I came here initially happy to see the high reviews for an independent VW mechanic ... but my experience was definitely NOT happy.
I brought my 2006 VW GTI (manual transmission) for a replacement of my EVAP purge valve. (If you look online for older VWs and Audis having issues after fill-ups at the gas tank, this is a common faulty part: after this fairly simple and inexpensive replacement, the issue nearly always goes away.)
Jorge was friendly, and was able to see me the next day. I explained two things that day:
1. I love my beautiful, old-as-dirt, 200,000-mile-plus car with the white-hot heat of a thousand suns. If the Supreme Court gave its blessing, I would marry this car! This hiccup with fill-ups was literally the only thing wrong with this workhorse. If this fix could be done without taking the car into expensive repairs, please do this. If not, please don't.
2. My dog had had surgery just that week, and needed to stay with me. With that, Jorge offered to get it done as soon as possible.
A couple of hours later (where my dog and I hung out at the Starbucks up the street), he called me and I picked up my car. That's when the nightmare started.
After this repair ... all of sudden, my car became dangerous and unreliable. That drive from the mechanic to my home was nerve-wracking. The car jerked VIOLENTLY every time I shifted up to a higher gear, then cut off entirely whenever I shifted between 1st and 2nd gear. It cut off REPEATEDLY and UNEXPECTEDLY -- even in the middle of a left turn, with oncoming traffic! I was sweating bullets by the time I got home.
I called Import Autowerks as soon as I got home, and explained what happened. The friendliness I got initially changed on the phone as soon as I asked the guy on the phone (not Jorge, but his front desk guy) when they could take my car back and check to see if they had missed something. What I got was a guarded agreement to take it back the next day.
The next afternoon, Jorge admitted that he'd left the mass air flow sensor unplugged in my car, causing the drastic reduction in performance.
Here's why I gave this place two stars:
1. This fairly simple repair didn't seem to merit 100% of the mechanic's time or attention. Do you only double-check your work on the more expensive repairs?
2. This was the mechanic's failure, and it cost me an extra day in the shop without my car. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have a ride waiting -- but what if I didn't?
3. In the end, I didn't even get an apology, much less a refund. Again: would this have been true with a newer, more expensive car?
4. I gave the mechanic 2-stars instead of 1 because the repair actually worked: I've filled up my gas tank without the hiccup anymore. But given the lack of basic competence in completing the repair itself ... I can't recommend this place to anyone. read more