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I've been going to these guys since 1993. It all started when I was told by a Honda service shop that the alternator for my Prelude needed to be replace to take care of power dropping out. It would have ran me for $600.
A coworker recommended Foreign Affair for a 2nd opinion. I brought it in Alan said there's a $30 replacement brush kit for the alternator, and he thought that was all that needed to be replaced. Sure enough he was right, and didn't have any problems with it afterwards. At the time, it only set me back for $120, parts and labor.
Since then, I brought in both my Prelude and Accord for regular servicing, for any hiccups that may require their attention. I'll probably bring in my Acura to them as well when its due.
The location of this shop is great since it is near my work in San Jose. I drop my car off in the morning, and they provide a shuttle for me to get to work.
I have found Kevin and Alan to be honest and straight-forward guys. If their guys encounter something unusual during their routine check-ups, Kevin and/or Alan will check it out they give the client a call. They options and the cost for each.
They use genuine Honda parts, the cost is reasonable. I have recommended FA to other coworkers and friends, and they have been satisfied with their service.
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Thank you fellow Yelpers for directing me to FA. Just took my Element in for service and I couldn't be more satisfied. Communications from start to finish were clear, friendly and professional. The timing and estimate were right on the nose; no uncertainties or obfuscation.
I can't do this work myself and I don't have a in-law or buddy to do it for me. Knowing that I can take my well-loved Element to FA for service means NOT having to worry about such an important chore. I know they WILL take care of it and keep on top of things for me.
If you're anywhere in the South Bay Area (or even the Bay Area), you will do well to give these folks a try for your auto service. I'm glad I did!
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Well, if it sounds like a cheap perfume it's probably not a good auto shop, but I went anyway because of the stellar reviews here.
I called first and talked to Kevin, he had a horrible manner over the phone, very abrubt and would not quote anything at all over the phone. I asked how much a compressor would be and he declined to state insisting that he had to see the car first. "that kind of thing can be anywhere from $300 to $2000" he said.
Since he insisted I visit the shop I asked if they charged a fee to check out the car and he said "well we dont have set fees but we like to have $200-$300 to begin with so we can get started and go from there."
I thought that sounded really scammy of them. But honda's starting price was $250 and this place had great feedback on yelp so, against my intuition, I went ahead and took my car in for service.
I walked in and talked to Kevin, who from the get-go was as unpersonable as he was on the phone. As we discussed the work that needed to be done and possible prices that still fluctuated by the hundreds/thousands, he repeatedly simply walked off, started doing random paperwork and answered the phone - without so much as a pause or "please hold on a moment I must ........."
Still, against my better judgement I allowed Kevin to take my car back and have a look at it to see what he could do and give me a "better estimate of the cost." Two hours later he tells me that while looking at the car they managed to pop off the timing belt and that getting it back on was going to require more time than their work day allowed, so would I leave the car with them and get it the next morning. I really had no choice and had to leave my car.
The next day my car wasn't ready until about 4pm, well after "morning." When I arrived to pick-up the car Kevin tallied up the bill and astonishingly the cost had somehow doubled from my quote the day before. Kevin attributed this to some extra parts that "really should be replaced anytime you go in because they aren't things you want to just go in a change on their own" and he added "the additional labor cost of the job overflowing into the next day."
WTF?!?!?! So, they screw up and I have to pay for it, excellent service indeed.
I will never be back and will never recommend anyone have their car serviced here. I'd go back to stevens creek honda before I'd step foot in foreign affair again.
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As the saying goes, there are 3 things you need in life...a good doctor, a forgiving priest, and a clever accountant. I'd also like to add, a trustworthy mechanic. The first 3, I never had use for.
With that said, Foreign Affair is just that...trustworthy. I first took my Civic here in 1995 and now my Acura. Since then, they've begun servicing Toyotas. Even though I live in San Francisco, I don't mind driving to their shop in Santa Clara because I know my car will get the right service with the best possible value.
The staff is stellar and goes the extra mile. Kevin and Alan know their stuff inside out and love to explain the problem in great detail. It's a nice change from all the BS you get elsewhere. You'll notice they just love what they do.
Recently, I had a bad alignment job (from another "Acura" shop) which caused some handling problems and unusual tire wear which in turn caused my steering wheel to drift to the left. Foreign Affair showed me a diagram of the problem area and pinpointed the cause. Apparently, one of the bolts used to adjust the alignment wasn't tightened properly (assumingly by the "other" shop) and was slowly "unscrewing" itself...which could have been a bigger problem. They alerted me of the cost, got my approval, and fixed the problem right away. Now my car drives like it did when it was brand new. They also supplied a before-&-after report showing how far off the alignment was...which of course the "other" shop neglected to supply.
The prices are good and reasonable. Foreign Affair offers great value for what you pay for. Try getting that from the dealer you bought your car.
Bottomline, if you have an Acura, Honda, or Toyota, this is the place to go. I can't recommend these guys enough.
On another note, if you are Filipino, ask Kevin to speak some Tagalog to you. You'll be surprised. He speaks better than I do...and I'm Pinoy.
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Everybody loves these guys. Blah, blah, blah.
First Impressions are EVERYTHING. Many moons ago, I was checking around locally for a reputable Honda/Acura exclusive shop. I stopped in and asked the guy behind the counter several questions. Not surprisingly, already mentioned here, the responses were sort of with "an attitude". So they've been pulling this act since long ago. Hey, the service may be great, but I never got that far and I wouldn't want to give my business to a shop that gave such a piss poor first impression.
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Fantastic--thrilled to find a good shop for my IS 300. I had great chemistry with the guys up front. Example:
me: "I need to get the 60K service for me car. Do you guys do that?"
Keith: "Yeah, that's a major service."
me: "What's it run?"
Keith: "A lot."
both: [hysterical laughter.]
So then he quotes me a price which is 40% less than Lexus Stevens Creek quoted me. Based on Yelp reviews I went ahead and tried Foreign Affair and it worked out really well.
The cost was right on target, and the car is running great. Furthermore they did everything within the time they said they would. And they picked me up and dropped me off with no problems.
At the desk I worked with Alan, and he patiently walked me through everything before and after the work was done. It was an unusual experience--I'm used to service guys rushing through, but he stayed with me.
Also I needed a sensor in my car replaced, and they called the dealer to see if it was still under warranty. Turns out I missed it by about 6 months, but was impressed that they called to find out on my behalf.
Just a very good experience all around. I didn't call other shops, so I can't say that they are the cheapest around, but the service was great, the work done was great, and the cost was significantly less than Lexus service. It's the right balance for me.
UPDATE: Just yesterday my wife had to call them to check the SRS (airbag) light on her Accord, which was intermittently going on and off. When she asked Alan (counter dude) if she should just take it to the dealer instead since it was still under warranty, he laughed in her face as if to say, "Sure, it's your funeral." I had to upgrade them to five stars just for having the balls to talk to their customers this way. What is wrong with me? Why am I allowing this type of treatment? Anyone else would be getting an ice cold glass of STFU already.
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If it was based on the mechanic service alone, these guys would get five stars. They are damned good and very knowledgable.
Unfortunately, they are pricier than almost any mechanic you can go to. At least for standard stuff like oil and maintenance, they are even more expensive than the dealership. They do put a little stamp on the maintenance checklist in your Honda manual, and my wife thinks that shit is cute, so that goes a long way, I guess.
Still, I wouldn't even deduct a star for the cost because the mechanics are so good. Frankly, the reason I have to give them four stars is that they love my car more than I do. I take both my Civic and my wife's Accord in here, and somehow I always leave feeling a little...inadequate. Overdue for an oil change? Mean mug. New dent in the fender? "Tsk. Tsk."
See, I'm not a car guy AT ALL. I will explain in an anecdote. When I was younger, my brother was building car amplifiers during the "boomin' in your jeep" hey day, so he decided to put 33 speakers in my car and make it a show car. I shit you not, there was a total of 33 speakers (why an odd #? I dunno) - big speakers, medium speakers, itty bitty wittle speakers INSIDE the vents, speakers on the kick panels, speakers taking up the whole trunk. The only problem was, I didn't want or need all these speakers. I would have traded all of them in if he could have just installed a punani magnet. Sadly, he didn't. My "concert-at-the-Shoreline-on-wheels" impressed lots of dudes, but the ladies? Not so much. Anyways, that was the beginning and end of my interest in cars.
Nowadays a car is all about getting me from A-to-B. I think that's why my homies at Foreign Affair look askance at me. I don't share in the passionate "Affair" they have with "Hondas, Acuras and now Toyotas, too." When they drive my car to the back I picture them cooing into the side mirrors, "Aw, sweetheart, has he not been taking good care of you, baby? Daddy's gon' make everything all right."
I still can't take my car elsewhere, though. They just do good work. Seriously, they actually call at regular intervals to remind me I should be due for service. Not in a "hey we want your business" kind of way, either. More like, "We know you know you need service."
"We're WATCHING you."
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I read the Yelp reviews here and took my corolla for 15000 mile (odometer reading) service so that I can give them a try. When I called , I talked to Alan over the phone. I just mentioned I needed to do an intermediate service (15k service) as per the manufacturer recommends. He tells a quote of $122. About 25 bucks less than the dealer. Then I decided to go the office. I again talked to Alan at the office. But he told me confusingly about what he thinks is enough for car. So I listen and he says oil, filter change, basic inspection. He also mentions that tires need not be rotated every 5000 miles if I rotated it at 10k and total cost about $47+tax. So poor me, decided to give them a chance due to the good reviews and went in for an appointment.
On the day of Service, I again ask Alan if they are going to do at least some sort of basic inspection. He now changes his mind and tells to me that all that I asked for is oil change?.. I was like wth? I wanted inspections according to manufacturer recommendations. Now he fumbles and does not have words to talk to. He just explains to me all major service only required at 30 k and explains me what he things with their maintenance chart. Give me break! Not even a basic multi point inspection is done during the oil change. I gave my own filter and ended up paying $40 for just oil + filter change. He claimed to have topped off all fluids, but when I checked the car at home, even the washer fluids were not topped off. Not even a basic inspection + no tire rotation. For this $47 is ridiculous. You are better off going to the dealer! He also claimed the windshields will be cleaned. But they were as dirty as I gave it to them.
Even chain lube service centers do some basic 17 point inspection. I asked him to check if air filters/brakes are OK. and He looks at me and tells nothing will be performed during this time and those are all extra. What the heck? He ended up being more expensive. my nearby dealer will charge $60 for Oil + Lube + Free 20 point inspection + car wash. Who got ripped off here?
I am not even close to trusting them yet. I will be cautious when it comes for the next service. Please, don't blindly follow the good reviews here. You may very well end up getting very less for the same or more cost as the dealer.
UPDATE:
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Another Rip - off I noticed in my bill. These guy charged my 4.5 Qts of Pennzoil 5w-30 oil for a total of about 14 dollars. Corolla's oil capacity is only 4QTs. And during my last service, the dealer charged me $8 for 4 quarts. This is day light theft!!!!. I will not recommend this shop to anyone again.
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Took my car in thinking I needed a new drivers side window motor. The crew at Foreign Affair evaluated the problem and fixed it for under $35. Fast friendly and very reasonably priced. Also had an after thought of another problem when picking up the car..(no chime when headlights were left on) and they took the car right back in and fixed that problem for about $10.
I won't take my Honda anywhere else from here on out! Found them on this website.
I had been taking my car elsewhere, and during a "routine" service that other mechanic had wanted to charge me for replacing the transmission entirely. When I went to FA for a second opinion they told me that while there was a leak, it was very minor, and some Bars Leak would be a better investment of my money and put off the costly repairs for quite a while.
That was three years ago, the car runs like a dream, these guys have never charged me more than they ought to, have in fact saved me money more than once, and have always been professional, kind and a pleasure to work with. (I have not yet had to replace the transmission, and to their credit they check on it whenever I go in for a service. They always remember me, and my car's history.)
[Update] That car lasted a little while longer than they suggested it would, and when it finally came time to either replace the transmission or the car, they were happy to recommend that if we wanted a new car, now would be the time and not to bother with the repairs first. The fact that they (again) didn't try to get money out of us when they easily could have reaffirms my trust in these guys, and I am thrilled to continue patronizing their business.
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I've been bringing my 17 year old Integra here for the last 10 years. The way this place takes care of my car, I'll never have an excuse to buy a new car!
Very honest and pleasant to deal with.
Alan and Kevin are jovial guys who make you feel comfortable and ease your fears that you'll get ripped off or forced to pay for stuff you clearly don't need. My boyfriend and I both took our cars there, and they took good care of all of us. I especially liked how Kevin gave me a rundown of what needed to be fixed, what they fixed and which repairs and maintenance are coming down the pike, so I could start budgeting and planning for them.
All in all, it was a good experience, and I will defintely bring my baby back to Foreign Affair.
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Twice more expensive than most other places. I went to get an estimate and they gave me the price. I had no problem with my nearly new car. Just check up. They estimated it over $400 without looking at. They told me what has to be done to take a look at 30K. I took their estimate to a few other places for a second opinion and estimates at other (with PERFECT references as well) places were mostly under $200. So, I made my decision without trying their service. I wanted but couldn't resist extra $200 in my pocket.
They specialize in Honda or Acura. I gave my old Honda Accord to other member in the family. So I don't visit them anymore. Someone told me they also work on Toyotas recently, but I am not sure.
Used them for over 10 years. I stopped going to the dealer after I've discovered them. Totally happy with their work. They even told me about a hidden recall from Honda and advised me to call Honda USA regarding a repair they did on my car when it was 7 years old. Honda reimbursed all repair cost and towing expense because they knew it was their defect. Especially in the 4th year after the warranty expired, everyone would assume Honda would never pay for the repair cost. I don't think any dealer would bother offering such an advice as long as I paid the bill.
Art D. below said that "If you own a Honda or Acura and live in the South Bay, this is the place to go for maintenance!"
I say that even if you live in Napa, this is the place to go.
I'd give them 6 stars if I could.
When I first moved down to the bay area I made the unfortunate mistake of taking my Honda to Stevens Creek Honda. BAD IDEA. After some unpleasant experiences I needed a change. My roommate was the one that told me about this place. I've been going there for 3-4 years now. I am 100% satisfied In fact, after I moved to San Francisco I still drive all the way down there to see them even for a simple oil change.
Honest: Every time I've gone they gave me an honest assessment of what needs to be done and what is OK. One time when my check engine light came on, they figured out my catalytic converter was bad. They double checked my warranty and since my car was still 100 miles from going out of warranty, they told me to go back to the dealer and have the dealer do the replacement for free. A lot of other places would've just charged me a grand for the replacement.
Customer service:
Like a good shop, when you drop your car of, Alan or Kevin will explain, in detail, exactly what will be done to your car. When you pick up your car, they explain exactly what was done and will tell you if they noted anything else. You can feel that they honestly care about you and your car, that you are not just an entry in their customer database. I called them last week to make an appointment for an oil change. Since I live and work in SF I don't drive much and it was at least 9 months ago since i visited them. I called them and told them I needed to come on for an oil change. They asked me my name and when I told them, they said "Ben with the 98 Accord? I thought I recognized your voice." Seriously, is that not awesome or what?
Then again, it could be that I have a funny voice and a fat head, but I doubt that very much. My head is not that big and my voice is normal (I think).
Rambling aside, they are the best shop I've ever dealt with. I'm not much of a Japanese car fan (too boring), but I'm seriously thinking of getting another Honda as my next car simply because I know that I if I do, these guys will be here to take good care of it.
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I found this place on Yelp and it did not disappoint. My '99 Honda of Doom had been running a bit rough and needed some work. I had the oil changed at a shady place off San Carlos two months ago and they read me a laundry list of stuff wrong that it allegedly needed. More on that later.
I dropped the car off late Monday. Alan the GM there, gives me a call the next morning around 9 and checks in with me, as I had never gone there before and asked for a call.
After explaining what I thought was ailing my car and sharing the information the San Carlos Scammers gave me, he checked it all out. I got a call later in the afternoon saying that 90% of what the Scammers said was BS. My brakes were great, there was no need to swap out my alternator, and the check engine list code was a messed switch and my horn was dead but all the electrical for it was good. Unfortunately, I had some serious issues with the rear suspension and that needed to be fixed right away. I ok'd the work on the suspension, a minor service (I need to pass SMOG anyway) and asked he keep the parts.
Later, I took Light Rail to the Component station and they picked me up with their free shuttle service. Alan showed me all the parts that were bad, what they did to fix it, and referred me to a smog station to get my tags. I asked about my rear wheel cylinders, which the San Carlos Scammers said were leaking and needed replaced and he said that they checked out fine. Then he said "Honestly, its a $200 job to replace them. If they were wet (they leak and get greasy wet when leaking -zakk), we'd be happy to do them. But they weren't." At that point I was sold. A mechanic telling me to keep my money!!! Can you believe it!
I get in the car, which they had washed and vacuumed for me, and my car now drives and rides like it did 75,000 miles ago.
They get a half dead Civic in their parking lot on Monday night and I drive away late Tuesday with a great car that I had to look for dents to make sure it was mine.
I'm a customer for life here. As others have said, if you own a Honda (or other make they service) this is the ONLY place to go. One of the rare experiences I'd give 6 stars if I could.
I used to bring my 1997 Honda Civic LX here for service. Their service are very professional. I will continue to come if I own a Honda in the future. This place is the best.
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Everything good about Foreign Affair has already been written, so I'll just add that I took my Honda Civic in for service recently and was very impressed with Kevin and his staff. Very professional, attentive to their customers and honest. It's enough for me to kiss JiffyLube, Speedee, Firestone and all the other chains goodbye forever!
Very satisfied with the service and price. When you go to Foreign Affair you're not dealing with some faceless company, you're dealing directly with Alan and Kevin -- the proprietors that are there day in and day out making sure their business is being run properly. Foreign Affair is a great, honest shop and I'd recommend it to anyone.
I've been going to Foreign Affair for almost 10 years now. In fact for our last car we bought a Honda just so we could take it to Foreign Affair.
These guys are better than the hosts on Car Talk. Don't believe me? Try calling them up, imitate the sound your car is making, and see if they can't diagnose it over the phone. (They're 3 for 3 with me.)
By the way, in addition to Honda and Acura, they now do Toyota and Lexus.
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Very nice and honest --- turned out there was nothing wrong with my Toyota. They were happy to drop me off and pick me up from the light rail station nearby, too (the "Component" stop, which is on both the Mountain View - Winchester and the Alum Rock - Santa Teresa lines).
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If you own a Honda or Acura and live in the South Bay, this is the place to go for maintenance!
I haven't been here since I worked in the South Bay, but I have friends who still bring their cars here who can also attest to the quality of their service.
The owners and staff are always very courteous and helpful when dealing with their customers, and their prices are very fair. On several occasions they have "gone the extra mile" to either help diagnose a problem I had with my car or determine that I DIDN'T need to have some work done.
The bottom line is that they care about their customers and do fantastic work!
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These guys take the care of your car personally.
They've maintained my Hondas for the 2.5 years that I've owned one (two successive Civic EXs), are pleasant to deal with and are extremely knowledgeable and professional.
Not sure what I'm going to do if I stop working in San Jose!
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Being a newcomer to San Jose, I wasn't sure where to take my civic for a service. I took it to Foreign Affair, based on the positive yelp review, and I can only say extremely positive things! Well done, it's a treat to receive such great customer support.
I've heard so much good about this place and I believe the reviews, but for some reason I've had a different experience than most people.
The good:
they were on time with the repairs, they made the car all clean, and the tune up seemed fine on my '04 accord.
The not so good:
-they replaced the stock honda battery for $100 with one that was not as good due to it "not starting fast enough" ..the stock battery only had about 35k on it, it was fine; another mechanic told me later that was a mistake, that's just how this model starts.
-there was some squeaky noise that i heard that i asked them to check out, and the response was "yeah, we took it for a road test and heard it, but don't know what it was, let us know if it gets louder" cost: $100 for the road test to tell me that.
-the previous owner had done some slight modifications to the car, with the lights and grill. i got a little attitude about that, like they didn't approve of such nonsense.
Like I said, it seems other people have had great experiences, even the local mechanic I go to now said they were good even though they made that mistake about the battery..I would caution people to check with the fees before they do the work as I paid $200 extra I really didn't need to.
These guys are amazingly honest. Instead of charging me $3k to do a major repair on the transmission of my 2003 Honda Civic, they encouraged me to take my car back to the dealer and argue for a "goodwill warranty" repair. Kevin (one of the co-owners) even called one of his buddies at a Honda dealership to get advice about how I should go about this. These guys saved me $3k. The repairs that they did perform were done perfectly. Drive from anywhere in the Bay Area to patronize these guys.
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I have also run into some attitude from these guys as well. They gave me attitude about giving me a ride back to my home after dropping my car off. They also gave me attitude when I originally called and had some questions. Maybe they get lots of calls from people wasting their time...who knows?
The reason I give them 4 stars is based on the quality mechanics they have. They do good work. Bottom line. They only use Honda parts. They are very comprehensive. They detail every little thing to fix on your car. It's up to you to decide if it's necessary or not. I am very careful with mechanics. Even the best ones will lead you astray sometimes. You really need to ask questions and sometimes it is a good idea to get a 2nd opinion for expensive work.
I've been going there for 8-10 years for maintance on my Honda Civic. I agree with the other yelper who said they should be 6 stars. Alan and Kevin are awesome. For those of you who think the price is too high, you should consider that FA does preventative maintence unlike any garage/shop I've ever seen. They will tell you when something is about to go wrong with your car or when some part is starting to wear out. What's the value of never getting stranded?
The other reason I go here is because they treat me honestly and professionally. The overall experience is more like going to a doctor than a mechanic. (In fact, they are probably more professional than a lot of doctors out there)
Just take your car to these guys and do everything they say. I told my wife she could buy any car that she wants as long as it's a Honda,Acura,Toyota or Lexus (so that we could go to FA for maintenance)
I have been visiting them since 2003 when I gave up on the local dealerships and jiffy lube style shops. They are straight-forward and honest and give a fair appraisal. Never had a problem with one of their repairs. They seem to have time to explain problems in a detail that I like and keep you up-to-date if anything changes.
Prices maybe slightly higher than dealerships but the peace of mind is worth it!
Foreign Affair is hands down, the best Honda/Acura (now Toyota/Lexus) shop in the SouthBay!
I first went to Foreign Affair in 1992 as a starving college student. I had a problem with my engine and the fix was either a $70 or $700 repair. Foreign Affair was HONEST and determined it was an easy $70 fix. They could have told me it was a $700 repair, and I wouldn't have known the difference. I have been a LOYAL FAN ever since.
Their prices are fair (better than dealerships) and their service and knowledge is far superior. Anyone I have ever referred, also becomes hooked on the great service, knowledge and pricing. Unlike other shops, Foreign Affair does little if no advertising - they receive most customers via word of mouth!
Foreign Affair seems to operate with a unique business model in the car shop world. They don't try and upsell any unnecessary work and they are truly trustworthy and honest. They might explain or recommend service items for upcoming visits. I loathe going into any dealership shop to receive the numerous, "hard sells," by the service advisors. I can't tell you how many times, I've been told to take advantage of a special on brake jobs --- when I know I have 25% remaining.
If you try em, you'll like them.
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