Rick S.

I had my Mercedes 740il towed to ISM on a recommendation (ignition lock/tumblers unexpectedly seized up). The team at ISM were all very pleasant & helpful, from the front office to the shop floor. The quality of work on my car was top-notch, used genuine Mercedes parts, but saved me money by having lower—and much more reasonable—labor rates versus traditional Mercedes dealerships. Their communication & follow-through could serve as a textbook example of "how-to-do-it-right" in any industry. I highly recommend them and will be bringing my car back in the future, as I witnessed evidence of great mechanical & body work being performed on several other brands of vehicles.

Michelle M.

I have to tell you they are one very affordable and they fixed my car for half of what the dealer said it would cost. took my Mercedes to the local dealer and was told i needed $3400 worth of mechanical repairs. My office mate recommended i go here. Regina helped me out. she told me the dealers tend to be over cautious and try to up sell you a bit much. After her mechanic looked at it he said i only need about half of what the dealer told me i needed. With that i was out of there for less than $1000 and my ride is strong as ever. Felt like they were honest and didn't pressure me into anything.

Linda D.

Very impressed by this establishment. Giovanni will: (1) charge extremely competitive prices, (2) be honest when helping you evaluate your options, and (3) provide excellent customer service and probably throw in something complimentary, especially if you're having a bad day. He has enough loyal customers to keep his workshop full, and he clearly values his reputation and customer relationships more than any one-off profits he can gain. As someone who went to business school, I'd say Giovanni definitely has his business priorities straight.

I have a 2001 Mercedes that's been with me since college, and last weekend I experienced some slippage issues with my transmission. After quick searches on AAA and Yelp, I decided to take my car to ISM because of their AAA affiliation, good Yelp reviews, Saturday hours (10am-3pm, plus 24/7 phone reception), location (SoMa, less than a mile from where I live in downtown SF), and specialization in European cars.

Giovanni gave me a quote on the preliminary transmission diagnostic that was below market average, and in the end he charged me HALF of what he quoted me. This is unheard of. Giovanni also emailed me the full STAR diagnostic report in PDF form - something most auto shops are reluctant to do in case you decide to take the information and your business elsewhere.

Moreover, Giovanni was honest and candid with his recommendations and walked me through several possible cost scenarios (e.g., replacing the conductor plates vs. replacing the entire transmission, whether he thought the fix would last / was worth it, etc.). He was very professional in his advisory role and at no point did he slip into a sales role. He did not pressure me to make a decision; he simply asked me to call him back when I was ready. He was also very gracious with holding my car in his garage as a complimentary service while I took a few days to figure out what to do.

In the end, I decided not to bother fixing this car -- keeping a car in the city is honestly more of a liability for me than anything else, what with parking, congestion, and all the speeding/parking/miscellaneous traffic tickets I keep getting. When I do get my next car, however, I will definitely be back. This place gives off such a cozy, small-town, mom-and-pop feel -- makes me want to go back and bring them some cupcakes and cookies, LOL.

James H.

The fuel problem on my E55 AMG could not be repaired by two MB dealers. The staff at ISM took the time to read a 10 year old bulletin issued be MB about the obscure problem. They replaced the fuel tank and cracked splash bowl and the car is now running perfectly. It changed my mind about buying a $90K Tesla. I would highly recommend their repair service.

Makina W.

I needed a Mercedes mechanic after my dealer warranty expired and I didn't know where to take my car to repair the AC. I consulted with my uncle who is a mechanic down in So. CA and he recommended taking my car to an AAA approved mechanic. After determining that ISM is an AAA approved mechanic and having received many excellent reviews on Yelp, I decided to take my car in and have it serviced here. Their diagnostic fee was very reasonable, $120 (compared to dealer pricing). The parts that needed replacing and labor hours charged, as I described them to my uncle before proceeding with the entire repair order were very reasonable and in line with the possible causes of my AC problem. My car was repaired to my satisfaction. The owner, Giovanni, has been operating this business for 20+ years and runs a top notch shop. The staff is friendly and helpful. I got a lift back to work after dropping off my car and I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up my car and they washed it for me. I got my car serviced on a Friday and the following Monday, Giovanni called me to see how my car was doing. Talk about follow up on service! I never received a call from the dealer service dept following my repairs. I am happy that I have found a reliable and trustworthy mechanic for my car.

Veronica M.

WOW!!! What great service! I drove up to SF for a week to visit with my friend. By the time I got here, my mercedes was making a horrible noise...I called the dealer, they couldn't see me for 3 days :( My friend recommened I call International Sport Motors...Talk about service. They offered to tow my car right away and get it checked out. So efficient. Within hours I got a follow-up call. They got me back on the road the very next day...And didn't try to overcharge me or sell me things I didnt need. Just honest, perfect service. Thank you Giovanni!

Adam D.

I can not recommend highly enough a better place to take your car for any type of service be it mechanical or auto body. I found International Motor Sports (ISM) through Yelp! and, based on the reviews, decided to bring my car there for service. I had just bought a used 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300D Turbo Diesel with unknown milage and needed a good mechanic because I was going to use the car to commute from San Francisco to Santa Rosa on a daily basis, so I needed my car reliable.

I brought my newly bought car in for a thorough inspection (which I should have done before I bought it) and ISM gave me a laundry list of problems. They were very nice however and well aware that I didn't have a lot of money, so they kindly told me what absolutely needed to be repaired and then helped me form a plan to take care of the other repairs in the future.

Long story short, the Mercedes ended up being a money pit and I sold it. Then, I bought a 2009 VW New Beetle and decided to continue to use ISM as my repair shop rather than the dealer just because of their superior customer service.

Regina, Matt, Giovianni, and the rest of the team are great. They know me by name and remember little details about me which really makes a difference. They always address me as Mr. Decker and are always enthusiastic when they greet me.

I'm picky when it comes to my car, so when I requested a specific type of oil be used during an oil change that ISM didn't carry, Giovianni went out of his way to special order the oil for me and get the oil change done within a matter of hours.

Then, I got into an accident with my new car and did some body damage and damage to the rear axel. I took my car to ISM and they arranged everything with my insurance company and got the job done efficiently. The work was spectacular and you wouldn't even know that I had gotten into an accident. At the time, I also had them change the oil in my car since it was at the shop anyway and Giovianni was kind enough to give me a discount on those services since I just dropped close to $4000 in repairs at their shop.

Trust me guys and gals, ISM is the place to go to get your car serviced! They are staffed by wonderful people, expert technicians, and do exceptional work. ISM is definitely THE one stop shop for all of your auto repair needs.