San Francisco European Auto Repair

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).

When our BMW was heavily damaged in a freak accident on the highway with a lot of internal damage, the days of agony over finding the service we deserved finally seemed to be over once we spoke to Giovanni for the first time.As opposed to our initial experiences with other auto repair services, Giovanni amazed us with his courteousness, attentiveness, and openness in pretty much everything we asked him about. He even called us in Europe while we were on vacation and communicated with us extensively via email. He does this very well even when he is busy with other, most certainly, happy customers.A number of observations indicated to us that our decision to choose his business was the right one:a) caring owner,b) exceptionally clean working environment in every single place be it an office or the actual repair area,c) exceptionally courteous employees,d) far deeper insight and analysis into the damage situation as opposed to anyone else out theree) and, of course, not least importantly, exceptionally high quality communications with the insurance company to ensure that the right amount of service is done for the right reasons.Finally, once we got our 8 year old BMW back, we were pleasantly shocked how much better the car was in handling and ride quality. The car performed flawlessly for the last few months since repair. Our initial observations and expectations came true ... the service was done exceptionally well. Giovanni and his business are truly exceptional in many aspects of automotive repair service. We cannot imagine wording a better recommendation!

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

This place is amazing to say the least. I was recently involved in a car accident. I have a german car(audi) and did not want to go to our local dealership because of the horrible service and reviews. I did some research and heard about ISM through another business. I took the chance and could beleive the service from the moment I walked in the door. Everyone greeted me, smiled, walked me through the quick registration, etc and I was out of there. They communicated to let me know status while it was being repaired and when I went to pick up I thought it was a brand new car. Not only was it gorgeous, they polished and detailed the whole car. Giovanni, who is the owner, walked me through excatly what they did to the car. I know he added in a few extras at no cost to me and it really does look like I bought a brand new car. The prices were great and of course lower than the Audi dealership. Today, 5 days after I picked up the car, Giovanni called to see how everthing is with the car. How can you beat that?

I'm another AAA member who came here after my car was run into. It took longer than I expected, but that was partly because I had to deal with my insurance. Giovanni was very patient during this initial period when my car just sat at his shop and he could do nothing. I spoke with Giovanni on several occasions and each time he offered measured advice based on his experience. He didn't try to push me one way or the other. I'm very pleased with the end result, and the additional work I needed done ended up being cheaper than he quoted.Expect Giovanni to return your calls the next day if you leave a message with the receptionist. That might not be quick enough for some people, but he's probably busy and he does indeed return your calls.

My husband and I take our cars into Giovanni every time we need it. I've been going to Giovanni faithfully for over 5 years! He holds the rare qualities that are hard to find in mechanics: honest, friendly, reliable, and economical. It's also a one-stop shop because he does both body and mechanical work. I sincerely know that when I leave my car there, I'm in good hands because he will work with me according to my priorities and budgetary needs. It's almost like trusting my car with my own father. I also think that Giovanni is a VERY hard worker! I have recommended a number of friends to him and would tell anyone to go to him at any time!

I've been a long time AAA member and when I got into my accident I assumed I'd be in good hands. Before being in an accident and opening a claim I've never heard of what body shops call steering before. I was referred to International Sport Motors by a work associate so I decided to give it a shot. When I opened my claim with AAA and told them where I wanted to take my car they told me to take it to one of their shops and told me if I took it to ISM the work would not be guaranteed?...I was confused because the person I know who recommended ISM to methought very highly of this shop. I decided to give ISM a call directly as I spoke with the owner Giovanni. He explained to me that insurance companies sometimes steer the insured to shops in contract with them because those shops work for less and use aftermarket parts to keep the cost of repairs down. After doing some research of my own I found that Giovanni was telling the truth. I was surprised and kind of annoyed as to how hard my insurance company pushed to have me go elsewhere. I did end up doing the repairs at ISM and I have no regrets. There were no corners cut and my car looks brand new. Giovanni said it best: Insurance repair shops work to please their insurance companies, our repair shop works to please our customers.

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.

These people, Giovanni in particular, have changed my whole idea of car repair and body shop services. I was in an accident in the fall and the tow truck driver took me to ISM. Giovanni conducts business with great personal integrity. I was so heartened by this. He quickly became my knight in shining armor as AAA wanted me to buy a low end radiator. Giovanni helped me know where I could save money and where I should go for the higher end. Thanks to Giovanni, it was as if the accident had never happened by the time he got through!

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.