Do not have your car serviced at Hampton Foreign Auto!
I have a VW Jetta TDI (turbo diesel) that needed routine replacement of the DSG transmission filter and fluid. It's a job that has to be done right, so I called around to find the best foreign auto repair place. I had read some good reviews for Hampton Foreign Auto, so decided to take it there. Tom Walker-Lewis, the owner, assured me he knew VW engines, could get the filter and DSG transmission fluid, and could do the work.
So I had the job done; the bill was $331.
Several weeks later I decided to make another appointment there to have the oil changed. I was surprised when he handed me the bill - $167, with no real explanation of why the bill was so high ($65 at VW).
A short time after the oil change, I noticed oil pouring out of the bottom of the car. Oil covered my new brick and stone driveway, trailed up the road, and I could get no measurement on the oil gauge in the car. Since there weren't any warning lights on, I drove it to the nearest VW dealership. Come to find out he had not screwed the cap on tightly and, under pressure, the oil came pouring out. The VW dealership replaced the oil. The driveway was ruined. After many discussions, he finally agreed to pay a portion of the cost to replace the driveway. He did not refund the cost of the botched oil change.
Sometime later, I happened to notice red, thick fluid dripping out of the bottom of the car. It was everywhere - in my driveway, and in the street. Again, there were no warning lights on, so I drove it to the same VW dealer, and they had no idea what the red fluid might be.
As it turned out, the red fluid was transmission fluid - but not DSG transmission fluid. Hampton Auto had used the wrong transmission fluid. It covered the engine compartment. The reason it was pouring out of the car is the same reason the oil had come pouring out: they had not tightened the cap and over time, under pressure, it spewed out.
VW had to drain what was left of the transmission fluid and replace it with DSG transmission fluid (which is NOT red). The bill was $371.
The VW dealership was surprised I hadn't lost the transmission. In fact, because they were unable to completely drain it all, they couldn't promise me I still wouldn't lose the transmission.
They gave me a receipt stating that the wrong transmission fluid had been used, and that the cap was not tightly replaced.
I recently sent a certified letter to Tom Walker-Lewis telling him what happened, with a copy of VW's receipt. To date, there has been no response. I'm considering legal action.
The total cost of the two botched jobs Hampton Foreign Auto performed, and then the repairs to undo their mistakes, was $923. I came close to losing the engine in both scenarios.
Do not take your car to Hampton Foreign Auo! read more
