The Foreign Makes We Service in Duluth
Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini Cooper and Lexus. Thirteen makes, one shop, since 1991.
Foreign Car Repair in Duluth, Every Make We Service
Foreign car repair in Duluth is what this shop was built around, and the tooling reflects that: manufacturer-level scan tools and factory software rather than a generic code reader. These makes fail in patterns, and a shop seeing the same patterns every week is not diagnosing your car from a blank page.
Mercedes
Volkswagen
BMW
Audi
Porsche
Volvo
Subaru
Toyota
Nissan
Land Rover
Jaguar
Mini Cooper
Lexus
Why These Cars Need a Specialist
Two things separate these makes from a general repair job. The tooling is different, because a generic code reader cannot see most of what a factory scan tool sees on a BMW, an Audi or a Land Rover, and a great many components have to be coded to the car after replacement before they will work at all.
The failure patterns are different too. Plastic cooling components with a service life. Timing chain tensioners that announce themselves with two seconds of cold-start rattle. PCV systems that pressurize a crankcase and push oil past every seal. Once you have seen each of those a hundred times you recognize them rather than diagnosing them from scratch, and that shows up on the invoice.
- Manufacturer-level scan tools and factory software
- Module coding and programming on many makes and models
- Correct oil, coolant and fluid specifications
- Scheduled maintenance that protects your warranty
- Imports as well: Subaru, Toyota and Nissan
- Honest referrals when a job belongs at a dealer
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. The same goes for what we do not take at all: no Sprinter vans, no Volkswagen Vanagon, no air-cooled Volkswagens and no domestic vehicles.
Common Questions
Not for scheduled maintenance. Federal law protects your right to have it done by an independent shop without affecting your factory warranty, as long as it is to specification and documented. Warranty repairs and recalls do have to go through a dealership, and we will tell you when that applies to you.
Yes. We can code and program control modules in many makes and models, and it is one of the specific reasons customers come here instead of a general shop. A replacement module usually has to be coded to the vehicle before it functions properly. Call with your year, make and model and we will tell you whether yours is one we can do.
Yes. All three are on our makes list and all three are a large part of the everyday work here. The approach is the same for every make we take.
Call and ask. The list is what we see most, not a rulebook. The four we do not take at all are Sprinter vans, the Volkswagen Vanagon, air-cooled Volkswagens and domestic vehicles. Anything else, call and we will tell you straight away rather than wasting your time.
Parts generally cost more than the domestic equivalent, and that is most of the difference. Labor rates at an independent shop are well below dealer rates, and the gap widens on labor-heavy work.
By phone at (218) 722-2246, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We do not take appointments online.
No, neither. Sprinter vans, the Volkswagen Vanagon, air-cooled Volkswagens and domestic vehicles are all outside what this shop takes on. Saying so here saves you a call and saves us turning you away at the counter.
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 →