Joseph VW Of Cincinnati

I’ve been driving VW’s for over 20 years (2 Cabriolets and now a Beetle) and I’ve always had them serviced at Joseph (formerly Northland). The dealership is very basic but they are easy to work with and really know VW’s.
The waiting room is very small, about 7 hard plastic chairs, a TV and a few magazines. If there wasn’t a window in there, you may lose your mind.
I like that they have evening hours a few days a week, makes it easy to slip in for an oil change after work. When I worked downtown, they were more than happy to shuttle me back and forth while my car was being serviced.
The same employees (at least up front) have been there for many years and are very helpful, they’ve seen it all. My only real gripe is that I wish they had on-​line scheduling that was real time. The system lets you «book» on-​line, but someone still has to call you to confirm.

UPDATE:
Our conversation over the phone was not such good a experience due to miscommunication.
Even though I wasn’t happy about what I heard, I took my car to Joseph VW of Cincinnati. First of all shuttle service is amazing, driver is a very nice guy. When I was directed to the register to make payments, I was told that I didn’t have to pay the full amount (which i was trying to explain on the phone) because I have free oil change service (I got it when I purchased my car from Joseph VW Cincinnati). I paid the amount that I supposed to pay so I am happy now.
Finally I have to say that they are really good at what they do, all of the mechanics know about VWs. After the service my Beetle runs like when I started the engine for the first time.

I bought a brand new 2012 Jetta TDI sportswagen from them. Purchasing was a great process and the guy was super helpful.
However, almost immediately it showed a check engine light. I brought it in probably 15 times on top of the scheduled maintenance for this issue and each time they said they had no idea what was wrong and had just turned the light off.
This persisted over 2 years, just until the warranty was up. Then when I brought it in to sell it (I was moving out of state) they offered 5k below what it was worth! I was told «Why would we pay more for a car with a check engine light?»
WHAT??? I HAD BEEN IN THERE SO MANY TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM THAT I KNEW ALL OF THEIR NAMES!!!
Absolutely unbelievable. They are a team of crooks and swindlers. Go buy a car from Kings.

Absolutely horrible experience with this place. Let me explain:
Usually I get my car serviced at King’s but I figured: why not try to keep it more local and save a drive by going to Northland/​Joseph VW instead. HUGE MISTAKE.
First, in setting up a service appointment, I had given all of my information, VIN number etc. This was all lost somewhere by the time I got there.
When I showed up:
1. The location is dirty. Not the average mechanic type of dirty: full on falling apart and needing a renovation, papers everywhere, dirty floors: not professional.
2. I was greeted by the most disrespectful and surly member of staff. It was the early morning (ahem,… 10 am) so we can try to blame it on that. His attitude and lack of customer service skills were so awkward and rude I would go as far as to say it seemed hostile. Overall, this was the worst part of the experience.
3. I was told that the service (an oil change and tire rotations) would take «hours» and that «you’ll be waiting here with us.»
So I walked out — and immediately got an appointment at Kings. The service took 45 mins, I was greeted and treated respectfully, the location was clean and had free coffee. I hate Kings because it is so far away, but it seems to be the only option at this point.
Honestly, even though this location is close I would NEVER go to Northland/​Joseph again. They should be ashamed of their customer service and should really have training to treat every one of their customers with respect.

I have been using Northland/​Joseph VW for years and generally I have a good experience. I do not know if the transition from the «Northland» to «Joseph» name has anything to do with it but the past couple of visits have been on the «meh» side. On my last visit I discovered that, though the work I needed done was complete and satisfactory, my key had been deprogrammed and my trunk (which contained personal belongings that were thankfully still there) had been left open! It isn’t the end of the world but these are the little things that make one question whether the maintenance crew is well-​staffed/​experienced enough to keep an eye on the details.

I took my VW Touareg here for the first time. And so far so good. I only got an oil change. I wish they would’ve went over whatever they observed with my car while completing the oil change. The last place I used gave me info about my tires, battery, brakes etc. I did get a car wash.

I’ve been taking my GTI here for the last 4 years and I’ve always been very happy with their service. I think they do a great job.

The part was a quick replacement and part of my warranty. I was promised 1 hour — and the time was 45 minutes. Not only was the part replaced, but essentials, like the battery were also checked. In this winter weather, having a strong battery is important. Thanks!

Brian, John, and the rest of the staff at Northland have consistently helped me out over the years. Thanx so much!

I would not recommend Northland VW dealership for auto repairs. I have a 2.5 yr old VW Tiguan and it has had issues starting and the engine light has been on for the past 4 months. After 3 trips to the VW dealership and more than $ 300 down the drain, it still wasn’t fixed and the dealership didn’t know what the issue was. They told me the next step was to do maintenance work on it that would cost me another $ 800! Since I didn’t feel confident in their diagnosis, I took it to an independent auto shop, who had been recommended to me by a local car parts store near me. Within a day, they had diagnosed and fixed the issue and I haven’t had any trouble with the car since they fixed it 2 weeks ago. They also let me know there was an open recall on a car part, that the dealership hadn’t told me anything about!

I only have experience with the service department, but I could not be happier. These guys are straightforward, no pressure and timely with repairs. Once I took the car in for a mysterious issue, and the time spent to diagnose was incredible with no charge to me. Another time some work was done on an older VW and, later, it was discovered by the Northland folks that a warranty was still good on it. They sent me a check.

I have purchased 4 cars from Northland VW and used their service department on numerous occasions. They are everything you could hope for in a dealership: low pressure sales people, clear communication from service writers, highly capable mechanics, and the overall vibe is professional but personal and friendly. Could not recommend them higher!

In may of 2010 I had a timing chain replaced here on my 2005 jetta with 56,000 miles on it. Now less than two years later (also out of warranty) at 88,000 miles my check engine light comes on. So I take it to northland again and leave it overnight just to have them tell me that it needs another timing chain, a $ 1,400 repair! Timing chains should last well over 100k miles and I am now on my second. The dealership must have preformed a faulty repair and will not own up to it leaving me with a massive repair bill. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy!!! Beware!

We recently purchased a 2012 Tiguan at Northland VW and couldn’t be happier with our experience. A very low-​pressure sale and pretty easy to negotiate a fair deal on both our trade-​in and new purchase. We worked with Cinda Oser and she went out of her way to help us find the exact car we wanted, since their stock on the Tiguan was somewhat limited.
I’d definitely recommend them if you’re shopping for a VW. Northland is a family owned dealer and have been around a long time and everyone we ran into there was very friendly and eager to help.

By far the best VW dealership in Cincinnati, Ohio. I say this with great truth being a VW lover and a gearhead this is where I take my VW. I trust the service department with my car on any repairs that I don’t do myself. I have several friends who work at this dealership that I certainly trust working on my car. Although this is not the largest dealership in the area so you might not get the best price when buying a new car but the service makes up for it.

Recently, my 2005 Passat’s «Check Engine» illuminated. I brought the car to Northland VW where they diagnosed the problem as a faulty engine thermostat. Given that I already had 90k miles on the car, Northland recommended that I replace my timing belt. I agreed and the service was completed at a cost of $ 1,200. As part of the timing belt replacement, they found a leaking water pump and replaced it as well.
I picked up the car that evening and, only 5 minutes after leaving the dealership, the «check engine» light came on again. Immediately, I returned to the dealership where they connected their diagnostic PC to my car and determined that another part needed to be repaired. This took 15 minutes and I was on my way at no additional cost.
On the way home, I noticed that the cabin temperature was not warming up (two of the major parts involved in car heating are the water pump and the thermostat). I took the car back the following day and they repaired it at no additional cost.
Within a week, the heat was out again. I took it back and again they repaired it at no addition cost. I never got a clear reason as to why it wasn’t working. It has been a week and the heat seems to be working. Northland’s service agents are very pleasant and it isn’t costing me anything other than time to drop off the car. I’m more concerned with the expertise of the technician mechanics. We’ll see how it goes.

These folks are friendly and the service is quick. They also know a bit about TDIs, which is unusual and, of course, very important to me. Also, I know enough about my unusual car to know when I’m being f-​ed over at a car place because of my two x chromosomes, and I haven’t felt that way here.
They also have a waiting room full of entertaining stuff– good for watching my nephew while I’m waiting. They also offer a computer and phone. If I end up getting a new TDI, I will certainly go here (the place on Colerain where I bought my car did f me over before I knew how my car works).
— 1 for dealership prices & not being anywhere near as awesome as Jon Hamilton from Jon’s Auto near Columbus.

While I bought by CC at another dealership, I have gotten by it (and my last car) serviced at Northland. While Kerry VW in Florence has inconvenient service hours, Northland has some evening hours and a shuttle. I just wish that they would wash and vacuum my car, which is what other dealers would do for a similarly priced car.

There are some complaints about these German cars that you have to find a specialized place to get service. Or just a good dealership. First, my Passat has had very few problems. The one time it really needed work, the guys at Northland fixed it up the next day. Tough to argue with that.
The service center is also clean and well-​kempt, which is nice to see, showing they care about customer service, not just fixing your car (though I certainly appreciate that they do that, too). My one quibble is that they don’t seem to respond to the online service scheduling, so just call and get it done on the phone. God forbid we should actually talk to people from time to time.

I’ve just had one of the worst service experiences of my life. I’ve been to this dealer before for service on my 2010 GTI because it is under warranty and this is the closest service location to me. My car needed a part replaced that was covered under the powertrain warranty — basically, something that should not have been broken. They had my car for four days and returned it fixed. Not quick by any means, definitely in line with my expectations based on previous experience here. I casually filled out the survey honestly — rating them a ³⁄₁₀ on length of time to service. Hours later I received a call from an incredulous technician angrily demanding an explanation for my rating. Sensing his anger, I said «I’m happy to tell you why, but it doesn’t sound like you’re really curious as to why» and offered my explanation. Still unhappy with the situation, he told me not to return to them for service. This violates any semblance of privacy I thought I had in filling out the survey honestly, rubbed me completely the wrong way on this dealer, and honestly, I think if I’m covered under warranty, he can’t even refuse to service my car!
Bottom Line: I will not ever be tied to this dealership again. I’ll gladly take my car across the street to the trustworthy mechanics at Auto4N.