Cranford, New Jersey · Since 1990
Honda, Acura and every import,fixed right the first time
An independent shop on North Ave specializing in foreign vehicles, with top-quality work at prices that will not break the bank. Every repair is guaranteed.
4.7 on Google
222 customer reviews
Family run since 1990
Carmen and his son Mike, on North Ave East
Honda & Acura specialists
Plus most other foreign makes
All work guaranteed
Written on every repair order
36 years on North Ave
Why people stay
Bring your car to the people who know it
Carmen's has been serving Union County since 1990, and the work has not changed much: decades of experience in the automotive industry, poured into creating customers for life. Honda and Acura are the specialty, and Japanese repair and maintenance is what the bays see day in and day out.
You love your car, and you rely on it to get you where you need to go every day. Whether it needs repair work or just general maintenance, the tools and the experience here get the job done right every time. All of the work is guaranteed, and you hear what a repair costs before anyone picks up a wrench.
Guaranteed work
In writing, on every job
Repairs
Diagnosed before quoted
Maintenance
On the schedule your car needs
All makes and models
Imports and domestics both
What the shop does
Work we take on every day
Six things fill the bays. Anything outside them gets an honest answer about who should do it instead.
01/11
All services
- 01
Foreign Car Maintenance
Factory-interval maintenance for foreign vehicles, kept on the schedule the car actually calls for.
Fluids matched to spec, filters and belts checked, service codes read and reset properly, and an honest note on what is coming up next visit instead of a padded list.
- 02
Engine Repairs
Diagnosis and repair of engine faults, leaks, noises and performance problems.
Oil and coolant leaks, misfires, rough idle, overheating. The fault is verified before a part is quoted, and you are told what failed and what it costs.
- 03
Transmissions
Transmission service and repair for automatic and manual foreign vehicles.
Fluid and filter service, hard shifts, slipping, and repairs that are checked on a road test before the car goes back to you.
- 04
Clutches & Clutch Repair
Clutch replacement and hydraulic clutch repair for manual cars.
Slipping, chatter, a pedal that goes soft or bites at the floor. Clutch, flywheel and hydraulics inspected together so the job is done once.
- 05
Electrical
Electrical diagnosis and repair, from no-starts to warning lights.
Batteries, charging, starters, wiring faults and modules traced with live data rather than guessed at from a code alone.
- 06
Brakes
Pads, rotors, calipers, lines and ABS work.
Pulsing pedal, grinding, a warning light that will not clear. Everything is measured, quoted, and road-tested before you get the keys back.
- 07
Air Conditioning
A/C diagnosis, leak repair and recharge.
Weak or warm air gets traced to the actual leak or failed component instead of a refill that vents out again by August.
- 08
Mufflers & Exhaust
Muffler, pipe and exhaust repair and replacement.
Rust-through, drone, rattles and failed hangers repaired with parts that hold up to Jersey road salt.
- 09
Timing Belt Replacement
Timing belt service at the mileage interval, before it becomes engine damage.
Belt, tensioner and water pump handled together, because doing them separately means paying the same labor twice.
- 10
Oil Changes
Oil and filter service with a real look over the rest of the car.
The correct grade for the engine, plus a check of fluids, tires, belts and brakes so nothing gets missed between visits.
- 11
Tune-Ups
Plugs, filters and ignition work to bring a tired-running car back.
Hard starts, hesitation and poor mileage sorted out with the parts the engine needs, not a blanket package sold to every car.
Open six days
Drop it off, call an Uber, pick it up later
- Mon - Fri
- 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Saturday
- 8:00 am - 1:30 pm
- Sunday
- Closed
Where the cars come from
The wider Cranford area
48 North Ave East sits in the middle of Cranford, so most of the shop's customers drive in from the towns around it. If you are farther out and want the same hands on the car every time, that is fine too.
Minutes from the Cranford station
Find the shop
48 North Ave EastCranford, NJ 07016
- Phone
- 908-272-8708
- Alt
- 908-272-1811
- Hours
- Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Sat 8:00 am - 1:30 pm
Cranford, NJ
Home shop on North Ave, a short walk from the Cranford train station, so plenty of customers drop a car and catch the train.
Westfield, NJ
About ten minutes down South Ave; a steady stream of Honda and Acura families since the eighties.
Garwood, NJ
Next town over. Close enough that most Garwood customers wait in the office while the car is on the lift.
Kenilworth, NJ
Five minutes north. Commuter cars piling on Parkway miles, so timing belts and brakes come up early here.
Clark, NJ
Just south past the Parkway ramp, and an easy morning drop-off before work.
Roselle Park, NJ
Ten minutes east, and a regular stop for older Civics and Accords that owners want kept running.
Springfield, NJ
Up Route 22 way; usually diagnostics and suspension work after a rough winter.
Union, NJ
Fifteen minutes out, and worth the trip for owners who want the same hands on the car every time.
The shop
A small shop that answers its own phone
That approach is why cars get handed down inside families and keep coming back to the same two bays. It is also why the specialty is Honda and Acura: seeing the same platforms for decades means the diagnosis is faster, the parts are right, and the repair holds up through another Jersey winter.
Union County regulars
The same customers, decade after decade
Most of the cars in the bays belong to people who have been coming here for years, and plenty of them were handed down inside the same family. That is the whole business model.
4.7222 reviews on Google
“I've never been to another mechanic and probably never will. Carmen and his crew are simply the best. I've been taking my cars there since he opened in Linden many years ago. There is nothing he doesn't know about cars, and he's honest and trustworthy. He is a hands on owner with his son right there helping to run the place. You won't be sorry for taking your car here. I've only driven Honda cars since I'm a kid, and they've only been worked on and maintained at Carmen's Honda. Love this man, and his shop. Honda and Acura specialist but works on all cars, foreign or not.”
Linda Logue “I recently took my car there for an expensive repair. The owner walked me through various options to help lower the cost. We went with one direction and the shop did the work. But the replaced part was faulty and the vendor wanted me to take a replacement of lesser quality. The owner was great, he took the hit on doing the labor twice and covered the price difference in a better part. That kind of service is making me a customer for life.”
Ara Jeknavorian “Been coming here for over twenty years. Both Carmen and Mike are true professionals that do excellent work. Their entire team is very knowledgeable and work is always done in a timely manner. Prices are very fair and Mike has always gone above and beyond to help with any issues I've had with my vehicles over the years. Highly recommend!”
Amy Colineri
Contact us
Tell us what the car is doing
Call or text during shop hours and you will get a person, not a queue. Describe the noise, the light, or the leak, and you will hear back with what it likely is and when there is room on the lift.
Carmen's Foreign Car Repair
48 North Ave EastCranford, NJ 07016
- Phone
- 908-272-8708
- Alt
- 908-272-1811
- Mon - Fri
- 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Saturday
- 8:00 am - 1:30 pm
- Sunday
- Closed