Kensington Simca Service

I have been a customer of Kensington Simca since 1979 when I bought a Honda and my mechanic would not work on foreign cars. He referred me to Kensington Simca and I have never looked back. Imrie and Emery (father and son) own this business and all of their mechanics have been with them for years, which to me says a lot about the kind of people they are. They give «old fashioned» customer service. When I worked I would take my car in around 9:30 — 10:00 as they start work late. Then Imrie would drive me back to my office. At the end of the day I would arrive and my car would be repaired and ready to go. I have referred many people to them over the years and everyone raves about their service. My son and grandson are now customers and won’t use anyone else for car repairs.
My car, a Mercury Grand Marquis, is about 12 years old and has only needed 3 major repairs over the years. After a recent repair, Emery said for the age of my car it drives very nicely. I agree and therefore they will continue to maintain my car until such time as I am ready to purchase a new car.
My rating would be much higher if allowed. It is true that getting them on the phone is difficult but there is no «office staff» so when Emery is busy working on cars he can’t be answering the phone. Customers just need to realize this and go with the flow. I will gladly sit and wait for Emery to become available to discuss my car rather than go to a dealer and be charged excess charges for repairs. Unless a repair is under warranty or a recall, no one else ever gets to touch my car except for oil changes and new tires.
Three cheers for all of them!

Excellent service, very reasonable pricing. I’d have given a 5, but the turn-​around was slow, and I they’re not great about picking up the phone.

If there were six stars, that’s what I’d give Emery and his team. They’ve been servicing my car for years, and now they take care of my two daughters’ cars. They’re top-​notch professionals who are honest to boot, always going out of their way to do extra for you. You won’t find a better mechanic than Emery.

I’ve been taking my cars to Kensington Simca for 3 years. They do great work at a great price. I especially appreciate Emery’s straight-​shooting advice on whether and what sort of repairs are worth doing on an aging automobile.

Yes they aren’t the best about answering phones and their vm is full. But they were quick to help with my engine light diagnostic as a walk up. Instead of trying to sell me stuff they were honest and said it was probably gas cap and to return if it lights up again (they disabled warning).
Excellent service several months ago on brake work too. Highly recommended.

Not at all happy with Kensington Simca. Some things to know up front:
1. the voice mail inbox has been full for a year+, and so there is no way to leave a phone message.
2. they answer the phone, sometimes… if they feel like it.
3. pretty much the only way to find out what’s going on is to go there, and hope to catch Emery.
Left my car there to have some front-​end work, as well as repair of a door lock/​window problem.
Went there several times, and each time, was told that they would call me, and let me know the estimate so they could proceed with repairs.
This went on for several MONTHS. Luckily I had a second car to drive, but how many times can you go, wait half an hour behind a line of other people, and be told they’ll call you with the estimate, and then never get a call. (and again, you can’t call them because they don’t answer and don’t have a message machine).
I finally got my car back, after several visits several days in a row. The car was dripping moisture on the inside — growing mold and mildew on the doors, carpets, seatbelts, dashboard. It was disgusting.
I had to take it to a Detailer and spend $ 250+ to make it driveable and not a health hazard.
And just found out that after the almost $ 1000 bill I paid — turns out they never did fix the back door that wouldn’t open from the inside or the window that wouldn’t roll down, despite saying they did.
Yes, I should go back to Emery and have him make good on my repairs, but you know what, I can’t afford to have to go back daily for the next 2 months before I get my car back again.
So I will have to suck it up and pay someone else to actually get the work done.
I used to like Kensington Simca, but now I won’t go near them, and I don’t recommend them, unless you have unlimited time to sit in their office, and wait for repairs, and even then, you’re willing to get your car back without the work done, and with your car nearly destroyed inside.

The most honest, helpful auto shop ever. I brought my car here on a few occasions. Emory would only fix what was really needed and a few times when it was a minor adjustment didn’t charge me at all. The work done was always good and a fair price. He actually charged me less then his estimate on one occasion. And when my car was having some real costly issues rather then fix the car and earn money he suggested I may want to consider other alternatives before pouring more money into this car. I took his advice and since purchasing a new car haven’t had to go back. But I highly recommend them. Great find!

This place is great. Honest service without trying to bullshit you into buying stuff you don’t need.

I haven’t taken my car here yet, but Emory deserves 5 stars just for being helpful and honest on the phone. I have an 11 year old Honda van that the dealer says needs $ 3000 worth of fixes. I wanted to get other quotes to see if I can get it fixed for less. I called Kensington Simca this morning and told them what was going on. He took my VIN and said he’d call back with an estimate, which he just did. But instead of just giving me a price, he asked additional questions about the van to see if it might be time to consider not fixing things and looking for a different car. He clearly has a depth of experience with similar cars and told me that he’s seen a pattern with Hondas this age that can lead to one big ticket fix after another. I was amazed at how thoughtful and caring he was on the phone since I’m not even a customer! As it turns out, the error light is no longer lit on the dashboard and he confirmed that there’s no reason to fix the part until the light turns on again. So, instead of frightening me with a «worst case» scenario, he talked himself out of some immediate business and said it was right to wait and see. Believe me, when the light comes back on I’ll be heading that way, unless I take his advice and look for a gently used newer vehicle before then. I’m very, very impressed, and happy to have found what seems like a great resource for the future.

I recently returned to Kensington after several years of living out of state, and feel fortunate to have gotten a recommendation from a neighbor to visit Emery and Kensington Simca Service. They are honest, knowledgeable and priced right.
My situation started with a routine auto inspection at a prominent Connecticut Ave station, which turned up a list of small repairs that added up to a big figure. I maintain the car regularly and was suspicious of the largest item from the diagnostic — which required the replacement of an expensive component (said to be leaking). I went to Simca for a second opinion. Simca, too, identified the leak, but resolved it with a $ 0.20 clamp, foregoing the expensive replacement of a major component. My car runs great and I have had no problems since.
Emery and his team are a gem and I have added them to my list of trusted, dependable neighborhood resources.

My girlfriends raved about this auto repair place in Kensington. I live in Gaithersburg and decided to try it for my 60K service. Toyota dealer quoted me $ 600 with a $ 100 off if I did it by the end of October.
I went to China and when I came back, money was an issue. My bill for the 60K service was $ 51 because my hubby had changed my oil while I was gone. Pretty cool. I am definitely using them from now on.

My Ford Focus is basically a heap of junk; I’d never recommend that anyone buy one. With only 26,000 miles on it, it’s cost me more in repairs than my husband’s Camry, which has over 200,000 miles on it. HOWEVER, each time I’m ready to scrap this car, I take it in to Emery the Miracle Worker and he returns it to me like new. He’s a very fair and kind person, and in the world of car repair, he’s quite simply the best there is.

Kensington Simca has glowing reviews with good reason; Emery is a wonderful, friendly, standup guy who does great work for a reasonable price.
Don’t waste money on expensive shops or dealer-​based service centers without consulting this shop first. These guys are a pleasure to work with and incredibly helpful and candid. After dealing with these folks you’ll definitely avoid going to your overpriced dealer; Emery and company are versatile & knowledgeable mechanics and not mere technicians.
Location Note: This shop is located on the west side of Howard Avenue (relative to Connecticut Avenue /​Rte 185), which is accessible from either Connecticut Avenue or from Knowles Avenue. If your car has serious issues (as mine did, not being able to venture beyond first gear), enter from Connecticut Avenue since this will let you cruise your vehicle downhill. The shop is on the left side about ²⁄₃ of the way down and has a small, vintage sign and modest storefront.
(Fun fact: Kensington is renowned for its charming Antiques District and so Kensington Simca is an appropriate name for a K-​town-​based auto shop, since its namesake is a beloved French-​made import that had its heyday in the 1960s.)

I don’t have enough words to say all the things that are great about Emery and his technicians at Kensington Simca. He took on the daunting task of replacing the gas tank on my husband’s 2005 Subaru Outback. This problem was one that I doubt most other repair shops would ever take on because of the complexity and cost to make it work correctly. Emery is a man of his word who can be relied on to «make it right» and he wouldn’t even take payment until everything was in perfect working order. For the first time in more than a year the car does not smell like gasoline inside and outside! We will be able to avoid the stress and cost of replacing the car now. There’s a reason why this place is highly rated. My only concern is that too many more people will start going there after reading this review and there won’t be any time left to take care of me and my family’s cars after this!

Honest, reliable, affordable.
I was a big believer in going to the Honda dealer for repairs and maintenance. I figured I’d pay more, but at least they would screw me over and tell me I had to do anything unnecessary.
Wrong! I learned my lessons.
Go to Simcha’s. You can trust him to do the job well and only do what you need to keep your car humming.

We have been going to SIMCA for 10+ years. I am happy to recommend them. They have been doing excellent work on all our cars over the years.

Our family has used Simca for almost 10 years. I found them through the Washington Checkbook publication. They have worked on our Volvo and Honda CRV and Accord. We have referred family members and families to them. They provide you with information about what the real problem is with your auto. Emery recommends only the needed repairs. A pleasure to do business with!

I moved from DC to Kensington 7 yrs ago & needed to find a local mechanic who I could trust. My Parkwood neighborhood listserv sang the praises of the Varhidy family’s SImca Service. I have taken my Maxima once to the dealer & their huge markups & unservicable attitude in 7 yrs.
Emery & his staff know their craft, charge reasonble rates & guarantee their work. Twice, when it was inconvenient for me to pick up my car, Emery reparied the car & drove it to my house! Try asking the dealer for service like THAT!

We first went to Kensington Simca about 10 years ago because of an outstanding rating for both price and service in Washington Checkbook. That was for a big repair — replacing the engine in our Isuzu Trooper. Emery was helpful in explaining the options and what the risks and rewards might be. The Trooper ran just fine for several more years. Since then, they have worked on my Honda CRV — timing belt, distributor replacement, and minor servicing. On my recommendations, a number of my friends have also taken their cars there. We have found them to be attentive, knowledgeable, and always pleasant to deal with. I would recommend them to anyone who needs first class service or repairs but wanted to avoid the expense of going to a dealership.

About 7 years ago, a dealer wanted to charge me $ 720 to work on the emissions system of our 1998 Mazda Protégé. My «check engine» light was staying on about a month before my emissions test was due. I paid the dealer $ 89 for the 10 seconds to hook up the code reader that showed an emissions issue and found Simca through Consumers Checkbook.
Emery (the younger) looked at my car twice. The first time, he used the code reader and charged me nothing. He said that he did not have time to work on it that day but wanted to check something in the Protégé manual and asked me to return the following week. I did. He realized that it was an idle issue, adjusted the idle, and charged me $ 72 for at least a couple hours of work (and probably more) over the two visits. Yes, by coincidence the price was exactly ¹⁄₁₀ of what the dealer wanted to charge. The «check engine» light went away and the car passed inspection without a problem.
Ever since, I’ve trusted our cars to Simca. I think the owners treat their employees and their customers well and do not try to get an extra dollar when they easily could. We now have two cars – one a 1997 Honda Accord with 200k miles. Emery orders less expensive parts for the Accord because he knows that the car does not need to have the most expensive components anymore. He always tells me what he plans to do and makes sure I agree before anything gets done.
I don’t write many reviews, but these people are too good not to mention. Oh, they’re also friendly and down to earth, which are added bonuses to go along with their professionalism.