Specifically for the service department - recently took my wife's VW in for an oil change. The service advisor let me know she was also due for her 3 year service which she had prepaid for, but it had "expired" so it would be $900. After a lot of back-and-forth and prompting on my part to look into the warranty history on the vehicle, it turned out that she had already had the service done at the dealership closer to our house. When I asked if they bothered to reach out to their customers to let them know that such services were necessary warranties were about to run out the service manager, said "we do our best". Will not be ever returning here for service in the future. read more

Carter recently reached out to me about trading in my current Taos, purchased from them several years ago, for a new 2025. I was able to handle all of the negotiations for the trade-in and purchase with Connor Vermeys and Pete Reilly via email/text, which included them really going the extra mile to find the exact configuration and rare color I wanted, filled out the credit application online and spent just under an hour at the dealership with Bill Koch wrapping up the final paperwork. It was my smoothest-ever purchase that involved financing (and my 6th VW over two decades) and definitely worth the drive to Ballard from the other side of the lake. read more

AVOID CARTER VOLKSWAGEN BALLARD: SHADY PRACTICES, UNAUTHORIZED TEST DRIVE, AND DISRESPECT Let me be blunt--this dealership is a joke. Out of FIVE other dealerships I visited to get an appraisal for my grandma's car, Carter Volkswagen Ballard was by far the worst. Every single one of the other dealerships offered more for the car than CarMax, Carfax, and Carvana. Carter Volkswagen? They somehow managed to offer LESS than everyone else. It's either incompetence or outright disrespect for their customers. THEY DROVE THE CAR WITHOUT PERMISSION. That's right--without asking, informing me, or even checking if it was okay, the assistant manager, Ryan, decided to take my grandma's car for a spin around the neighborhood. This isn't even my car--it belongs to my grandma. Imagine how irresponsible and unprofessional that is, putting me in a tough spot. When I confronted him about why he drove it, he MOCKED me, saying something like, "I didn't even know if it had an engine in it; I just really needed to take it for a spin." This is the same car I drove to the dealership. It worked perfectly fine. Every other dealership appraised it without needing to take it out. This was completely unnecessary and crossed the line. When I called him out, instead of apologizing, Ryan got HOSTILE and AGGRESSIVE. He started yelling, and when I mentioned leaving a negative review, he smirked and said, "Go ahead, I'll just delete it." And guess what? HE ACTUALLY DID. My Google review mysteriously vanished after I posted it. This dealership is so desperate to hide their shady practices that they're actively scrubbing negative reviews to make themselves look good. It's dishonest and manipulative, and customers deserve to know the truth. To top it all off, when I made it clear I wouldn't sell the car to them, Ryan told me to "scram" off the property. Real professional, right? This kind of behavior should NEVER happen at a dealership--or anywhere else. Save yourself the time and frustration. Carter Volkswagen Ballard disrespects your property, wastes your time, and tries to bury the truth when called out. If you want to be treated like a human being, go to Volkswagen of Kirkland or Bellevue. They're fair, professional, and offer WAY more than this place ever will. Consider yourself warned. read more

Dan MacLaren of Carter Volkswagen is the car salesperson I have longed to work with over my 60 years of buying cars. He is genuine, not an over seller, educates as he presents the product and does not rush the process. An overall good experience for my car purchase. read more

Bought my first car from Carter in 1968! Never have gone anywhere else & remained life-long friends with our salesman, Bill Stutzman until his passing. read more

The absolute best experience purchasing a car was facilitated by an amazing person, Hunter Thompson. I had reached out via on-line expressing interest in a specific car. Hunter was both helpful and patient as I considered this purchase. When I finally made the decision to buy, he was able to take care of everything via text. When I went in to sign, everything was ready so I wasn't in there very long and then he spent almost two hours showing me all the features in my new vehicle. He also gave me his cell number in case I had any questions after the sale. I would highly recommend both Hunter and Carter Volkswagen if you are looking for a new car. They were great. read more

I took my car in to get serviced before a long road trip on September 2nd. I mainly dealt with one person, Matthew, who was extremely nice and communicative. It was super easy for me to drop my car off and get a text a few hours later to know it was ready. Great experience. read more

What started off as the day from hell was turned around by the unmatched service at Carter Volkswagen from Alex and Chris. The day before my move (across the country), as I was ready to sell my car to Carvana, my sunroof inexplicably and unexpectedly shattered and Carvana rejected the sale. Upon calling Carter VW, I explained my situation to Alex who said come in and we'll take care of you. And take care of me they did. For what was truly an unprecedented situation, Alex and Chris worked quickly to evaluate both the repair of my car and make me an incredible offer to buy my car on the spot. Within the hour I had my offer in hand and they had worked out a plan to fix the damage and work with my insurance so I wouldn't have to. Best of all, at no point did I feel that they took advantage of my situation (and desperation) by trying to lowball me to get the car off my hands. Chris was thorough and incredibly fair (if not generous) in our negotiation. In the weeks that followed Chris regularly checked in to let me know how things were progressing with the payout of my car from the bank, and the title transfer process. I cannot say enough about Alex and Chris going the extra mile late in the evening to take care of me and ensure that I was able to move without the added stress of leaving a damaged car behind. Of all my experiences as a VW customer for the past 6 years, having worked with 5+ dealers across the country (multiple in Seattle), this by far takes the cake as the most positive experience to date. If you're looking for a VW dealer in Seattle, look no further than Carter. They are the real deal. I would give them 10 stars if I could. read more

I reached out to Carter Volkswagen to get an appraisal on the vehicle that we were selling. They provided a fantastic quote. I showed up and they did an excellent job of checking the car and finalizing the offer. The staff was wonderful, including the financial team and buyer. They were very efficient. The whole process took under 30 minutes. I will most likely buy and or sell my next car thr Carter Volkswagen. Thanks for everything. read more

Stay away from repair service shop. Was charged excessive amount to "confirm client concern" that egine made a noise and horn didn't work. In my opinion, charged labor rate would equal $1,000/hour based on the charge and stated work. I believe they misrepresented a "free" multipoint inspection when actually charged for inspection. When raised issue on pick up, staff rudly waived a paper claiming to be a signed approval but failed to provide a copy. When called later to discuss nobody picked up the phone and no call back to message requesting a return call. read more

Carter Volkswagen was professional and took great care of me! Would recommend for all Volkswagen owners hands down.

Great customer service, Dan MacLaren, David, Pete and Alex in sales and financing are great! as well as Alex in service..They all made sure I was comfortable and answered all of my questions. I recommend Carter VW big time !! . I left happy and felt really good about the entire experience. Thanks guys!! read more

Unfortunate experience with a car saleswoman there. Tried getting a trade-in, had to leave.

I'd give a "No Star" if that option were available. I bought a 2024 VW ID.4 Pro S on May 3, 2024 ONLY because I was told it would have 3 years complimentary charging, as the 2023 models had. After driving the ID.4 for several months, I started receiving charges from Electrify America. I called the sales people with whom I worked (Dan McLaren, Donielle Tarsi, and Pete Riley) but calls were not returned. I contacted Volkswagen of America with my concern. Volkswagen of America contacted Carter VW but did not receive a response to my complaint. I wrote to the General Manager (Ryan Jupiter, January 6, 2025) but have yet to receive a reply from him. I have now contacted an attorney to resolve this matter as I would have purchased a 2023 ID.4 Pro S if I had not been lied to about three year complimentary charging for the 2024 model. There are plenty of other Volkswagen dealers in the Seattle area. Over the last 30 years I've had very good experiences with Campbell VW of Edmonds. (I purchased a 2001 New Beetle TDI from them and have no complaints. I put on 320,000 miles on it before I sold it last Fall.) Steer clear of Carter Volkswagen. read more

Just got my 10,000k maintenance work done for my Jetta SE. Bart was super polite, friendly, and nice from scheduling the phone to checking me out. He took the time to walk me through everything and gave me a quote before starting. The workers there (just from my observations) seem to have good teamwork as I overheard the offering help each other out consistently through my time there even without being asked. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this place for service. The experience was seamless and I felt confident in the team to get the work done. read more

This is for the service department specifically. I do not recommend getting your car serviced here. Pricing is very high and they do not provide an accurate quote when you sign off on the service being done. I regret going here to get my car serviced and do not plan to ever return. read more

I've worked with Leighton on my last 3 cars and he made it a smooth easy process every single time. If you're looking for a Subaru or VW definitely go to Carter and ask for him. read more

We signed up for an ID.4 last months on the website and got assigned to this dealer. Last week we received an email from VW to go tot he dealer and sign contract if we wanted to lock in the current tax benefits before President Biden signs the new Inflation Reduction act bill. I called the dealer on Saturday and asked them if we could stop by and sign the contract. The rep wasn't very clear about the communication from VW and took my contact info to call me back. They never called and bill was signed few days later. We then received another email from VW indicating that if we didn't go into contract we most likely won't benefit from any tax benefits!!! The customer service at this dealer is the most horrible I've ever seen. They certainly cost us around $7500. I wouldn't do business with Carter Volkswagen again even if we decide to to buy ID.4 in the future!! Update Chris from VW called me and explained the situation. I wish VW corporate would've done a better job communicating with the dealers but at least there was a follow up. I'm updating my review! read more

This place is horrible. Not professional. I had to wait 4 hours for a oil change. They did not have my correct number they said but they called it out to me three numbers but only called my landline from years ago. When I said I would not be returning he said thank you. Again not professional and they were not busy at all. I wonder why. ??? read more

Good salesman, but the sales manager zachary clements is very mean and rude!!! When we trying to negotiate the price to make something happen, we were treated unrespextfully and been told the price is not negotiateable. Going to buy from a different dealership with way better customer experience. read more

DONT GO HERE. The service staff will make you wish you never dropped your car off here. I came here for someone to look at my ball joint/bearing front left. Worked/restored cars my whole life (they talk to you like you're stupid). They then come back with an inspection of bad strut Mount and bearing, this is reasonable. However, they then charged me double the amount of labor for the inspection and they never received my approval for doing extra work (an alignment) after the repair. My service contract only pays a certain amount here because VW Ballard uses a $220 labor rate per hour and WA standard is $195. On top of this, they took their sweet time getting back to me on many things. I had multiple Ubers cancel on me while I watch a service man tap his pen. No one called me to tell me my service contract offered to pay for cheaper parts, the dealership just went with the OEM more expensive ones and never asked for my approval on it. No one showed me the broken parts when I asked to see what they replaced. They reduced (CORRECTED) the invoice and I'm driving out of there. My car STILL has the same issue I came there for.... DONT GO HERE. On top of that, when I get home i immediately check my front left strut mount. I'm very positive they never replaced it. It's just as dirty as the strut mount that didn't get replaced. This is ridiculous. Terrible service, terrible mechanics, terrible management. Don't waste your time read more

To try and save money, I asked if I could bring in my own oil and filter, and just have them pay for the labor. No problem, said Carter VW. They had my car in and out of the shop quickly, and were very upfront and honest with me. I've been to other shops that have told me that I needed new tires and new brake pads, and I was suspicious to do anything, as I felt that they were trying to pull a fast one on me. Carter VW did a full inspection of my car, and didn't suggest any other work, telling me that everything looked good, and my car was safe to drive. I'll definitely be coming back for service if I need it read more

I expected such a rebuttal from a business which seeks to play the political correctness card in order to appear non biased against Black Americans. Although the manager claims it employs Black people, I saw none in the service department, behind the customer service counter, and definitely none worked on the sales floor. If any Black American employees actually worked at the dealership, one would have greeted me upon arrival and would have definitely assisted me. Rather than get defensive, the dealership decision-makers need to take the constructive feedback and put it to good use. read more

I seriously question Bart and his team's basic knowledge of vehicles. And I write this fully aware that Yelp is home of the easily slighted and quickly imbittered but I have never witnesses such incompetence and because of that I am compelled to write this review which is in fact a warning to would be patrons. The incompetence displayed is so severe that I truly wonder (not being sarcastic) if they are actually mechanics or just know how to use a computer to receive error codes and then scramble to make a suggestion. The symptoms that were exhibited by my car were deemed to be the result of blockage somewhere within the car. And the initial fix, to see if the problem could be solved with minimal expense was.....an oil change. Now I drove off the lot and within 5 minutes all of the error codes were showing again on the dashboard and the problems that brought me to Carter were still present. There is no way that their team drove that car long enough to determine if their bandaid solution was viable. BUT they did cover by saying that the oil change could take a while to fix the problem to wait and see. I should not have left that lot, I should not have accepted such an asinine solution. That's on me. I took the car to Stones German Garage and within 4 hours they sourced the problem, provided me an estimate and this won't be a surprise, the issue with the car was so far from what Bart explained that again, it leads me to believe they are not mechanics. An apt analogy is going to a doctor and explaining you are experiencing back pain and the doctor says that a possible fix is taking a multi-vitamin when you in fact have a herniated disc and need surgery. Truly astounding incompetence. Go to Stones German Garage for anything VW related. I write this because this level of error reflects a total lack of knowledge and expertise. You can't be this bad in one occurrence. This shows a fundamental lack of skill. read more

SO impressed with this dealership who worked incredibly hard to help us get the car we wanted at a rate we could handle and all on a massive time crunch. They bent over backwards to take care of us. Highly recommend. read more

Macy gave us great service! She knew the right car for our family situation and was able to tailor her support.

I had an excellent experience trading in my car for a new one at Carter's. Ryan, Pete, and Ted were warm people who made the process simple and smooth. Highly recommend stopping at Carter's if you are looking at Volkswagen! read more

Went in for an oil change today and after I left my Bluetooth stopped working. Not their fault as it's an older model and is bound to have some problems. I called after leaving and they said to stop by so they could check it out. Their experienced tech Matthew spent a good amount of time checking my radio. Trying multiple things to try to get the Bluetooth up and running for me again. Unfortunately it was just fried. I Thank you Matthew for taking the time to help me out and for the advice! Thank you Kenneth for remembering my name and making sure everything was good. Cheers, Melissa read more

I just bought a new ID4 from Carter. It was certainly not my first experience with them as we have purchased several cars from this company. This particular experience was exceptional. They are just so chill about the whole thing, and so helpful at the same time. I worked with several people and I never felt like I was handed off or dismissed. From Will to Jake, especially great work by Donielle...and their manager Zack...it was just a really a smooth experience. Also, the speed at which the actual transaction was done was amazing...thanks to the fine work of Jonathan. Overall, I can't recommend this place enough! And I ended up with a very sweet electric ride! read more

This is the only dealer I will bring my vehicle to. Respectful and courteous staff that listen. I was sold a Sportwagen that has had a lot of issues since I purchased it (Purchased from a different dealership) and Carter has been responsible for fixing nearly every one of them. Thank you so much in particular to Alex, Brian, and Jake in service. You have all been a tremendous help with keeping my vehicle in working order. If we purchase another VW it will be from Carter on principle. read more

ZERO stars Would not recommend! I take my 2012 Beetle to the dealership thinking I'll get good service. I've recently changed jobs and am closer to the one in Ballard. I took my car there for an oil change and to have them fix the gas gauge that went out. After a diagnosis I was told a new sensor was needed ($770). It was replaced yet still not reading the gas amount . Was then told I would needed a new fuel pump ($400) When questioned I was told that's what the car is telling them is needed and will take a few days to get the part... Um okay. Zero guarantee that will fix the original issue. Their pat response "That's what the car is telling us " No interior care was taken to my (foot prints on the carpet) car as there was a strong smell of gas which has continued. I don't know if there's a leak in my fuel line or something similar OR because the tech drug gas into my car and onto the carpet/seats. The dealership sent me a how did we do? text I told them I was unhappy with the way i was dealt with....I've NOT received any correspondence back from them Not even about the new part. Poor service! read more

Purchased a 2012 Mini Countryman S All 4 from Carter VW. Check engine light came on as I was headed back to Oregon. I called and they told me they'd pay for a diagnostic test at my local BMW dealership. The Mini had a failing turbo. Carter cover the entire cost of a new turbo replacement no questions asked. This was a $4700 repair bill. I was so thankful they stood behind their product. Stand up dealership. read more

Charged me $55.80 to change 4 lug nuts. No room for negotiation, no ability to buy them and do it myself. I'm sure they were happy to make easy money off me. I guess it's all about the sale. read more

Carter's service is top notch! I visit their service center regularly and they always give 5 star service!

I have a 2014 Tiguan going on 65K miles and I've been taking it for service to Carter VW for the past few years. I've had a few service agents who weren't helpful and did not communicate status updates, but that seems to have changed in the past year! My last experience was the best I've had--it was during the holiday season and the agent looked for discounts and he communicated clearly what needed to be fixed now versus in the coming months. Due to this honesty, I will gladly pay a little more and bring my car back to the dealership for the service it needs. Their online scheduling is easy to use and I enjoy having the record in the system of what has been done. They are on a bus line, if you don't feel like utilizing their shuttle and their hours are not hard to accommodate with my normal 9-5 working hours. read more

We found a car we were looking for online and it was over 200 miles away at Carter VW. They had posted it online but there were no photos and very few details about the car. Their salesman Connor bent over backwards for us for three days with me asking him about every little detail and him making multiple videos and taking a ton of pictures to make sure it was exactly what we were looking for. The things we were worried about, Chris the sales manager instantly took care of. Both Connor and Chris went above and beyond what any other dealership did for us. Buying from long distance was difficult not being able to actually see the car in person but with all they did, it helped ease all our worries. Unfortunately when we arrived on the morning to purchase it, Connor was not on shift so he missed his commission. If I could tip that much I would help make up for it. Thank you Connor and Chris for a great experience! read more

My husband and father in law bought a brand new Volkswagen Tiguan the other day from Carter VW. The sales manager Zach Clements was incredibly helpful, there was zero pressure, this is how the car buying experience is supposed to be like. It was nice buying from a family owned and operated dealership as well. read more

Carter Volkswagen - 2019 VW Tiguan - Car Dealers Near Me - Seattle, Washington

What a pleasant surprise that a service department delivered exactly what they promised, even without an appointment. I acquired an older VW but the wheel lock key was missing, and the part is no longer sold. I phoned Carter to ask what could be done, they said just come on in, buy the replacement standard lugs ($42 for four, no key required), they had a master that could remove the special lugs and they'd replace them with the standards. Said no appointment was necessary and it would only take about 20 minutes. When I took it in a couple of days later, I was fully expecting to arrive and be told, "well, we can't fit you in until tomorrow," or that I'd have to wait at least an hour--how often has this happened when you go for car service at some place that purports to offer "drop in service"? ​But Carter delivered on what I had been told on the phone and took care of me right away. It took--20 minutes! read more

I contacted all of the VW dealerships in Washington and Oregon looking for the iD.4 that I wanted and an exact, out the door price. Man, did I get the runaround! Including one that told me VW was only leasing the cars, which is 100% untrue. Thankfully I found Maddy at Carter! She let me know when I could get the car and exactly how much I would pay. When we picked it up the process was easy and she even sat in the car with us to show us the features. read more

I just wanted to say how wonderful Eric in the Service Dept. is-as well as the staff!! I am a body shop owner and I really appreciate how quickly he has answered my calls and quickly took my customers' cars in for problems that are beyond our expertise. Eric really put my mind at ease knowing that my customers would be taken care of in a quality-assured way and with a very fast turn-a-round! He's a keeper, Carter VW! Adrienne at Carstar Hammer Auto Rebuild read more