Diagnostics
A code is a starting point, not an answer. We read the fault with manufacturer-level tooling, then test the part before we sell you one.
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Auto Repair Duluth, MN
722 East Ninth Street, in the East Hillside, since 1991. This is home, and it is the city these cars have to survive.
Auto Repair for Duluth Drivers, from a Duluth Shop
Foreign Affairs has done auto repair in Duluth, MN from the same building on East Ninth Street since 1991. Not a franchise, not a chain, and not somewhere that moved into town last year. The East Hillside is a few minutes up from downtown and an easy run from Lakeside, Congdon, Woodland, Piedmont and the West End.
Working in one city for 35 years teaches you what that city does to cars. Duluth is hills, cold and salt, and each of those wears something specific. The hills work brakes and cooling harder than flat driving ever will. The cold finds every marginal battery, seal and cooling component in the fall. The salt spends five months a year on the underside of your car going after brake lines, fuel lines and subframes, and it does not stop in April.
That is why our inspections look at the things they look at. A shop that sees the same failures in the same season every year for three decades is not diagnosing your car from a blank page.
You are already here722 E Ninth St, East Hillside, a few minutes up from downtown
Mon–Fri8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Closed Saturday and Sunday
By phone(218) 722-2246
No online booking
No online booking
01
Brake lines and underbody corrosion
The single most common serious finding on a car that has spent several winters here. We check lines on every brake job as standard, because the failure mode is sudden.
02
Cooling systems that gave up in the fall
Heat cycling through a northern year is hard on plastic cooling components, and the failures cluster in the first cold weeks and the first hot ones.
03
Batteries and charging faults
A battery that coped all summer meets a Duluth January and does not. Testing in October is worth more than almost any other five minutes.
04
Brakes worked hard by the hills
Cars that live above the hill and commute down it wear front brakes faster than the same car anywhere flat. That is normal, and it is worth measuring rather than guessing.
05
Suspension beaten up by frost heave
Bushings, sway bar links and strut mounts take a beating from spring roads. It is usually a noise long before it is a safety issue.
06
Cars that were driven to the Twin Cities for service
A lot of our customers were making that drive for dealer work on a foreign make. Most of them stopped once they found out they did not have to.
Brakes & Suspension
Pads, rotors, calipers, brake lines, struts, shocks and control arms. We check the whole corner, not just whatever is making the noise.
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Preventive Maintenance
Factory-interval maintenance done with the right oil and the right fluids, plus an honest list of what can wait until next time.
Learn moreMakes We Service for Duluth Drivers
Foreign cars are the specialty, from BMW and Audi to Subaru and Toyota.
Common Questions
722 E Ninth St, Duluth, MN 55805, in the East Hillside. It is a few minutes up from downtown and easy to reach from Lakeside, Congdon, Woodland and Piedmont. Parking is free on site.
Yes. Call (218) 722-2246, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We do not take appointments online. If your car is unsafe to drive or already on a tow truck, call rather than filling anything out.
Thirteen of them: Mercedes, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini Cooper and Lexus. If yours is not on that list, call and ask.
No. Federal law protects your right to have scheduled maintenance done by an independent shop without affecting your factory warranty, provided it is done to specification and documented. For most makes the nearest dealer is a drive to the Twin Cities anyway.
Call ahead and we will sort out the key. It is a common arrangement for customers heading straight to work.
Getting Here from Duluth, MN
Address
722 E Ninth St
Duluth, MN 55805
Phone
Shop Hours
Monday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed
Parking and Drop-Off
We are at 722 E Ninth St in Duluth's East Hillside, a few minutes up from downtown. 722 E Ninth St, East Hillside, a few minutes up from downtown. Parking is free on site, and 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.
Foreign Affairs 722 E Ninth St
Duluth, MN 55805 Get directions →
Duluth, MN 55805 Get directions →
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