spartan Toyota (before going tho University Foreign Car Repair) they wanted over $200 to "diagnose". Interesting there's a recall & the dealership wants $ to diagnose a recall. The folks at University told me about it & printed out the recall info thus Spartan repaired it without the diagnostic fee. Who does that? Tells you there's a recall & take it to the dealership & get it fixed free. When I came in this time for these other things (granny flush etc) they told me they had a bad review. Now that I found surprising. These folks have been in business many years & always had a stellar reputation. But I didn't use them until recently. I was very confused by them 1st telling me about the bad review. So I read it. That post after reading it seemed like somethings missing. Maybe it was someone else's card, maybe she had a previous experience that went away? But something in it seems like there's more to it. These people at University knocked hundreds off what they originally quoted me. Even during the quote and drop off. When I came back, it was even less than quoted. The work was great. I had no problem with payment with my card. They were jovial gentleman, and truly seemed like they not only cared about my car, but my budget & me as a person. Some people are just never happy unless it's free & even then....they'd probably complain ​​ read more

Honest, nice and overall great people to work on your car. Had my VW at the dealership and two other shops for an electrical issue that they never could fix but these guys got it done! read more

As a female, getting repairs done is a stressful experience. However, Blair and Mike have been amazing. They explain things in a way I can understand. I've been taking my car to them since 2018. Honestly, I wouldn't trust anyone else with my car. read more

ZERO stars... I have a local reliable mechanic for years... the issue I had he recommended to take somewhere where they work on BMW. This is my 19 year old daughter...she took the car in and they quoted $1000 to replace a "bad wheel bearing" strike one... there was not one thing wrong with wheel bearing at all. I took back to my mechanic and he confirmed on paper. I called and asked for a manager or owner... they laughed and said manager and or owner is not involved in operations. I proceeded to tell them the issue with shop and asked for a cooperate number... turns out the number they gave was incorrect (did not exist nor is this a cooperate store)...second lie... this place is lies...all lies $1000 for a damn lie...no. I asked for a refund of the $90 dollars they charged for a incorrect diagnosis of bs they feed my daughter and was basically laughed at again by the owner. Yes the owner, who they said they didn't have ....another lie. 1. They completely wrote the findings incorrect. Lies 2. Told me they would pass my complaint to cooperate. Lies 3. Gave me a fake cooperate number. Lies 4. Told me there was no manager or owner. Lies 5. Owner answered when I called back for the wrong number. Was just a jerk...didn't listen at all and told me he knows people like me and he ain't giving me shit and hung up. Will never go here ever again, will tell everyone I know not to go here and will never recommend read more

University Foreign Car Repair - Stated it needs WB and new sensor...neither were bad. - Auto Repair Near Me - Lansing, Michigan

I was referred to University Foreign Car(UFC) by my appliance repair company. Took in my Hyundai that a local dealership completely wrecked and cost me more money to have replaced brand new brakes and pads because they didn't investigate the root cause and burned them right off. UFC also repaired a damage front exhaust pipe(leaking fumes through ventilation system) that probably was damaged in a previous repair from dealership. Overall, had a great experience the two times I've been there! read more

Took our Mini in for three or four issues. We cross checked one pretty pricey item with a knowledgeable friend who dabbles in the business. He said, "yeah, that is a difficult repair due to the way it is constructed , I think their number is fair". We went ahead and were pleased with everything they did for us. We will definitely go back next time we need service. read more

I have relied on them for over 40 years, and we've always been satisfied, even if (maybe especially when) the news is bad. Through several volkswagons, toyota and now the mini. read more

Daughter in school at MSU, I am a plane flight away and her 2007 X5 3.0 started to overheat known issue with BMW's. So needed to find a local independent BMW repair shop to get a new Water Pump and Thermostat installed. I knew that this would be anywhere from $800 to $1000 as I called around locally to get a price range and University tried to rake me for $1600+ The OEM BMW parts that were need cost more than if I bought direct from BMW of Okemos who the nice parts guys at the service center said that University buys parts from Here is the breakdown from University $ 498 - Water Pump $172 - Thermostat $ 40 - BMW Coolant $ 25 - 3-New Torq Bolts Shop rate is $120 per hr They said $970 labor Parts cost from BMW of Okemos Here is the breakdown from BMW of Okemos $ 430 - Water Pump $161 - Thermostat $ 25 - BMW Coolant $ 10 - 3-New Torq Bolts Total repair at BMW of Okemos - $1265 The whole time all I heard from Eric is a sales pitch and how they have all this special BMW scanning tools BLAH...BLAH...BLAH This is not my first redeo, I have owned over 5 BMW in the past and all have been highly modified which I have done all the work myself from full Engine/Tranny swaps and basic repairs. I have even done this same repair myself on my youngest 2007 X5 and buying OE parts on line which only cost me only $500. Had no justification as to why they OEM parts cost more than the OEM parts direct from the dealer...other than a sales pitch...what a joke Bottom line is that when going to a independent BMW repair shop you should not be paying more for a repair that it would cost at the BMW dealer. Horrible experience and feel that they really try to take advantage of people who may not have automotive knowledge...BEWARE Redline is also dont the road and much better read more

I have a lot of experience with different shops and dealerships all over the state and I can't say a single one came close to the care and quality of University Foreign Car. I'm a college student with a Nissan Skyline (Japanese car) that I enjoy working on, but I brought in my car for some repairs and maintenance and Blaire the owner as well as Ian and Ryan the mechanics not only helped with the car but let let me watch the repairs they were doing, all while teaching me and giving me advice as to how to work on the car and maintenance it myself in the future. I was their for a few hours sharing stories and experiences about cars with everyone working that day and the entire time they weren't focused on upselling or trying to squeeze me for a dollar like just about every other shop, they genuinely cared for me and my vehicle and left me with a trusting group of friends, advice on my vehicle, all without charging me a fraction of what they easily could have. Clearly care for the customer more than anything, a great business but even better people! read more

Having purchased an older Audi, I had to have a few repairs and maintenance taken care of to get the car into shape. Blair and his staff are wonderful people and have gained my trust and earned my business. The pricing is fair (undoubtedly beating the "stealerships" by a nice margin) and the place stays busy because of the quality of their work. University Foreign Car was recommended to me by a colleague and I would recommend them to others as well. Their VW/Audi trained technicians diagnose issues accurately and fix them in a timely manner. read more

One star is generous. I really can't condense into this review my experience of how awful this place is, and how offensive the owner is. so, let me first say I apologize for my attempted brevity.. University Foreign Car Repair charges up to four times the value on parts ($38 part anywhere under the sun is a $150 part here), I understand they have bills to pay, but please, this is just insulting. UFCR also charges upto double the shop rate of any reputable repair facility in town ($70-90 per hour average around town, here you may pay up to $150) But here is the truly unacceptable part of their "service". When asked to do a repair, they will do half the job, and when you say the problem is persisting they will charge you again to do the job that should have been done the first time... e.g. Say your brakes are squeaky, and you ask to have them fixed, the shop takes your car, replaces the rotors and when you get it back the brakes still squeak. You take your car back and they say, "yup your right, they are squeaking, If you want we can replace the pads for $x". Now, the pads were the easy job, and even if you did need rotors, why didn't they replace the bad pads while they had your bakes torn apart? Good question right? Well in this case the answer is simple... They just want to charge twice for the same job. It's a scam. And they're good at it. They will play dumb, they will use other employees as strawmen to confuse and misdirect the topic. They will rip you off if you let them. So, as for me, at the end of the day, a job (clutch master cylinder. Google it) that im haveing another shop do $123 out the door, UFCR tried to ding me for 2 separate services, ($175 for the first visit & $339 for the next) to address the same problem, that we both knew was the problem from the very beginning, for a grand total of $514! LMFAO!!! I feel so sorry for the people that have been suckered by this place.. I hope anyone reading this review runs from this shop, fast. Really, this can't be called service, they are flat out ripping people off, and in no small way. Almost double the shop rates of any reputable shop in town and quadruple the parts cost. This place has no shame. read more

In Spring 2007, I brought in my '78 Super Beetle due to a minor oil leak. A month and $700 later, all they did was slap some metal glue over the leak site. I would call twice a week, asking about progress, and every time I got the run-around. read more

UPDATE to previous review: I wrote the review quoted below and they replied to it on Google saying they had spoken to me and that "she happy now", which is not only grammatically egregious but extremely untrue. This proves they are even more crooked than I thought, so here is the review again with 1 star (a very generous rating) since I am unable to edit my extant one. I hesitated to post this for fear of retaliation, but in good conscience I decided to give other local motorists the heads up. I've been happy to put up with prices here because of good service and communucation, but that was before I dealt with the owner directly. After a routine oil change I needed two major repairs in a row. When I had the audacity to say that that seemed like a huge coincidence and ask if there was any chance they were related, he told me I "lost credibility" as a "difficult person" in just about the most patronising and unprofessional method possible. Oh this was also after I got saddled with a bill that was fifty dollars higher than the grand total I had been quoted (and yes I was VERY clear in asking for the cost out the door, I always am) because his definition of "grand total" and "out the door" apparently don't include tax because it's not money he gets to keep, or so went his excuse. Apparently I was also "difficult" for bringing that up. I'm a youngish woman, I get patronised by mechanics regularly, but this was a whole different animal, I have NEVER seen such behaviour from someone who's supposed to be a business owner. The rest of the staff is the best and I like the place, but this owner is terribly unprofessional and not the kind of guy you want to do business with if you can possibly avoid it. One extra star for very kind staff and the fact that they offer rides, extra star redacted because they are apparently crooked liars. read more

I love this place. I take all my import cars to them. Mercedes to be exact. I am considering a Volvo so it will be going to them too.

I've taken almost a week to write this review, so I could objectively look at the situation. I will NOT use names, as I don't feel that's fair or needed. I called one afternoon about getting my car diagnosed for a suspension issue that I couldn't figure out. The person on the phone and I agreed that if I could bring my car in at 8:30am the next day, I could at the very least have my car diagnosed before 2pm. This was extremely important to me, as I needed to get back to my house around that time, and drive the secondary car to work. Well, I dropped the ball, and slept in. I showed up around 10, and the person at the desk told me they'd do everything they could to get the car diagnosed by 2pm, and also offered me a ride home. Upon hearing I could get a ride home, I made every attempt I could to assure them not to hurry, and to take their time, as the only reason I had a time constraint was so I could get home and drive the other car into work. They still maintained they would call by 2pm. Cool. I was a quoted a price for the diagnostics, and was given a ride home. 2:15 rolls around, and I'm about to step out and head to work. I get a call from the shop (15 minutes isn't a big deal, honestly), and they tell me they can't find anything wrong with the suspension, so they'd have to put it on their laser alignment scanner to check and see what was wrong. Somewhere in there, $100 was thrown out as an estimate. Whatever. Find the damn problem so we can move on. I was told that I'd hear from them by 5pm whether the car was diagnosed or not. This was on a Friday, and the shop was closed on the weekend, so I was really hoping to at least know how my car was doing. Alas, I didn't hear a thing on Friday. It was only Monday at 2:15 when I called them did I get an update: my car had been driven to another shop (without my knowledge or consent) to be laser scanned. The other shop had, indeed found the issue(s) causing my suspension issues. I made it very clear I was unhappy about my car being driven across town without me knowing, and I was told I would not be charged any extra for the inconvenience. I paid my bill, and picked up my keys while they were still open, then came back to get my car after they had closed (just how schedules work out). I found my trip odometer to be reset after it returned to the shop (I only reset it after every fill up), and my clock to be messed with. I am not a happy person, and will not under any circumstances become a regular customer, nor will I ever recommend anyone I care about to University Foreign Car Repair. The mechanics seem to be nice and decent, but the way my car was treated, and the way that information about my car was omitted, I cannot see any reason to return. Two stars, rather than one, for eating the cost of having my car laser scanned, and sticking to the original price, but that's about it. read more

Took the car back to University Foreign Car Repair on Saturday, October 23rd. This was the third time the vehicle was in their possession. They called on Monday, October 25th, and wanted to charge $90.00 per hour to further investigate the cause of the leak. I ended up removing my car from their possession as I do not feel they have the expertise about this particular vehicle to repair it properly. My opinion is that the leak was never tested to ensure it was fixed the first time. Further, I had authorized other repairs that University Foreign had identified as issues when the had the vehicle in their possession the first time which I would have never of spent the money on had I known they had not resolved the leaking issue. They led me to believe the leak was fixed. The vehicle is now at the Land Rover Dealership in Grand Rapids for the leaking issue. read more

I've only been there once for routine maintenance, but I plan to go there again. They were quick and I had a comfortable place to wait. The staff is very friendly. I mentioned when I brought my car in (an '09 VW Rabbit) that I thought the breaks might need work. Other shops would might have taken that as an excuse to do unnecessary work and charge me for it, but they said everything was fine. The wi-fi was a little slow, but they had wi-fi. The only reason it's not a 5 star review is because I only went there once. If they keep up this level of service then I'll give them a 5 star review later. read more

This place has changed for the worse. Took my car in for oil change and check-up before winter. Mechanic left oil cap off and there was a nasty burning smell when I turned on the heater. Checking fluids evidently didn't include topping them off. Windshield wiper fluid was almost empty when I discovered the oil cap sitting inside the engine compartment. Makes me wonder if they actually did anything on their two page check list. I do not trust UFC anymore. The front desk person does not seem to know how to treat people with respect. He treated me like I was an irritating inconvenience when I picked up my car. read more

I would NOT under any circumstances return to University Foreign Car Repair. I had them do extensive work on my Civic and the repairs cost nearly $4000. When I picked the car up it smelled strongly of marijuana. Rather than returning back to the service desk as I should have done (in hindsight) I was in a hurry so I just returned home and febreezed it. The smell still remained the next day so I called to let them know that the car smelled strongly of marijuana when I picked it up, but the truth is I don't know who smoked pot or whether or not it was one of their employees. So I was careful with my words not to accuse anyone. The clerk who answered the call was surprised to hear my complaint, but one of his co-workers called to him that he, too, had smelled the marijuana. The clerk then blamed the barbershop nearby and the police who failed to do anything about it. I simply said that they should take some responsibility for the smell even if it wasn't directly their fault (because, again, I had no proof that it was one of their employees) and the call ended. Then things got outrageous. The owner called me back and left a voice message threatening me with legal action if I did not call HIM back to apologize for the "wild accusation." Only I never accused anyone of anything. I simply had noted the fact that when I dropped the car off it did not smell of marijuana and when I picked it up the car had a strong smell of pot and that they should take some responsibility. He then threatened me again when I told him this was atrocious behavior and I would be writing my first Yelp review. I couldn't agree more with Jayson D. who said "one star it generous." read more

So grateful for their high level of customer service! I experienced a flat tire on a super cold evening on my way home from work.....luckily I was only about a mile away from University Foreign Car Repair. I pulled in and asked for assistance in changing out my tire for the spare-they didn't hesitate to be super helpful and get me back on the road! I've worked with these guys in the past and have been pleased with their customer service. read more

Kept my credit card information on file without my permission after a one-time transaction. Did not inform me that an alignment service would require they drive my car to another unidentified garage, and would not seek your consent to do so either. Made me put a deposit down on a part that was not required to perform the desired repair on my vehicle, and then refused to return/refund the part for me. Experienced very poor customer service while attempting to discuss these concerns. And that's just the short list. Even the dealer does many repairs for less $. If you must trust them with your vehicle, pay cash and don't put a deposit down on parts until the service is completed. read more

I am surprised, no, astonished to see others rank University Foreign Car Repair (UVFC) so low. My wife and I have been taking our cars to UVFC for fifteen years, and we have always been pleased with the service, which has ranged from simple battery replacement to more complicated faulty computer problems. Eric and Mike, who work the front desk, have been, without exception, friendly and willing to talk to us about the car's mechanical or other problems and answer any questions we have. They also do their best to accommodate our schedules. Never have we experienced shabby work or work not completed on schedule (unless unforeseen problems have occurred.) One reviewer complained their prices are too high. To that criticism, I cannot respond because I have never compared UVFC prices with other repair shops. What comes to mind, however, is that old adage about "getting what you pay for', that is, cheaper is not always better. I urge all who read this evaluation, give Eric, Mike, and all the other mechanics and workers at University Foreign Car Repair a chance. I feel confident that you will be pleased with the outcome. read more

I took my 1996 Land Rover Disco in to have the "death wobble" issue addressed. I knew what the solution was, I just didn't want to hassle with it (I was a mechanic in the military) and purchase additional tools. Not only did they refuse to inspect the parts I requested, theynot knowing I just had the ball joints replacedtried to tell me they joints were bad/not put together correctly and they would charge $500 just to take them apart and put them back together. Anyone that knows how ball joints work knows thats BS. Also, there truly was not an issue with the joints. They also said they weren't sure that would fix the issue, but it was where they wanted to start. $500 to tear apart a perfectly fine and non-broken component? Be sensible. They also asked me to bring my car back in so they could look at it again. They only asked to do this after I balked at the their plan to tear apart the ball joints. The "death wobble" is a common and EASILY DIAGNOSED issue on the older Disco's. Why is it that a specialty shop couldn't figure it out and refused to check parts I mentioned? It's because they are scammers and saw an easy target. I will add that when I did take it back to them for the 2nd inspection, they told me I needed a new serpentine belt and water pump. They were going to charge me over $100 (without labor) for a belt that costs $40 and almost $400 (again, without labor) for a water pump that only costs $139 for the TOP brand and warranty. The kicker is that the belt was new and the water pump was not defective. I don't think they scam every customer, but I am certain the scam many of them...especially women and other people they THINK will have no mechanical knowledge. Blair is the ownerwhen I called to request a refund of the $90 inspection fee, he became irate and screamed at me like a child. This after he refused to return my call for two weeks. I ended up fixing my car myself for 1/8 of what they tried to charge for bogus repairs. I caution anyone considering University Foreign Auto to look elsewhere for vehicle repairs and maintenance. read more

Have a Subaru that had a head gasket leak. I was in Iraq on duty so my father in law took the car in for my wife and paid for the repairs, which was $2000. Upon my return from Iraq, I noticed the car leaking oil again. I contacted University Foreign Car of Lansing and told them the problem since the car was still under warranty. First they questioned me about the ownership of the car since my father in law paid for the repairs they did not want to honor the warranty. They were saying if I just purchased the car the warranty does not transfer owners, which I don't understand why it wouldn't they just took $2000 to repair, I would think they would want to honer any warranty. So anyway I explained it was my father in law and they wanted to talk to him to verify. So finally they look at the car and say they had to tigten something up. Within two days leaking oil again. I take the car back and they supposedly replace the valve cover gasket in two hours, yeah sure. So I say ok and again within two days leaking oil again. I call again get attitude again, but this time when I drop the car off they wait three days to tell me they're gonna pull the engine and do what they did six months ago all over again which is replace all the gaskets in the motor again...yayy.. right?? Well after picking my car back up after all said and done the workorder says no more warranty will be honored. ok well hopefully no more oil leak. Well after guess what two days, oil leak. I will never be using or recommending this shop to anyone. Constantly felt like I was getting the run around and sadly I will be leaving on another tour of duty to fight for the freedom of people like this and my wifes car is still leaking oil. THANKS UNIVERSITY FOREIGN CAR IN LANSING,MI ON KALAMAZOO!!!! read more