At the time of writing this review, Bavarian Imports has an average Yelp rating of 3.6 stars from…read more69 reviews. I think that rating is about right based on my experience. This is an independent garage I want to like. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Bavarian specializes in European makes. Contrary to what their website says, they work on other makes, like Toyota, too. The sign outside says they are "the BMW specialists." Despite servicing luxury cars, Bavarian is a fairly no-frills independent garage -- my kind of shop.
I have a 2001.5 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T (B5.5) with over 300,000 miles (original owner, original engine). Before Bavarian, I took my car to four independent shops in Marietta. In recent years, I took my car to a shop in Carrboro, North Carolina. All of these shops specialize in VWs and Audis.
So, I fully recognize I introduced a nearly 24-year-old, well-worn car with almost 303k miles to Bavarian. I spoke with Bavarian service advisor Bryce Jewell and he told me that old cars are their "bread and butter." That gave me hope, but after many years of experience with my car at other shops, I know my car isn't easy to work on.
I took my car to Bavarian to diagnose my engine occasionally misfiring upon cold start. After keeping my car for five days, they weren't able to reproduce the problem. The original feedback from Bavarian's mechanic, Mark Thorsen, printed on my invoice was, "Technician states he cannot find anything wrong with vehicle." After hanging onto my car and test-driving it again, they noticed my engine wasn't running the way it should and smoke came out of my tailpipe (which my previous mechanic and I noticed too, but he wasn't concerned about).
Bavarian's diagnosis, which cost $150, was old valve guide seals causing oil to leak into my cylinders. That makes sense. However, where I had pause was Bavarian's recommendation, which was to replace my "engine core." In other words, replace my entire engine for almost $6,000. Bavarian didn't think it was worth it to "just" replace the valve guide seals on my original engine due to its age and wear. I get that. Hence their engine replacement recommendation.
It's my understanding that since you can't get a VW/Audi 1.8T engine new and Bavarian couldn't source it from one of their suppliers, Bavarian suggested either I supply the engine myself or they could find one. They found one on eBay and quoted me $2,300 for it. They quoted 18.5 hours of labor at $150/hour, which equals $2,775. After a $500 "buffer" for extras - for example, old parts that break and need replacing during the engine rebuild, $80 for shop supplies, and $249.20 in taxes (8.9%), I was looking at $5,904.20. By far, this was the biggest estimate I've received for repair work on my Passat - and I've had some big bills. Also, the replacement engine understandably wasn't covered under warranty by Bavarian.
I called my old mechanic in North Carolina and told him what Bavarian told me. He's a VW specialist and is very familiar with my car (he's had the same engine himself). In short, he disagreed that my engine should be replaced.
One thing that's different about Bavarian compared to the other independent garages I've taken my car to is that Bavarian is a relatively bigger operation. They have more lifts - I believe six, but don't quote me on that - and actually have staff in service advisor roles like Bryce. I'm used to speaking with the shop owners/mechanics directly. That said, I appreciate service advisors for their people skills. Bryce was terrific from a customer service perspective. He said all the right things, was pleasant to talk to, generous with his time, and honest. He was real with me in saying that $6k repair cost could instead go towards a new or used car. I appreciated that, but I didn't want to give up on my Passat yet.
What I most appreciated about Bryce was he recommended an independent garage in the area that specializes in VWs and Audis: Karma in Scottdale. I got a second opinion from them. Karma made a completely different diagnosis and successful repair, related to my then-failed secondary air injection pump, for a cost of about $2,500. Contrary to Bavarian, the general manager at Karma didn't think my engine needed to be replaced, agreeing with my old mechanic in North Carolina. Also consistent with my NC mechanic's opinion, the Karma GM wasn't concerned about the poofs of smoke that came out of my tailpipe upon certain cold starts. He said that happened to new VWs on the lots at the VW dealerships he used to work at. Since taking my car to Karma about two months ago, it's been running great. My Passat lives on.
My wife made a good analogy: Taking my car to Bavarian was like going to see my PCP. Taking my car to Karma was like my PCP referring me to a specialist for specialized care. Ultimately, I do think Bavarian was honest and tried to do the right thing within their abilities. In this case, I needed specialized expertise.