Carmen's Foreign Car Repair — Attraction in Cranford

Disappointed in this shop for lying to me about work that needed to be done on my car. I'm a new resident of Cranford, living down the block from Carmens and would have been a lifelong customer if not for this:

I went in for a tire rotation, brake & fluid inspection. They told me that my drive belt (serpentine) needed to be replaced, and that I should come back the following day so they could order a replacement belt from Honda for me.

I had my drive belt replaced one year ago at a different shop, which Carmen's didn't know about. I checked the belt's condition myself and found that it was still in great shape. When I asked Carmen's if their insistence on changing my drive belt was a guess based on my mileage, they said to "come in and we'll show you."

When I arrived, I informed the mechanic that I'd only put 2,600 miles on the belt since last changing it and his face dropped (they usually run for ~50,000-100,000miles). We opened up the hood for him to "show me" the issue - only to find us both staring at a drive belt with no visible damage. The guy danced around it for a few minutes, suggesting that since the belt I was using wasn't Honda brand "it might not last as long as you want it to..." but ultimately he admitted that the belt is in fine shape and does not need to be replaced.

I'm a woman who appears younger than I am, and I drive a silly bright blue Honda Fit, so I'm accustomed to auto mechanics trying to overcharge me for work or insist on maintenance items that don't actually need to be done. I was stoked to have a Honda mechanic at the end of my block, but now that they lied to me I can't say I'll ever be able to...

These guys do it all very nice men great at what they do, and in this day in age it is hard to find ANYONE honest but I can proudly say they are honest people .. I have been going to them ever since I got my first car.. My grandfather had been going to them since they opened. I swear by there expertise Carmen! Great businessmen he knows his stuff.. His son Micheal great man! He JUST like his father know Honda's Acura's like the back of there hand... I am a long time customer and I will be so as long I live in the area! ALL of the shop is great service, wish they had a bigger lot! Other then that they both Carmen and His son will work on your car... Great guys, Great service, Great everything and MY entire family will swear by them and there expertise, even the small things that you might have with your car they CAN fix anything! I am so blessed to have met and known them. They are HONEST men.. with ALL of there customers ONLY thing i could wish was a bigger garage! That shouldn't stop ANYONE who has a Honda or Acura from there great service.. wouldn't go to...

I used to do all the work myself on my civics, but when time started becoming harder to find I started looking for a shop that I can trust. It's amazing how many places try to bs you thinking you don't know anything. I eventually found Carmen's and have been going to this shop exclusively for probably 10 years now. It's a family run place with great mechanics who take pride in the work they do. The turn-around is quick, prices are fair, and they are very honest. For that reason, even after moving 40 mins away, I've continued going here.

I've had work done like a transmission flush, shocks/struts/bushings, axles, control arms, timing belt, valve adjustment, top end rebuild, transmission seals, axle bearings, etc and it has always come out perfect.

They've basically done all the work on my last 2 civics. My cars are running far longer than i thought they would. I sold my last civic with 300k miles and it ran perfectly. My current is approaching 270k with no issues. They know what they're doing.

Thanks for being such...