In the words of the best VW mechanic in the bay area (valley wagon works), "the first thing I do with a bus lab inspection report is tear it up!" Only bring your bus here if you like over paying for work that isn't necessary and dealing with condescending mechanics! read more

My 1985 VW Vanagon Camper had trouble starting when I filled up on my travels to the Russian River for a weeks camping trip. It started after a short period of time by letting the engine cool, and for a week I parked it at the campground. It started after the week of camping, but was very compromised as I was driving back to Berkeley. Since I had used a repair shop not familiar with the VW Buses, I looked on-line, and found the Buslab. I was told that a through perusal of the entire 1985 Bus was necessary to determine the nature of the starting problems, etc. This led to a 9 page report that encompassed problems with most of the mechanical aspects of driving this vehicle; brakes, clutch, shifting mechanism, coolant system, exhaust system, and some problems with the electrical system, as well as, the cylinder heads leaking, etc. This basically was from delayed proper maintainance of the vehicle!!!! This proceeded to a months stay at the Buslab to rectify all the mechanical aspects. The shop manager, Kenau, was very professional and friendly during this process, and the owner, Marko, as well, was very helpful during this process, by providing light bulbs for the brake lights, etc, and special hooks for the interior curtains. Amazingly, the 1985 Westphalia Vanagon Camper is like a new, improved vehicle!! Therefore, I now have an experienced VW Bus repair shop to properly maintain this recently painted and mechanically sound camping vehicle! Thanks Buslab!! Dr. R. H.Fish read more

This place got bigger than they can handle and its only a matter of time they go to court for their BOGUS guarantees (See their website). Story (as concisely as possible): I have been successful with rebuilding converted engines in my vanagon for years now. However, I am self taught and sometimes need the guidance and expedience of the pros. Just like most Vanagon owners, I seek VERY high standards deciding a mechanic. I have known of the Buslabs "sterling" reputation, working on converted vanagons for years. I decided that they would be a good choice. AND WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH "GUARANTEED" WORK?!?!?!? In early November I brought my van in to get a "health" inspection. The quote was expensive, but I didn't mind quality work isn't cheap. Dylan, at the front desk ALWAYS seems on the brink of meltdown. They diagnosed an issues that would ultimately mean and engine rebuild. I have been successful twice in rebuilding engines, so thought I would take it on myself. This time around they did good service. Marco was extremely knowledgable, decent and helpful, also went as far as to give me a tour of the place! Theres a nice collection of VWs there. THE PLOT THICKENS- After my rebuild my van kept mysteriously overheating. Symptoms by total coincidence started in Berkeley on my way back to my town of Bishop, Ca. Big journey. They were able to fit me in their jam packed schedule, which I give them credit for, but I did have to wait an extra day while I sat around. I still didn't mind, it was unexpected and I was stranded. Marco was convince it was the thermostat and replaced it. I thought that was strange as I had just test the thermostat days earlier. Whatever its fixed!! NOT!! NOT!! NOT!! It overheated again the moment I pulled out of the garage. I went back and Marco was confused. He said it was the layout of my cooling system and it was going to require a bypass modification, as to bring hot coolant over thermostat. Weird because this setup was professionally installed and worked perfectly with other two rebuilds. He told me that I could be sure of this problem if my the temp kept while running heater. This is where the ABANDONING begins. Marco reassured me that if I drove with heater on and it kept cool then I am "good to go". Marco then (in front of another customer, Larry? I think it was) told me that I could come back and borrow tools and supplies to and work around the corner on the street (there was literally a gun fight in front of the Buslab that same day) if I wanted to bypass the coolant and not run the heater. Marco reassured me that if I drove with heater on and it kept cool then I am "good to go". I took him at his word and continued with my journey. My van with heater running overheated going through Tahoe, overheated and cracked a gasket. Why'd I listen to Marco? I had to be back to work so I was anxious and reassured I was road worthy. I called them to see how we could work together to get this fixed. After all their work is GUARANTEED right? Dylan was quick to deflect any responsibility and started with some incredibly weak excuese like "too booked up" and I am "100% at fault". I still thought I wanted to do business and work something out but to schedule me Dylan had to get authorization from Marco. When has that ever been the case. They never return ANY of my calls.... BOTTOM LINE- I went in with a van overheating, I left with a van overheating and they didn't want to back up their work. LAME. LAME. LAME!! read more

The Buslab is the kind of place that goes above and beyond the call of duty. They sincerely care about their customers and without a doubt love Vanagons. I was on a trip with a newly purchased 88 Vanagon, travelling from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, to Kent, WA. I broke down near Dublin, CA. The next morning I called The Buslab, and spoke with Sissy. She said that they would get me in right away and at least diagnose the problem. When I arrived I was warmly greeted by the Service Writer, Adrian. He did everything he could to put me at ease, and get me in right away with the goal of getting me back on the road. My mechanic, Jamil, was awesome. He and the owner, Marco, were very transparent, and kept me appraised of the problems they were finding, how they would be solved, and why they needed to be worked on. I ended up spending 2 days at The Buslab. Fortunately, my seemingly major issues were fixable, and they addressed several smaller problems that I needed corrected to get me back to the Seattle area. They provided a 'to do' list of items to take care of upon my return home, but got me going back on my way. Each employee I interacted with was kind, friendly, and professional. They treated me like family. I will always chose The Buslab for any VW needs I have in the bay area, and have even ordered a bunch of parts from them to continue the rehab of my 88 Vanangon GL (they have great prices on the parts website). Without any reservations, I would highly recommend The Buslab. Every community would be lucky to have a shop like the The Buslab available to care for their aging Vanagons. Thank you Buslab, and I hope you guys have a great time Land Hopping at SyncroFest! read more

I've been here 5 times for parts. Each time they acted like their doing me a favor by deigning to take my Money. Never a smile or a friendly hello. Once I called in for a repair estimate, 4 days later they got back to me with a quote 30% higher than I had just paid. Last month during the usual interminably long wait for a part I tried to make some polite convo. There was a story online about the FSU quarterback who got suspended because he hit a girl who hit him first. I brought this up as a hypothetical, opinions were exchanged for 45 seconds and that was it. Today I go in there and they said I was totally inappropriate, literally said I was a asshole to pose that topic and to never come back. These are some straight up wingnuts! Give your money to go westy read more

Had the worst mechanic experience of my life at Buslab this week. We have a '77 VW Westfalia and took it in for an "appointment" (I use quotations because appointment have no meaning in Buslab's world) on Thursday at 9am per their directions. We don't hear from them and it's 4pm-ish so we call and they say they didn't get a chance to look at it but will do so first thing Friday morning. A little annoying, but whatever. So Friday afternoon rolls around and we still haven't heard anything from them so we call them around 3pmish. They have barely even looked at the car, and haven't made any diagnoses and won't be able to finish the car until Monday. So we are stuck without a car for the weekend, which is yet another annoyance. Monday comes and they call us around noon to say that they think they found the problem but it requires a part that won't come in until Wednesday. Too bad (as we had already told them multiple times) that we needed the car back by Tuesday morning for a drive back to Sacramento. If they had actually looked at the car on the day we had an "appointment" the part could have been ordered in time. Instead, we paid them $350 for nothing (the van is still in the exact same not properly functioning condition as when we brought it in) and the inconvenience of being without a car for 4 days! Sounds like a sweet deal for them. It might be a bit of a drive, but if you're in the Bay Area we have had nothing but amazing experiences with Paul at Valley Wagon Works in San Rafael. He won't give you an appointment unless he can look at the car, is quick, smart and honest. Has never charged us for doing nothing and kept the car for an inordinate amount of days. Will never bring my van back to Buslab again, that's for sure! read more

Bad customer service, untimely, and an all around bad experience. Bus lab needs to work on the way their employees and the manager treat their faithful customers. When their technicians displace car parts and their customers complain, they should apologize and do their best to accommodate them instead of telling them never to come back. read more

We've taken our van here for 11 years and loved this place. However, after they moved and expanded their space, Steve the owner is no longer hands on. The service has seriously suffered. They've been forgetting items which has required us to return to have things redone. We've witnessed other people complaining in the office about the same thing. It has made us very sad to take our beloved bus elsewhere for service and when we did, we got a lengthy list of things they had missed. They used to be the best. read more

This review is for Eurovan owners. Buslab is not very good at Eurovans. I learned that they try and learn on the job (while billing) and are typically unsuccessful. I had them do a timing belt for routine maintenance and they ended up causing an issue where the van would completely loose power in the highway. Returned it to them twice for a fix and they ended up giving it back to me and saying they couldn't figure it out. While it was there they also managed to break a plastic air valve that they said was irreplaceable so they glued it. They also said I needed new brake lines, which I had them replace. Before the work the brakes worked fine, now they completely fail at times. I ended up at TEAM VW for the timing issue - they fixed it in an hour for $150. Total bill at Buslab: over $3500. Left with new problems that had to be fixed elsewhere. read more

The work here is fine, but the professionalism is awful. My Situation: I took my bus in just after buying it to have it inspected and worked on. They were a little disorganized (i.e. said they call back or email a quote, but would forget, and then someone else would call wanting to move forward with the work when I was still waiting on the quote). But generally I had no problems with the work they did or the timeline (2 weeks for a handful of relatively minor repairs) My Complaints: 1. THEY DID WORK I ASKED THEM NOT TO DO AND CHARGED ME FOR IT. We went over the issues, and which I wanted fixed, over the phone. I said go ahead on certain things, and hold off on others. They went ahead on one thing (albeit small--replacing a non-essential light bulb) that I asked them to hold off on. They never actually sent me a work order until all the work was done, so this was a case of nothing being in writing, and whoever I was on the phone with not writing down what I asked them to do, and just doing everything they had mentioned to me. 2. THEY DID WORK THEY NEVER EVEN ASKED IF I WANTED DONE AND CHARGED ME FOR IT. At the end of the two weeks it was there, they decided to do an oil change, "since we were already in there anyway." They charged $165 for the oil change ($130, or 1 hr, for labor), and the first time they mentioned it was when they called for payment. They have a line on the work order that notes when each quote was given, and for the oil change, the line reads "7/22/2013 10:38am [Name] in person." I didn't go by the shop that day at all, and hadn't been there in two weeks, so I certainly wasn't there in person at 10:38am. To me, that is a bush league move. I understand their labor is expensive because they are a specialist shop, but that's exactly why I wouldn't have them change my oil if they had bothered to ask me whether that was something I wanted to pay them to do. Not to mention that 1 hour seems excessive for an oil change, and looking at the work order, I suspect they were generous to their mechanics on the # of hours spent in several other places as well. This was a small charge compared to the rest of the work they did, but to me that makes it an even more flagrant nickel-and-diming. Anyway, it seems to me that the basic rule of making customers at an auto shop feel comfortable and satisfied with the experience should be only doing and charging for the work that the customer asks you to do. This did not seem like an important rule to them, and for this reason, I will not go back and would advise anybody who appreciates having some control in the process not to go either. The positives: They were nice people, and my sense as a non-mechanic is that they really do know what they're doing. That is very important, and why I went there in the first place. And I don't mind that they charge $130/hr, because if we're willing to pay it, we're willing to pay it. In the end, the issues weren't really about the $, which was a small chunk of the overall bill, but where else can you go and pay somebody $130/hr and be treated like the company does't really care about you or your business? read more

The Buslab is awesome. If you own--or are considering buying--a bus, Vanagon or any other air-cooled VW, you owe it to yourself to stop by. For parts, service, an engine swap or a pre-purchase inspection these are the first guys I'd visit. Even if you do all your own work and just need to quickly grab an oil-change kit, you'll meet some other cool folks who are into old VWs--and they'll even give your dog a treat. Drive up and you'll see a yard stuffed with parts buses and the Land Hopper, the rad shop van. Turn the corner to enter an immaculate shop with the full range of Freedom Vehicles up on lifts--ratty splittys with wood bumpers and sea air rust to factory-fresh $60k Synchro rigs. Owners Marko and Steve and service writers Dan and Shawn are the folks you're most likely to encounter when you walk through the roll-up door and all are friendly, honest and knowledgeable. While you likely won't spend any time waiting, it's still worth checking out all the sweet VW ephemera in the waiting room. The Buslab stocks the best available OEM/German repros of common replacement parts and sometimes cheaper Brazilian/Mexican alternatives. Parts guy Matt is a bus restoration vet and a great store of parts knowledge. Their parts prices are very reasonable--sometimes a little higher than WW, WCM or the Bus Depot, but there's no waiting/paying for shipping. The Buslab has done all kinds of thankless jobs for me, from replacing my front door seals to swapping in a rebuilt gearbox. All have been completed on time, within the estimate and properly. The Buslab can also help you prioritize if you have several issues and a limited budget. Yes, their labor rates are on the high side ($130/hr) compared with other VW mechanics, especially for routine service. But as others have mentioned, I'd rather pay a little more up-front to have a job done properly and on time by an experienced tech than "save" money with someone whose idea of a injection system tuneup is trying to talk you into swapping out your intact L-Jet for dual Weber carbs. They also, uniquely in my experience, offer a warranty on parts/labor for most work they do and not just the big stuff like engine swaps. So you know I'm not a shill, I will say that I have experienced a couple issues here. After they straightened my bent shift rod, they forgot to put the chin bash plate back on. And last week I was handed a right side-view mirror when I asked for a left. It's a credit to the Buslab there's been nothing else considering all the work I've had done here and both these tiny issues were resolved as soon as I turned around and drove back to the shop. There is simply no better place to bring your bus or Vanagon for service, big or small, and they are a great local resource for parts as well. After spending my first 2 years of bus ownership in the barren DC area, I feel like I've reached bus nirvana. My highest recommendation. read more

they know how to work on my 1966 beetle. they guys are real cool too. i learned something about my beetle as well. i was told that i needed a valve adjustment every time i had an oil change, but the guys over here told me that its really only needed every other time. saves me 70 clams. you know a business is honest when they SAVE you money vs. upselling stuff. read more

The Buslab - Great service! I learned something new about my buggy today too. - Auto Repair Near Me - Berkeley, California

Hooray for Buslab! Affordable reliable repair, I only wish they were on my side of the bridge. They fixed the power assist brakes on my 1971 Campmobile over a year ago...no problems since! Now the dreaded electrical boogyman has appeared and after failing to find the issue myself I am going back to buslabs for help. read more

Buslab is the only shop to go to if you have a VW bus or van! We had an emergency while road tripping through the area. Van wouldn't start. Had to push start it and the first place I thought of to take it was the Buslab. After-hours envelopes were available because it was already a few hours past closing. We crossed our fingers, left the keys, and explained our predicament... that we were on a road trip. So we called back the next morning and made sure everything was in order. They did a good job of managing our expectations because they were actually booked out for the next three weeks! Lo and behold, they called back a few hours later after moving things around so they could put it up on the rack asap. A bad starter was the culprit and we were back on the road by the end of the day! Such great service! I will only take my van here if I'm in the area again. read more

Let me say that after 3 years our van is still running strong! Good work guys. However, I do feel like the customer experience leaves a lot to be desired. I am guessing this is primarily because vans are so popular these days and they have a heavy backlog of bu$ine$$. The first time we brought our van in there were a couple major communication problems but they made right on the job in a big way so thats cool. The second time I came in they fixed the problem promptly but managed to break off one of our curtain rods and loose a custom made curtain somehow. The curtain rod was just hanging from the sliding door broken when I picked up the van. When I asked about it the response was 'oh that's not very good attention to detail is it? *chuckle*'. read more

the folks at BusLab are great. They are all enthusiasts who not only are extremely knowledgeable about all the quirks, but also are happy to go into as much detail as you'd like which is a rare thing. I bought a used westy and had no idea what kind of shape it was in. fortunately, BusLab have an awesome service to do a thorough detailed check which really helped me know exactly what needs to done. they spent a good hour+ going over the results with me and prioritizing work that should happen sooner rather than later. well worth every penny read more

Have to say a great shop to come too if you have a VW Bus!! Very knowledgeable and professional all around took car of my bus in quick time and will definitely come back! read more

Last year, I bought for my husband and I a 1986 VW Vanagon for camping/roadtrips. Little did I know, the vanagon I bought needed tons of repairs. I was VERY lucky to find the Buslab, which is conveniently located downtown Berkeley, just a quick 5 min drive from my house. I did end up spending a few good paychecks here, but it was work well done. I continue going to the Buslab for maintenance and oil changes and everything in between. I highly recommend these guys if you have a VW Bus. Bonus: hot mechanic guys work here :) yum. read more

Excellent communication! Just inspection and consultation but excellent experience. Thanks Alfie.

Another shop not to be named referred me to BusLab, and I'm certainly glad they did!...although I was embarrassed to park my DD in front as it was blocking the view of their menagerie of rare and restored type II's, type III's and other vintage VW's. Everyone very friendly and professional without an ounce of attitude or ego. The shop was incredibly clean, and their location is near BART so I could pick it up a few days later. They performed an inspection. Helped get it running again with a simple and affordable fix, Showed me exactly what was wrong so I could log it in my brain for the next time the engine farts out on me... and consulted me on ideas for some safety upgrades so my kids' car seats can be installed without any cutting or welding. Finally my family can soon enjoy the bus with me while it's not parked someplace! Thanks BusLab! Looking forward to a long partnership to keep the 40 year old in tip top shape! read more

These guys are awesome. I own a 1989 Westfalia and the Buslab is where I take my van for all repairs and maintenance. I have had a few transmission issues this past year and they have been really great at working with me to get it right. They stand by their work and I really appreciate their passion for these vehicles and their commitment to quality. Without a doubt the best in the Bay Area. read more

These guys are thorough in their work, THE place to go for VW Vans their knowledge will bring you from fixes to solar panel help. They did great work on my 85, were up front about all charges, never pressure to buy or "gotchas" with any of the work, didn't overcharge. Really great experience. I will be bringing my van back up from SoCal to get any major work done with them. Just schedule an appointment and be patient, will be worth it. I dealt with Shawn, he emailed me an inspection report, super easy & clear to deal with. Easy to communicate with, deep knowledge in the shop, yup, yup, yup go there Van lovers. read more

I stopped by Bus Lab totally unannounced with a concerning gas leak problem. This problem popped up while camping and I was several miles from home. Even though they were super busy, they welcomed me in and fixed the problem fast, getting me back on the road and saving me from being stranded far from home. They even gave me a coupon for a free coffee down the street! The whole experience was easy and everyone was really friendly and welcoming. read more

Super nice guys that know there stuff but damn are they pricey. I don't know to much about vanagons but I took my bug there and it cost my firstborn and 2 legs to get a tune up. I recommend Berkeley European Motors for cheap and thorough work on your air-cooled VW or even your new Honda. read more

My Dune Buggy was BROKEN, boy was I frustrated, I could hear my neighbors snickering at me. So after a fuel system issue and a distributor issue I should have been bent over the bar but, no they were super reasonable with the bill. They know their air cooled VWs and love the people who drive them. I like doing my own work when I can and they treated me right, without judgement for being a backyard amateur. Its running sweet now, and the neighbors aren't laughing anymore. read more

I have an '85 VW campmobile that has been a complete disaster since I bought it! The engine literally fell out of it! I had extensive work done on it at another mechanic, but it kept going back again and again! It was a nightmare! I saw a Bus Lab bumper sticker, looked them up and took my van to them. They have been WONDERFUL! they really worked on the MANY problems they encountered, and never gave up! I cannot believe it is the same van! There is a world of difference in it now! I think the bill was very reasonable, especially considering how much I had already spent with poor results! If I didn't love this van so much, and if it wasn't such a great "dog van" I would be crazy to keep it! they are very quirky, and not like a regular vehicle. But since it's trip to the Bus Lab, it has run excellently, and I feel confident in knowing they listened and repaired or replaced what ever looked questionable. My dogs give the Bus Lab "2 dewclaws up"! read more

If you own a Volkwagen van in the Bay area, this is the best place to have it worked on, period. I've been going to Steve and Marco for over 5 years and they are THE BEST. Really. Give them a chance, and you'll see what I mean. They are neither hippies or stoners. Good mechanics and good service. read more

Marco and company are the bomb! My 1984 Westfalia is loving their attention and care. I love supporting independant businesses and appriciate the personal focus. They care and take pride in their service! Besides, having a German mechanic from Germany work on a German ride is how we roll! read more

I flew from New Jersey to San Francisco to buy a cream puff 1990 Vanagon Westy. Cream puff but 21 years old, I blew a coolant hose on the way out of town. After some phone calls I decided to have her towed to The Bus Lab, and I'm glad I did - right off the bat I was very impressed with these guys and this shop. So in addition to the needed repair I decided to go ahead with some upgrades originally slated for later (coolant system, brakes, suspension, wheels, tires, and general stuff getting her ready for the road). The advice given was expert, the work excellent, and done expeditiously. These guys are not only expert wrenches, they also drive and love Vanagons. IMVHO you won't find a better bus or van shop. read more

The BusLab is the bomb. The bomb. In the world of VW repair shops, sloppy service, long wait times, over budget bills and unreliable customer service seem to be the norm. Not with BusLab. These folks are great. They respond promptly, do great work, their repairs cost what they quote and are completed on time. They even have a cute lobby complete with pink flamingos and a coupon for a cup of joe at the local coffee shop while you wait. They are super professionally, reliable and customer service oriented. If only every business could have the skill and service of the Bus Lab! My bus and I will never go anywhere else- we have found the best in the BusLab. read more

I would highly recommend Buslab. I blew up a Subaru engine in a Vanagon and they took on this major project. The work was stellar and the communication was great. As with any truly good mechanic, there are no bargains. You get what you pay for. I will say that - as with every good mechanic - they offer many options on how to improve your mechanicals. I did not approve everything. Some of things they offer are - in my opinion - options and not necessities and I appreciate that they throw things out there. Also, get a detailed quote and make certain that you are clear on what is covered up front - this is just common sense. My Vanagon is up and running better than ever. Thank you Buslab! read more

All I know is what I know: they did bad work, never offered to pay to properly repair it and also tried to scare me into getting massive and expensive work I did not need. End of story. Why do business with this sort of business/people? I did not mind paying their high hourly rate for good work, assuming it was going to be right. As part of a big job, they admittedly got some things right, but the bottom line is that they effed up twice on both jobs I hired them to do. Worst of all, they tried to rip me off in a major way with an absurd diagnosis for a major overhaul but I dodged that attempted mugging with second opinions who were right. One of those second opinions saw so clearly through the bad diagnosis that he apologized that "people like this exist out there." Sure, they seem nice and somewhat inviting but ultimately, I found them to deliver poor work and even worse diagnoses. They are mere ripoff artists and conmen trying to take your money with a smile and some technical mumbo jumbo delivered with a heavy overlay of fear of the unknown. Do yourself a favor and find another shop. read more

Update to previous review. So now I'm about 15,000 miles & just over a year post The Buslab's repair work (warranty is 12mos or 12,000 miles mind you), & I'm in the middle of a long distance, business related road trip. The completely BRAND NEW, top to bottom, entire exhaust system that they sold me for well into 4 figures has just developed a loud, alarming leak sound. Upon investigating (on my lunch hour - which means no lunch) I find that not only has a support bracket nut loosened itself and disappeared, but a nearby header bolt has also loosened itself as well and disappeared - a fairly obvious & dramatic deviation from what is normal or expected. And although I spent the better part of this late afternoon & early evening after work attempting to remedy the situation by replacing both the missing header bolt & wavy washer and the missing support bracket nut and wavy washer, the SEVERE exhaust leak is persisting - which indicates that due to the vibration caused by the loose header & associated loose support brace, the entire system may have developed cracks throughout, and I fear the entire system will need to be replaced AGAIN. IT'S CALLED A TORQUE WRENCH BUSLAB!!!! I'm so disappointed yet again, that I don't even want to try and have a conversation with them about remedying the situation. I now have ZERO faith in their ability to repair an issue right the first time. If you have to stick to the East Bay I would say give Karmakanix a try instead. I'm heading to either Van Cafe in Santa Cruz or Valley Wagonworks in Mill Valley. read more

my review was removed also. Lousy service and never repaired my vehicle but the charged the high price!!! Never again

I cannot say enough about the honesty, enthusiasm, and knowledge of these guys at The Bus Lab. I know a fair bit about vehicles, but these guys know my Vanagon top to bottom with their eyes closed. I brought my 1987 Vanagon GL to them last week to have them assess the issues I have been having with the sliding door latch. I dealt with Dan and Marko and felt immediately at ease with them as mechanics and as people. My latch appeared to be in decent shape, and Marko thought it would be just fine if the latch was disassembled as much as it could be, tightened up, oiled, etc. They charged a very reasonable rate to perform this job, but did warn up front that there is no way to be sure that the latch will hold. Everything appeared to be in fine working order, but the latch itself was just too worn down and would pop open when the van flexed around a turn or on a big bump. I called them up and they said they would source me a known good used latch (new are NLA from VW of America). I had a bit of a truncated timetable as my departure from the Bay Area after the holidays will be before they reopen next week. Dan went above and beyond the call of duty and met me this morning - Christmas Eve - to get my door in tip top shape before my departure. They honored the previous work they did (cleaning/adjusting the original latch) and charged me only for the replacement part - no additional labor. Extremely friendly, honest guys who genuinely care about their vans and their customers. This is evidenced in the fact that Dan identified a trouble spot where the interior panels like to tear away and scrape on the body as the sliding door is opened, and adjusted the panel and added some sheet metal screws to hold it permanently. When I was in there the first time, Marko adjusted my shift linkage and lubed everything up because he noticed it was notchy when he pulled it in. It shifts like a Porsche now - unbelievable! No prompting, no extra charge for these extras, just good hearted people wanting me to get back to adventuring. I will without question be back to The Bus Lab for anything outside of normal oil changes/tune ups (things I can perform myself). These guys are the best in the Bay Area and I would recommend them to anyone, anytime who wants good, honest, and reasonably priced work on their aircooled VW or Vanagon. read more

I have a 1984 VW Westfalia and have been taking it to the Buslab for the last ten years for problems both major and obscure. This is the best place in the East Bay if you want to work with a shop that really knows these vans from top to bottom and inside out, and they really stand by their work. I have full confidence in Steve and Marco. They are true VW enthusiasts, always helpful and a major asset for keeping our community running strong on the road. My van runs like a top. Could not be happier. read more

I used to be in love with these guys. Really they do a GREAT job, if price is not a concern for you. They are expensive. And by expensive I mean that they don't try to do the same job in the most economical, efficient method possible. I'm not talking about cutting unsafe corners, but at least try to solve the brake fading by doing the brake check beforehand they were going to do after replacing the master cylinder and before even looking at it. Fading brakes could be a number of things but replacing the master cylinder should be the last resort after checking the cheaper, easier problems. In another circumstance, there was a leak in the plastic radiator line that they told me they would have to replace the whole line. $1400. (Which they failed to find after telling them it was leaking. They told me it was the head and must be replaced, which they did.) I solved it (three years ago) with two $1.49 hose clamps just before almost burning up that engine. Last but not least they neglected to install the mui importante oil temp sensor on a friend's new air-cooled engine they installed. The engine got too hot and burnt up... three days later. No help from the Buslab. I've gone elsewhere .. Karmakanix. Seriously, I think that greed has taken over at least one of them. Marco seems to be very helpful but Steve is ruthless. Once one loses trust in another it's difficult to get it back. read more

Hi, this was the absolute first time I have ever taken my van to this shop, it was hard trusting a shop with basically your second home. It was a warm feeling coming in and telling them about my wiring gremlins. They assured me that they would take care of it and quoted me for an hour and half. To be honest this was the best experience I had with a shop( probably because they are van lovers ). Granted I did a ton of electrical work myself so that's my my initial quote was less. But they called me up basically the same day and said it was ready and everything worked perfectly. Took it around the block and turn signals stopped working again. Marco came out and himself and diagnosed it and found two wires( I crimped myself) were loose in the relay housing headlight switch. He crimped then THE RIGHT WAY and off I went to actually use my turn signals going down the road lol. Everyone there is fantastic at what they do including bus the door dog greeted :). Thanks buslab read more

Dylan and the staff at Buslab are the best mechanics I have ever worked with, hands down. They were generous with their time; patient with the customer (and the customer's kids!); accurately and promptly diagnosed the problems; communicated directly; effectively set expectations; and got the job done correctly, on time, and affordably. HURRAH. Buslab is one of the best parts about owning a VW bus. I proudly display the Buslab sticker on the back window of my 90 Vanagon Westy. read more

Yay Buslab! I think it's providence that this place is so close to my work. I mean, really really close. Considering the difficulty I've had finding a place to work on Maude, my 1970 squareback, I think it's providence. I took her in for a tuneup and I was treated with warmth and fairness, I got prompt callbacks, and Steve gave me referrals to places he trusts for glass work and wheels. The place is rad with some kind of weird life-sized diorama in one corner with manikins having a picnic by their bus. Little collectible nuggets or weirdness decorate the walls. I get the sense that they fix VWs in their spare time in between making art films or something. Anyway, good service, fair price, professionalism, all of this is a MIRACLE when you're trying to get an older car worked on. Maybe my standards have been lowered by multiple bad experiences out there, but I'll definitely be coming back to these dudes for my lady's upkeep. read more