Witmer Paul E Garage

The good: This is the place Ephrata goes for obsolete or used parts for VW and a cheap labor rate.
The not good: One reason their lot is always full, I paid for their mistakes with extra trips to the shop and risked a breakdown on the road and towing bills.
I’ve been taking vehicles here for decades and it’s sad to see the quality of work decline over the last 3 years. I first noticed the less skilled mechanic work when they had me coming every 1,000 miles to replace an alternator belt that kept breaking (5 times). The first time I took it to another, non-​VW specific shop, it was fixed right, and has been good for 2 years now…
When, for the 1^st time I mentioned an issue with workmanship, a recent issue, of leaking coolant in to the shop for the 3^rd time, and requested a specific worker (Jonathan is knowledgeable), I found the office policy is «I can’t promise that», even if I was willing to be inconvenienced and wait an extra day or 2, or more beyond the 2 week wait, so Jonathan could work it in when he’s available.
When there’s an office policy, you know they’ve had LOTS of issues with their other mechanics and everyone is requesting a different one. Otherwise, why would they be on the same page and obviously with the same exact wording from one staff to the next and no room for actually helping the customer in any other way than an additional appointment at their mercy.
30 seconds after speaking with a manager, I was told he was not available and was promised a call back from a manager that must have been forgotten.
If the first issue in 20+ years of patronage is treated with non-​nonchalance and I’m expected to pay for their mistakes and risk breakdowns, I can’t give 4 or 5 stars.
«Dave’s World» in Duncannon is not much further from Lancaster and offers certified VW tech help and can handle more involved engine work. They work at a fantastic rate for the expertise and service.

When I inherited a family member’s 2001 Audi A4 with 120,000 miles, it was like inheriting Zha Zha Gabor as a wife… it is going to cost a lot of money, and it isn’t going to end well. True to form, my new high-​maintenence girlfriend has kept me busy and has cost me money, but Witmer’s Garage is the therapist that has kept the relationship puttering along.
Witmer’s specializes in Audi and VW. Far be it from me to judge the reliability trends of Audi/​VW products (AHEM), but their parking lot of «clients» is always full. I guess others have realized what I have: that these are the best specialists in Ephrata. They are priced much more reasonably than other local Audi/​VW specialists, and they will save you a dime where they can… and they have. They generally have the car done on time, and call before additional expenses are thrown on the bill. I have also found them to know their stuff well and to trouble shoot problems with a pretty high degree of accuracy. Lots of practice, I suppose.
As you probably can tell if you have read between the lines, the only thing holding me back from driving the Audi off cliffs of the Shoeneck quarry are theyse guys. Some people swear by Audis; others swear at them. So long as this love to hate relationship persists, Witmer’s garage will be the garage of choice, hands down.