Bavarian Imports on Howell Mill Road in Atlanta referred me to Karma VW and Audi in Scottdale,…read morelocated just northeast of Decatur in DeKalb County. Bavarian referred me to Karma for a second opinion after Bavarian recommended a $6,000 engine replacement for my 2001.5 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T with about 303,000 miles. You can read my Yelp review of Bavarian for details on that. My service advisor at Bavarian said my engine had maybe six months before it would brick (die) and that I should consider putting that $6k instead into a new or used car. As the original owner of my car (still original engine too), I didn't want to give up on it just yet.
I took my car to Karma, got that second opinion, and Karma saved my car. It's starting and running better than it has in a long time. General manager Jonathan Parker and mechanic Mike truly are VW specialists. Thank you, Jon and Mike! If you have an old VW or Audi and are looking for a good mechanic in the Atlanta area, this shop is worth the drive. It was for me.
Karma is the sixth independent VW/Audi specialty garage I've taken my car to since 2009 and about 105,000 miles. Before then, I took my car to VW dealers. Jon has worked at three VW dealers and two independent garages. One thing that makes Karma different from other independent garages I've been to is Jon and Mike like to do things by the book. Other shops were/are OK with shortcuts and workarounds that aren't factory spec, so keep that in mind if you've had work done to your car that isn't to original VW/Audi design settings.
I took my car to Karma (and Bavarian) to diagnose my engine occasionally misfiring upon cold starts. Karma's diagnosis was completely different than Bavarian's. Bavarian said old valve guide seals were causing oil to leak into my cylinders. Karma's diagnosis, per my invoice, was: "Found fault codes stored for secondary air injection. Found someone has misrouted vacuum hoses and blocked several off. Ran output test on secondary air pump. Failed. Found kombi valve sticking open, which allows water vapor from exhaust to build in secondary air pump, which has killed it and popped fuse."
Yes, I was aware my previous two mechanics/shops had done various work to my secondary air injection system. Lately, I was OK with "deleting" or removing the secondary air injection system because I was told by at least one VW/Audi specialist that the system was for emissions only and that it didn't affect the running of the car. That was true to a certain extent as I drove my car for several years with the P0411 check engine light code for "Secondary Air Injection System Incorrect Flow Detected." What Karma did solved that problem.
Mike performed the following, per invoice: wiring repair at ignition coil harness, removed bumper and replaced secondary air pump and mounts, replaced kombi valve and cracked 90-degree hose, replaced fuse for secondary air pump in ECM box, properly routed vacuum hoses and replaced all of them, and set readiness code to ensure no other engine performance issues. All of this work, parts and labor, cost about $2,500.
Mike found some other stuff wrong with my car, which I authorized he and Jon to fix. Mike replaced: my leaking valve cover gasket and camshaft adjuster seals, faulty blow-off valve, and boost pressure control valve. This other work, parts and labor, cost about $1,000. My total bill was $3,477.94. As Jon put it, "Better than a new car payment." I agree.
At the time of my visit, Karma's labor rate was $140 per hour. For comparison, less than two weeks prior when I was at Bavarian, their labor rate was $150 per hour. I have no idea what VW and Audi dealer rates are like these days. The bottom of my invoice says all of Karma's work comes with a 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty, which is the same as any VW dealer.
One thing I really liked about my experience with Karma was the after-hours drop-off and pick-up. I was able to drop off and pick up my car when it was convenient for me. I didn't have to take off work or wake up really early or anything like that. I actually never once visited this shop when they were open. All communications I had with Jon were via Yelp messaging (initially, to set up my appointment), email (to get an estimate in writing/PDF), and phone calls. I paid over the phone too. Convenient.
I will say, over the phone, Jon talked really fast for me and sometimes, it was hard to hear/understand him, so it was hard for me to process all of the information he was telling me. We think at different speeds and I'm slower. Also, I'm not a VW expert like him. In general, I try to understand all of the issues and work done to my car. Just from our phone conversations, I could tell Jon was very busy taking other calls and seeing other customers come into the shop. I could hear all the activity and he had to ask me to hold several times, which I didn't mind.
Based on this experience, I plan to take my Passat to Karma for service for the foreseeable future.
