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International Sport Motors
Rating Details »
Categories: Body Shops, Auto Repair [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA440 9th St
(between Bryant St & Harrison St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 551-9930
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
14 reviews for International Sport Motors
I was weary of taking my car here after i ran over a curb and knocked my front tire back, messing up my suspension. This was just the place the tow truck driver recommended and I'm always skeptical of anything those guys say. Also when I arrived here and saw that they specialized in european cars another warning light went off in my head, thinking they were gonna charge me an arm and a leg for labor on my tiny mazda 3.
anyway long story short, they did a great job and Giovanni gave me a break on the cost of labor since i'm a poor grad student. He's a nice guy. He's tryin to help you out.
When your car has been in an accident or has been vandelized it's hard to find the right shop to bring it in for repairs. You don't want to get jacked because sometimes that tends to happen.
Well...not at ISM!!! A friend referred me to them to get the dent on my hood fixed as well as the key scratch that was all along the drivers side. So I went in for an estimate. Antonio was very helpful. He took a look at my car and told me everything that would need to be done and the process that they would go through to get those things done. He took down my information, started a file for me and made copies of everything he did. He didn't pressure me to leave my car there or even use them. He told me what he could do for me and let me on my way. No hassle. I called my insurance company to let them know what had happened to my car and I was taking it to ISM.
So after two weeks i've finally gotten my car back. YES!! It only took that long because I needed a new hood since it was cracked and for some odd reason Scion parts are always special order jobs..i had the same problem with my tires. Anyway...my car looks like BRAND NEW!!! They did such an awesome that you would have never thought anything was ever damaged on it. The paint job they did too was great! Blended PERFECTLY! When i saw my car outside I couldn't believe it. Whoever washes and polishes their car does a good job too because it was SO SHINY! Just like I bought it off the lot.
I've referred a few people to them and hopefully it works out for them the way it did for me. I have another car that needs some fixing up as well and i'll for sure be taking it here. Another plus with them is that they do service here and no just body work. It's a one stop shop!
panic moment: cd changer/screen in my mercedes wasn't responding.
process: was referred to ISM and talked to giovanni. walked around market for an hour or so, while they figured out was wrong. came back, problem fixed.
happiness quotient: so ecstatic that by the time i reached 11th and howard (a few blocks away), i realized i still had my parking brake on.
apparently, when British Motors tells you, you ahve a corrosian problem and some wiring issues on your Jag, maybe you shouldn't, ya know, put it off like 6+ months till you "get around to taking it in." now even though i love British Motors and it's cool that they give you a lift to and from work and they also wash your car squeeky clean after they fix it, well, i just had a sneaky suspicion that maybe i shouldn't necessarily HAVE to pay $1800 every time i took the car in for ANYTHING.... so i declined the $1800 estimate for the corrosion thing and just opted for the "I'll get to it when i get to it" option.
funny thing is that karma has a way of - when you don't have time for it - it sorta makes time for you! so when i would not come to the mountain, my car became a mountain and i had to bring the mountain to the shop. turn of key. nothing. corrosion had taken over the wiring and had to be all cleaned up.
so let that be a lesson to you, Boys and Girls, don't put off till tomorrow what you can and should do TODAY! grab the brass ring. say yes to that proposal that has been tempting you. exercise. and yes, take the car in. or else the car will be taking you in.
anyway, the AAA tow guy got there in record time. maybe 9 minutes. you go AAA! he even suggested this place. nearbye. cheap. works with Jags. nice. took me there. fixed the car for $600 instead of $1800. everything works. mostly friendly people and when i said i needed to pay and get out in 5 minutes, they were very fast and got me out of there in 3.5 minutes. sweet!
now my only BEEF (and this is not a trivial beef!).... is that i took the car in on wednesday MORNING.... traveled out of town the next day. these were repairs that probably could have been done easily in ONE day. but because i was out of town and didn't call to collect my car until saturday, they hadn't even STARTED the work! Party foul! sucks. so i couldn't get my car monday morning. i had to keep the rental for an extra day - monday - and then i had to race like a bat-outta-heck to get my Jag and return my rental at 6pm monday. so that sucks.
besides the rudeness of not working on my car at all for the first 2-3 days in the shop till i called to bother them, the place was fine. saving my $1200 off the british motors quote was really cool and their location on 9th street makes them convenient to get to/from work in the FiDi....
Unfortunately I came to meet the folks at ISM because my car was smashed in a parking lot. Fortunately they were honest, kind, and demonstrated the kind of professionalism that anyone would hope for in an auto body mechanic. My car looks so wonderful and there were no issues or problems with ISM's work. I think the world of Giovanni and his amazing staff (Sabrina in the office is really awesome). They were MOST helpful and I couldn't of asked for a better experience out of this bad situation. I am ALWAYS going back there even if I move far away.
THANKS ISM!!!
I have been going here for three years, and I have to say, service this time out seemed a little lacking. I at first gave three stars, and am upping it to four based on past service. Most times I go in, Giovanni is there with a hearty hello. When I pick my car up, it's always the same. There has always been a personal connection with the mechanic that I haven't found elsewhere. This time out, I only got to talk to the receptionist, and there seemed to be a certain disconnect between me, my car, and my mechanic.
OK, I have a Fiat Spider, not the most reliable car in the world. Lately, it had had trouble starting (i.e. it wouldn't start), and the roadside repair guy said it was likely the fuel pump, as he had to hit it with a rubber mallet while I cranked the engine to get it to fire up. OK, if I had been able to explain this to Giovanni, I have every confidence that he'd know exactly what was wrong. Instead, I had to rely on his receptionist to pass this info along. Now, I decided not to tell her all this, primarily because she said I'd be getting a phone call that day from Giovanni, so I thought I'd be able to tell him then. Well, by 5PM and no phone call, I called them and was told it'd be ready the next day. This, I have to say, is par for the course. I'm told I'll get a call and I don't get one. I understand running a business is time consuming and you can't get to everything, but...
On previous visits, I have had to return a day or two later to re-fix something they've fixed (slipped gaskets, convertible top). The convertible top was minor, but the slipped gasket could have caught the car on fire, so that's pretty major. He's always great about taking the car back in and making it right, it's just that there have been a couple of times where it wasn't quite right the first time, and so it makes me a little skittish about taking it in. But as we all know, finding a mechanic you can trust isn't easy, and I trust Giovanni to make it right. I also know what to expect now, and so trying out a new mechanic scares me more.
Giovanni and I have been through a lot with this car, and he has been the mechanic on it for ten years longer than I've owned it, so he knows this car. Honestly, he's the friendliest guy and I hate to write a bad review, but I guess I'd had enough little things go wrong that shouldn't have, that it added up to this.
Should a bad review of a place you go to regularly be directed at the shop owner first before going on Yelp? Absolutely. I actually feel a little guilty about writing this now, and will give Giovanni a call tomorrow to talk about it.
So the story continues...
Last week my car wouldn't start. Assuming I left a light on I eventually got a jump and figured all was swell. Think again!
Seen the movie TEETH? Well if you did see it, then you will understand why I badly wanted to get the fudge outta the parking lot. Didn't happen...why? Because my car wouldn't start, yet again! This time the jump didn't work and a tow truck could not enter the 7' garage. Eventually a pick-up truck with a wooden wagon dragged my car to the dealer.
FF to Monday- Dealer calls to report that my warranty will not cover the repair to my car because they made a mistake. Turns out water was leaking into the battery.
I immediately contacted Geovanni and he apologized and reminded me that there had been a lot of damage/work done and that these things sometimes happen. He also agreed to cover the car rental.
They delivered the car to my work this afternoon and it drives.
All in all, they were professional and people do make mistakes. They certainly owned up to it and took care of the problem as far as I can tell.
I do plan on taking it back to the dealer for a full inspection. Let's hope it's all good.
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ISM is professional, thorough, and provides excellent care in an efficient amount of time. I've now used them twice and would not take my car elsewhere.
Here's the quick story:
Visit #1: Minor ding on my front bumper caused in pkg lot. Geovanni took care of it within a week and insurance was a breeze. The paint job was perfect and Anthony even drove me to work and came back to bring me something I forgot!
Visit #2: Sitting in traffic and was rear-ended. Close to $10k in damage to my 2007 328i. I was so scared to take it anywhere in the vicinity of the accident, so had the car flat-bed towed 40 miles to ISM....piece of mind baby. Awesome work!!!! I am Team ISM....if it sounds like I'm smooching arse it's because I am a car accident magnet and will proly need their services again and hope for some top priority. Thanks boys!
I was worried about taking the car some place in the city, because the place that the dealership recommends is commissioned by the dealer, so you can't trust them. I also hear they overcharge and take advantage of insurance companies.
Anyhow, I took a leap of faith given the good reviews on yelp and it paid off. The work exceeded expectations, made the car look brand new by replacing a door and matched the paint perfectly. Also, they detailed the car for free and it was a top quality job. Would definitely go back to him again. Great work, and reasonable pricing.
As recommended by the folks at Phaedrus, Giovanni's work on my M3 was flawless and much less than I expected. It was ready when promised and he even took time to walk me through some other options for making the car look better. There's no place I'd rather go.
From my experience International Sport Motors is the way to go for sure! I was involved in a car accident in my new Audi and after visiting my local dealership I did not feel confident in using them for the repairs. I did hear about ISM through a friend who is a car nut, who said ISM is one of the best if not the best in the entire bay area. My car looked brand new again after ISM was done. The personal service I received from Giovanni and his team was exceptional. In addition to the bodywork I had my car detailed and was very pleased all the way around. When I informed my Insurance agent that I was using ISM he was happy to hear it and also informed me that ISM has a state of art paint color matching piece of equipment that he doesn't see at very many shops in the area. All in All a great experience as far as getting a car fixed after and accident goes that is :-o
I've been coming to this shop for regular auto repair / service for several years now, on both a Ford Explorer, and a 350Z. Excellent service, and friendly guys who are happy to explain things and answer questions.
Giovanni and his staff do an exceptional job!
I brought my 2000 BMW M Coupe in with some a minor body damage and was very pleased with their work. Beyond having the basics logistical things down (good relationships with insurance companies, timely ect) they did a very clean job on my ride.
They were referred to me by Phaedrus, BMW/SF who I have yet to need but I hear is very good.
They have been doing work in SF for a long time and they must have a good reputation as their were several Ferrari's and other exotics that they were doing both body and mechanical work on.
I'm a first time customer at ISM and unlike most automotive shops that try to make me feel stupid for not being knowledgeable about cars, Giovanni and his staff made me feel very comfortable.
I took in my car because of a horrible grinding noise I heard while driving. When I picked up my car Giovanni showed me what the problem was... I had run my brakes down to pancakes and totally screwed up my rotors, which ultimately had to be replaced. I felt embarrassed that I let my brakes get so bad, thankfully Giovanni explained to me that my car doesn't have a warning light to inform me of a brake problem like the newer vehicles. After a few laughs at the whole situation, he gave me a great deal on the job and he has gained a customer for life.
ok- i didn't use the shop but i did buy a car through these guys. they acted as the middleman to sell a car one of their customers wanted sold. buying a car is always a stressful event and most car guys have a unsavory rap. they could not have been more honest or nicer. they were clear and fair about what was being sold, always called me back, had all the right paperwork, smog etc. Even as the buyer of a car from one of their customers i felt like they were taking care of me. I hope i don't need any body work soon- but if i do, i'm taking it to ISM. These are honest good business people and they deserve to be patronized. (this experience is actually what prompted me to sign up with yelp just to confirm all the reviews i read here before buying the car).
