Mission Valley Foreign Car Service

«Charles» is absolutely the best! I have used his expertise on and off for over 30 years with both foreign and domestic vehicle needs. He is very detailed as well as cool calm and collected. Charles is the «Mr. Rodgers» of auto repair. He is currently working with me on
refurbishing my 1979 VW T2 Bus that had not been on the road for over 11 years.

Charlie is a dedicated auto repair professional. He is extremely detail oriented to every piece of the automobile and not just what a computer diagnosis might tell him. I have know Charlie for years and will continue to come to Mission Valley Foreign Car Service for all my car repair needs.

My very old Explorer was having issues starting up, it was sputtering and coughing. It was in another shop for literally weeks, while they tried to determine the problem. I requested that it be released back into my care, I took it to MVFC where the problem was found, fixed within a few days, and months later, it is still running as it should be!
Highly recommend MVFC. They are all very friendly and honest.

Since my car is no longer under warranty and as much as I hate to admit… it is getting old — going on six years old, my poor baby! Instead of taking it to the dealership to get ripped off, I wanted to take it to a local and honest shop. I was referred to Charlie by my friend whose family has been going to him for many years.
I was so pleased by the first service he provided to my car a few months back but didn’t want to be so quick to post a review before giving him another try and woah! I am so impressed by his continuous honesty and expertise.
His first time working on my car was a full service that included about seven different repairs; however, before starting on anything, he advised me of the repairs that we necessary and those that could be serviced on the next visit. He ended up servicing those absolutely necessary and it all cost me about $ 750. This service would’ve costed me more than $ 1000 at a dealership! My car felt amazing!
The second time, his honesty impressed me even more! I took my car in because of a pesky noise my car would make every time I would first begin to accelerate my car and because it was time for an oil change. On my last visit, he had suggested I change my oil to synthetic as it would be better for my car and last longer — so I did. Being that I rely too heavily on technology or as other would say, because I am a girl, I was negligent in manually checking my oil and instead relied on my automatic oil percentage on my dashboard. The noise when accelerating was due to my car being low on oil!
If I would’ve taken my car somewhere else, I am sure I would be advised that it was some other major issue and could have costed me a ridiculous price to «fix.» Charlie, on the other hand, was very honest and told me that once the oil change was completed the noise went away and it was due to it being depleted! Simple as that. I was able to take car of my car for a minimal fee and a plethora of information of basic car maintenance!
If you are looking for a reasonably-​priced and honest auto repair/​service shop, you have to take it to Charlie — you won’t be disappointed!

This was my first time taking my car to Mission Valley Foreign Car and I have to say I wish I had done it sooner. Charlie is knowledgeable and has very fair pricing. He explained everything and didn’t suggest any unnecessary repairs. I would even send my wife there by herself!

I met Charlie, Mission Valley Foreign’s owner, in 1984. I trust his mechanical judgment and his honesty. I would refer anyone to him, including those most at a mechanic’s mercy: single moms and widows. My experience with him is consistent with what I have heard from others who use his services.
For a guy like me (with tools and some engine tinkering experience), Charlie has no problem describing what needs to be done, whether I could do it, and whether the task is critical (i.e. a safety issue), recommended (i.e. it’s going to need doing eventually), or not a bad idea. He’ll explain the consequences of doing or not doing a particular task.
I’ve presented him with some really odd and difficult problems, like the 1981 VW Vanagon that nobody makes engine heads for any more. I’ve always felt like I know what he is doing and why, and I have never felt even a nagging doubt about whether his profit was more important than being straight with me.
He has been in the same business in the same neighborhood with the same excellent reputation for decades. I don’t think it gets more solid than that.

I have been taking my daughter’s Volvo S70 to Charlie for the past 5 years and have been very satisfied with the work. Very honest mechanic and upfront with cost.

I have been using Charlie for several years now. I came to his business by chance as my ’03 Galant had broken down off of Mission Gorge Rd and AAA brought me here. He not only fixed the issue I had with the car, he improved it. Since then Charlie has been my trusted mechanic for any work I need for my cars hands down.
He is someone that goes the extra mile to make sure that you are driving safely.

MVFCS seems honest and well intentioned — but i had them replace the AC system (with freon alternative) in my older Volvo 240 — and it never worked right for more than a couple of weeks at a time — leaking condensation inside the car, wet carpet, needing to be recharged, and they acted like we did something wrong by using the ac all the way to LA and back. The AC systems in these 80’s vintage Volvo 240s were never really any good. But when you replace 90% of the parts and it still doesn’t work right something is not right. They did try to fix it a number of times — but I finally got tired of going back again and again. Finally sold the car with non-​working AC.

I’ve taken my Toyota Camry to Mission Valley Foreign Car Service a couple times over the last year and will definitely be going back.
The service has been high quality and I’ve got my car back faster than I expected. The owner seems to be one of the few car mechanics I’ve met who isn’t trying to gouge me financially — I’ve always been charged fairly and he’s been upfront about explaining my various options for repair and maintenance (cheaper vs. more expensive parts options, how vital a particular repair is, etc.).
I hopefully won’t have any car problems for a while, but next time I do this is where I’m headed.

I am so happy that I have found Charlie! Like most people, over the years I have had various tales of mechanics that have ripped me off and/​or didn’t fix my car correctly. I was home visiting my family in San Diego and my car started acting up. A friend referred me to Mission Valley Foreign car, saying that Charlie, and his wife Linda, provided old-​school personalized customer service and honest prices. I was skeptical at first, but this place really is great! As Cara noted in the previous review, Charlie as Mr. Rogers is spot-​on!
Charlie gave me a fair price assessment and prioritized his recommendations to work within my budget. My car is working great and Linda even sent me a thank-​you note afterwards!
Now if only I could find an honest dentist…

I write this on behalf of my beloved, scrappy, 2001 Honda Civic.
It’s practically a fact that every mechanic west of the Rockies is out to take my money and neglect my little Civic. Except, of course, for Charlie — the owner of Mission Valley Foreign Car Service.
If Mister Rogers had become a car mechanic, he would be just like Charlie. He’s honest, he’s upfront, and he’ll work within your financial constraints. How often does a mechanic give you a quote, and then come in 15% below that? I actually don’t mind giving my money to Charlie.
Oh, and despite the fact that it seems this shop is in the middle of nowhere, there’s a rental car facility just a couple of blocks away.