We've entrusted our cars to Kensington Simca for decades. Reliable, honest and reasonably priced.

Replaced my 1990 Mazda Miata around 2019 and they are amazing. Honest and reliable. Accurate estimate on the service time and the cost.

I can't recommend Emory and Simica enough! We've been going to him for many years and the quality of the work has always been excellent and the price is fair. In addition, Emory goes upon and beyond. He recently repaired the AC in my VW Passat. I was dumb and took the car for an oil change to a quick oil change place. They incorrectly placed a part and my car was smoking oil the night before an early morning trip. Emory fixed it that evening so I could make my trip. Amazing service! read more

Emre has worked on all our cars since we moved to Kensington over a decade ago. He and his crew have done everything from simple jobs on ageing Honda Accords, Civics, and Pilots and relatively new VWs to specialized jobs on my prized Jaguar XJS V12 and Audi TT Mk1 Quattro. He was recommended as being "As honest as the day is loing" and has never let us down. Don't call, go in person after 4pm. read more

Emery and his team are brilliant! Finding a good and honest mechanic is to form a lifelong relationship and I can remember being a young human and my father bringing me around to meet Emery and his father. Domestic, imports it doesn't matter he will fix whatever is wrong under your cars hood. He doesn't work fast (like 2-3 day turn around), but his work is quality and without outrageous markup. He's never scheming or trying to pull a fast one. Emery and his team genuinely love cars. And it shows time and time again, I'm not sure I've ever seen his garage empty; it's always teeming with cars. The best time to call is after 3pm when it's more likely that someone will pick up the phone, otherwise hope that when you show up Emery will be on the site. He works past 6, so you can grab dinner, pick up the kids, and recover your car in one night. And as long as he and his business are around I will continue to support him. read more

Beyond amazing!! Most recently, I brought my car over on a Saturday afternoon and received first rate treatment. Emery showed me the damaged area, explained what needed to be done, and ordered the parts. By Monday, I brought the car in he was able to start the work and called me with an update. Since I also needed two tires and a wheel alignment he helped arrange for that work. When I told him I now needed a rim for one of the wheels he immediately came up with recommendations of places where I can find a used rim (he knew more than the tire place). Every experience with Kensington Simca is a positive one. The owner cares about his customers and their vehicles. He is there late and has even worked overnight. The quality of his work is great, and he and his staff are very knowledgeable. He is honest and hardworking and always respectful. I am so glad when a colleague informed me about Kensington Simca and I in turn have recommended him to others. read more

Emory has been fixing my families cars for 15 years or so. There is no one more kind and honest.

I was so eager to use this long owned highly rated station but after 2 days of calling I never reached anyone. No voicemail or opportunity to leave a message. Found another place that was very good and very responsive! Confusing for sure. read more

Terrible, horrible service. They never answer phone calls, keep your car for a week for a simple service, and never provide updates. VERY rude when you can finally get them to give you an update. read more

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. read more

Emery is simply the nicest guy in the world. He lent me diagnostic equipment to fix my own car. He has been my families mechanic for decades. I have complete trust in him and his honesty. I have never met a more honest car repair man. When his father was alive and helping out at Simca, I had the pleasure of meeting Emery's inspiration in the auto repair business. I know how to fix cars myself but there are things I can't do because it requires specialty tools and that's when I bring the cars to Simca. But I know what repair should be and what it should cost. I have always gotten a good diagnosis and an accurate cost estimate from Emery. Other places are a total rip off. read more

I've concluded that Emery is a wizard....A genuinely KIND, helpful, magical wizard. After just one hour spent with my Trailblazer (after I dropped in on him without warning, having never been to his shop before, and having no personal connection whatsoever to him), it was(is) purring and acting like it doesn't even know what a CEL is or how to illuminate it. I mean, on the way to him I wasn't even sure the thing was going to make it in one piece. This was after a week of constant misfires, really rough idling, replaced ignition coils, spark plugs, and a looming $1500 estimate from another shop to fix what they thought the issue was. Thank you thank you thank you to Emery!! Consider me a forever loyal customer.... Bringing all of my [auto] problems to Simca!! Oh and two tips I've gathered from a couple of folks now: 1. don't call, seriously...he doesn't answer the phone so you have to go in-person, and 2. AM doesn't exist at the shop.... Go in the PM/into the evening hours, always. Granted, I've only gone once but both rang true for me just as others described. One last thing in response to all the one star reviews for the phone going unanswered..... if almost every single other review says they don't answer the phone then why would you think you'll be the special flower that gets picked? Come on folks, I'd never been there before last night either, and I just stopped by like everyone said I should....and had a seriously heartwarming and successful experiment. If you know how to yip your yap on Yelp then you should be able to read other reviews just as easily. Don't ding a business unless they actually did something nefarious...this is not rocket science. read more

I've been bringing all my cars here for over ten years. They have always done excellent work at low prices. All the people I've dealt with, the owner and the mechanics, have the highest character. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

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!! read more

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.) read more

Took my car into Kensington Simca due to an intermittent ABS light. Emery quickly found a broken tone ring and ordered a parts. Had the car back in a day. Awesome! Price was reasonable as well. As other reviews have mentioned, they don't usually answer the phone. But I'd recommend stopping by to talk to Emery. I have been taking my cars to the dealers, but now I will definitely go back to Kensington Simca the next time I'm having car trouble! read more

I brought my 1997 Toyota Camry here at the advice of a friend who has brought her cars to Emery for 25 years. She was right--Emery and his crew are honest, knowledgable, personable, and thorough. Emery was honest with me and explained what was wrong with my car, and the possible costs and benefits of my repair options (especially with such an old car). He and his crew were able to find a better repair option instead of ordering expensive replacement parts from the dealer, and they were honest about which repairs were and weren't worth it for my car. Although it can be difficult to reach the office by phone and wait times can be a little long (presumably because they are understandably overwhelmed with lots of customers--their lot is always full with noticeably more cars than the many other mechanics on the same road), Emery more than made up for the communication difficulties with his professionalism and expertise. I will definitely be bringing my car back to him for repairs, and I will recommend him to anyone and everyone I know in the area. read more

Once again Emery came to my rescue. He has been the family mechanic for 30+ years so he is a trusted friend really. The dealer quoted me $4500 in repairs and Emery quoted $1600 and provided all the detail. Given the stay at home order etc. he told me to go pick up the car and he'd call me in a few days with the final bill and he'd take a credit card over the phone. Emery's a true gem! read more

Sorry to be a boring repeat-but man, five stars--when I needed a whole new 2014 Prius engine after one of the storms last year, Emery came through! Thx! read more

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! read more

Emery and his crew are the most honest business people I have ever had the opportunity to meet with and my car is in great hands. One in a million kinda auto mechanic. read more

Not surprised they get 5 stars. Emery is extremely humble and gracious, he is extremely knowledgeable about cars and does a very good job at respectable prices. They have been around for over 5 decades (maybe more). When it comes to mechanic, it's difficult to find a trustworthy one, this one is definately trustworthy. read more

About 7 years ago, a dealer wanted to charge me $720 to work on the emissions system of our 1998 Mazda Protege. 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 Protege 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. read more

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. read more

Emery, his dad, and the rest of their team are the best I've ever found. I've been going there for four years, first with my 16-year-old Accord and now with my 13-year old Celica. Emery consistently suggests low-cost alternatives to expensive problems, always gets the work right, and, as another reviewer noted, is very good about explaining things. I have friends who have comparison-shopped him and his prices are always very reasonable. He was also very helpful to me when I started looking for a new used car: for different makes and models, he recommended specific problems to look for. He's also just plain low-key friendly. Recently it's seemed to me that he's gotten more busy -- no wonder; I've been evangelizing him to anyone who asks, and I'm sure I'm not alone -- but he's never been too booked to see me within a couple days of my call. Later in the week seems to be less busy. I can't recommend Emery highly enough. read more

We have been using Simca for 10 years. Simca charges low prices and does an excellent job on servicing our cars. Simca does not do unnecessary work on the cars, which saves us money. I should point out that Simca is always busy and finding parking on Howard is difficult. read more

Kensington Simca is a rarity in these times - they are the best!....Emery is honest and personable...He knows the pain we are going through when our cars go haywire and he goes out of his way to properly and honestly fix our cars....He is worth the wait as, needless to say, he is always busy. read more

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. read more

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! read more

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! read more

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. read more

I have a 2004 Toyota SUV with quite a few miles and brought it in to get checked out. Emory drove it around the block, looked at the check engine light and pointed out a few things that could in theory be done, but then recommended against getting any repairs beyond basic maintenance: the engine works fine and doesn't need a lot of work. He easily could have quoted me a bunch of repairs that he knew were unnecessary, but was really honest and when I said thanks, just said "its better that you have the money." read more

I have been going to Emery for almost 15 years, since I was a broke post-college-student with a crappy old Oldsmobile station wagon hand-me-down. He kept that car running for years, and every car since. Everyone I've referred to him has been happy. He is fair, honest, and realistic. He has helped me decide when it's time to stop putting money into a car, he has steered me away from spending money I didn't have to, and he's taken exceptional care of the cars we've brought to him -- everything from that old Oldsmobile to our 2004 Honda Odyssey. I am always struck by how even-keeled and honest he is. A couple of times I've gone other places b/c I needed something done and he couldn't get me in, and both times I ended up not doing the work with the other person b/c I was just certain that the quote was too high and/or included stuff I didn't really need to do. And both times I was right; when I got the car to Emery his quote was lower and the work was still great. Lesson learned: he's always worth waiting for. We are moving soon, and Emery's shop is one of the things I will miss the most. read more

My Mom uses Simca and after I got a car when I graduated college, she recommended I check them out. I only used them from 2014 till now, but every experience I've had with them, and every person I've talked to that uses Kensington Simca has had nothing but good things to say. Emery is a great mechanic and businessman, but potentially even more noticeable... he's a good person. He's honest and kind, but when you have an appointment, you have his full attention and he remembers so many details of your conversations even weeks after. Kensington Simca sets a very solid standard for how a local business can be run in such a human way. If you choose Simca, sure you might have the occasional wait... but they're worth it. read more

You will not find a more honest, straight forward auto service center anywhere. This family run business offers on the spot assessments and quick, easy repairs. Emory, the owner, will usually tell you a repair is not required or not yet anyway, where other auto services would just try to get your money. Don't call, too busy helping people. Just drop by and make an arrangement with Emory, usually there from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. You will not take your vehicle anywhere else after going to Kensington SIMCA. read more

Emery has saved us thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs (recommended by the dealership + local service centers).

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. read more