An Independent Auto Repair Shop in Duluth Since 1991
Same building on East Ninth Street, same approach, 35 years. Here is how the shop actually works.
35 Years on One Street
Foreign Affairs has been an independent auto repair shop in Duluth since 1991, in the same building on East Ninth Street the whole time. 35 years in one location in one city is unusual in this trade, and it shapes everything about how the shop works.
The specialty started where the need was. Duluth had, and still has, a lot of foreign cars and no straightforward local option for looking after them properly. The nearest dealership for most foreign makes is a drive to the Twin Cities, which is a long day for scheduled maintenance and an even longer one for a diagnosis. So the shop invested in the tooling, learned the makes, and kept doing it.
That has widened over the years. Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini Cooper and Lexus all come through the bays regularly. What has not changed is the approach: test it, prove it, tell the customer the truth about it.
The customers reflect that. Most people find this shop because somebody told them to, and a good number of them have been coming for a decade or more with two or three cars. That is the whole business model, and it only works if you are straight with people every single time.
Jeff owns the building, and a few years ago he put solar panels across the roof. They now cover the shop's electricity completely, which this far north is a harder thing to pull off than it sounds. It is not something most customers notice and it does not change what a repair costs, but it is the same instinct that runs through everything else here: work out how to do it properly once rather than pay for it forever.
We treat your car like we would our daughter's
It is the most simple way we know how to phrase our commitment to our clients. The question we ask before a car leaves is not whether the ticket is finished, it is whether we would be comfortable with somebody we love driving it home. That is the standard, and it decides what we fix, what we tell you can wait, and what we will not let out of the shop.
We test before we replace
A trouble code names a circuit, not a failed part. Everything we replace has been proven to be the problem first, which is why you do not end up paying for the same repair twice.
You get the number before the work
You approve a real figure for your car before anything starts. If something turns up once it is apart, you get a phone call, not a larger invoice at the end.
We tell you what can wait
No engine or transmission rebuilds and no bodywork. Tires we do sell and fit, and the seasonal changeover is a big part of our year. When a job belongs somewhere else we will tell you and point you at somebody good.
We say what we do not do
No engine or transmission rebuilds and no bodywork. Tires we do sell and fit, and the seasonal changeover is a big part of our year. When a job belongs somewhere else we will tell you and point you at somebody good.
The same people, in the same building
On East Ninth Street since 1991. You are not explaining your car's history to a new service advisor every visit.
13 Makes, One Set of Bays
Foreign cars are the specialty, from BMW and Audi to Subaru and Toyota.
Foreign Affairs, the Dealership, and the Quick-Lube Chain
Same car, three very different afternoons. Here is the honest version, including the row where we are not the right answer.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
We left the row we lose on right in the chart. If your car is still under factory warranty for the repair you need, we will tell you to go to the dealership. We would rather say it here than after you have driven over.
Common Questions
Since 1991, in the same building at 722 E Ninth St in the East Hillside. 35 years in one location, which is not common in this trade.
Neither. One independent shop, one location, no head office.
Thirteen of them: Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini Cooper and Lexus. All of them are regular work in the bays.
No engine or transmission rebuilds and no bodywork.
Call and ask about your specific repair and we will tell you exactly what is covered before you commit. We would rather be precise than make a vague promise on a website.
Yes, and we have been selling them for more than thirty years. There are two ways to go about it. We can source the tires for you: call with your year, make and model and how the car actually gets driven, and we will tell you what we can get and what it costs fitted. Or you can pick your own on Tire Rack, where you can see a set against a photo of your own vehicle and build a tire and wheel package, choose Foreign Affairs of Duluth as your installer at checkout, and have them shipped straight to the shop. We have been a registered Tire Rack installer since 1993 and we have a direct contact there for questions about tread life and traction. Either way the fitting happens here on the Hunter Revolution, which is what lets us take on the rims most shops will not touch. TPMS sensors get read, reset and relearned to the car, directional and staggered fitments go on the correct corners, and every wheel goes back on to the manufacturer torque spec with a torque wrench rather than an impact gun. Call (218) 722-2246 and tell us what you drive.
By phone at (218) 722-2246, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. There is no online booking.
Visit Our Duluth Auto Shop on East Ninth Street
Address
722 E Ninth St
Duluth, MN 55805
Phone
Shop Hours
Parking and Drop-Off
We are in the East Hillside neighborhood, a few minutes up from downtown Duluth and an easy run from Lakeside, Congdon, Woodland and Piedmont. Parking is free on site. If you need to leave the car before we open, call ahead and we will sort out the key.
Appointments are made by phone, not online. Call during shop hours and you will talk to someone who can tell you when we can actually get the car in.
Duluth, MN 55805 Get directions →