Pasadena Audi and Volkswagen Repair

I went to this place b/c of Yelp. BIG MISTAKE. The people were really friendly. The service? Not so good. We took our VW Passat here in August for the 40,000 mile check up/oil change. I told them we needed to get it serviced b/f we went on a trip and they fit me right in. I was so pleased as we opted to take our 2004 Passat (instead of our other car which is a 2000 model). When we got to San Diego, our car battery died. It took us all day (with 2 young kids under 5 years old and I was 8 months pregnant) to fix it, in our 3 day trip. It was a horrible experience. We called Independent Audi when we got home and you know what they told me? That I should have asked for a battery check. Are you serious? The woman on the phone said it's not standard in the 40k mile service. She was super defensive and not at all apologetic. I might have let that slide - but the AAA guy told us that the wires in the car were all corroded from leaking battery acid and that a visual inspection of the battery by any service repair guy should have set off some alarms. Fast forward to last Wednesday when my husband got a flat tire after dropping off my daughter at school. What happened? Apparently - no one rotated our tires! The tires were so worn on one side that it just popped on the inside. AAA said it's tricky b/c you can't see it visually - only when you look at the wear once it's popped. We had our car serviced at this VW service place for the last 3 times we took it in - so clearly they should have been rotating our tires at each oil check and service as well. We have learned our lesson. Won't be coming back and definitely would never recommend this place.

|Are you serious?| Once in a blue moon, you will find a good place to take your damaged car to. Once in a blue moon, you will find a dealership that has great reviews on yelp which are not fake and self written by management creating fake accounts. Once in a blue moon, you will find a honest car mechanic who won't rip you off and actually tell YOU that you don't need to fix certain parts. Once in a blue moon, you will find a place like Independent Audi. Likely Facts: - Friendly people. Fares is as honest of a car mechanic as they come as well as being friendly without seeming shady. I took my A$ (No, the dollar sign is not a typo, Cap lock the 4 on the keyboard ironically becomes the $ sign) in this morning, dropped it off, 2 hours later, he called, told me what I needed to fix and what I don't need to fix. I even told him that I was told by an Audi mechanic from the dealership that I needed to replace my valve cover. He responded: Why? No Need. You are good to go. - No Pressure. Fares patiently explained to me over the phone after the $95 diagnostic (which will be waived if you fix your car there) of all the problems that they discovered, which includes immediate problems and not so immediate problems that existed with my car. I had a certain budget in mind with fixing the car so I was not really willing to go beyond a certain number for now. He basically told me which problems out of the ones that he found can wait 5-6 months to fix, what problems should be fix now, and which problems that are not problems at all. I told him what I wanted to fix, he said sounds good, let's get this going. - 2X CV Boots: $510 at Independent Audi. 2X CV Boots at Santa Monica Audi Dealership: $900.00 (Quote). Engine Mount: $307.50 at Independent Audi. Engine Mount at Santa Monica Audi Dealership: $550.00 (Quote). Oh wait, the prices that I just listed are before further discounts that they would potential give you if you do several things at once. So you can feel free to subtract another $30-$40 from those prices that I just typed. - The only thing that was annoying was that it was tough to find parking if you bring an extra car to take you home. There are around 2 spots just outside of the shop, but you can also try to find street parking if you don't see a spot inside. - The place is busy as hell, so I had to make an appointment on March 2nd for March 19th. With the amazing services and prices that they offer, who can blame them. So if you are planning to take your car here, try and call as soon as you can so they can pop you into their calender. Likely My Own Opinions: - Smaller size shop = better service and probably better prices. Their office was pretty small compare to some of the other shops/dealerships I have been to, but who cares. Not all small shops are great however, some may seem shady and take you for a fool. This place however definitely gets an A+ on service/prices. - I found Independent Audi via Yelp and saw its ridiculous reviews. The reviews here are so ridiculous that I thought they were too good to be true. But at the end of the day after experiencing Independent Audi myself, I believe that these reviews are indeed true, and fact is, this place is the place to go if you own any types of Audi. - Fares stopped his career at the Audi Dealership 18 years ago because he was tired of working at dealerships. I am thankful that he made such a decision. - Will be coming back for my 85k maintenance. This place is cheese. What you will take with you when you leave: - What the hell have I been doing the past few years not coming here? - Did I just get scammed? How are the prices here nearly half the prices my dealership quoted me? - I will definitely be coming back here for years to come.

I own a GTI and it can be a high maintenance brat. Numerous check engine lights, stalled a few times...and my car is only 2.5 years old! I also love to drive, and have already put 40,000 miles on it. Garage queen my GTI is definitely not. This also means no more bumper to bumper warranty on my baby. A few thousand miles before the warranty expired, I had to have the intake manifold replaced. My car is not even 3 years old, and it needed a new intake manifold?! I wanted to make sure the dealership didn't screw me over and 'fixed' something that would break again right after the warranty expired, so I took it to Fares for an inspection. He found nothing wrong with my car, and didn't charge me anything for the inspection. Awesome. I went back a few months later for the 40K service and to have my rear brake pads replaced. They did a great job and I ended up paying less than what Jennifer had quoted over the phone (which was much less than what the dealer quoted me). Fast forward a week and my damn xenon bulb on the driver side goes out. I stop by the VW dealership down the road from me, and they quote me $300 just for the bulb alone, labor will be extra. I quickly call Jennifer and get quoted around $200 for parts and labor, and they can fit me in on their busy Saturday. They even had to stay late for me, because the first bulb they got from the dealership was faulty, and they had to go to the Glendale one to pick up another bulb. Jennifer felt bad for me since I spent my whole morning there, so she offered for their driver to drop me off in old town so I could shop. He picked me up again on his way back from the Glendale dealer. If this isn't customer service, then I don't know what is!

I live in studio city but I schlepped all the way to pasadena because I trust the yelpers. What can I say? These guys are honest auto mechanics. I know it's an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp. But they are great. If they start a day care, I would leave my kids here. That's how I trust them.

$3000.00 for a transmission rebuild. And it could be more? At least 7-10 business days, that's two weeks without a vehicle! That's what I was quoted by the manager. And they charged me $95.00 to tell me what I already knew (and told them) when I dropped off the vehicle. We'll gladly deduct the $95.00 from the price of the rebuild. Ha, I bet you would! I got the rebuild done elsewhere in 3 days for $1,975.00 And a great job with friendly, reasonable service and the same exact warranty. Shop around folks, sometimes Yelp takes on a life of it's own and can be thoroughly misleading.

The first time I went to Independent Audi was after I googled "Audi Repair Pasadena" while standing in a certain Audi dealership in Pasadena. I had just bought the car used (2008 A4, manual trans), but it came with the extended service contract. A business card had gotten stuck in the small drawer in the middle of the dash. The dealership said it would cost an hour's labor ($165) just to look at it. I drove over to Independent, told the very good admin about my issue, and asked what it would cost. Fares said he would take a look, went outside, and 5 minutes later he handed me the card from the fixed drawer. I asked the cost, and he said, "No cost." I brought the car in for the oil change a couple of thousand later rather than bringing it to the dealership, since the next scheduled (free) service was still 5,000 miles off, and was extremely pleased with the service. But yesterday is the real reason that they have won a customer for life. I called in the morning because the car was giving the message that the left rear reverse light had gone out - after watching a youtube video, I decided not to mess with changing it myself. I asked how much it would cost. She asked me if I could bring it by around 5:30 (after the pick-up crowd had dimenished) and that it would be replaced as part of their care for customers. Yep. No cost. Went by last night and got the work done. My poor kids (11 and 8) had to sit through the entire drive home with Mama lecturing them on how to run a great business, using Independent as the good example. As soon as my service contract with Audi is done, I will have all work done by Independent Audi.

When a competitor recommended Independent Audi, I knew they must be good and when I went for my appointment I was greeted with very professional and honest service. When I dropped off the car, they started work to my A4 right away and were done in just a couple of hours. Overall, very impressed and will definitely going back.

I can't say enough about this place. The girl at the front desk knew very clearly what was up with my car and how much it would cost. She was confident and pleasant. Everyone looked pretty happy or content to be working there. Ferris runs a great shop. Here's the back story on my experience: New to the area and my VW was making a shrilling noise along with an engine light. I knew I needed to get it in right away. I saw this place on Yelp and another automotive place recommended it for Volkswagen's as well. I knew I to try it out when another mechanic recommended them. I called them and they were able to get me to check out the problem in a couple of hours. They were very busy and squeezed my car in. I decided to catch a movie and they where kind enough to drop me off at the theater. They gave me a quote and had the part for my pinched valve problem. When I came back it was 20 dollars less. I was even more pleased that they valued my time and my wallet.

Had a glowing review for a while but recently I feel as if though as of service hasn't been up to par. The best thing about Independent Audi really is the feeling that I can ask about anything troubling me and I'll receive educated help on the matter. Which always eases a stressed out mind. However as of recent I have been told that I missed a major service and am coming upon my last major service in my cars entire lifetime. This angered me cause I obviously know nothing about cars and I felt as though I would've been in formed about this through my most trusted car mechanic and I have seem to be let down. Now my car is slowly but surely getting worse and I'm sure the repairs wouldn't have been half as bad as they are now if I would've been informed much earlier about the conditions and services now past due. 2 stars for friendly service but 1 for not informing clients about crucial information that effects a cars lifespan.

I've been waiting to find a car repair and service place that is honest, professional and someone I am happy to take my car to. I finally found all of this and more with Independent Audi & VW. The customer service by Jennifer exceeds all expectations. You will most likely talk with her as she is at the desk all of the times I've been in. She is not only knowledgable about cars and your individual car repairs and/or problems, but is courteous and so personable! They actually advise you to wait on some needed items for your car if they're not urgent. Plus they always try their best to return your car same day so you're only without wheels for a day. Best car repair place ever!