Southern Ontario Mechanic Reviews Thread

[TurboABA]

If\When the shop can just get paid for 5 hours of diag without needing to do anything, why would they invest $10k in a service station, etc?

 

[MrCypherr]

5 hours for AC diag. What are they doing, taking half the dash apart? Shouldnt take that long if they knew what they were doing.

 

[TurboABA]

I had a shop diagnose the AC but after 5 hours of work they decided that this job was not something they can do.

Probably still trying to find the compressor....

 

[tregowner]

Hello. New to the forum. And looking for a knowledgeable diesel and electrical specialist with integrity and reasonable prices. Around Toronto/Mississauga area. Willing to drive a bit for a good service.

My 2010 Treg TDi started throwing codes i am not sure i wanna tackle without extensive knowledge. And living in condo building makes it a bit tough to do repairs.


This thread have been started quite some time ago. So a lot of people mentioned here could have moved. Some stopped logging on. So a fresh info is welcome. Preferably not just username but current location and phone number if possible.

I will go through the thread over time.

 

[alphacat]

I'm curious how a shop cant recover AC, remove the belt, undo the 2 bolts on the lines, and the 4 bolts on the compressor and reinstall but can diag a compressor.

The diagnosis was compressor and dryer unit. My guess is that they could not get to the dryer. They did not charge me for the 5 hours of work.
Before there was some slight cold air coming from the vents, now nothing. So I guess there is no refrigerant in the system and if the compressor was not bad before, it is now.

 

[ToSlow]

The diagnosis was compressor and dryer unit. My guess is that they could not get to the dryer. They did not charge me for the 5 hours of work.
Before there was some slight cold air coming from the vents, now nothing. So I guess there is no refrigerant in the system and if the compressor was not bad before, it is now.

What ever you do, do not put that crap from canadian tire in it, most AC machines now are smart and will code out causing the the machine to stop working if it reads anysort of containments

 

[MrCypherr]

The amount of times I've seen machines go down because of the crap at CT or those stores screw it up is crazy. Its not even the expensive to get it recovered and recharged. Its the old R134a.

 

[norbert77]

I'm looking for a good mechanic in either windsor, chatham, london, or Stoney Creek to do my subframe bushings, and then an alignment

 

[Speedmaster_102]

Timing Belt Change KW/Hamilton area?

When the time came to get the belt done on my MK IV, I found someone through this page that did it out of his home garage. Now time has come for my MK VII. Anyone around who can do it for a good price? Just seems to be one of those things that the dealers charge you an arm and a leg for and many...

forums.tdiclub.com

 

[bendenvor111]

Absolutely love this idea, having a space for honest, experience-based feedback is super helpful for everyone.


A while back I had a weird issue with my car’s electrical system that two shops couldn’t figure out. I ended up taking it to a guy recommended by a local landscaper I was working with, and not only did the mechanic diagnose it right away, but he also explained the problem in plain terms and didn’t push any unnecessary work. Super transparent and quick turnaround, which I really appreciated.


If anyone’s looking, here’s the mechanic I was told about by the team at a landscaping company Hamilton I had worked with: https://thecarguybradford.com/.

 

[alphacat]

I'm looking for a good shop close to North York that can replace an AC compressor on my 2011 Golf Wagon. I had a shop diagnose the AC but after 5 hours of work they decided that this job was not something they can do. Any recommendations?

I got my AC fixed, I figured I would update what happened.
I took the car to the dealer, they decided that the compressor was fine and they could not find the leak, so they filled the system and added dye and told me to come back when the AC no longer worked well. It didn't take much time for this.
They determined that the leak was from cracked fitting to the evaporator. That had to ordered it from US, and it took a week to arrive.
To get to the evaporator, they had to take the entire dash apart, the labor was 11 hours. With taxes it came to $2.8k.

A side note, they cracked the windshield while putting the dash back together, so they installed a new windshield at no charge.

 

[TurboABA]

With taxes it came to $2.8k.

 

[noob_tl]

...the labor was 11 hours. With taxes it came to $2.8k.

A side note, they cracked the windshield while putting the dash back together, so they installed a new windshield at no charge.

Sounds like you did pay for the windshield, it just wasn't itemized on the bill.

 

[cdi320]

Sounds like you did pay for the windshield, it just wasn't itemized on the bill.

Maybe, I've seen that happen a lot in the past, but I think the dealer labor rate these days is 200 an hour in major cities in Canada. Tax in Ontario is 13%, and the evaporator looks to be about 200 with taxes... Labor with tax would be 2486, so 2686 isn't far off the 2800 mentioned

 

[ToSlow]

Maybe, I've seen that happen a lot in the past, but I think the dealer labor rate these days is 200 an hour in major cities in Canada. Tax in Ontario is 13%, and the evaporator looks to be about 200 with taxes... Labor with tax would be 2486, so 2686 isn't far off the 2800 mentioned

200 an hr seems steep, i thought the dealers are around 140 an hrs?

 

[Speedmaster_102]

Not anymore. We are approaching the 200/ hr mark.

 

[cdi320]

200 an hr seems steep, i thought the dealers are around 140 an hrs?

Oh 140 is a pipe dream.... Small shops that are one man operation is 120 an hour these days, some "luxury" brands are well north of 300 an hour

 

[TurboABA]

Oh 140 is a pipe dream.... Small shops that are one man operation is 120 an hour these days, some "luxury" brands are well north of 300 an hour

Can confirm.... here in Guelph, $165/h at indy across the street from my work.

 

[P2B]

Most dealers don't advertise their rates, but Milton VW touts their $155 rate as being the lowest around.

 

[TurboABA]

I just checked my last warranty work invoice from 02/23 here at Guelph VW and it was $145 back then.

 

[Nuje]

Local dealer here on Vancouver Island is $185/hr.
I spent $700 there to get A/C working on my Mk4 - which resulted in it lasting less than a week.

So, instead of letting them troubleshoot (and spending another $2100 apparently), I bought new everything, pulled the dash, replaced everything, and got it working for ~$500.

 

[ToSlow]

Most dealers don't advertise their rates, but Milton VW touts their $155 rate as being the lowest around.

Milton just got a new group of owners, not sure who but they advertised it on the radio a few days back

 

[ToSlow]

I’m looking at trading my 2015 in on a Tiguan 2021 highline

 

[ToSlow]

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[Nuje]

I have long lusted after that color in the Mk7; what's the trade value you're looking at on that?

 

[ToSlow]

I have long lusted after that color in the Mk7; what's the trade value you're looking at on that?

Will know tomorrow and post back here, this is the top of the trim level with a 6sp manual 160k on it.

Dealer told me last wk they would give me mid to high teens for a trade,

I'm looking at trading the golf and also a 2016 Nissan Micra with 90k loaded also a 5sp looking for around 11k for the micra, wait and see what the dealer offers me for it

The dealer has a 2021 Tiguan top trim 109k that i'm interested in

 

[cdi320]

That's a beautiful car, I wouldn't trade a highline mk7 tdi wagon on a Tiguan, that is the unicorn of unicorns in the tdi world and mid to high teens might sound good, but to me that car is invaluable, and you might be able to get much more from an enthusiast if you really want to get rid of it. I don't plan on ever getting rid of my mk6 wagon, just because it's one of the last manual wagons that you could buy in North America

 

[ToSlow]

That's a beautiful car, I wouldn't trade a highline mk7 tdi wagon on a Tiguan, that is the unicorn of unicorns in the tdi world and mid to high teens might sound good, but to me that car has is invaluable, and you might be able to get much more from an enthusiast if you really want to get rid of it. I don't plan on ever getting rid of my mk6 wagon, just because it's one of the last manual wagons that you could buy in North America

What do you think it would be worth if i was to sell private?

 

[cdi320]

What do you think it would be worth if i was to sell private?

If you're saying the dealer is offering you mid to high teens, and they actually present you an offer for that money, it means they plan on listing it in the 20's.

So I'd say start in the low 20's...

 

[Nuje]

My parents bought that same car - Highline TDI 6MT (albeit in Platinum grey metallic) - with 210K km on the clock this past winter for $17K.
West coast car - already had the timing belt done about 2yr/30K km ago. I told them they had to buy it so that *I* wouldn't buy it just to have a backup.
(And the price seemed very reasonable; they love the car.)