Tricky to get to. If dropping off a car, its best to approach from the south. Limited parking available. Best to make contact with the shop before considering bringing in your vehicle.
He knew exactly what was wrong with my car and how to fix it. Dropped off my car and it was done within 24 hours. I would recommend Foreign Auto to anyone with a Volvo. Very knowledgeable!
I have both of my cars serviced by Jerry and it is always a pleasure to deal with him. If you dont care about pleasantries much (all these insincere: we appreciate your business and sorry for inconvenience), Jerry is a mechanic for you. Knowledgeable, honest, reliable and very direct! Hell take your car and just make it run again.
I live in Milwaukee and saw a great deal in Minneapolis on a used Volvo model Ive always liked. I had the seller take it to Jerry for a pre-purchase inspection before I made the trip. Jerry was prompt, professional, frank, and reasonable. I could tell from our interactions that he was honest, experienced, and to-the-point, and the vehicle is exactly as he described. I highly recommend this shop.
Jerry is one of the finest mechanics around. The man is an mechanical genius and a honest businessman. His communication style is direct and non-nonsense, so just roll with it and dont let that bother you. He is also extremely helpful, and will try and walk you through a diagnosis over the phone and then try and help you understand how the system/part works or how a problem can arise. He really knows his stuff and I cant recommend him enough.
Lived in Minneapolis in the early 2000’s and Jerry was my mechanic for my Saab 900s. I will never be more grateful for having a mechanic like him. Unfortunately I no longer live in Minneapolis, nor do I have my Saab, but if I did I’d travel any amount of miles for his expertise. Jerry is genuine, meticulous, honest and fair. Nearly 20 years since I’ve used his services but after finding the shop recently online felt the need to post a review. Thank you.
I am really grateful for Jerrys skill, knowledge, and integrity. He fixed my 2007 Saab 93. He gave me a probable diagnosis over the phone and confirmed it in his shop. I place the highest priority on competence and integrity.Jerry demonstrates both. I appreciate the reference in other reviews to the directness of his communication style. Glad to have my Saab back. Thanks, Jerry.
I am at the stage in life where even owning a car is optional-Im retired. I have been taking my Saab to Jerry for more than a decade. Both of the Saab autos I now own I purchased from him. Every review here is accurate. Jerry is the, THE finest mechanic you are ever likely to find. He does not suffer fools and has the tortured artist persona down pat. Dont take your car to him if you need a feel-good experience or need reassurance you are a good person. Take it there if you want it fixed for a fair price. Give him the room he needs to be Jerry the grump/misogynist/whatever. You arent perfect either. When he retires or sells I am selling my cars and riding my bike.You see, I dont suffer fools either and if he quits I will have to do just that to get my stuff worked on. I can do my bike work and and a lot of my own car work, but Jerry wont be around and the hassle wont be worth it.
I had an issue with my 2010 Mercedes Benz and they where able to help in a way that no one else has been able to. Very honest, highly recommend!
My car broke down within a month of moving to Minneapolis. Brought it to Jerry and he fixed my car within a week and it ran better than it did for years. Prices are so good that my parents would rather drive 4 hours to have their car fixed by Jerry than any other car mechanic around them. Gets right to the point with whats wrong with your car. No nonsense. No BS. Jerry is the man.
The Business is called Foreign Auto Specialties. Along with other reviews before mine, he was short and cut me off in any greeting and asked what kind of car. Right after I said Toyota he cut me off again and said I Dont work on Japanese Cars and then hung up on me. Doesnt sound like Foreign Auto Specialities to me? Go ahead and call him and then right your review in your own objectiveness.
Not worth all the hassles and lack of customer service.
This man is incredibly racist. I overheard him screaming at a person on the street to “go back to their own country” when they’re minding their own business. If you need your car worked on, you can take it somewhere else to avoid supporting people like this.
Great group of guys that always take good care of the customer. Simply amazing!!
This guy is the man! I never write reviews, however Im very impressed with this guy, he knows his cars, and is straight talk to the point. I drive a saab 9-5 turbo and am brand new to Minneapolis. My car was overheating and one look he knew immediately it was my water pump. Next time I came to recharge AC, he had 3 other customers. He hooked up the ac real quick and recharged my car and added some oil too all for an excellent price. I like that he talks to you directly with you next to the car. For me, this is the only place I will take my Saab. Even if hes busy hell tell you to bring it in to make sure your issue is not a major one. Best mechanic Ive ever had and would delay any repair to make sure hes the one working on it. Highly recommended
Jerry knows foreign cars.I have had a very favorable experience for both times I have used his shop on Pleasant Street.Excellent prices too! I would not take my older SAAB anywhere else.You can trust him.
Jerry is honest about what is wrong with your car.
RUDE.I called and they picked up the phone in a rude way, no Thanks for calling Foreign Auto Specialties or anything like that. I live across the street, so they were my first call when I had a key stuck in my ignition. He asked what make/model I had, and when I mentioned I had a Ford Focus, he said I dont work on Fords and just hung up. I get that they specialize in foreign vehicles, but figured since I literally live across the street it was worth asking, the attitude was BEYOND rude, theres no reason to hang up or treat potential customers that way. Should I ever get a foreign vehicle, you can believe I wont take it here.
As a repeat customer for over a decade; I can say that Jerry (the owner / mechanic) is one of a kind.He can fix your SAAB or foreign car... dont expect a lot of dancing around the issues or the cost with your car.
Great Saab mechanic. Dont let the gruff Viking personality turn you away.
I take my Saab here feeling confident that exactly what NEEDS to be fixed will be fixed. When you choose Foreign Auto Specialties, you are choosing a company that takes the time to learn your problem and apply their expertise to fix your vehicle in the best way for you.
He’s great would go again 👋
I have a Volvo S60 and the AWD went out on it. I took it to Jerry after spending months getting diagnosed by various other shops including dealers. Every shop quoted me $1500 - $2000 for repair, claiming that both my DEM (computer module that powers AWD pump) and the AWD pump itself went out. Meaning that I would have to get my module rebuilt and a new pump put in. I brought my Volvo to Jerry and explained what I was told by other sources. In less than 24 hours, Jerry had my AWD working again. It turned out that the car did NOT need a rebuilt DEM and that the only problem was a failed pump. All in all, Jerrys diagnosis, and work cut my costs in half compared to if I would have gone to a dealer or other mechanic.Jerry is a non nonsense guy. He wont fix whats not needed just to make an extra buck like some places. He tells you like it is. I now know that any future issues will be looked at by Jerry first. And if you are thinking about buying a Volvo or Sabb from someone, bring it to Jerry to have it looked at.
I drive a Saab 9-3 that I turned over to my high school daughter. To get it ready, I had a local garage put on new tires, brakes all around, tie rods & alignment, new a/c blower & assembly, rack & pinion. All told, I put in about 4k but since most of it was wear and tear after 120k miles and to make the car safe for our kid, I could live with it.And then it died.Local garage said the code points to ECM engine computer and they cant program it. I was about to cut my losses and look for something else when I decided to do an internet search for Saab repair Mpls. Foreign Auto Specialties popped up with a couple others so I called and Jerry answered. He struck me as a laid back no BS kind of guy as I ran down the history of the car. I told him I was about ready to cut my losses after all Id put into the car and he basically said, forget about all that. Money you spend on cars is gone. The only question now is if you spend $1,500 to get that Saab fixed, is the car worth that much to you?I had the Saab towed over to Jerrys shop without ever seeing it or him. He did the diagnostics that same afternoon and called to walk me through why he believed it was likely the computer and that he can order, program and install a new one. Next day he called to say it was ready to go. Hes got an awesome shop in a cool neighborhood. Jerry mainly works on Saabs which is clear when you pull up and see them scattered around. He has all the necessary equipment to diagnose and repair pretty much any problem. The bill was about $150 less than he quoted over the phone. So far, the car runs perfectly again.Qualified, experienced, straight shooter. Only wish I had found this shop sooner!
Jerry went above and beyond what most shops would do. He knows his stuff and is quite honest.
This guy really knows his stuff!
Jerry went out of his way to do a through job and saved me well over a thousand dollars. Just be warned hes usually booked out for weeks.
There is no better Saab/Volvo/Mercedes/BMW mechanic than Jerry. Period.
I bring all my Saabs here.
They are very Rude and wouldn’t even take the time to hear the persons issue with their color for dismissing him and blatantly hanging up the phone on a very disrespectful shop that don’t deserve any business in our neighborhoods
Short and rude.
Excellent work
Great service