AVS Specialists Inc

As a travel nurse, I have been to mechanics in many states... Never have I had such thorough service with such outstanding customer service! Shout out to Eddie- highly satisfied!!

These guys are serious professionals who know and love underlying car mechanics – that much is clear. If you want the work done right, with original parts, this is the place to go. I have to dock one star, because they are not great at communicating. I have to call the shop for updates, even when they are significant. This is not a big enough problem to start looking somewhere else for a mechanic.

I’ve been going to AVS for about ten years now, and Eddie and the guys there are always reliable, clear and straightforward with the information, honest about what needs fixing and when, and they have repeatedly put themselves out to help me when I was stuck. They’re generous and conscientious, and the fact that my poor little Golf is still running is a miracle of their skill and persistence. I rely on them, and I would recommend them to anyone who drives an Audi, Volkswagon, or Subaru.

This place is sketchy and they are indirect with information. When I took my car in for an oil service I was having intermittent start problems, I documented the symptoms thoroughly and when I inquired about what the problem could be they pretty much said that they had no idea and wouldn’t know anything until the did a diagnostic ($ 125 bucks). At the time I was broke so I told them just to do the oil service and skip the diagnostic. Luckily I’m pretty car savvy so I did some research on my own and found the problem and repaired it myself ($ 30 part from the dealer, 10 min of my time). Next time I took it in for an oil service the guy asks if I ever had the intermittent starting issues dealt with and I told him that I’d just dealt with it myself. He promptly said, «yeah, it was probably the ECM relay, right? That’s usually what it is». Seriously? He couldn’t have told me that the first time around? I understand that they still need to put it through a diagnostic to check but at least he could have given me an idea of what it was and how much it would have cost. Later I come back to pick up my car from the oil service and the AC doesn’t work… I decided to look for a solution on my own rather than taking it back to them because I’m sure that they would have claimed that it wasn’t their fault and charge me an arm and a leg to fix it. Low and behold I look in the engine bay and at the bottom by the AC compressor, hidden underneath the motor mount, I find that the molex cable which connects to the regulator valve for the compressor is disconnected! It’s a locking connector, it doesn’t just fall out on its own and if it did, by coincidence the day I took it in to get serviced? I think not. I hooked it up and frosty winter in my car. This left a terrible taste in my mouth. I’m never going back to AVS and I recommend that you never start going there. Also they exaggerated about the condition of my brakes.

Courteous, professional and reasonably priced for my Q5 front brake replacement. Matt was very helpful and I received a follow-​up call to make sure everything was good.

Update. update (11÷11÷14)!!!
Had my car worked on here back in July.
Fast forward to November 2014, now all of a sudden my car is starting to deteriorate.
For starters, each time I try to start my car, it won’t fire up when I turn the key, all I hear is a clicking sound. On one such morning, on my way to work at 4am, I noticed that headlights were not functioning, so I had to drive the rest of the way to work with my high beams on. This has never happened before having my key cylinder replaced at AVS.
I give Andrew at AVS a call, who I once considered my savior for getting me out of a jam, and he gives me the low down. Apparently, he says it’s my ignition switch. Andrew says when he was doing the work back in July to have my tumbler replaced, I should’ve also replaced my ignition switch for the extra $ 80 when he offered to do it.
Well, Andrew, I say, had I known that my car would be failing, 3 months later… why would I NOT have paid an extra $ 80 to avoid all this. I counter back saying that at no point was he clear to me that my car would be breaking down like this because of an ignition switch. He says it’s only going to get worse– my wind shield wipers will cease to work as well as the dashboard lighting. I told him he should’ve explained to me at the time when he did the work that this might’ve resulted if i chose not to go w/​the replacement. In fact, I initially wanted to have the part replaced but opted not to because he said it was «not necessary.» Bottom line he was not clear with the consequences to my car when I drove away.
I further explained to Andrew that when i called back 15 minutes later in order for him to work on the ignition switch, he said the work was already completed for the tumbler and he could not do it without me incurring more charges. But I should not have any problems.
Moving forward, if I chose to have them do the job correctly, it will cost another $ 300.
Come on, Andrew really???
** Here’s an example of a person like myself, who knows very little about cars, and relies on the word of an experienced mechanic that got completely taken ADVANTAGE OF.
Folks, beware and avoid this spot at all costs. They will swindle you like they did me.
From A+ to a complete F–
Andrew and the crew at AVS should be completely ashamed of yourselves for this horrible experience. I wish I had never let you guys touch my car.

I went to AVS years ago with my Jetta TDI with engine problems, ie wouldn’t start. After several days of investigating (ran electric computer, changed water pump, tinkered around) and over $ 500, they finally determined it was the timing belt and problems associated with it. It then took two more weeks and another $ 1400 that I couldn’t afford unfortunately at the time. I was cash poor at the time with a lot of student loans, and they wouldn’t take a future dated check so I could use the car to get to work and make more money (vicious cycle). No discussion, hands down wouldn’t help me out. I’ve heard from other mechanics in the area that the owner is slimy, and I certainly felt that way when dealing with this business. If you’re looking for a VW/​Audi mechanic in that area that is trustworthy and is completely transparent in costs and decision making, go to GRIFFIN MOTORWERKE. They will even drive you home or to work. Much more enjoyable people to work with, as a single woman that felt taken advantage of by AVS.

Tried a few places for my VW with mixed results, so was deeply relieved to find AVS. They’ve taken great care of my car, and the customer service is top notch.

A friend of a friend recommended AVS for my Audi 2012 A3 TDI when it was time to do the breaks. Eddy (the owner) is very nice and the work was completed in just a few hours. They did a great job on the customer TLC too and the cost was inline with what I would expect for an Audi. Feel like I have my own personal Audi mechanic and who doesn’t enjoy that?

These people are my car saviors. I have an Audi A4 that I use and abuse — and these guys spend lots of time and effort saving.
It’s not your corner rando mechanic, these guys aren’t cheap and quick. they are real skilled, trustworthy mechanics who take pride in their work, and value their customers. if something needs to be done, they will tell you, if it’s not totally necessary at this exact moment, they will tell you. I never have to worry about a second opinion or about frivolous expenses. I will get what needs done, I will pay a fair price for both their skill, labor, and time, and my car will be well taken care of.
Call ahead for an appointment — even for an oil change, yes.

I have a 2004 VW R32. After 2 years of poor service at the dealership I found AVS and have not looked back. I’m not going to say they’re cheap, but neither was my car, so I have come to terms with the costs associated with having a nice car :) Thanks to Eddie and his team I feel like I might actually get to 200K with this car (it’s at 100K now). Great service, great results.

Honest, skilled, with great work ethics, and consistent.
We have a «bad batch» 2000 GTI with nightmarish electrical problems and they’ve been pretty amazing with us. We have been clients for about 9 years now.
I wish they’d service Saab too!

Took my car in for engine light and back brakes. They quote me at 300 bucks. Come back and they didn’t fix the engine light since they couldn’t reproduce the problem with the O2 sensor. The guy tells me they only reset the light and still charged me the 125 for the diagnostic. Guy tells me if it lights up again to bring it in again and they’d take care of it. Ended up paying 420 bucks just for back breaks and labor. Not close to 300 bucks.
Then a couple days go by, engine light comes back on. Brought it back. If they would have taken the time to replace the faulty sensor the first time I wouldn’t have had to go back a second time. But the real topper to this entire ordeal is that now I have to pay an additional 350 bucks for parts and labor! If they would have replaced the sensor the first time around, I wouldn’t have had the need to bring in the car. I felt I should have paid for just the parts considering I already paid for labor the last time I was there. Seeing that I was questioning the charges, they gave me a freakin’ coupon for a free car-​wash to appease me. I don’t think I’ll be doing business here again. If I wanted to pay for this much, I would have just brought it to the dealer. This place is not cheap…
Nice folks… but I wouldn’t recommend this place for simple stuff.

I stopped by unannounced yesterday to get some last minute, but important assistance with my VW Cabrio. My windows wouldn’t go «up» and I had to drive from Berkeley to Sonoma in a couple of hours. My windows/​door locks, and remote were not working properly. Matt was incredibly efficient, smart, kind, and helpful. He solved my problem within about 10 minutes and even backed my car out of the garage. So great! Very pleased with his service and attentiveness and the fact that he helped me without an appointment — fantastic! I recommend AVS! Lori H.

I took my 2000 Jetta to AVS almost a year ago for an oil change, brake pad replacement, and replacement of a failed window mechanism. I received excellent service and a fair price. There was some additional work I needed that bordered on body-​shop type repair, and they were honest with me about how they would not be able to do it in the most efficient way, as opposed to pitching me on a project they might have to do improperly.
I decided to wait a while so I could make sure I wouldn’t regret my praise, but all repairs held up great and I feel this is a trustworthy shop. I’ll take my car there for any issues in the future.

2013 update: we are still taking our cars here, so that’s a pretty good endorsement considering my initial review was in 2006!

This place was so quick and efficient. The guy that did the oil change was really friendly and appreciated my business. Also the mechanic told me a few things to keep my eye on but did not try to scare me into getting the work done immediately or even that it needed to be done at that shop (although since he was honest I probably would have the work done on my car there).

these guys are great! I’ve head dealt with Eddie, Matt and Andrew in taking care of my Jetta TDI Unfortunately, we had to make an economic decision on our last repair, and decided to replace the car rather than invest in the repair. Nothing to do with AVS, everything to do with VW as a make.
They’ve always been up front, straight forward about what could be postponed or required immediate repair. Always explained the the technical reasons why they chose one path over another to provide the repair. They’re pricey, but worth every dime I paid to upkeep my car.
I highly recommend them.

Summary:
–fixed my car with a simple, fairly low cost fix that both Broadway VW and McNevin (RIP) repeatedly missed
–caught and fixed a separate design problem, not part of a recall, that the dealers missed

Eddie at AVS Specialist is the real deal.
Honest — hardworking and provides great customer service.
His shop is neat and clean and he has a good team working with him.
He does what it takes to get your car up and running as soon as possible.
I highly recommend AVS Specialists~

I took my ’97 Jetta in to fix some major electrical problems it was having (namely it was possessed by demons who’s sole purpose was to torment me through the car alarm, and multiple windows also ceased functioning), Eddie was very helpful and they actually got it back to me on time.
BUT, they didn’t actually fix the problem, although they charged me an arm an a leg. The windows continue to be very finicky, only working when they feel like it (usually on very cold days when I don’t feel like using them), and every time I plan to take it back in, they start working again so I blow it off. Super annoying.