The Peninsula Automotive team helped me get my VW baja bug back on the road! They dialed in my steering and new distributor. They noticed a shifting issue that I was completely unaware of, communicated their suggestions well, and they fixed it. What a knowledgeable team. Additionally, Dave figured I needed a spare hood and flame decal fenders to complete the look. He was right! read more

Peninsula Automotive - Fiberglass fenders from Peninsula Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - Campbell, California

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I am very happy with the work they did getting my 84 Vanagon to pass smog. They were thorough, and tried the lesser expensive fixes before the more expensive fixes, and kept the cost to the minimum they could. The van runs better now than it has in some time. I see complaints below about cost, but if you have one of these older vehicles, and it's a VW on top of that, cmon, you know its going to cost when you have to get it worked on. Also, you are paying for expertise - I spent so much money while on the road in the PNW trying to get the issues with it running fixed, to little avail, even at other VW places. I see other complaints about time - well, you know, it's not like you can go to Auto Zone and get the parts you need, and, well, I'd rather them take their time and do it right. They kept me informed through the whole process. I will be returning to get some other things fixed. read more

Peninsula Automotive - My 84 Vanagon on the road - Auto Repair Near Me - Campbell, California

Ive been going to Dave since the first week opened. I've had several different cars into him all air cooled VWs. He is always fair, helpful, honest to a fault. I trust him with my investments. He knows his stuff. Mechanics have been there a long time as well. read more

I have a very finicky 1986 Vanagon Syncro Westfalia (silver one in pics) that these guys have helped me time and time again on. They helped with my suspension, clutch / flywheel, sink, and any thing else I ask for. This is your one stop shop for all things Volkswagen Sharon and Dave are the co owners and also fellow volkswagen enthusiasts. They are priced fairly for their subject matter expertise and are always willing to work with you as a customer. Micah, the service provider, left his modeling career to intake your shiny vdub into the garage so you KNOW that your car will be shiny clean like a GQ magazine baby. Come here with confidence and all your V Dub woes! :) read more

My 82 VW Vanagon needed a hose, that might have been hard to find. Went in to see Dave. Not only did he have the piece, he had it changed out for no charge. Great service! Many thanks. read more

I called Tim to see if they could help me with my burnt out headlights on my VW Jetta. I was told to stop by to determine exactly what type of headlights I needed. I was helped so quickly and with such kindness I am planning to go back to them for all my normal maintenance. As a female going to an auto shop alone, I am so happy I was able to find a team that made the experience so comfortable. read more

I never ever had intentions to not pay the shop for their work, BUT after 3 months SHARON showed up ( whom I had never met before) with this completely exaggerated $$$ work order or invoice that she wanted be to sign, I decided to get the car the hell out of there and file a complaint with the BAR. THEY are the ones that told me I had to sign estimates as work commenced every stretch of the way. I don't screw people BUT I don't get screwed either. read more

I was instructed to get a passenger seat for my VW Cabriolet. Dave found a seat but realized when he delivered it to the upholstery shop that, not only was the seat not the right one, but they didn't need the entire seat anyway! All they really needed was some plastic brackets ($8). When he found out he didn't have the necessary plastic widgets in stock, he gave me the part number and told me to order them online. I did that, I got the seat re attached successfully. I am grateful that he didn't just say he couldn't help me and send me on my way. This is the kind of service I appreciate. read more

I have a 79 super beetle with fuel injection. I've worked on it some myself and, while the convenience of a working fuel injection system is great, the parts for this system are hard to come by. My beetle failed a smog test and Dave and his great crew got me right in to help. They maintain a stock of a lot of the hard to find parts for air-cooled Volkswagens and swapped out my mass airflow sensor box and sorted out the warranty with the company who refurbished the sensor I had put on myself recently. Dave even knew the man who refurbished the sensor personally. They were very thorough and found an issue with the gasket on my EGR valve that was causing a power loss at low throttle. The car passed with flying colors. All the while, Dave and his staff were very respectful and kept me informed of the progress throughout. I wouldn't take the car anywhere else after their help. read more

I have a really nice 1969 VW Beetle that I had let sit for about 10 years. Because it was an unplanned hiatus, I hadn't prepared the bug for storage and it needed some love. I was referred to Dave by Capitol VW and had planned to have my Bug towed to Peninsula. Unfortunately, I ran into few snags with the tow as all four wheels on the bug were seized and it was in a very tight location. I called Dave and he made some recommendations regarding the tow and the car made it. The bug needed quite a bit of work, new brakes, drums, fuel tank, ignition switch, tune up with valve adjustment, tires, and a list of other fun stuff. While not inexpensive, the service was very reasonable and Dave did an excellent job of keeping me up to date on the progress and any little snags. I highly recommend Dave and his team, they know air cooled VWs. Sharon was awesome as well. My bug now has an official service center! Thank you to the Peninsula Team! Don read more

Peninsula Automotive - My 1969 Beetle is up and running thanks to Peninsula Automotive! - Auto Repair Near Me - Campbell, California

a great local vw shop! this shop specializes in All Vw repairs but they excel on buses and bugs. Dave is the go to man here but Sharon or Jason are equally capable. Blue, Mike and Mike are the best vw mechanics ever. Peanut the dog is always about so bring sum dog treats. read more

My son bought a 1963 convertible as a gift for me, since it looks identical to my first car, a Poppy Red 1961 ragtop. He paid $6500 for it in 2010. It was a Monet like painting : from a distance a masterpiece, but up close a real mess. And underneath, a real deathtrap. Over the years the Peninsula guys have remedied many, many issues, from doors that won't open, doors that won't stay closed, brakes, suspension bits, graunchy shifter, pitted windshield, on and on. It's still a bit rough, but it looks decent, turns heads, and actually runs strong, like, Hey, it will get me back home from Palo Alto! I do love this little car, takes me back to Pittsburgh, 1963 every time I drive it. Throughout, Dave, Sharon and the crew have shown me the two legs of trust: competence, and honesty. So maybe someday, I'll spring for the full-on restoration. And if I do, I'll bring it here. read more

Peninsula Automotive is a savior if you own a VW! My brother sold his house and was getting ready to drive across the country in his 1985 vanagon that he's driven across country and many places before. Well his trusty "a little rusty" ride lost spark and after replacing the coil the girl was not happy, had hot restart issues, cold start issues, fuel issues, hunting, so much. We called them and spoke with Sharon who was so nice and helpful with us. I thought we needed a fuel pressure regulator and was desperately trying to find someone-anyone with this in stock. She placed us on hold and did some research and discovered one at a supplier but she needed to check stock. Next thing she's like no our supplier says this one is garbage quality and he's not recommending this one and we should order a good one and wait a day for it. Well we didn't want to wait for the part and Sharon says let me have you talk with Dave and see if he can help. Dave was out to lunch so she took down my number and would have Dave call me. Right on - customer service on a whole new level!! Since we hadn't had lunch and we somehow got the little beast running I'm like let's just drive over and see what's up. When we got there the place was pretty busy with Sharon on the phone and a customer at the counter. After a few minutes we spoke with Dave and he said let me check out your vanagon and see if he can help. My brother was so over the issues and ready to buy a different ride and Dave is like no you might regret that decision and should stick with your vanagon! Dave didn't think the fuel regulator was bad and wanted us to talk with one of his mechanics. The mechanic was busy trying get a job wrapped up plus it was raining so Dave gave us some advice and sent us on our way. Turns out the fuel regulator wasn't bad and after working on her thanks to Dave's advice we got her running reliably... but she was still hunting. Headed back there the next day and connected with Dave again. Long story short Peninsula Automotive is very helpful and even more importantly knowledgeable about VW. My brothers vanagon runs like a champ and purrs like kitten all thanks to this place! Finding an honest and full service legit mechanic shop is almost unheard of these days in the valley. If you are having a problem with your ride and looking for a good old down to earth straight up knows their sh!t place, I fully recommend this place. read more

Penn auto, outstanding service friendly staff, stands by their work warranty etc. A name you can trust . All around good product!

This place is EXPENSIVE, my very limited experience with Peninsula Automotive was today with their Parts department. Today I was in desperate need a short piece of coolant hose for my VW Vanagon, I called two of my favorite suppliers and they both said they had the part in stock but they were both about an hour drive away, since Peninsula Automotive is literally down the street from my house I decided to give them a call. To my surprise a recording stated that the shop is closed due to Covid 19, but since Peninsula Automotive was so close to me I decided to drive by the place , to my delight the shop was open and looked very much business as usual, the very nice sales person greeted me and told me that they had the part in stock, when the sales person ranged me up I thought they made a mistake as the Price was 3 times the other suppliers!!! I asked her if that was right and she said yes that is their price, it was getting late and I no longer had time to run to the other suppliers so I paid for the part and left. I had read other reports that Peninsula Automotive does some price gouging but now I had first hand experience, So the take away is BUYER BEWARE, Shop around and you will most likely find your part or your service for one third the price elsewhere. I ended up paying for a part that was Made in Turkey while other suppliers sell the genuine German part for about the 1/3rd the price. read more

I had been wanting an old VW bus for years and I finally pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, the bus I bought had a ton of problems. Peninsula did a great job pointing out some of the biggest issues and fixed them for me. I really appreciated Peninsulas (Steve and Dave) communication through the process. I am enjoying my bus and look forward to driving it for years to come. A big thanks to the Peninsula team for their great work. read more

Peninsula Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - Campbell, California

I have a 1960 bug that I bought a harness for it and I put it all in but I don't know how to do my signal lights and the backlight work still knew I was curious if you guys make an appointment for me to take it over there and finish the car for me read more

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Well, apparently my first review was deleted, so here it is again: Do not take your car here. They seem like nice enough guys until they start making up reasons to charge you, in my case I got charged $1500 for a job I didn't tell them to do, that they told me I didn't really need. The reason I was told they went ahead with the job was because they didn't think I would come back to get the job done (which I owe them why?). They totally took advantage of me, and I've not only bought my car from them, but ONLY ever had it worked on there, and they decided to totally skrew me for no reason. These guys suck and are thieves. Wonder how long this stays up before it's deleted... read more

OK, I give this place 2 stars which I will explain later. The service here was decent. The employees are very knowledgeable and they explain what needs to be done which I liked. Prices are good and they are sure better than Bugformance. I was satisfied with the work that was done here and the time in which it was done. A good thing is that the dog park is right on the other side of the bridge so you can bring your dog there to kill time. Now the ridiculous part. So I dropped my car off for an oil change which is fast so I was just hanging out inside. Them a couple of the guys friends came in and said they were going to go outside to smoke some pot and order some pizza... then the guy goes outside to join them... wtf! OK I understand people who drive bugs have the reputation of being stoners and all but (a) smoking pot is stupid, and (b) doing it on the job is 10x worse. If you do not care about this kind of behavior than I do recommend this shop because they are a lot better than bugformance. I personally feel that allowing someone to conduct illegal activities on the premise should not be tolerated. A professional thing to say would be "do it at home", or "don't do that hear". Regardless of who the person is and what the reason is, it is still illegal to use drugs for any purpose in a public setting. read more

Peninsula Automotive gets the job done! I have a 99 Cabrio and the check engine light kept coming on. I first took it to Stevens Creek VW and the first thing they did was to replace the check engine light bulb?! Yes, they replaced the bulb. First, they charged me $139 for a $2 bulb. Second, you don't change the bulb for a check engine light that keeps coming on! After 3 other attempts and $1400 later the check engine light still kept coming on and they smiled and said what else can we do for you? Really?! I then took my car to Peninsula Automotive and they diagnosed and fixed the problem the first time out. If you have a problem with your VW go to Peninsula Automotive. Please, please do not go to Stevens Creek VW. read more

I had almost the exact same issue as Eric M. - oil leak and my bus had a shudder as well....neither problem was fixed but I was still left with a $600 bill! Here was my experience: Not impressed! Nice enough guys but I wasted $600 to have things I didn't ask for replaced and was still left with the 2 specific problems I asked them to fix. I had (still have) an oil leak and a shudder in my 1970 Kombi. That was all I asked them to find, figure out, and fix. They replaced my battery (which I did need), distributor, points, oil drain plug, oil drain cover, and countless other things. I repeated to them each time we spoke (3 separate times) that I didn't even care what they replaced, just fix the shudder and the oil leak. I picked it up and the first thing it did was shudder out of the parking area. I was so upset I didn't go back in and I had other places to be. So I called back and they said bring it in and we'll take another look at it - not for free though which they should have because they did things that were obviously not fixes to my problem. Just small upgrades I could have done on my own and didn't need them for. Oh yea, and the oil leak is still there as well. If you want to waste your money and your time - go ahead and use them. However if you want good service and honest work, THIS IS NOT the place. read more

I've taken my VW to several different shops in the South Bay area, but wasn't satisfied until I discovered Peninsula Automotive. They specialize in Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche, and carry lots of parts and accessories in their on-site store -- both water-cooled and air-cooled stuff. The mechanics definitely know Volkswagens, and the shop's parking lot will always have the most awesome selection of vintage vee-dubs to gawk at, on your way in. Their rates are cheaper than many other Euro-specialized shops, and I completely trust them to tell me the truth. I even take my car here for regular oil-changes, because: 1) I know that they'll only recommend an additional service when it's actually necessary, 2) because they're knowledgeable enough to recognize and diagnose any issues or potential issues, and 3) because I feel like my baby is in good hands. Customer service has always been stellar; everyone is super-friendly, and extremely accommodating. I've never had any issues with getting my car back late, or have ever had any problems getting it in to be worked on. Their estimates have been accurate in regards to both cost and timing. I honestly haven't been able to recommend another shop this much since Hackel's VW in Albany, NY. read more

My first experience with Peninsula Automotive will certainly be my last. Be very careful when you leave your auto at this shop as it can be very expensive $$$$. But, If you enjoy paying inflated labor /parts charges, and with a dash of arrogance, this place is for you. read more

The Blokes at Peninsula are a funny bunch. They are not the same sort of mechanics as dealers...People don't bring cars that a family of racoons live in to Stevens Creek Audi and expect them to get it running for $50.00 Working on old cars for money can be a nightmare-especially VWs. I have found them to be honest, and quite a lot of fun. I've had them do very difficult projects for me, and they always treat me like a rich uncle when I visit. They are also happy to teach me how to do things myself, and on one occasion fabricated me a Z shaped wrench that I invented myself for reaching otherwise impossible anglesof my Manx. I admit many things I've sent them cost more than I expected, but nobody gets free rent in silicon valley. I'm happy places like this and guys like them are still around, and it's not been turned into a F-ng Starbucks. read more

I've been going to these guys since I was a teenager (long time ago). They are strait shooters and always get the job done. I realize most people are pissed when they get an unexpected high bill for repairs or the car takes too long but good news or bad, these guys know their stuff and my cars are well cared for. Oh, they also drive and love VW's, big plus. read more

I've been a long time customer (15 years +) of Peninsula Automotive and I feel this is great opportunity to share my experience with others. Along with the Technical staff, David's knowledge in being able to trouble shoot and identify the many problems my VWs were experiencing saved me time and money. He and the others at Peninsula Automotive were prompt in informing me of the expected time and cost in servicing my cars. For that, I salute them in what they do and the passion they show in caring for and keeping my old VW on the road. Thanks a bunch to everyone at PA!! read more

I own a 2010 A4 Audi and was having car issues while driving up to Northern California for a business trip. Right when I walked in the door, staff was eager to assist. Dave is very knowledgeable and explains everything so there's no surprises. Quality work and super friendly. Best yet, they don't charge dealership prices. Wish I had a place like this back home. read more

Great Service and Honest. Don't spend hundreds of dollars at the Audi Dealer. They really took care of my Audi issue without telling me that I need to fix other extra stuff. read more

These guys have allways taken care of my volksie(s)!..They have never let me down...They are straight up with you no matter what the deal is....Honest repair business..... read more

Just took my 2012 Audi in for Service. Received the most professional, knowledgable, not to mention friendly service I have ever received from an auto repair shop. I highly recommend all Audi lovers who may need repair service take it to Peninsula Automotive in Campbell. read more

I have been using these guys for years now. They have kept our ancient Vanagon ('87) on the road for many trips. Their service is great. recently I took it in, to check a "funny" noise under the vehicle. They diagnosed a bad fuel pump. Seems reasonable, so I gave the go-ahead. Earlier I had also taken a ruptured power steering hose to them. They had a contact that could rebuild it at half the price. Well, long story short. It turns out the problem was that the hose had not been rebuilt correctly and it had nothing to do with the fuel pump. So they put in the old fuel pump and found the correct power steering hose. When I went to liberate the beast, I expected a stiff repair bill since they put a lot of labor into it. Instead they said " Hey if the guy had done a correct job on the power steering hose, you would not have brought the vehicle in. So no charge!! Go find a repair shop like that ! Definitely recommend these guys if you are into VW. Cheers, Hans read more

Very satisfied with Peninsula Automotive. They do excellent work on old VW Bugs. There has not been a problem that I brought in that they could not solve. And they are quick. read more

I made a pretty big mistake thinking I could trust Peninsula Automotive to fix my car. I was reassured many times that their mechanics were experts and they would fix my problems quickly and simply. I was very wrong. I'd read previous Yelp reviews complaining about inflated repair bills, and I'd also read the garages response apologizing. I'd figured they would try their best to correct previous mistakes and build a better reputation and gain customer trust once more. I mean, recommendations and referrals are a garages best friend. Why try to be dishonourable? I took my car to have a switch replaced. It was supposed to be a 1 hour job. After weekly phone calls and 5 months later I had to get my car towed to another garage to get it to even drive again. The car had been working fine for 2 years. I just wanted the back-up lights to work again. The problem was that by replacing the switch, they destroyed the transmission harness (they admitted fault). By replacing the transmission harness they destroyed the transmission ECU (they admitted fault). They warned me that it was also likely that the entire transmission was now likely to be replaced because of that. I was looking at a bill of thousands of $ to replace a $10 switch. They seem perplexed that they should be responsible and refused to bear the cost of any of the damage they caused to the car. I gave them the chance to 'do the right thing and put it right'; they refused. So now 5 months later I have to get my car towed to get inspected so that I can get legal advice on how to get my money back. Then I need to get my car fixed. It's a complete mess, and something that should never have happened had skilled mechanics been working on my car. I have never had cause to write a bad review before, but this has been shambolic. If you want to take the risk; take your car there to get fixed. If you don't mind huge bills, a car that gets worse the more they 'fix' and don't mind being without a car for half a year. Go ahead. I have spent 15 years working in Automotive, I design ECUs for cars. I've done nothing else! - I know cars inside-out. I've never heard such a string of stories in my life. Technically their explanations made no sense. Scratch the surface and ask them to explain their actions or reasons and it's clear they have no clue. $1600 to fix a reversing light, and now I have a car that doesn't drive. Who knows how much it will cost to get my car back on the road again. read more

I own two air cooled VWs ('70 bug and '73 bus) and have had them serviced here several times. First, I should say that these guys know their stuff. They are very knowledgable and I think they do good work, but I always leave feeling taken advantage of. For one, I feel like they upsell you every time; if you take your car in for a brake job get ready for the whole shebang-- new rotors, discs, pads, etc. Also, they consistently keep my cars longer than they say they will need them. They park them outside, and while I have never had any theft or vandelism, they are returned covered in bird poop and grime. They say they will call when the work is complete but then dont. You have to stay on these guys and call them up-- here only the squeeky wheel gets the grease. It is my experience that estimates are always significantly lower than the final bill. The last $600 estimate (basic tune up and breaks) ended up costing $900 and they didn't even do some of the things listed on the estimate! It was yet another case of being over billed and under served. I finally had had enough and I talked to the owner and explained exactly why I was unhappy, but he was not willing to do anything for me. Apparently they were not very interested in keeping my business. I'd recommend Bugformance in San Jose; they have a great mechanic named MAV who is honest and does good work. read more

Specializes in vintage VW. Nevertheless, I took my Audi to this place a couple of times. If you can stand their attitude, their mechanic is more competent and thorough than, say, Audi Stevens Creek. However, do not expect bargains (labor rate $90+). They are only slightly cheaper than the stealer. Be sure to ask for detailed estimates and your old parts. Overall a reasonable place. I wish I could find a cheaper, competent independent in the Bay Area.....but I am dreaming. read more

I've been taking our VWs to Peninsula for 5 years now; first, a restored VW Convertible, now my daughter's high-mileage Jetta. This shop is exactly what you dream about; they are thorough, friendly, and in my experiences (many) completely trustworthy. Many times they've diagnosed a problem and offered two solutions - like a rebuilt part vs. a new part, a weld vs. a replacement, etc. Even for the more difficult problems, they'll suggest a conservative approach first. Their prices are quite reasonable, and while they may sometimes take a little longer than anticipated, I'd find no faults with their service. read more

have been doing business with Dave since he moved the shop to Campbell. close to 25 years now. during that time i have met and became friends with other customers that have been shopping and having their vw's worked on there for as long as i have. Todd has been there for years and always throughly explains to the novice and the experts what the repair shop will be doing or what the part being purchased is for. Todd, Dave, Blue, Mike, Nick and others through the years have given me good sound advice, keeping me from wasting money on things i did not need or repairs that were not needed. they have also advised me on repairs that were needed that down the road, that besides saving me money, i am sure saved my life. i have sent many friends and strangers that ask me for a trust worthy shop to peninsula auto. later, they all tell me how much they appreciated my advise and how well they were treated. many of my friends that own older air cooled bugs, ghias, buses will not take their vw's any other place. many of them have been doing business with peninsula auto for over 20 years. tell me their vw's are part of the their family and the people at peninsula automotive understand that. recently i needed to rebuild the engine on my meyers manx dune buggy. being short on cash,i went to peninsula to see what my options were. Dave and Todd assured me that with my experience, that i could rebuild the engine myself. although i had never rebuilt a vw air cooled engine before, with their expert opinion encouraging me, i bought the parts from peninsula and headed home. as i went out the door with my box of parts, Todd tells me, call us if you run into any problems. i called em and sure enough Todd got Dave and Blue on the phone with me to talk me with me, thought i needed a custom tool, Blue told me how to make one. engine is running like a top. i am 53, been working on cars since i was 15. mostly chevys and datsuns. skill level 1 to 10, around an 8. welding, custom fabricating, rebuilding engines, transmission, differentials, electrical. i currently own a '58 vette, a 240z with a 350 chevy V8 engine & vette 4 speed, a stock original 240z, a '72 baja bug ( with a 2110 cc engine & custom built transaxle, disc brakes, full roll cage, ect ) and 2 original meyer manx dune buggies. in the past i have owned two '57 nomads, several 55 chevys, 65 GTO, 31 chevy, the list goes on. do and did 98% of the work on them myself. although i was a professional mechanic for 5 years mid to late 70's, i am finding that VW's are a different kind of animal and it is awful nice to have a helping hand especially from the group at peninsula automotive that honestly care for my safety, my welfare and, my pocket book. i know when i am being bull s****d and cheated. i will tell you straight up, that if my mother drove a VW, i would insist that anything i did not personally have the time or the knowledge to do, that the only place she take her Vee Dub to, would be Peninsula Automotive in Campbell, California if you are reading this and wondering where you should take your air cooled or water cooled volkswagen, do what a some of the owners of VW show cars featured in hot vw magazine have done when seeking honest advice and good honest mechanics, do what my good friends do, do what i do, do what my mother would do, go see Todd at Peninsula Automotive in Campbell, Ca. read more

Dave at Peninsula Automotive was extremely helpful. While he couldn't weld the after market cat to my 2000 VW Passat, he located a local muffler shop, made sure they understood the nuances of the cat layout, and phoned me back with the contact information the very next day. And I'm NOT a current customer; although I will be the next time I need some work. read more

Dave and his crew at Peninsula are a quirky but wonderful bunch. If you go there, expect to be treated like a friend, and sometimes wait for the chat with the person there before you to finish. I generally buy parts from them, some very hard to find items. They have gone so far as to let me go out in the lot and pick a part off a relic, just to make sure I got what I needed. Plenty of free advise is given, and the other clientele there always seem to leave satisfied. Heck, they even have a once a year show and BBQ for their customers! You don't get that at Bugformance or the all vw shop in mountain view. read more

first off i would like to thank Dave and the guys for the great service and honest advise they have given me over the past year with my bug. not once have i ever felt i was being taken advantage of or cheated because of my lack of experience with vw's. from day one they have treated me like family and not a customer and i think more businesses should operate this way. to me its the little things that make all the difference and the guys have been there for me on more than one occasion Jason is always there for advise when ordering parts and as far as mechanics go i don't think anyone has more knowledge or skill than Blue. Don't let the piercings and dirty Dickie's fool you, he is the guy to go to and knows VW's inside and out. I would just like to say thank you again for all of your help and you have a customer for life. . read more