Southern Ontario Mechanic Reviews Thread

Sorry i must apologize for you leaving your car at the wrong address , luckily they saw you put it there and didn't have it towed. The car was gone at 9am so i spent 2 hrs combing the neighborhood for your car. I didn't find it until 1 and honestly didn't know you dropped it off as it wasn't anywhere to be seen. And of course getting your car in the shop was late. If i would have found the car at 9am the car would have been done. And yes ATF spills on transmission service , completely normal.

Come on. You did not 'spend' 2 hours searching for the car. I told you where I had left it and you said it was right across the street. What do you mean you didn't know I dropped it off? I called you the night before to confirm appointment and I called you again at 9 am to see if you had the car. If the work was going to be done later, you should have told me so on the phone. You told me to come pick up the car at 1 pm and it was not even in the shop at that point and you did not have the fluids on hand. How do you explain that?

As far as the ATF overfill incident goes, yes I am aware fluid is supposed to DRIP out of the fill port when it's filled to the correct level at the correct temperature, but in this situation, the fluid was POURING out of the fill port.

I get that you know these cars inside out, but your organization and time management skills leave a lot to be desired.

Like I said, I can care less how many regular customers you have and how busy you are. Thanks for doing the service on my car but I will not be back.

Went to MotorFabrik last week for brakes. Very happy with the quality of work, price, and service. Will definitely go back.

DCB Automotive

I have mixed reviews.

Positives:
-He was very helpful when I first called with a problem and is obviously very knowledgable about his craft.
-He also said to bring it down right away and he will have a look and informed me that the work will be 2days.
-He was able to point out error made by Canadian Tire during safety cert.
-He was able to provide, after I asked, a list of repairs the car will need in the future

My concerns here are in no order:
-though others have stated he provided a loaner car, I did not get one. Reason upset is listed next.
-I dropped my car off tues evening and it was not even looked at til the following Mon! I can understand if he was really busy but informing me that he cant even look at the car yet would have been good to know. When I would call to see how things were going, his previous promise of work/examine were not met on two occassions and at the end of the day, my car was not ready for 1.5weeks.
-He is not easy to get a hold of. Several times I left correspondance and there were no replies. I get that one may not be able to answer right away, but not at all is a different story.

At the end of the day, car was fixed and seems to be running fine..though I do have lingering concerns (maybe not related to his work at all). He is a nice guy and respectful in conversation. That being said, I am not sure I will return due to distance to shop, duration of time it took to complete, and difficulty getting in touch with.

6/10 overall here on my very subjective, non-official or professional rating scale.

Figured I would join the bandwagon and post my experience at DCB Auto. I brought my new-to-me '03 Golf TDI there when my serpentine belt fell off on my way to work a month after buying it. I lost power steering and the battery light lit up, so I turned around and drove straight there after a previous recommendation.

I only spoke with Brandon over the phone, dealt mostly with the man in the shop (forget his name... scruffy beard and glasses? This was 4-5 months ago).

I arrived without notice at 12pm and was told the shop was too busy for a same day service. Reading here it looks like you can usually expect a longer wait, so I count it as a plus that my car was looked at and ready to go the next day. Brandon called me with the price, and to let me know there were several other problems with the car.

The good:
-They found problems my other mechanic completely missed, and stuff the previous owner said was replaced as the car was sold to me safetied (lied).
-Lots of stuff fixed: serp belt, idler pulley, rear calipers, ebrake cables, sway bar bushings, wheel bearing, tie rods inner/outer.

The bad:
-Price was pretty high, as with all mechanics... I needed my car to be driveable ASAP so I didn't have much choice. In hindsight I should have stuck with just a belt and pulley fix and sorted out the rest on my own time, but I figured it was worth it just to get it all done in one shot and not have to worry.
-I am not 100% sure but I believe they damaged my passenger fender liner (a third was missing on the intercooler side).
-They said they changed my driver's puddle light (had a burnt bulb, and the red part wasn't staying in the door trim too well) but instead just put a new plastic red part and completely removed the bulb and bulb holder. I mentioned my door lock module was acting up so the light sometimes didn't work anyway, maybe they thought I wouldn't notice?
-Brakes were super squishy compared to before, it's as if it wasn't even test driven because it was pretty obvious, your foot would go to the floor. I bled the rears and it was still old fluid, and a bunch of air came out. I would have expected a fluid flush with a caliper change.

As you can see, nothing a trip to the U-Pick yard couldn't fix. However I don't think I'll be returning. I do regret not taking the car to DCB prior to buying, as they definitely seem to know their stuff, way ahead of the mechanic I took it to, and light years ahead of the idiot mechanic that safetied the car for the prev owner. For my next timing belt job or in an emergency I will give Precision Tuning a try.

Everything else will be 100% DIY, I cannot afford the hourly rates. Since then I have replaced my brake pads, rotors, thermostat and coolant temp sensor thanks to this forum and couldn't be happier with the car (but thanks to the ******* previous owner who lied about the A/C working when I bought it in winter, it's been a painful summer lol).

Overall I would rate DCB a 6.5/10, definitely skilled but I was expecting a flawless job for the price.

Dcb has very high prices... Called for a quote on an ALH clutch job and all i was told was that he upgrades the clutch to a single mass flywheel and it's 1400 bucks... No mention of a stock clutch and the costs there

anyone use Milton Imports Car Centre......in milton?

krazikipa , if you had concerns regarding anything you could have just called me directly and it could have been sorted. As for your fender liner , i dont get how that would have been damaged.... 2.2Tdi thats about a normal price for a single mass upgrade , clutch disc , pressure plate and a bunch of other things. Dual mass is much more than that.

VDUB TECH said:

krazikipa , if you had concerns regarding anything you could have just called me directly and it could have been sorted. As for your fender liner , i dont get how that would have been damaged.... 2.2Tdi thats about a normal price for a single mass upgrade , clutch disc , pressure plate and a bunch of other things. Dual mass is much more than that.

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I'm sorry but it isn't... everywhere else I called quoted 950-1150... Parts are around 600-700 bucks for either a DMF or SMF kit (with all the other bits required) so if you're charging 700-800 on labor then that's absurd

2.2TDI said:

I'm sorry but it isn't... everywhere else I called quoted 950-1150... Parts are around 600-700 bucks for either a DMF or SMF kit (with all the other bits required) so if you're charging 700-800 on labor then that's absurd

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Ok, im not too sure what clutch brand you are talking about , but there is main seal replacement involved , input shaft seal , shift fork , 2L trans oil , fork pivot and if needed we also change the shift tower bushing while we have it out. I can give you a contact that will do it for 700 , thats absurd Good luck!

I'm just quoting other shops, and the general consensus is around 950-1150 (and i'm talking about valeo, sachs, or luk and I have a quote). As for the rear main seal why would you replace it if it's not leaking or anything wrong with it?

I'm trying to track down Remi in Pickering, he used to be Ability Auto but no longer at the # or address on Mowbray st...does anyone have any conact info for him? He did a great job on the turbo w my 04 TDI wagon a few years ago...

2.2TDI said:

I'm just quoting other shops, and the general consensus is around 950-1150 (and i'm talking about valeo, sachs, or luk and I have a quote). As for the rear main seal why would you replace it if it's not leaking or anything wrong with it?

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Are you sure you're comparing apples to apples? Most ALHs will need all those extras by the time the clutch wears out - in fact often it's the pivot point that fails while the clutch still has some life left. Does your quote include the extras, or do they plan on calling with the bad news once the tranny is out?

Simon

The parts i was quoted for included a Luk kit with the 230mm clutch, dual mass flywheel, pressure plate, release bearing, clutch fork, rear main seal and all the bolts required

i don't think $1400 is un reasonable given the time needed to do the job, and what a clutch kit plus all the little parts cost, I have a quote from the wagon i picked up that shows $1250 for parts and labour (without tax) , plus 50 for for new trans oil, and 60 for a rear main seal. $1537 for just the clutch part of it.

looking for a recommendation on timing belt job around the gta area,
prices would be great to give me an idea, also timelines is important as well as obviously doing it perfect.

will be on an A4 2000 jetta tdi

thank you.

jessmonkey said:

looking for a recommendation on timing belt job around the gta area,
prices would be great to give me an idea, also timelines is important as well as obviously doing it perfect.

will be on an A4 2000 jetta tdi

thank you.

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www.motorfabrik.ca or Google Motorfabrik. 400 and finch area. Very good rates and excellent service.

Or

Independent tuning in scarboro, specialize in VAG

Ignore the above post, just got this email from Motorfabrik : Ownership changed.

To our dearest customers, We would like to thank you for your support over the last 2 years and the opportunity you granted us to take a journey as an independent garage that did things a little differently. As you may have already surmised this is our goodbye as the leaders of Team MotorFabrik. We are stepping down after much thought and difficult deliberation. Chris our beloved technician will be continuing in this trade and we hope he has a long and successful career as a mechanic.
Mehdi A. and Tom J. will be taking over as the new leaders of MotorFabrik. They have over 25 years of experience in automotive and operated a successful shop in Winnipeg. We wish them the best of luck and hopefully they will be able to earn your continued support. We are wrapping up operations and apologize to anyone we were not able to help out in the past weeks.

Signing off,
Amit & Malkit

does anyone know a good VW mechanic that uses OEM parts for service? i am looking to do an engine oil+ filter and a fuel filter change. i really dont want to go to my dealer....

wolf1389 said:

does anyone know a good VW mechanic that uses OEM parts for service? i am looking to do an engine oil+ filter and a fuel filter change. i really dont want to go to my dealer....

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inquire with http://www.precisiontuning.ca/

or http://dcbautomotive.com/

what does your mechanic do for you? brandon @ dcb prob saved my bacon recently: hopped on the 401 headed for the gta one evening and 3k down the road pulled off due to some progressively louder knocking coming from the front end(maybe tires but most likely bearing, I thought). bailed on the trip @ the next exit(drumbo) & limped back to woodstock. next day called 2 closest dealerships; both heard the knocking through the handsfree & with described symptoms said not 2 worry, prob just bearing & book within a few days to a week if needed. $ quotes scared me a bit so I called Brandon 4 advice. by now I was resolved that it was bearings but he didn't seem as certain despite symptoms. then he asked if that was the knock he heard through the hands free & implored that I pull over immediately. he was convinced that lugs were loose & that a wheel could fly off! I wasn't as convinced but I was coming into springford @ #59 where there is a shop @ the only intersection. the owner torqued 2 driver side front lugs more than a full turn, 2 lugs a 1/2 turn & the lock nut was ok while I looked on in disbelief. he looked up from where he was kneeling & said, "you know you could have lost a tire there." nice guy &, unlike myself, a master of understatement. (tires were recently rotated @ cantire & retorqued there 100k later!) thx mech from springford for the torque & thx Brandon for being a damn good mechanic. my wife came close to winning the lottery there but she's just gonna have 2 wait a little longer!

I'd say that was a stroke of good lug !!!

Yuri

Good alignment experience at Al Tech Automotive Limited: 384 Olivewood Rd, Etobicoke, ON M8Z 2Z9

Pat does a great job for $60 cash, my front left no longer chews through tires, and he let me know something is off with my front right camber (-2.5deg), in his opinion probably a bent knuckle and/or strut.

geoman said:

what does your mechanic do for you? brandon @ dcb prob saved my bacon recently: hopped on the 401 headed for the gta one evening and 3k down the road pulled off due to some progressively louder knocking coming from the front end(maybe tires but most likely bearing, I thought). bailed on the trip @ the next exit(drumbo) & limped back to woodstock. next day called 2 closest dealerships; both heard the knocking through the handsfree & with described symptoms said not 2 worry, prob just bearing & book within a few days to a week if needed. $ quotes scared me a bit so I called Brandon 4 advice. by now I was resolved that it was bearings but he didn't seem as certain despite symptoms. then he asked if that was the knock he heard through the hands free & implored that I pull over immediately. he was convinced that lugs were loose & that a wheel could fly off! I wasn't as convinced but I was coming into springford @ #59 where there is a shop @ the only intersection. the owner torqued 2 driver side front lugs more than a full turn, 2 lugs a 1/2 turn & the lock nut was ok while I looked on in disbelief. he looked up from where he was kneeling & said, "you know you could have lost a tire there." nice guy &, unlike myself, a master of understatement. (tires were recently rotated @ cantire & retorqued there 100k later!) thx mech from springford for the torque & thx Brandon for being a damn good mechanic. my wife came close to winning the lottery there but she's just gonna have 2 wait a little longer!

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Great to hear stories like this(good common sense honest mechanic helping people out)...I check mine at least twice after having the wheels off(after 50km then 1-2 weeks) ,every spring/fall, before long trips, and I double check anytime someone else has removed/installed my wheels.

Before I started checking regularly I had found a wheel nut or bolt missing a few times and had to replace. In each incident the remaining ones were still tight. Now that I check regularly I find the rare wheel nut/bolt that gets another 1/8 or less turn when checking but never loose.

This is a good simple common sense thing to do especially if you have people you care about driving/riding in your vehicles.

I just drove up #59 last night and the name of the business in springford is expertech so props to them (as well as dcb). I don't know the mech's name but his willingness to help speaks volumes about of his good nature and business practices.

schumacher said:

Come on. You did not 'spend' 2 hours searching for the car. I told you where I had left it and you said it was right across the street. What do you mean you didn't know I dropped it off? I called you the night before to confirm appointment and I called you again at 9 am to see if you had the car. If the work was going to be done later, you should have told me so on the phone. You told me to come pick up the car at 1 pm and it was not even in the shop at that point and you did not have the fluids on hand. How do you explain that?

As far as the ATF overfill incident goes, yes I am aware fluid is supposed to DRIP out of the fill port when it's filled to the correct level at the correct temperature, but in this situation, the fluid was POURING out of the fill port.

I get that you know these cars inside out, but your organization and time management skills leave a lot to be desired.

Like I said, I can care less how many regular customers you have and how busy you are. Thanks for doing the service on my car but I will not be back.

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I haven't been on here in quite some time yet why am I not surprised to hear about yet another "horror story" ... You people need to wake up and stop going to brandon the amateur who pretends to know everything yet plays dumb when he screws up like he did with my car... my car didnt' even start cause he "forgot" to tighten up the ground on the transmission.. oh and if he quotes you any work.. I can guarantee you he will tell you that any "all inclusive" work doesn't include stuff but only when you are about to pay... Might as well go to the Stealership... atleast i'll be ready to take it up the you know what.

VDUB TECH said:

I guess Mr. Schumacher should post his horrible experience , we work on TDI vehicles exclusively all day every day. How bad could it be? We are usually booked a week ahead for TDIs only . Pretty sure Wingnut (the moderator) said state the facts . Many folks of this great community meet at my shop daily , come in for a coffee or espresso and chat with like minded people

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lol... years later and you're still coming up with whack excuses for poor customer service and **** performance.. I think you should go find another career.. like car salesman..

On a positive note, Perjad at precision and Atilla at vintest are always on their game and always busy with the most competitive prices and quality parts.. they will not let you install cheap aftermarket parts... I have barely heard a peep from anyone saying anything negative about them.. but then again, I've had a new Jetta and no problems ...(knock on wood)

2013 VW Jetta TDI Comfortline

Problem: both heated front seats not working. They both worked the winters of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.

So it can't be a heated seat element, especially since the passenger seat has hardly seen any use. It is something common to both seats; power or a fuse.

Sure enough the 30A fuse no. 50 was missing. So where did the fuse go?

I didn't remove it and the only shop that worked on this car was the selling dealer when the recalls were done.

It didn't fall out because it wasn't on the floor mat and it is a clean drop to it. Besides, it took quite a bit of force to insert a fuse into the slot.

I guess someone was short a fuse in the shop. Amazing!

993er said:

2 So where did the fuse go?

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My favorite answer to matters like this: Squirrels...

Good thing you didn't take it back to the dealer to ask... they would have charged you an hour's labor for diagnosis...

Y.