In the past 10 days, I took both of our VW sedans (a Passat and a Jetta) to Black Forest Technik for moderate repairs. One repair was mainly an AC recharge for the Passat and the other was mainly replacing a malfunctioning rear door lock actuator on the Jetta. I also redeemed an enticing offer of free wheel alignment checks on both vehicles with any major service. I then chose to get a needed wheel alignment on the Passat.
In general I was very pleased with the pricing, service (both customer and repair), and just the professional atmosphere and attentiveness of Black Forest Technik! These guys are European (esp. German) car enthusiasts and you can tell that they love what they do and will treat your Euro/German vehicle accordingly. The estimate especially on replacing the rear door lock actuator, including labor, beat out the estimates of two other car repair shops by something like 35% (I have no idea why the other two were so expensive, which is why I didn't choose them obviously). I also liked in particular how John, the service manager, explained to me in detail how I didn't really need to do a serious repair that would have been expensive (ca. $650!) because of the current value of my aging Passat and because it's not a safety issue, even though of course they would have liked my business. This shows considerateness and honesty towards customers that promote good long-term relationships with past customers, which is something very important that I appreciate. I also appreciate how they take current COVID health safety protocols seriously (everyone wore masks, even non-customer-facing car mechanics in the back who are mostly out of sight, I believe)!
Two slight quibbles: (1) I would have appreciated had Black Forest Technik called me to tell me that the delivery of the replacement actuator was delayed by more than a week because of current supply shortages due to the pandemic. Instead I drove there, only to find out on site that that part had not yet arrived, though this was not their fault but the VW dealer's. It was a bit annoying but not a big deal in the big scheme of things. (2) The waiting area could have one or two small cubicles for people who are waiting and wish to do some serious work on their laptops, instead of just sofas and lounge chairs. But these are small quibbles.
In short, I highly recommend Black Forest Technik for auto repairs for Euro-German cars and plan on letting them do most of my car maintenance or repairs from now on. Thanks, BFT! read more