Looking for a new mechanic - Toronto

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
So, I really need a hand finding a good mechanic in Toronto.

My family likes to do a lot of the work on our cars ourselves and this hasn’t turned out so well recently. Back home there was a machanic that was really good with my family, payment plans, working with them on issues rather than talking down to them, etc.

I recently moved to Toronto, don’t really want my family working on my car anymore due to some recent issues and don’t want a mechanic that talks down to me, or doesn’t believe me when I say the car feels off just because the stupid scanner comes up empty.

Does anyone have any recommendations? North York area but willing to travel within GTA if it’s worth it. Car needs a lot of work, and a lot of things recently “fixed” need looked at again.
 

HPsenicka

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Location
Orangeville, Ontario
TDI
2 x 2004 Jetta Sport BEW (Malone Stage 1.5), 2014 GSW TDI - Wolfsburg Edition, 2015 Passat TDI -Sport Trim
There are a number of VW/Audi specialist shops in the GTA ( and I don't mean VW dealerships).


Perhaps a bit too far for you, but I highly recommend Total Mechanical Services near Orangeville.


They work exclusively on VW/Audi, and have several very skilled and experienced technicians.


Look them up, you won't be disappointed!
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
Ironically I drive through Orangeville every once in a while so it’s not too far, if it’s worth it.


But are either of these shops going to work with me about “special” issues this car has? This isn’t your typical Dailey driver city car. And it’s been tinkered with by a lot of people who didn’t know what they were doing.

Almost all my stories start with, “So last year, someone tried to fix _______, and probably screwed it up more. Can you look at it and not charge me an arm and a leg?”
 

steve6

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2010
Location
Beaverton, ON
TDI
2003 jetta tdi
I cant guarantee the arm and leg thing, but you'll understand if you pull up to Precision Tuning and there parking lot is littered with VW's in general, and lots of MKIV's looking to get work done, he knows his VW's. Another option is DCB automotive, but he moved to Orillia.
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
I cant guarantee the arm and leg thing, but you'll understand if you pull up to Precision Tuning and there parking lot is littered with VW's in general, and lots of MKIV's looking to get work done, he knows his VW's. Another option is DCB automotive, but he moved to Orillia.
This generally means it’s pricey, if there’s a long line of people looking to get work done, no? I’m not in a place where I can afford to pay a fortune for small work.
 

Johhny04

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
Markham, Ontario
TDI
2003 Jetta TDi
This generally means it’s pricey, if there’s a long line of people looking to get work done, no? I’m not in a place where I can afford to pay a fortune for small work.
It means he knows what he is doing and reason why he is busy. Precision Tuning (Perjad - owner) won't charge you to just talk. He'll hear you out.
 

HPsenicka

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Location
Orangeville, Ontario
TDI
2 x 2004 Jetta Sport BEW (Malone Stage 1.5), 2014 GSW TDI - Wolfsburg Edition, 2015 Passat TDI -Sport Trim
This generally means it’s pricey, if there’s a long line of people looking to get work done, no? I’m not in a place where I can afford to pay a fortune for small work.

Take the time to pay them a visit for a chat about what your priorities are regarding the car and then decide what makes sense for you.


A service oriented shop will normally take a look at the car to give you an assessment of the condition it is in and help you prioritize any required work.


Also, not all shops work on a flat-rate basis. An experienced tech who can diagnose quickly and accurately, and works efficiently because they know the car, can save you money if the shop is billing only for actual time spent.
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
Kind of just bumping this up.... need some new work done soon and still haven’t decided.
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
Well thanks to those of you who actually gave useful advice. I might pop into precision tuning sometime later this month.

For those of you who just want to be rude for no aparant reason- not all of us have expensive cars nor can afford to fork out thousands of dollars on diagnostics and unnecessary work on our low quality and temporary vehicles. Don’t judge people because what they can afford and the person they prefer to have work on their car. Sorry I prefer to have a mechanic who listens to me when I drive the car everyday instead of just ripping it apartment because a computer says so.
 

6oh

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Location
Toronto
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI Sedan / 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
hey boodles... in all fairness, i think I got where you were coming from (and would have said Perjad as well, as your no-nonsense trustworthy-of-all-in-the-forum dude) as just wanting someone trusty and not too pricey.

However, it could also have been you repeatedly saying stuff along the lines "i dont wanna pay alot" and "i dont want to be swindled", despite getting recommendations already, signifying that may be an overriding thought always. Perjad may not be the cheapest, (he also isn't the most expensivest), but one of the most respected shops in the GTA in these forums. Concern to you is that you 'need someone to listen to you, when it actuality, it sounds like it may be you just needing to listen to someone trustworthy, and not the family hack-job you were forced to trust.

You've landed on a great forum of folks offering far better specific advice than a redflagdeals type of save-money-at-all-costs forum...
 

maxmoo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Location
Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2000 golf, 2001 golf, 2000 beetle, 2003 wagon, 2004 golf, 2004 jetta, all diesels
hey boodles... in all fairness, i think I got where you were coming from (and would have said Perjad as well, as your no-nonsense trustworthy-of-all-in-the-forum dude) as just wanting someone trusty and not too pricey.

However, it could also have been you repeatedly saying stuff along the lines "i dont wanna pay alot" and "i dont want to be swindled", despite getting recommendations already, signifying that may be an overriding thought always. Perjad may not be the cheapest, (he also isn't the most expensivest), but one of the most respected shops in the GTA in these forums. Concern to you is that you 'need someone to listen to you, when it actuality, it sounds like it may be you just needing to listen to someone trustworthy, and not the family hack-job you were forced to trust.

You've landed on a great forum of folks offering far better specific advice than a redflagdeals type of save-money-at-all-costs forum...

Well said 6oh.....this is exactly what I meant by my brief post above. ;)

We do try to help each other on this forum......and some of us do know where you're coming from Boodles.
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
Maxmoo, you’re comment was uncalled for and simply just rude.

It makes sense to ask for more than one recommendation, no one simply just takes the first recommendation they’re given. I wanted to see what others had to say before I decided what to do. I don’t want to just walk into a shop, hand over my keys and have them tell me I need this this this and it’ll cost $3000. I already know the majority of what the car needs, and how much I can afford at a time. What I need is someone who will work with me one thing at a time as I can afford it and ignore the other things. I’ve had mechanics refuse to fix one thing if they didn’t get the full $2000 out of me at once. I don’t NEED X repair right now, it can wait until I can afford it, but I need Y repair right now and it’s all I can afford. I need a mechanic that understands that. Right now, I have one repair in mind I need done before Christmas, but if I take it into a shop and they do a once over of the car, that’s not what they will want to fix. I want a mechanic that will focus only on what I ask for the time being.

I don’t think you guys realize the kind of situation I’m in, or the kind or car I drive.
 

imo000

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Location
Cambridge
TDI
2009 M-B ML320 Diesel & '05 Passat TDI Manual 5-Speed
Shops have reputations to keep and if they fix only want you want AND THEN something else breaks, all they need is you start badmouthing them because you didn’t listen. For example, customer wants the CV boots replaced instead of the entire axle/shaft. Shop doesn’t want to do this because they can’t guarantee that the re-booted CV joint will last or have the quality/end results they want. So this is where they will say they don’t do re-booting and only willing to do an axle swaps. But, this will cost more than the boot replacement so, the owner thinks the shop wants to rip him off. Any chance this is what has been happening to you? Most shops can tell if an owner is going to be a future PITA and then quote a job so high that they know the customer will go elsewhere. This is their way of declining a job without saying no.
What you need to find is a shop that can do proper diagnosis before they replace ANYTHING. This way they are not just throwing parts at it and hoping eventually one of them will fix the problem. BUT proper diagnosis can take time and cost more money than replacing a part and crossing fingers. Quality work cost money. The other option is that you tackle the work yourself and if the part doesn’t fix the issue at least you didn’t spend money on labour.
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
The majority of repairs are done by me or people I know- thus saving labour. Where I’m stuggling is with things I don’t have the equipment for or something I don’t have to room for. I can only do so many repairs with the car on jack stands in my parking lot.

What I’m asking a shop to do right now is work with me on my rather serious and complicated suspension problem while ignoring the engine codes for emissions, O2 Sensors and the like because I mean aware I have a hole punched in the pipe just after my cat and my cats about to rust out at any moment. The difference is- I can only afford to fix one thing and my busted strut and related issues make highway driving difficult. The cat just makes the car noisy and likely to fail an emissions test.

I NEED my suspension situation fixed by Christmas because this car has to make it to Thunder Bay. The cat can wait till after I get my Christmas bonus and get back to work in January/February.
 

imo000

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Location
Cambridge
TDI
2009 M-B ML320 Diesel & '05 Passat TDI Manual 5-Speed
Sounds like your car shouldn't be on the road at all. What is so complicated about your suspension problem?
 

petee_c

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
Heidelberg, Ontario, Canada
TDI
15 Golf TDI, was 06 Jetta TDI, 15 q7 tdi, was 11 Q7 TDI
Sounds like your car shouldn't be on the road at all. What is so complicated about your suspension problem?
.....

Short version - he needs to replace a broken sprut, but has no money for new parts, or labour, and has no access to good used parts.

- it's a cash flow problem

------


Cars and driving can be expensive.

I would never recommend a 15 yr old volkswagen to someone who doesn't have the ability or place to do their own work. This is coming from someone who drives a 12 yr old VW as a daily driver, and does most of his own work, has tools, a vcds, and facilities to do most repairs. Even then, I have caved and gotten paid outside help. TB change was one, passenger front wheel bearing was another....

You are talking about repairs that exceed the value of the car. The fact that the mechanic needs to charge a fair rate for their labour is not their problem.

IMHO,It makes no sense to keep going the way your vehicle sounds....
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
Not all of us can afford $15,000 cars.

This car runs just fine and has never let me down or left me stranded. I’m not going to get rid of a good thing because it needs a little TLC, which, I might add, is mostly because it’s previous owner left it to sit. Again- I don’t think you understand the situation I’m in or the kind of car I drive. Similarity, where I’m from there’s 1000’s of cars in worse shape on the road, just because my car needs to wait a few weeks to get something doesn’t mean the car is scrap.


—————————

Wrong. It’s not a broken strut. Obviously I’m willing to pay for parts and labour if I’m looking for a mechanic. Clearly I do some repairs on my own or I wouldn’t be looking for a mechanic 2 years into owning the car. Even if I need to put $600 worth of work into the car, it’s still cheaper than a payment on a new car. At this point the car is half new parts. You’ve heard 2 things about my vehicle. You have no idea “How it sounds”.
 
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petee_c

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
Heidelberg, Ontario, Canada
TDI
15 Golf TDI, was 06 Jetta TDI, 15 q7 tdi, was 11 Q7 TDI
The difference is- I can only afford to fix one thing and my busted strut and related issues make highway driving difficult. The cat just makes the car noisy and likely to fail an emissions test.

I NEED my suspension situation fixed by Christmas because this car has to make it to Thunder Bay. The cat can wait till after I get my Christmas bonus and get back to work in January/February.
Sorry, I thought you said it was a busted strut previously....

I can't help you on the mechanic reccomendations in the GTA...hopefully you can work something out and find someone who can help you prioritize your repairs... Porbably best at this time is just to drive around and have a face to face with some shops, get a quote and see who you feel comfortable with,
 

boodles

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Location
Canada
TDI
2003 VW Jetta
It’s related to the strut, the reason I’m looking for a mechanic now is because a new strut didn’t solve the problem, even though it needed a new strut anyway. I figured it wasn’t just easier to say something simple than explain the elaborate trial and error process I’ve already gone through. I wanted a new mechanic because neither myself, my stepdad, or my moms mechanic seem to know why the car is doing what it’s doing (and I’m sick of trial and error) but none of these people are all too familiar with the weird little things we sometimes find about Volkswagen’s. Every other vehicle in the family is/has been a dodge or a Pontiac.

I just hope you realize that trying to explain something on here is absolutely nothing like experiencing it in the car. I say my car needs a handful of repairs but from looking at the car you couldn’t tell. She runs just fine and I only know because I drive it every day for long periods of time. Basically this is all routine maintenance that the the car never ever got because it’s previous owner neglected it.

Actually people all the time are amazed at how many original parts are in the car- just the other day I changed the spark plugs. Most likely the original ones- with 15 years and 310k Kms on them. Just think about that for a minute.... how many other tiny things were never ever changed and the car runs good? I’m just catching up on regular maintenance, which is why it’s going to take a while.
 

Wingnut

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Location
Toronto & Whitby
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta Wagon
Why don't you try to describe the problem you are having with your suspension and maybe someone on here can point you in the right direction. The MKIV cars have very basic suspension systems. Lower control arm, strut and a ball joint and some bushings. Not a lot to chase a problem.
 

imo000

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Location
Cambridge
TDI
2009 M-B ML320 Diesel & '05 Passat TDI Manual 5-Speed
It’s related to the strut, the reason I’m looking for a mechanic now is because a new strut didn’t solve the problem, even though it needed a new strut anyway. I figured it wasn’t just easier to say something simple than explain the elaborate trial and error process I’ve already gone through. I wanted a new mechanic because neither myself, my stepdad, or my moms mechanic seem to know why the car is doing what it’s doing (and I’m sick of trial and error) but none of these people are all too familiar with the weird little things we sometimes find about Volkswagen’s. Every other vehicle in the family is/has been a dodge or a Pontiac.

I just hope you realize that trying to explain something on here is absolutely nothing like experiencing it in the car. I say my car needs a handful of repairs but from looking at the car you couldn’t tell. She runs just fine and I only know because I drive it every day for long periods of time. Basically this is all routine maintenance that the the car never ever got because it’s previous owner neglected it.

Actually people all the time are amazed at how many original parts are in the car- just the other day I changed the spark plugs. Most likely the original ones- with 15 years and 310k Kms on them. Just think about that for a minute.... how many other tiny things were never ever changed and the car runs good? I’m just catching up on regular maintenance, which is why it’s going to take a while.
What spark plugs? Your car is not a diesel?

Give us the benefit that we know more than you and describe what exactly is going on with your suspension. As said above, there is nothing special about the MKIV suspension. I've seen the exact same setup on a Pontiac and many others. Since your car has over 310K on it, how about accepting the fact that some parts are a bit worn and live with it. It isn't realistic to demand that a car this old will feel like a new one.
 

petee_c

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Location
Heidelberg, Ontario, Canada
TDI
15 Golf TDI, was 06 Jetta TDI, 15 q7 tdi, was 11 Q7 TDI
What spark plugs? Your car is not a diesel?
Yeah, I caught that too....

I'm not sure if we can help.... He doesn't seem very receptive, but to others reading this thread, the types of sounds your car makes with respect to suspension can be helpful in diagnosis, accompanied by a visual inspection.

Squeaks
Squawks
Metal on metal
Clunks
Groans
Tire noise/roaring
Cyclic or intermittent
Whirling
Does the sound change?
Does it get worse with turning or braking?

Visually, compare one side to the other etc.

Duplicate sounds by rocking the car side to side or front to back.

To do the side to side one, open both windows on one side of the car and grab the b pillar and rock it from side to side building up amplitude.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk
 

e300d

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Location
Caledon Brampton Mississauga
TDI
2xBEW wagon 1xALH wagon..both gone...no more diesel for now..have few Mercedes CDIs in family..but now its a Miata and Suburban for me lol...miss the TDI game
This guy is taking this to the next level..

In your case it actually might be better to get a brand new KIA or Honda or whatever basic new car you can get for low monthly payments and solve your issues,

I know you came here to ask for good mechs..buddy I had my suburban at my mechanics for parking brake cables/u joint and that cost me $500.00 bucks,

My volvo xc90 had leak at front pipe before cat..dual pipes weld in cost about $400.00 bucks


Labour aint cheap..and you are driving mk4 which is getting pretty up there in age....it seems like you have multiple issues and it will just keep on getting more piled up as the car ages...

I had probably 6 or more mk4 cars and now I am out of them as much as I liked them now its at the point where they are getting too old and old age is catching up..


The only way you car run mk4 or any older car is if you do most of work yourself....

And dont get all bent out of shape as some good lads have chimed in on your issue and yes Perjad is good and ofcourse he has to make a living and pay his overhead..

You either pay dirt cheap and get a hack job or you pay reasonable rate and get good kwality work!:
 
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