Autowerkstat

If you have an Audi or a VW… TAKE YOUR CAR HERE! Chris is the owner and he is the best. Chris is honest, fair, an expert in his field and a class act. I had a few issues on my VW and he was able to work around my work schedule and made my car a priority. He is very friendly and personable. After meeting Chris, I will never go to a dealership again for service. He does an amazing job and he is FAIR!!! I am so thankful for finding his shop and I am grateful for his time and the service he provided!

THE BEST VW & AUDI mechanic in Northern CA — bar none!
HONEST, KNOWLEDGEABLE and FRIENDLY… what we all seek in a mechanic!
When one of the turbo’s went out on my 2007 VW V10 TDI, the dealer and other mechanics wanted to pull the engine to swap BOTH TURBO’S at a cost of over $ 10,000 !
Chris quickly diagnosed the problem as a broken pivot stud on one turbo’s variable pitch vanes actuator arm. While he would not guarantee that he could perform the repair, at least he was willing to give it a shot.
We agreed upon a guaranteed fee, even if he was not successful in replacing the pivot stud. I also agreed to leave it with him to work on as a fill job.
Guess what? He was successful, though he spent a few more hours than he had thought. And he held true to his quoted fee! And he saved me $ 9,000.
He went beyond the call of duty… after clearing the engine fault codes, he drove my car until it had gained enough miles to be smog checked. He then took it to a shop in his complex that smog checked it for us. When we came in to pick it up, it was ready to drive away without spending hours at a smog check station as well.
Though he’s over an hour’s drive away, we will definitely be back with our other European exotics.

Chris replaced the water pump in my BMW X5. I found him to be very honest and up front, and he gave me a fair price. His communication was great; he kept me updated on his progress by email and always got back to me in a timely manner. But the good service didn’t stop there. When I went to pick up the vehicle, he took about 45 more minutes out of his busy day to explain the work he did and give me tips on what to watch out for with my particular vehicle. In summary, I had a good experience with this business and I would definitely recommend.

I recently took my 2002 Jetta TDI wagon to Chris and the crew at Autowerkstat and I could not be happier. Chris had a challenge with my TDI, as it hadn’t been serviced in over a year and the car was also in desperate need of a suspension job as well. I dropped off the car with a list of tasks and Chris meticulously went through it and let me know realistically what was worth focusing on, what wasn’t, and costs involved. Chris is on top of communication with customers via phone and email and that is helpful when needing to make decisions about priorities. When I picked up my car after the work was complete, Chris also went through a list of things that will likely come up with the car in the future, especially given its age. Although he recommended trying to find a mechanic that is closer to where I live in the East Bay (I’m about 30 miles away), it’s worth it to me bring my car to Autowerkstat! Thank you, Chris!

I’ve taken my VW GTI 1.8T to Chris more times than I care to count. I was hard on my VW and in addition to that German made automobiles have a few things that naturally go wrong with them. That being said Chris has always been very upfront and honest about what was wrong with my car every time i took it to him. I had been to three other shops in the area and never got the same impression of professionalism and thoroughness that I got from him. Most of the time something went wrong with my VW it was never at a convenient time and Chris was usually crazy busy. That was a good sign to me though because I would rather go a bit longer while borrowing or renting a vehicle then get shotty or overpriced repairs. All in all i will never take my car to anyone else to get repairs and I doubt I’ll see another repair shop owned and operated the same way.

Chris is as good as there is when it comes to auto repair. He is honest, efficient and knows BS when he sees it. We will always be taking our Audi to his shop! Too bad he does not work on Porsches!

Chris is one of a kind. Two years ago I brought my S4, and he gave me an honest advice. It was a high performance car along with the high maintenance fee, just like other European cars. I had a BM before, so I know, but I’m the type of person who just doesn’t learn, so I asked my hus if I could have a Tesla, and he merely hit top of my head… now I’m searching for BM diesel… he might hit me again, but hon, Toyota just doesn’t do me.
Highly recommended, sorry for the late review and thank you, Chris.

Had a failed door lock on my 2010 MB E350, Chris did a fantastic job on the fix which needed pulling apart the door to get at the module. His work ethic and attention to detail shined as there is no indication the door has been repaired.
Fantastic service by Chris, I just moved into the state and needed someone to service my 2010 MBE350.
Great service, even worked in smog test with another service partner down the street.

Stopped by the other day because my daughters VW beetle had a check engine light pop on. Chris quickly hooked up to the car and diagnosed it within a minute or two. Offered a reasonable amount to replace the relay and even got us a spare key made and programmed by closing the next day. Very impressed and will be coming back to handle other needed repairs for her car. Check him out for your German made car needs. For serious repairs or issues it’s best to make an appointment via email or phone as it appears he keeps pretty busy.

First review of a business by me, prompted by my experience with Chris at Autowerkstat… I love my Jetta. to the point of knowing better than to take it to a dealer for service… what I DIDN’T know is that I’d be taking it to a mechanic who loves my car as much as I do… Chris is about as straight forward, no-​nonsense, honest, detailed oriented mechanic you will find… I had a steering wheel alignment issue that was off by 5 degrees. I didn’t tell Cris about it before hand because I forgot… but after the service, it was corrected… it’s that kind of detail and caring about doing the job right, that has made me a loyal customer… Confidence has been restored in the honest mechanic world…

I’ve taken my 2003 VW Golf TDI to Chris twice. I’d known about Autowerkstat for many years now, but living in the East Bay made it difficult get my car out to San Jose for service. After having multiple bad experiences with VW dealers in my area, I finally committed to taking my TDI to Chris… easily the best decision I’ve made regarding my VW.
Chris runs a busy shop. His reputation precedes him and appointments stack up. Make time and commit to getting your car to him. He does whatever he can to accommodate and I’ve always appreciated that effort.
My first job for him wasn’t an easy one. It involved undoing shoddy dealer work and layers of diagnostics (faulty dealer-​installed injection pump among a number of other necessary fixes). Chris is methodical, thorough, and communicates options and solutions every step of the way.
I sent him on a wild goose chase with that first job. I was flexible and left my car with him and he didn’t disappoint. We communicated via email heavily. Response time was always quick. His communication style is to the point and very efficient, and he accommodated all of my questions. The job was complex, but he personally tested and retested his work until he was satisfied that he was handing my TDI back to me ready to perform as it should.
I just picked up my car last week from my second experience with Autowerkstat. I had Chris do my brakes and rotors all the way around as well as shocks and struts. He got me in and out in a day… again providing a solid experience from start to finish.
Despite the challenge it is to get my car out to him, I have no intention of taking my VW to get serviced by any other shop. It’s just that simple. Reliable, knowledgeable beyond belief, solution oriented, works hard to be cost-​effective but has a commitment to quality service using quality parts. When I talk to other TDI owners, most know Chris as the go-​to German diesel guy, whether they’ve had service there or not. I fully understand why. Autowerkstat is my standard.

We took our 2003 jetta here for 2 years while living in San Jose and loved the service we got from Chris. Always informative and friendly, and when in a pinch he would always get us squeezed in. Wish we could keep coming, but we’ve moved so hope to find somewhere that compares to Autowerkstat!

Chris is the guy you want to take your German car to. Knowledge, honest, and goes the extra mile. I trust him and would highly recommend his services.
I had a difficult computer test problem he helped me navigate to get through smog.

Chris takes pride in his business — and in his personal integrity.
I took my VW here to be serviced based on recommendations. I’m newish to the area and needed a place to have some things looked at that I had been neglecting before I sold my GTI. We ended up having miscommunications and Chris made it MORE than right. I would go back again in a heartbeat. I can honestly say it is evident he values his business and his reputation. And he should, they are both excellent.

I should start off by saying I’ve never met Chris in person. And this is in fact my first Unilocal review. I actually signed up with Unilocal finally to write this review.
I’ve been looking for a used gti for a couple weeks. At a certain point I realized I should get some advice from a professional mechanic because ultimately, you never know what you’re getting into with used vehicles. Recalls, maintenance, common problems etc. That’s when I found Chris. There were other vw mechanics on Unilocal,but none with glowing reviews like Chris’s. I contacted him via email and asked him a couple questions. He gave me more information than I could ask for and offered to look over ads if I sent them to him through email. I sent him a dozen ads and asked probably too many questions, but regardless he has answered every email with loads of info on why each purchase may not be the best. And what I should look for in a used vw. Rarely do you find that kind of attention, dedication and honesty in the service industry, especially when you’re not even a customer yet. When I do purchase my used vw, I will be bringing it to Chris for service. This guy is the man.

Chris has maintained our 1996 Audi A4 for over 15 years and 185,000 miles, and never let us down. In fact his work has always been above and beyond the call of duty, making sure everything done to the car was perfect. He will recommend cheaper solutions when those are available and adequate for the situation. I wouldn’t consider going anywhere else.
Because he is so good, he does schedule up in advance so best to get on his calendar early when you need something done.
Over the years we’ve become personal friends as well. You couldn’t find a nicer guy nor anyone so knowledgeable and competent.

When you pick up an Autowerkstat business card it declares the business as a, «Volkswagen and Audi Specialist». This is in fact, an understatement. I found Chris at Autowerkstat by searching Unilocal for Audi specialists. I read all the great reviews, and saw that many referred to him as the «Audi God.» This is more accurate, and I recommend that he put this on his business card instead. I took my Audi TT to him for repair, and have found my mechanic forever!
First, Chris is in high demand, so when you call and get the machine prompting you to leave a message or email for faster response, don’t be deterred. Trust, and do it. He will get back to you within the hour. He spends a lot of time actually under cars and supervising his mechanics. This is a GOOD thing, so don’t be put off, email is best. Send a detailed note listing the symptoms, car, etc… and he will call you back. When he does, be prepared for his no-​nonsense approach. He is direct, never condescending and asks pertinent questions to get a sense of what is going on.
When you leave your car there, (mine was towed in) he will send you a detailed estimate and will go over his diagnosis and likely causes of your trouble. My car had two fans that had failed and melted the fuse box, causing it to overheat. My estimate was detailed and he explained that he could just order the melted fusebox and see if that worked, but likely the fans were bad and then I’d have to wait again for those parts to come in, so I approved the fuse box and the fans from the outset. Sure enough, once he took them out, he was able to confirm that they were bad.
He also caught an error message from our ECM power relay. Our car had been having trouble starting on cold mornings for over a year. The Audi dealership had been unable to diagnose the issue and it was REALLY annoying. He was able to alert us to it and fix it while in the shop, and according to my bill, this took him a half-​an-​hour. This after the Audi dealership had failed to help us at all, and we’d had it in there on multiple occasions.
The work was done when promised, and when he called that Friday to me to let me know I could pick it up, I was the one that had to postpone picking it up until Monday because I couldn’t get down there before closing time. He was kind enough to put the car into the garage and keep it secure for me over the weekend. The first rain of the season fell the day I was to pick it up and when pulling the car out for me he noticed my wiper blades were shot. He ordered a new pair and installed them the same day I came to get it! I had forgotten that they were going bad the year before, and he saved me from tracking down a rare blade and having to order it online!
When I picked up the car, he was very gracious and courteous. He went back over all the items on my bill, and all the work that had been done. Then he let me know the other things he had noticed and what to expect. «Your brakes are great, only about 50% worn, so you’ll get a lot of use from them, your transmission is good, you have a new timing belt, the car looks really really good. You shouldn’t have any trouble with it for a long time. I did notice a tiny, tiny leak in your left CV joint, so it’s not urgent, but I’d get that replaced in the next, like six months. Maybe when you bring it in for an oil change, remind me and we will have the part waiting and can do it at the same time. All in all, the car looks great, and is in good shape.» The TT is seven years old with 90,000 miles on it. She has a lot of miles left on her, and Chris at Autowerkstat will be her mechanic!
I cannot say enough good things about this repair shop, or it’s owner. Go in with confidence and expect professional and knowledgable service, you won’t be disappointed.
Angela

Clearly, you can see from all these reviews that Chris is incomparable. He is honest, fair, smart, willing to explain what he’s doing and why (even to women, which is unusual in the car maintenance industry), and all around a good guy. So why should I bother to write a review, you may ask? I have a unique story to tell.
We have been taking our 2002 S6 Avant to Chris for several years. We love the S6, we love Chris, but we also fell in love with the new BMW 5-​series. We struggled with the decision to keep the Audi or buy a 535 for the last year. Believe it or not, a HUGE part of the decision-​making process was the fact that we would be «stuck» with a new car that has all-​inclusive maintenance for the first four years… and we wouldn’t be taking it to Chris.
Last weekend, we finally took the plunge and ordered our 535. We can’t wait for it to be delivered. After that, we won’t be able to wait until we can start going back to Chris for service!
I cannot recommend Chris highly enough; however, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to reiterate what other Unilocalers have said. The only drawback at Autowerkstat is that, because he’s so good, Chris is often backed up. Make your appointments early! I promise you’ll never be disappointed.

Good service from a guy that I can trust. Been taking our cars to Chris for more than 10 years.
98 Golf
96 Celica
06 Passat
He specializes in German, but had no problems with the wife’s older Celica when we brought it in. She’s now driving the Golf, which is still running strong after 13 years.
Prices are fair, and assessments are honest, which is really all you can ask for from a mechanic.
The only problem is that he is usually swamped, so make your appointments EARLY.

Simply unbelievable service.
I have a 2002 VW Passat with a turning signal issue that finally died completely. I stopped by the VW dealership at the capital auto mall to see what it would take to repair and was quoted $ 480 (holy crap I was thinking). Luckily the service department wasn’t open at 4:30pm (otherwise I might have jumped the gun on the repair) and I went home to scroll on Unilocal to look around for VW repair shops. I came across these glowing reviews and gave Chris a call.
Chris picked up in a few rings and I explained my turning signal situation, and right off the bat he went into possible issues and ways for me to resolve the issue. Not once did he suggest that I needed to have the car brought in for diagnostic or any BS. He even suggested going to the dealership and buying a specific part to fix it myself, giving me step by step instructions on how to do so. Being not too confident with my repair abilities, Chris offered to take a look and try it for me, as he had the part in stock. (Note: this phone call was right around 5pm, store closing).
I get to his shop around 5:15pm, and had him take a look to make the part switch for me and voila, turning signal alive and working. He only charged me for the part and event spent extra time with me, giving me a run down of service check points and things I needed to be aware of to keep my vehicle in tip top shape. He happened to be servicing a similar car to mine, showing me what he and his coworker were doing for their service checkups and explaining in details which parts that wear and tear regularly with VWs. He overlooked my car quickly as well, topping off fluids and looking for possible leaks.
After having only met Chris very briefly, I am very impressed with the level of service and courtesy he has to offer and I will take my car to him for all my servicing needs