Gene’s Foreign Car Service & Parts

I was referred to these guys by my regular mechanic about a year ago when my transmission went in my six-​speed Volkswagen and he felt I should go to these guys who were experts in both Audis and VWs. They knew what the problem was right away. It was about a $ 100 part (a little fork that engages the 1^st and 2^nd gears had snapped and then dropped so it was keeping me from going into 1^st, 2^nd, or reverse). The repair was around $ 2,500 because they had to drop the whole transmission, take it apart, replace the fork, and then put the transmission back together and get it back in. In the process they welded the fork to make it stronger than before and to ensure that it would never happen again. This was apparently the Achilles’ heel of that first generation blah-​blah-​blah transmission. The work was great, complete with pictures and very good service (the pictures basically showed that besides the broken fork the whole inside of the transmission was in perfect condition so didn’t need anything else). I would pick Gene’s for very serious repairs only because I do feel they are expensive. Not in a bad way mind you, just in a «premium» kind of way.

We have worked with Gene’s since we moved to the area (14 years now), and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE working with them. If we didn’t already have a lot of reasons to like them, a recent car accident was handled quickly and expertly, with Gene’s team accepting the car from a tow company, assessing the damage, dealing with the insurance agency (and successfully arguing for manufacturer parts, not after-​market), ordering the parts and installing the parts — all in less than 1 business week. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

Ok, so nobody really likes to have car problems, and more importantly have to pay for the repairs. That being said, I find Gene’s fair and honest. I have a 10 year old VW that is begining to cost some real $ to keep in good condition. VW’s are more expensive to fix as the parts are more costly. I knew that buying the car and can’t hold that against Gene’s. I usually have Rick work on my car and I feel like he is honest and up front with me. I have been to many dealers and a few local mechanics and had bad experiences. The dealer is a rip off, fixing problems that don’t exist and charging crazy amounts. Some mechanics just don’t have the experience with VW’s and can’t diagnose problems and repair the problems correctly. As for the service, Jan, the receptionist might not be warmy and fuzzy, but come it’s a car repair shop, I don’t need my hand held. I like her no nonsense direct approach to her job, she’s busy I’m busy let’s make an appointment or pay the bill and move on. Plus, I’ve canceled last minute and even no-​showed and she never held it against me. I will continue to bring my well loved VW to Gene;s because I trust their work.

I had a good experience at gene’s. just came for a simple service. they specialize in vw, audi, honda and acura. a bit of an odd combination, but works for them. my vw was happy when we left. i didn’t feel i was treated poorly as some others have stated, but i do get a sense that things can go south quickly. minus two stars for speaking negatively at length about several other customers in front of me.

I can’t vouch for new customers, since my family’s been going here to get our cars fixed for decades. But these guys know their cars (Honda, Volkswagen, Audi). The mechanics are easy to talk to, if you initiate the conversation first and are prepared to ask questions. The woman at the front desk seems like she’s rude, but shes really just efficient and business like.
Basically, if you’re inquisitive, you’ll get awesome service, and a fair deal on repairs that other places might make you buy unnecessary parts for. I had a crack in the manifold of my engine, and they welded it together instead of insisting on replacing the entire thing… saved me $ 700 and worked like a charm.

I’ve only had great experiences here — yes, car repairs are expensive, but they’re honest and my car runs well.
I’m not a mechanic, so I don’t pretend to know what’s happening under the hood of my car and that’s why I need someone that I trust to take care of my Beetle.
Their charges were always reasonable and I’m able to order my own parts (which saves me a buck sometimes :-D)

I have used Gene’s service twice and have left not feeling very comfortable about the outcome. Both visits were expensive but, the most recent one caused extreme annoyance. After paying them about 1500.00 (including taxes) my check engine light went on again after driving the vehicle no more than 40 minutes. I decided that I would not bring it back to them for trouble shooting since, they charge 40.00 for a diagnostic test as indicated on my invoice. And modern vehicles are never worked on without a diagnostic test, its standard practice. If you have a VW bring it to Tom’s VW in W. Chester he isn’t cheep but, you don’t leave with a bad taste in your mouth. I only tried Gene’s because they are closer to my home.

Total apathy towards new customers — Gene’s initial diagnosis for my 2002 Audi for an intermittent no-​start issue was the fuel pump. Although against my gut feeling (i thought they should have checked something much cheaper first), i let them to do the fix at considerable expense ($ 650: $ 220 for the pump, $ 50 for a filter, the rest is labor). 2 days later, the problem re-​occurred and I had to tow it back to the shop at my expense ($ 50). The shop determined that it was the crankshaft sensor ($ 72), a possibility that i had informed them of during my first visit. They refused to negotiate any of the additional work cost and completely shirked off any responsibility. Aside from charging a second diagnostic fee and $ 140 for the 20 minute install, I am also not convinced that the fuel pump needed a replacement. Total for the two visits including a tow approx $ 950. I feel like i was taken advantage of by yet another unscrupulous mechanic doing unnecessary repairs. They seem to have a lot of repeat customers (judged by their very care-​free attitude and long turn-​around times) so either they treat their older customers differently or they don’t need any new business.