Anyone need help,here I am(Dallas-Plano ,TX

RickCJ7

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2006
Location
central PA
TDI
2005 Jetta TDI
I purchased a used dash cluster off Marin last week, he shipped it ASAP and sent very detailed instructions to program the keys to it.


"I had the dash cluster installed yesterday and all went well. The directions you sent made the job very easy, I don't think it would have went as smooth without them."

Thanks again
 

TexLabo

Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2009
Location
Dallas, TX
TDI
Searching feverishly for a good deal
I had Marin check out a MAF sensor CEL I was having. It was diagnosed by another shop as a bad ECU sending improper voltage to the MAF. He double checked the other shop's diagnostics, and turned out to be just a bad MAF sensor.

I had a good experience with him, and if I need more assistance, will gladly go back.

~Tex
 

Krfar

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Location
Dallas, TX
TDI
2010 CandyWhite JSW TDI DSG, NAV & Pano
I just wanted to drop a line and put in a couple of words for Jetta ,97. He re-coded the Steering Wheel Controller on my 2010 JSW which activated audible Commands on the 9W3 BT module. The voice or audible command feature will be even more valuable with the next release of the firmware to the RSN 510 at which point I'll be to control the head unit with audible commands. Anyhow, it was a good experience, Jetta ,97 is a good guy and knows his stuff. I think it took him about 10 minutes although we chatted for 45. I also want to thank TxRanger for putting me in touch with Jetta ,97 which is one more reason why this forum is such a great resource.
 
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BurningBio

Active member
Joined
Jul 9, 2007
Location
Minneapolis
TDI
1998 Jetta
Dallas TDI expert!

I found Marin here in the TDI club as I needed a new mechanic since we moved to the Dallas area.

Marin quickly found the problems I had with loss of power and a non-functioning A/C on my 98 Jetta TDI. As it turned out the problems were quick and cheap to fix and I had my car back the same day.

Marin also let me know about some other things that needed to be done but let me know that we could do them later as I am on a tight budget right now. He even set my clock to the right time!

If you are looking for a good mechanic in the Dallas area don't hesitate to call him! :)

Email me if you have any questions.

Jon P.
 

dianac7

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2010
Location
Dallas
TDI
'99 Jetta(new body style)
Great Dallas area mechanic!

Marin contacted me through a limp mode post on a '99 MK4 Jetta that I had made. We spoke on the phone and I had already pretty much gotten my car running by changing the vacuum lines. But not very well.
He asked if I had ever changed my timing belt changed. My car he noted had 96,000 miles and it was supposed to be done at 60,000.

You would think that either the dealer or the shop that I take it to regularly would have mentioned that!

After calling the dealer, and talking to my dad I decided it was urgent and to take the car in for TB.
When I brought the car to him I told him about all of the things that were wrong with the car.

When I got the car back from him, it was like driving a new car. I didn't realize how badly it was performing.

Here's a list of all the things that he did, some as a courtesy:

Scanned for CEL and cleared
checked glowplugs
fixed driver door that was loose
found brakes were incorrectly installed and fixed them
complete timing belt service, which included changing out the water pump, belt, bolts rollers, seals,tensioner, idler new 100,000 mile coolant
He also found the serpentine belt to be making noise while he was doing the change and only charged for the part since he had the thing apart anyway!
replaced cabin filter
replaced N75 vacuum hose that connected to actuator
replaced fuel injector hoses
remounted and checked wipers/motor
found oil leak near oil filter and tightened it
Cleaned up engine so it looked nice
Checked air conditioner since it was making noise
Checked old maf I had removed and found it was good, so I will return the one I bought to the store!

He also gave me an estimate of work that should be done, pointed out everything on the car that was done and needed to be done so I could see with my own eyes, which gave me a peace of mind.
He saved all the old parts so that I could see that they really were bad.
He even offered to let me use his spare car so that I wouldn't be without my car since the work took a day.

All in all I am very pleased, he beat the dealer price by $200 on the TB alone and gave me better and quicker service.
He gave me an invoice totaling all the work completed and an estimate of work to be done and in what order so that we know what is urgent and what can wait. This will prove helpful to budget out the repairs for the car.

This guy is not just some home mechanic, he has worked in the industry for a long time and now going on his own. I have never been so happy to drive my car home. I feel like I know the car now and I am not afraid that I will be stranded somewhere.

I have never received such thourough and quality service from anywhere. Even though I am a woman and still learning about some of the intricacies of TCI's he never talked down to me. He didn't seem put out even when I asked simple questions.

To sum it all up....I don't think that I will take my car to anyone else-ever!
Thank you Marin, thank you so much!

Diana Gifford
PS feel free to PM me if you have questions or want a recommendation personally.
 

whitebelly

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2000
Location
Kearny, NJ U.S.A.
TDI
2013 JSW

jrip

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
Location
Fort Worth, TX
TDI
Jetta, 2000, Blue, TOTALED, Jetta, 2002, Green
I posted a message concerning my keyfob and Marin (Jetta, 97) gave me a reply asking me to PM him if I was interested in what he had to offer. I did, he called, and I went to see him in the evening a little after 8pm. It took him all of about three minutes to re-program my keyfob controler. He then showed me what was broken in mine, and replaced the bad case for a very reasonable price. We talked for an extended period of time, and although I am not a school trained TDI mechanic, I am a school trained mechanic from the Army, and this man impressed me. Not only is he very knowledgeable, but he is more interested in repairing your car properly than he is on making money. He also parts with his knowledge freely. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that any work I do not do myself, will be done by him. Thanks Marin for everything.
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
Yes I can do it,if is cc module has not been mess before and if it does not have codes in cc module that can't be cleared.
I have an RC1+ tune by Jeff (aka Rocketman). I have recoded the trans to Sport Mode. I have turned off the door open/seat belt chime. Those are all the changes I have made to the Passat. I get to Dallas/Ft Worth area once in a while due to work assignments. If there is nothing hindering the application of your coding, I can give you some advance notice next time I plan to be near you.

Tony
 

jetta 97

Vendor
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Location
Dallas (McKinney) ,TX ,USA
TDI
2 X Jatta MK5 2006
I have an RC1+ tune by Jeff (aka Rocketman). I have recoded the trans to Sport Mode. I have turned off the door open/seat belt chime. Those are all the changes I have made to the Passat. I get to Dallas/Ft Worth area once in a while due to work assignments. If there is nothing hindering the application of your coding, I can give you some advance notice next time I plan to be near you.

Tony
No problem , just let me know when you are here. Also you can e-mail me ,e-mail is in first post.
Thanks
 

DDLTexan

Active member
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Location
Keene, TX
TDI
1997 & 1998 Jetta TDIs & 2000 Passat Wagon
Jetta 97,
I have a 1998 Jetta TDI in storage that my old mechanic could not fix. It lost power a couple of times driving from Texarkana to Dallas and put out some white smoke. I would slow down to about 20 mph and then the power would come back and I would then be able to drive about 60 mph. It did this several times over a distance of 100 miles with losing power and then power coming back. It finally stopped along side of the road and I had AAA tow it to my mechanic. We had the injector pump rebuilt and the timing belt replaced, etc. but it still won't run properly. It has been stored a couple of years, because I have been buried with a building project at home. I think the fuel tank needs to be totally flushed first (because the fuel in it is very very old) and then someone who can test it out properly with Vagcom, etc. Please PM and let me know what you might charge to finally get this car back working and on the road again.
Thanks for any help that you can provide, Alan
 
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jetta 97

Vendor
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Location
Dallas (McKinney) ,TX ,USA
TDI
2 X Jatta MK5 2006
Jetta 97,
I have a 1998 Jetta TDI in storage that my old mechanic could not fix. It lost power a couple of times driving from Texarkana to Dallas and put out some white smoke. I would slow down to about 20 mph and then the power would come back and I would then be able to drive about 60 mph. It did this several times over a distance of 100 miles with losing power and then power coming back. It finally stopped along side of the road and I had AAA tow it to my mechanic. We had the injector pump rebuilt and the timing belt replaced, etc. but it still won't run properly. It has been stored a couple of years, because I have been buried with a building project at home. I think the fuel tank needs to be totally flushed first (because the fuel in it is very very old) and then someone who can test it out properly with Vagcom, etc. Please PM and let me know what you might charge to finally get this car back working and on the road again.
Thanks for any help that you can provide, Alan
PM Sent.
 

WINMAG

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Location
D/FW, TX
TDI
2004 JETTA
Recommendation for Marin

My experience:

Had a brake issue on the wife's jetta. Called Marin up and explained the issue to him and he gave me some usefull diagnostic instructions over the phone. Through my lack of understanding in the brake booster/master cylinder area on VW's, I thought it'd be better if someone took a look at it. Didn't want to mess around with an issue like braking so I scheduled an appointment to see Marin. Within minutes the problem was found but was unable to get the part till the next day. Met Marin at his residence and finished the job within minutes. As someone who deals with a vast range of people(everyday) in my career, Marin appears to be a knowledgeable, caring mechanic and a genuine nice guy. Everyone here knows trusting your car to someone is important and knowing their not trying to screw ya is peace of mind. As my Tdi is about to hit 200k miles I'm fully aware that its gonna need some tlc and would use Marin in a heartbeat for the job. Give him a try you won't be disappointed. Pm me if have any questions. Thanks everyone for this site.
 

jrip

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
Location
Fort Worth, TX
TDI
Jetta, 2000, Blue, TOTALED, Jetta, 2002, Green
A quick note of thanks Marin. The AC is working perfectly now and my wife is very happy. I appreciate you getting me in on short notice, and the first class repair. Of course the price was also great. The new maf has made a world of difference in the power and I have ordered that air pipe. It should be in before I leave for Colorado. Enjoy your vacation, and I'll see you when I get back for the suspension work.
 

TDIFTW

Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
fort worth
TDI
MKV jetta tdi
my experience:

first of let me start off with, i cannot say enough positive things about marin, he does quality work at a resonable price and i will definatly recommend him to anyone with a VW. that being said here is my story

i started off researching the DMF because i kept hearing a noise at idle that was not normal. the information on this site helped me to realize that my DMF was more then likely failing. so i made a post asking about shops around the DFW metroplex. Marin's name came up in the second responce to my post (thanks schillster1) so i did some research and found this thread that marin had made and all the positive feedback people had been giving him.

i send marin a PM on a thursday, he gives me a call that night and we talk about the issues that i am having for about 30-45 min, and i schedule to take my car to him on monday (labor day). marin immediatly notice the problem of my DMF when i pulled up to his shop. he told me that it would be ready on thursday at the latest on friday. marin calls me on thursday to tell me that my car is ready and even makes arrangements for me to pick up at his house (since i work 7-6 m-f). when i show up to get my car he has the old flywheel there to show me the problem (how much play is in the flywheel). explains everything that he did to it and rides with me on a test drive to make sure that i am happy with it. we continue to shoot the breeze for another 30 min after that.

so like i said before.... marin is top notch!!!! ill definatly recommend anyone to him for work! the things that he did for me were : replace the DMF, 80k DSG service, and vag-com. in the future he will be doing my timing belt too. i am 100% satisfied in my expierience with marin. i am also glad to have such intelligent and strong VW supporters on this site that are willing to help others!! a big thank you to marin and to TDIclub for the info!!!!!

mitch
 

jrip

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
Location
Fort Worth, TX
TDI
Jetta, 2000, Blue, TOTALED, Jetta, 2002, Green
Marin. Thanks for a great job on the front suspension. The front end is once again handling like it should. I tried a few high speed curves and it feels more stable then it was before, and the new dogbone has greatly reduced the shake at start and shut down. Now all I need is the chip.
 

TXRanger83

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
Location
Midland, TX
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Just wanted to let everybody know Marin is a top class mechanic, and he only does high quality work. He installed an alarm siren on my MY10 jetta sedan which had never been done before in the US, and he did such a great job it looks like it was done at the VW factory.
 

dogan

New member
Joined
Oct 24, 2010
Location
Texas
TDI
2002 Jetta
Still another recommendation for Marin

I’d like to add another note about Marin. He saved me $1200 from the dealer cost in fixing my fuel injector pump. The best thing for me however was not the money saved, but that I found such a quality mechanic in my area (Dallas). He was able to get to the car very quickly and was extremely thorough. He took the time to explain everything, and he gave me some great maintenance advice. I'd strongly recommend him to any TDI owner.
 

Blue Moon

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2010
Location
Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS TDI 5-speed
Two Thumbs Up for Marin

We have a 2003 Jetta TDI GLS 5-speed that we recently purchased after a long search for this specific model. It has a factory new engine which is the main reason we picked it over a few others we considered. While it is in very good shape, our goal is to keep it a long time so a trustworthy wrench is an absolute requirement.

We have a friend that is a certified VW powertrain mechanic that replaced the engine in our Jetta however he has recently changed positions and now manages a corporate car and truck fleet so his availability to work as a shade tree mechanic is very limited. Based on the feedback on this forum we had already decided to give Marin a try when the time arose. While we had hoped that it would be awhile before we crossed paths with Marin, the MIL alerted us of a problem so we set up an appointment to deal with the issue plus discuss ongoing maintenance.

Marin diagnosed the issue right away and also found a small diesel leak that he also repaired. He also changed our engine and gear oil. Marin was very thorough as he gave the Jetta an in-depth look that made us feel even better about our purchase. If the need should arise, I would not hesitate to recommend Marin. Two thumbs up.


Blue Moon

 

TDIFTW

Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Location
fort worth
TDI
MKV jetta tdi
can you send me a pm on the price to change a timing belt?
marin just did my timing belt on my 06 MKV TDI yesterday. i and very happy with the work he did again. he did it in one day, he replaced my TB, rollers and tensioners, water pump (with metal impeller), cabin filter, air filter, fuel filter, and oil change. while he was working on my car he found a heater hose that was expanded at the connection and he called me and asked me if i wanted it changed right now with a price and i choose to go ahead and change it. (turned out to be cheaper then what he had origionally quoted over the phone). Another plus about marin is that he keeps all the parts that he replaced on my car and when i pick it up he shows me the parts and explains why he needed to change it. marin was also nice enought to allow me to drop off my car and pick it up at his house because i work M-F 7a to 6p. marin also hooked me up on some questions that i had and a few small thing that i wanted fixed.

again 100% happy with the work i had done through marin. he is very throuogh and passionate about what he does. i reccommend him to everyone that i can.
 

foster1108

New member
Joined
Nov 11, 2010
Location
Balch Springs, Texas
TDI
Jetta 1998
I will agree with the other post, Marin does a great job.
I had the timing belt replaced at another shop and the the car just did seem right. The other shop did not set timing correctly after the belt replacement plus few other issues that were not done correctly by them.
Marin fix the problems with the timing, a check engine light (blow glow plug fuse) also had the theremosta replaced , cold morning the Jetta was not coming up to temperature.
He did a great job a good pricing and got the car back quickly.

The first cold morning after the work he gave me a call to make sure the car starting fine and was coming up to the correct temp. first time I've had someone who worked on my car call me check that everything was working fine.

Thanks again, would recommend him to anyone.
 

thebigtman

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2008
Location
San Antonio, TX
TDI
2005 Passat TDI
Thank you Marin!

Thanks to all who posted on this thread. I was contemplating purchasing a wagon located in Dallas so I had Marin check it out for me. First, Marin uncovered a lot. I know my way around domestics pretty well but I'm glad I had Marin on my side for this one. I've owned two GLI's, one Golf and one TDI prior to this so I was familiar with VW's but I'm no expert. Furthermore, since I was about 5 hours away, I needed someone on the ground to do an inspection so I didn't blow a whole day of work to look at a potential wagon to buy. Marin was my eyes and ears for this purchase and I couldn't have had anyone better for the job. I knew exactly what I was getting into at the end of our 30 minute conversation. The day before the inspection he took a lot of time to explain exactly what he does in a pre-purchase inspection and I relayed my concerns about what I knew about the car already. I could tell that he knew his stuff when he explained what he does to inspect a TDI and after he actually completed the inspection, I was even more impressed. I had access to one previous pre buy inspection performed at Rusty Wallis VW but Marin blew this one out of the water with what he found.

After Marin got me up to speed on the car, he told me that the seller had just called and asked when he could get the car back. Unbeknown to me, the seller had another buyer setup to view the car immediately after the pre purchase inspection. We were both floored since he never mentioned this to either of us in the several conversations we had leading up to the pre buy inspection! I wasn't even going to be given a chance to buy the car. I was 5 hours away with cash in hand but the seller explained that he had a buyer here with cash in hand. What was I to do?! I offered to paypal a deposit, drive up the next day or whatever else he wanted to feel comfortable turning away these other buyers. Marin even offered to put cash in the buyers hand right there for me and told him that he should at least give me the chance to buy the car since he knew I was out of town. I was shocked. The seller still persisted in letting the new potential buyers have a chance but he at least agreed to pay for my pre purchase inspection.

So, what did Marin do next? Well, he armed these new buyers with the knowledge he just gave me and passed along my pre-purchase inspection repair list to the potential buyers so they knew exactly what they would be getting into. I think it must have scared them because in the end, those buyers passed and I finally had my chance to buy the wagon.

Although most of the items on the repair list I could have accomplished at my shop in San Antonio, I had full confidence in Marin's ability and I knew I wanted a few of those things done prior to driving it home. So, who else better to do it than Marin??!!! Marin gave me a detailed quote, provided pictures, called me several times and drove the wagon 80 miles to make sure it was up to snuff before I flew in to drive it home. When I got to his shop, we must have spent at least an hour talking about my vehicle, his business philosophy and future plans. I managed 46.1mpg (ALH, auto trans) on the way home down I35 without incident. The TDI ran flawlessly. And just to show you what kind of guy Marin really is, he called me that night to make sure all was well and to inquire about the car.

Overall, it was an A+++ experience. I highly recommend that you at least call and talk to him if you need to get your TDI serviced or if you need a pre buy inspection. Without a doubt, he is on your side. Not only did I find one heck of a mechanic but I also consider him a new friend. Thank you Marin!

Once again, a big thanks to this forum. Without these reviews, I would have never found someone as thorough as Marin.

Tim
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
Tim:

Thanks for sharing your experience. We in Houston don't have a Marin to rely on and typically find ourselves in the DFW/FW are at one of the three really good guys there.;)
 
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