Bruno's VW & Audi Repair — Attraction in New York

My experience with Bruno’s VW Shop has been nothing short of a nightmare. If you value your time, money, and sanity, steer clear of this place. They had my vehicle for 2 months and never once gave a single phone call for an update. They charged me almost double of what I had told them was my budget. In all of this, they never took ownership for any of this, blaming all of this on me being "naive". I had picked them for the reviews, but that was a mistake so here's why you should avoid doing the same:

Here’s a detailed account of my horrendous journey with this so-called "specialist" shop.

Week 1: Scheduled an appointment on Sunday for Wednesday. Called on the day as I was about to drop it off only to be told the appointment was for Wednesday three weeks later. Miscommunication? Maybe... At this point I was still hopeful.

Week 3: Dropped off my mechanically sound 1971 VW bus for electrical repairs. Keith assured me they’d perform a check-up and call in 1-2 business days and to expect a call the following Monday. He also promised to get me the tumbler number for new keys ASAP. Spoiler: none of this happened.

Week 5: Two weeks of radio silence. I call them only to be told by Tom that they hadn’t even started looking on my bus because they were waiting for a budget from me. A budget for an initial inspection? They didn’t even bother to call and ask. Tom deflects all responsibility to Keith because it was Keith that I dropped the car with. Gave them a budget and told them to start immediately (even though I thought it was absurd, historically no mechanic has asked me for a budget to even just look at my vehicle).

Week 6: Another week passes with no updates. I call again. Keith essentially lectures me on how it’s a project, not a simple oil change. No progress, no updates, and still no tumbler number.

Week 8: Two more weeks and still nothing. I call and learn they broke the windshield wipers while “fixing” the lights. Ask for the tumbler number yet again. They promise it by EOD. Guess what? They don’t follow through.

Week 9: Call again. Keith blames Tom, and neither takes responsibility. Keith admits he doesn’t even know what the tumbler number is or where to find it. Wipers are still broken.

Week 9 (Take 2): Another call, another round of excuses. Tom promised to call back last Friday but never did. He says he submitted some photos to a link with all the info. I never received any link. Asked him to send it; he’s “too busy.” It took one more week for me to get the infamous link where I could get any updates on the vehicle.

Present Day: Over two months after I dropped off the vehicle at Bruno's, not a single call from Bruno’s VW Shop. They’ve never taken ownership, always blaming me for "not understanding" their process.

Key Takeaways:

Communication: Non-existent. I had to call them 15+ times to get minimal updates. Responsibility: Keith and Tom play the blame game. Neither owns up to their faults. Professionalism: Promises made, none kept. Consistently failing to follow through. Competence: For all I know these guys seemed competent. Customer Service: Abysmal. Treated like an inconvenience rather than a customer.

Bruno’s VW Shop is the epitome of unprofessionalism. Their inability to communicate, take responsibility, and perform even the simplest tasks is staggering. Save yourself the headache and avoid this shop at all costs. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later. I do not understand how all other reviews are so positive.

Additional Note: While I was quoted $1100, when I went to pick it up they said I would have to pay $2000. When I told him that that's not what he had told me, he said there's nothing he could do and that "he can't take the hours back." When I asked what would happen if I didn't have the extra $900, he said "he knew I had them," which I found absurd. They also left all the pieces for me to put back together in the van (after paying almost double what I was initially quoted).

Overall, even though they probably knew what they were doing, the whole experience was terribly...

If you have a VW or Audi and need work done, look no further... Tom, Keith and the team are THE BEST.

I have friends in the business that passed on the challenge of the complex workings of my VW. So I looked on-line for a specialist just to see what they'd say. I came across them randomly and subsequently went in with MUCH skepticism bracing myself for the worst experience ever. With that being said, these guys BLEW ME AWAY right from the start!!! Their knowledge, their explanation of the what if's, the TIME taken to walk me through what I had already researched and already knew had to be done with my car were truly beyond comparable to ANY high end dealership.

What took place was, no selling pressure, brutal truths and helping with working through the decision making process. They provided the facts and were sensitive in the delivery of information. The process was seamless, they scheduled me for the drop off, did the paperwork and did an extensive check of my car well beyond the work I was requesting to be done just to make sure no stone was uncovered. Rather than giving me the extensive news over the phone, I was notified of what needed to be done via a link through a text with the full diagnostic examination including photos allowing me to digest it at my own time before deciding. From there I selected on the link sent of what "I wanted" done. Now with the ball rolling, I was expecting to be out of my car for at least a week. Then just about 48 hours later I received a text followed be a call that the job was complete. I literally was FLOORED!!! Let's just say this job was not an oil change and changing wipers, it was a big job and they CRUSHED IT!!!

So if you need work done outside of the dealership, think no further! Their prices are fair knowing that these kinds of cars are expensive to maintain and very complex. Please support this local small business and make them your friends too because I know I have! See you guys soon for my next regular...

I'm sure their work is well done as people have said and all but for anyone who has a VW/ Audi car, save yourself the money. I called on a quote for an alternator replacement and I was quoted $1,200, $700 of which was the part itself as they do not accept customer-supplied parts, yet when I inquired if this was an original Volkswagen/ Audi stamped part or the OEM (Bosch/ Valeo) they told me it was OEM which was astonishing to me as the OE part can be found for $300 from FCP Euro (with a lifetime replacement warranty so you never have to buy one again) or Rock Auto or even Amazon in the case of the Bosch example with prime shipping. They will refuse to accept parts they don't purchase and bend you over price wise, again I'm sure their team is very skilled, very knowledgable, but what they charge in parts (let alone labor in my case, an alternator job requires the removal of two engine mount bolts and lowering the motor using a jack) is absurd. These cars aren't Lamborghinis, don't let shops convince you that every German car signs you up for expensive maintenance, that's only true for the uninformed that buy parts directly from the dealer, most parts on these cars are manufactured by Bosch, Valeo, Petersburg, VNE, Lemforder, or TRW, among others, Volkswagen Audi Group produces very little in-house besides the vehicle chassis and body panels. You can find the parts and decent labor rates for a lot less than they'll have you believe. I got a Bosch alternator with lifetime warranty for $330 and paid $250 in labor at Valdo's in Woodside as I didn't want to hang an engine over my head in the street with a floor jack, had my car back in 2.5 hours ($100/hr) for less than Bruno's had planned to charge me for the...