Since 2001, I've taken my Volkswagen for service at Jim Ellis VW Marietta (now Kuhn VW Marietta), Barry Palmer Auto, VW City, and German Auto Care. I had terrible experiences with Jim Ellis, but found great mechanics at the latter three. Unfortunately, those mechanics moved on and left me searching for another reliable VW shop. Luckily, I didn't have to go far because a simple Google search led me to Eurotech Performance Group in Marietta.
I found Eurotech's web site, emailed for some price quotes on basic/regular services needed for my car (e.g. oil change, CV boot replacement, timing belt replacement) and owner Brian Ettl responded promptly and thoroughly. I was impressed with how comprehensive his emails were and scheduled an appointment for my next 5,000-mile service. Eurotech specializes in Audi, BMW, Porsche, and VW. These guys have been around since 1998.
Compared to Barry Palmer and VW City, Eurotech's office and garage are much nicer. It's about on par with German Auto Care (clean garage, bays, and whatnot). Ultimately, I'd say it's the nicest, and certainly biggest, of all the independent VW garages I've been to. Then again, that doesn't surprise me because I believe Barry Palmer and VW City's clientele were mostly VW owners whereas German Auto Care and Eurotech's clientele also include owners of expensive luxury marques. I suppose they've got to look nicer for those folks.
At the time of writing this review, I've already taken my car into Eurotech 9 times for various services and repairs. I've been very pleased with the work this shop has done to my car.
At Eurotech, an oil change for my car costs about $80. That's normal for my car because it has a turbo and requires full synthetic 5W40 oil (VW 502.00 specification). They use the German Liqui Moly brand oil here. CV boots run about $35 per boot and take about 2 to 2.5 hours per axle. A timing belt replacement comes in at just under $1,000 replacing the drive belts, water pump (with a German water pump with metal impeller), thermostat, and G12 pink coolant. Not the cheapest prices around, but I've found the quality of work and parts to be worth it.
When I first took my car into Eurotech (April 2015), their labor rate was $92 per hour. As of March 2016, their labor rate had increased to $100 per hour. I was told by Brian that all work and parts supplied by Eurotech are covered for 12 months or 12,000 miles. In some cases, parts are covered for 24 months.
Various people have worked on my car over the years: Nick (2015), Errol Tucker (2015-2016, I first met him at VW City), and Will (2016). Brian has been the one constant and has done a lot of work on my car too.
Work Eurotech has done to my high-mileage car include:
* Front left and front right upper forward and upper rearward control arms replacement. Old control arms torn.
* Cam chain tensioner gasket and valve cover gasket replacement. Oil and transmission fluid leak.
* Drive axle seal and front outer CV boot replacement. Boot torn (a regular occurrence on my car).
* Crank position sensor replacement. Hard starting, EPC, and CEL lights diagnosed.
* Front and rear brake pad and rotor replacement.
* Breather system replacement. Breather hose had dry-rotted and crumbled away.
* Upper radiator hose replacement. Coolant leak.
* Turbo outlet (boost) hose replacement. Oil leak.
* Spark plug and ignition coil replacements. Cylinder misfirings.
* Fog light grill replacement.
Brian and his crew have been terrific about helping me prioritize what work needs to be done to my car. They have never tried to sell me or pressure me on any work that was not a necessity. They also are great at answering all of my questions whether it is in-person or over the phone (I am a curious guy so I have a lot of questions). These guys are no-nonsense and simply honest, reliable, and dependable.
All work to my car has been done in a timely manner. There were times at Barry Palmer or VW City where my car wasn't seen for the entire day even though I had dropped my car off at the shop early in the morning and had made an appointment. The guys at Eurotech do a fantastic job sticking to their appointment schedule.
Brian (and in the past, Tommy) have been good about emailing me quotes and pictures. For the leaks described above, Brian took pictures of where the leaks were while he had my car taken apart. He emailed the pictures to me. Also, Errol has shown me numerous old parts of mine including my worn-out breather, radiator, and turbo hoses. I like being able to see stuff like that. You won't get that from the dealer.
In the end, I am very happy to have found these guys. They know their stuff and I fully trust them with my car. I will be sad when the day comes when I get a new car that is not an Audi, BMW, Porsche, or VW because then I won't be able to get my car serviced at Eurotech anymore. In the meantime, I know I am in great hands.
Thank you, Nick, Tommy, Errol, Will, and especially Brian! read more