AJ Foreign Auto

Nov 1, 2018 Dave noticed my tires were wearing down, not enough to flunk a summer inspection, but enough to make winter driving unsafe. He recommended I get new tires in Nov. I got them, and they a super quiet and give a much smoother ride. Good price from AJ, too. I appreciated the heads up on a problem that I may not have noticed until I had a snowy spin. Sept. 2016. Dave, Mary and company provide excellent service at a fair price.

They always let me know what kind of service should be done now, and what could wait a few months. Having that forecast on future repairs helps prioritize future expenses that are part of driving a 10-year-old car.

The owner was rude and unhelpful. I would never take my vehicle to AJ foreign auto, again. I came here for state inspection and he tried to charge me for a bunch of work I didn't need done to pass inspection. Truly one of the worst I've experienced. I'm surprised they're still in business. UPDATE: I just got an email from google about this review and saw that the owner responded to my review. Here's a message to the owner.

You didn't find anything in your records 2 months back because I didn't write my review right away. I wrote it after dealing with a professional, polite and honest mechanic. To imply that I'm not really a customer because I use my initials rather than my full name is an example of your unprofessional character. When I asked you a question about NY State Inspection regarding how many times I'd be charged an inspection fee if I had to have the vehicle looked at more than once until you resolved the issues you said "Well until I find employees who'll work for free, I'll be charging you." When I asked the same question in a way you were able to understand, you told me I'd only be charged a one-time inspection fee.

Your rude and unnecessary comment about finding employees who'll work for free when you didn't understand my simple question is another example of why the word 'rude' shows up in reviews about you. Take your car to Scottie's Auto, people. They're the best I've ever found, anywhere. Don't waste your time or money with this clown.

We had been going there for years without issue but yesterday they treated both me and my husband very rudely and showed us we need new mechanics. I was reluctant to use them after a few months ago they changed my oil and called another service center unprofessional for not resetting the light, yet their service person did not make sure my hood latch was closed.

Less than two weeks after that visit, my front hood flew up and broke my windshield while I was driving 55mph. I was lucky no one got hurt. Yesterday, when we brought our vehicle in for one issue and were given a list of items not related to the issue we brought the car in for. One item on the list was a new brake light, simple enough but they said the charge for that was $25.49.

I was going to have them do it but then called back to say I would try it myself. The owner actually laughed at me and said "good luck with that". So rude. Very disrespectful. And (if you are reading), the other service place I went to a hour later changed my light for free - so I did not need luck, I just needed someone offering good will. The little things make a difference. I will never return.

Brought my Mini Cooper 2005 to them not too long ago since it needed a Radiator and Thermostat replacement. They did that job well but however they messed up on one part. They didn't tighten the Radiator Cap back on properly, so my expansion tank started to bubble and then I lost coolant. When I told them what happened about me loosing coolant, they told me that I needed a new engine and quoted me $10,000 for a new engine. took it back to the dealership where i brought my motor and they re-tightened the cap for me (that's how we knew about the cap being loose).

The owner is rude and really doesn't care about your vehicle. I heard him *sigh* when I asked them a few questions about them the other day. I would NOT go to these people for repairs on your vehicle, after quoting me $10,000 for a new engine which was wrong, how can you trust an auto shop like that ever again, I certainly won't.

Consistently reliable for the past 8 - 10 years that I have been using them. Easy, clear, straightforward folks. I trust them. It's true that car service is not always 'cheap' - I wonder what customer would ever be happy forking over $$$ for car problems we don't necessarily understand. However, given how much use and abuse our autos get, especially on Ithaca's streets, I think that some $$$ for reliable, trustworthy auto repairs is a good investment.

When you have a medical doctor you trust & looks after your best interest you want to keep gong back and always recommend them to everyone you know. Well I trust AJ Foreign Auto to look after my car to keep me safe on the road at a fair price. They run a clean shop, always honest, up front and no nonsense.

Ok first all, I read all the one star comments, most of you don't know a thing about cars so stop complaining. Second, yes they are not the most friendly people, nor their price is anywhere close to be considered cheap. As someone who has been running autocross and track for years, what I can say is good work ain't cheap, and cheap work ain't good.

They are not cheap at all, but they did an excellent job. My 2002 Miata had alignment problem, and AJ is the fifth shop I went in for help. I even went back to Mazda before I came here, they couldn't get it right nor they could find anything wrong with my car. It drove like hell and was a misery. AJ got it done and got it done great. I feel really lucky to find a shop to get this done, but in the meanwhile I am very disappointed about the whole Ithaca and Syracuse area. I mean really, it's just a Miata, and with nothing wrong, and no one before AJ can even get the alignment done?

AJ Foreign Auto fixed my car's alignment problem with an honest diagnosis of what was going on. My car was pulling to the right and shimmying over bumps. AJ Foreign Auto investigated it and found that a standard alignment would fix most of the problem. They recommended a few other things to make the alignment perfect, but I wasn't ready to spend that kind of money and they were fine with that.

After the local Audi dealership botched a timing belt job and told me that the subsequent check engine light illumination was coincidental and $600 additional dollars to fix, I took the car to AJ Foreign Auto. They not only correctly diagnosed the CEL and charged me $400 less in labor than the dealership, but provided me with enough documentation of the repair to obtain a full refund from the dealership. The whole situation was a headache and a half, but AJ Foreign Auto fixed my car right and saved me a good deal of dough.