Desmond’s Auto Service

I have owned my 2005.5 VW Jetta TDI for almost 5 years, I at the time had 232k miles plus on my car and this was only the second repair shop to work on my car since I’ve owned it. I usually perform all maintenance and repairs (aside from tires) on my car myself.
Long story short… My car just so happened to break down on the day of the riots in Baltimore and the closest towing company would not tow my car across town. After doing a search for Volkswagen Repair shops I found Desmond’s. It was about 3 miles as the crow flies away from where I broke down. While the work performed on my car seams top notch the time involved was not.
My car was towed in on Monday night, It was looked at on Tuesday and determined that it would need to be brought inside to for further diagnosis. That didn’t happen until FRIDAY. I was given a call on Friday afternoon and told what the problem was (Shifter Assembly, the thing inside the car that you select your gear on) and told that it was an $ 800 rare dealer only part. I was hesitantly given the option, to provide my own part only if I agreed that the neither the part or the work would be guaranteed. After doing some research, I offered to provide/​have a new part shipped from a parts supplier that had the part for only $ 600… I again was told that the work couldn’t be guaranteed. Reluctantly, I agreed to order the part through the shop/​dealer, on Monday of week 2. Once ordered the part didn’t arrive until the following Monday afternoon, Start of week 3. There was only one of the part I needed in the country. The repair was started on Wednesday afternoon of week 3 and wasn’t finished until Thursday afternoon. When I received the bill I was surprised to find I was only billed for 4 total hours of labor, but oil was added to the tune of $ 12 for the QUART and it wasn’t the same type/​weight of the oil that was in the car already. Bottom line: While the repair was completed and I was satisfied with that only, it took IMHO way too long. I have never seen a shop drag a repair on as long as this. Here is my warning the shop does good work but is just SLOW.

Took my Nissan Xterra in to replace brake pads and rotors, but suspected more. Turns out that I needed new calipers too. They were honest, fair, and fast, and very accommodating. Thought there was a further issue a month later. They told me to bring it right in and they helped me immediately. They have a customer for life.

Ray at Desmond’s is the best person to work on VW. He is very honest and know what he is fixing.
I drop my 1966 Beetle to have him change new starter, after he checked he called me and you don’t need to spend $ 135, I just replaced bushing. That is all you need
More importantly, he check everything, all bolts and nuts and… Now I enjoy driving my VW
Samuel

A great shop. Friendly knowledgeable staff. Very honest and fast repairs. They are only shop I would take my car to.

I have been going to Desmond’s for the past few years. Everytime is wonderful (as wonderful as it can be when your car goes on the fritz). Recently I dropped my car off on the weekend because my breaks needed to be replaced. They were quick and got my car back to me before New Years. They went over what was wrong and how they fixed it. They were very informed and I will keep doing business here for as long as I have VW’s.

I really enjoyed taking my car to Desmond’s. They are straight shooters and pleasant to work with. Even though I live 15 minutes away with a myriad of repair options that are more convenient for me, I will certainly keep my business with this company for the foreseeable future.

I’ve had my car for a few years now and no one has treated it better than the guys over at Desmond’s. They’re always straightforward with you and are even willing to give you quotes upfront. The best part about it all is that the pricing is always reasonable. I’ve only been there 3 times but I don’t see myself taking my Camry anywhere else

I have used Unilocal for a couple of years now and never felt inclined to write a review. I have worked in shops and have friends that own shops. So saying that, i can say thay this shop was like coming home. Awesome customer care. Other customers here had awesome things to say. VERY knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. My car is my baby and i am funny about who touches her. Will never go to any other shop again. Car enthusiasts dream! But equally wonderful for the general public.

I will preface this review by saying that up until this moment, I’ve been a Unilocal user for almost 2 years without writing a single review — mostly using it to look up businesses and compare.
However — taking my car to Desmond’s was without question the best decision I’ve ever made when it comes to repairing my Beetle. Two different repair shops «diagnosed» my issue and quoted me between $ 800 – 900 — Desmond’s did it for under $ 300 because the «issue» found at these other shops was not actually the problem. As a college student, a female, and an owner of a used Volkswagen, (three things that tend to put me at an immediate disadvantage when I need automotive service) these guys have been such a breath of fresh air to work with. The repair was timely, every step of the process was communicated to me in a friendly way, and never once did they try to sell me something I didn’t ask for. I wish I could give them more than 5 stars.

Second place I’ve gone for work on my 98 audi a4 and the best place.
I was referred here by a friend and couldn’t be more pleased with the service I received.
As a young female with little to no experience or knowledge with/​of cars, I do not feel like the wool is being pulled over my head. They are kind and hard working. If I dont move anytime soon, I see myself going to Desmond’s for a while.

Hands down the best place to have your car repaired or tuned up. I was fortunate enough to have a friend refer me to this shop, and I am forever grateful. They are very fair and do not try to up sell you on unnecessary repairs. Everyone in this shop is pleasant and easy to talk to as well.
While it is never fun to have something go wrong with your car, Desmond’s does their best to make the situation as painless as possible. And I appreciate it!
Thank you Doug and everyone at Desmond’s!

I’ve been taking my VW here since 2009. They’re honest, fast, and good people. Very helpful and I recommend them completely. VW isn’t cheap when it comes to maintenance, but Desmond’s is reasonable. Only knock against them is that the shop is closed on the weekends.

I used to take my car to the Heritage VW in Parkville, but with the price and service leaving more to be desired, I needed to find an alternative. Desmond’s came very highly recommended from a fellow VW owner. Everyone here is very polite and have great customer service skills. I took my 2003 VW Golf to have some maintenance done and they did a great job at fixing the issues.
I love Volkswagen and I don’t care what people say about them. Also, I get to pass by Desmond’s everyday and get to see all the cool cars in the lot!

Always heard how awesome this place was, but never took my car to it. Now I wish I had been coming here all along. But better late than never. The flex pipe on my catalytic converter came apart recently (on my 2005 Jetta), and luckily for me I was close to Desmond’s. It was late in the day so I had to leave it overnight, but they got to it first thing the next morning. They not only explained everything to me, but they also checked with a dealership that they work closely with (probably the only VW dealership I will trust now), and found out that this issue was covered by an extended warranty through Volkswagen. He gave me the name and number of who to speak with, and didn’t even charge me for diagnosing the issue! Very friendly service. No BS. This was my first experience with them and I will absolutely be going back from now on if I need anything.

Very happy with their service and prices. As much as I can be for a mechanics prices, that is. They are dedicated VW mechanics, and cheaper than the VW dealer. Never steered me wrong.

Great service (especially for VWs), good prices, friendly staff that will gladly answer your questions and very reasonable prices. Recommended.
TDI owners, they have VCDS to properly set the timing on your rotary-​pump cars.

If you have a Volkswagen, this is the place to go. Awesome service, though it helps to call for an appointment. Fair prices. They never treat you like an idiot for asking questions, and when you probably are being idiot they don’t try to gouge you. They become like family. There’s no place quite like it.

Desmond’s Auto works on on Volkswagen and Toyota only. They know their VWs — with decades of experience behind them, I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else. Doug, Desmond & their staff work hard to deliver high quality service at fair prices, personalize their service and especially as a woman, I’ve always felt fairly treated there. The only downside is there’s at times quite a wait to get your car in, especially for routine needs — so call early! But they are worth it. My boyfriend takes his 94 Camry there as well and has been happy with the results…