Thread for Runonbeer (Robby in Austin)

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Hey folks, if you get a chance please post here your experience with Robby in Austin, TX. He deserves it in my view.

Thanks Robby with being patient with me in getting my 04 Passat chainless and with a new PD cam (from Mr. Frank Irving) and a bunch of other important repairs. I know I spent a good chunk of money but I know that the car will be safer, more reliable and performs better for the long run. The car drives really nice now, very smooth with lots of power (think of a Cadillac getting 35 MPG on the highway).

I trust Robby's work and I know that he cares for his customers and the TDI community.

ps also if you are in the Austin area you might be able to connect with Jim Danklefs to get some of that good Schaeffer Supreme 9000™ Full Synthetic 5W-40 oil at a competitive price.
 

G P R

Active member
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Location
Toano Virginia
TDI
2012 CW 6M Golf TDI
I have in fact heard nothing but great praise for this man. I have been a member for only a short time and his name comes up quite alot and as I said above...always in very high regard from grateful clients. He is obviously as good with customer relations as he is with these machines.
 

Rxfire

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Location
Dripperley-Blanco Triangle, TX
TDI
2 each 03 5 speed Jetta wagons, 1 NA Isuzu P'up (a keeper)
I was pulling my 1985 aluminum "bass boat" out of Canyon Lake this morning, and another TDI Jetta was launching an almost identical boat (though much newer).

I gave him Robby's card. nuff said.
 

Elliot

Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2002
Location
Plantersville, Tx
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2003 Red std 5 spd, Jetta Wagon 2009 Blk DSG
Robby is the best

I happily travel from Houston to Austin to have Robby work on my car attention to detail and works on it like it is his own car. He did my timing belt and a few misc. repairs to my 2003 TDI wagon and does it at a fair price. Hopefully I don't need anything else for a while but when I do he's the man.
Elliot
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
He is doing some work on the 2001 Jetta I am going to resell, now. New timing belt kit and services for fluids/filters and an AC clutch replacement. He does excellent work and at a nice price as well. I figure the buyer will have confidence in a known good mechanic doing the work in order for their drive back home to be worry free.
 

ludwigmace

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Location
Austin, TX
TDI
2005 Passat Wagon, BHW 5spd, TDT Stage 1; 2006 Jetta Sedan BRM, 5spd, Stage 1 Tune
Knocked out the BS upgrade on my 05 Passat Wagon at a great price, and was very thorough and transparent with his pricing documentation.

When I first got this car I thought you could take it to any VW mechanic; experiences with two trusted independent shops that I've used for gassers showed me that was a mistake. A VW TDI needs to go to a VW TDI guru, period. Undocumented design flaws, one-way alternator pulley clutches, lifetime transmission fluid that needs be changed every 80k or so, rare oil specifications and picky camshafts . . . I am glad to have Robby in town.
 

blzbug

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2011
Location
Austin, Tx
TDI
ex-98NB, 03 Jetta Wagon
I gave him Robby's card. nuff said.
I need to get some of those. I've talked him up to a few TDI drivers I've come across.

I really wish I had known about Robby sooner. I had a 98 beetle TDI that I'd owned since 99. I only discovered Robby about 4 months before I sold it. I ran it on B100. In October, the weather started cooling off and I knew I shouldn't have done that last fillup on B100. But I did it anyway... A couple of weeks later, the temp drops overnight and I try to drive to work. I get about a mile down the road before the B100 flakes clog up the fuel filter and strand the car. I walk home and start searching tdiclub (which I had only recently discovered). I find Robby and call him up. I'd never done any business with him before. An hour later, he's at my door. Drives me to the car, swaps the fuel filter on the side of the road (not a trivial job) and says I should bring the car in so he can do a free change of the original fuel lines in case my B100 use has caused them to decay.

All that money I spent at some other local vw shops :( I could have been supporting a skilled local craftsman instead, and getting a ton better service. I bought an 03 wagon tdi last year. There's no way in hell I would have bought that car if Robby wasn't nearby.
 

deep_sea

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Location
Bastrop, TX
TDI
'06 Jetta TDI 5spd, 1997 F350 Power Stroke, '13 Jetta TDI 6mt
I have talked to Robby on the phone several times, and he has been a big help. If I have any problem too big for me, that is where I am going for sure. Great customer service even though I have never been a customer.
 

gregaustex

Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2012
Location
Austin
TDI
2000 Golf GLS TDI
Robby did a timing belt change, replaced all vac hoses, replaced a leaking seal, etc. on my 2000 Golf TDI with 180k miles. Very fair price and he had it done when he promised. I'll be back. His excellent reputation is well deserved. This was my first experience with him.

Cool shop dog also.
 

kzoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Location
Austin
TDI
97 A3 Jetta 1.9 TDI, and 6 Volvo's!
I will also chime in on this subject...

Robbie is always willing to share knowledge, time, and talk on short notice. He will be my mechanic when the 09 JSW TDI need more service. He will also be the man to take on the coolant loss issue on my 97 Jetta TDI when time/funds allow.

Last, he had some wheels for my 97 Jetta sitting around. He let me have them for a VERY fair price, and I will give him some more $ when I get back from vacation.

Plus, he's close to my house!
 

Tom_B

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2004
Location
Central Oklahoma
TDI
15 Touareg, 14 A6
I've driven from central OK to Austin to have Robbie replace the timing belt on two different cars - once in the old shop, once in the new. Robbie is honest, helpful, down-to-earth and does very good work. It's also a plus to get to visit Austin. Thanks Robbie.
 

chandler583

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Location
Brenham, TX
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI 5-speed
I would also like to contribute to this forgotten thread. I just had my 200,000 mile service by Roby. I originally came in for a Timing Belt, Crankshaft seal, and intake manifold swap. Soon after I got there, he discovered the vacuum booster pipe to be cracked at both fittings, repaired that, all new vac lines, crankshaft seal, timing belt service, and camshaft seal. Unfortunately, for reasons that nobody is really sure, the camshaft seal started leaking oil, worse than before. Robby was prompt at getting the car back in to change it out. He definitely deserves praise, he did a great job and had no problem offering suggestions to other issues that I have with the car. Definitely my go to mechanic from now on.
 

runonbeer

Maintenance EnthusiastVendor
Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Location
Austin, TX/Chapel Hill, NC
TDI
'00 Golf 02M, '10 Golf 02E, '02 UTE 02M
Thanks guys!

Chandler, that seal must have gotten rolled on the keyway. There is no other explanation.
I'm glad you're leak free now.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Weekend help

After finishing a flawless diesel purge on my 04 Passat my car would stall after a few minutes driving. Robby got back with me even on a weekend to correct the problem (my mistake :eek:).
 

runonbeer

Maintenance EnthusiastVendor
Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Location
Austin, TX/Chapel Hill, NC
TDI
'00 Golf 02M, '10 Golf 02E, '02 UTE 02M
Just to clarify tikal did the diesel purge himself and mixed the fuel lines up when he reconnected them.

He sent me a pic of the filter and I noticed the lines were reversed. No big deal.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Yes, sorry if my writing was confusing. I did the diesel purge without any problems until the reconnection of the fuel lines :-(

Next time I will mark them clearly with something that does not rub off!

The engine sounds a little bit more quiet after the purge. I will probably try to do this yearly or so.
 

leicaman

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2004
Location
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
What Usually do before I do my fuel filter (as I do it once a year) is that I take a photo of the routing of hoses BEFORE I take anything apart. I am now up to the third filter replaced by me without a lick of trouble.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Successful five speed swap on a Passat B5

Another five star work for Robby who recently finished successfully the second five speed swap on a Passat B5 in the whole state of Texas! I understand that there are other TDI gurus in Texas working on perfecting this procedure but Robby has done it already twice for the general public and I was fortunate to get his time to do it when I could be without the car. After I talked to him more about it I learned that this is a very involved job and in some phases tricky. I really appreciate that he accepted the challenge to do this job and put his reputation and patience on the line to complete it successfully!
I do hope that more TDI gurus get to do this swap which will make your Passat much more reliable, durable and fun to drive (unfortunately does not do away with the issue of cv joints :() .
 
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alphaseinor

TDI Innovator, Gone but Not Forgotten
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Location
Denton, TX
TDI
'03 Jetta TDI 780,000 miles (totaled out), 01 Audi TT 225 Quattro 230,000 Miles (runs great!), 00 Cabreetle Beetle dash, ALH & MK4 harness Swap
After I talked to him more about it I learned that this is a very involved job and in some phases tricky.
Yup not the easiest swap... the tuning has taken about three years to perfect, the mechanical and electrical has been the easy part.

Congrats Robby!
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Yup not the easiest swap... the tuning has taken about three years to perfect, the mechanical and electrical has been the easy part.

Congrats Robby!
Just curious does your cruise control work on fourth gear with your tune?
 

Bayou_Flyer

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2000
Location
Mississippi Gulf Coast
TDI
2010 Golf 4Door 6M
Let me put it this way.....I live in Biloxi, MS and will drive to Austin to have Robby work on my car before letting anyone local touch it! Top notch guy and work all the way....
 

kzoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Location
Austin
TDI
97 A3 Jetta 1.9 TDI, and 6 Volvo's!
Quick bump of htis thread for Robby...

He was kind enough to fit me into his schedule to reset the IQ on my IP after I replaced the seals. While I did mark the pump on my AHU, I managed to get the IQ WAY off!

He set the IQ, hooked me up with new fuel lines on my injectors, and was gracious enough to talk to me about a few other things.

Wish him luck on his new adventure as a father...
 

mrkb34

Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Location
Houston, Texas
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen
+1 for Robby.

When it was time for the out-of-pocket 40K maintenance on my 2011 JSW, DSG, I drove from east Houston to Austin to have Robby perform the work for half the cost the dealer would have charged me, and I KNOW the work was twice a good because I could stand next to Robby as he worked and see for myself the high level of care in puts into the work, and he gave me pointers, tips, and warnings.

This guy does does clean, knowledgeable work because he loves TDIs and the TDI community.

Thanks Robby! I wish you much success in your business.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Hey Robby thanks for taking the time to solve the issue on the fill plug for my Passat transmission oil change. Everything is good with the shifting.

Here you have a TDI specialist who puts his heart and mind in making sure your car has a fighting chance of reaching a million miles!
 

runonbeer

Maintenance EnthusiastVendor
Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Location
Austin, TX/Chapel Hill, NC
TDI
'00 Golf 02M, '10 Golf 02E, '02 UTE 02M
Heart, mind, drill, big extractor...

You need a tie rod bigtime. Although I'd be interested to know how long that slathering of oil keeps the noise at bay.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I have been sending business Robby's way for years now. He does excellent work at reasonable rates. I will be in soon for a 40k service on the Passat.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Heart, mind, drill, big extractor...
You need a tie rod bigtime. Although I'd be interested to know how long that slathering of oil keeps the noise at bay.
Ah I forgot that important additional service you provided regarding my driver side tie rod. No noise so far. Gosh that sound was so stressing and awful.:eek: Saving $ to do this job in the next few months. Thanks buddy!
 

White Passat

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2014
Location
Austin TX area
TDI
CPO 2013 Passat TDI SEL June 2012 build date Purchased 09/14/14
Robby did the 40K PM and DSG service on my 2013 Passat yesterday. Excellent work, nice guy. Thanks, will see him again.
 
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