Reviews & Ratings for Import Connection

04/21/10

Good place - they stand behind their work

by Shadow9 at Citysearch

I have had my Allroad here 3 times for CV boot replacement. They cost half as much as the dealer to do this. The first boot was installed a little too tight; because it was pinched, it failed in about 6 months. They replaced it for free with no questions asked. I plan to go back for the timing belt change when my warranty is up.

FWIW - our family business is a car dealership (but not Audi - I'm sorry Dad) and I know a lot about cars.

• Pros: Know a lot about VW/Audi
• Cons: Don't call when your car is ready

02/25/10

Excellent Service

by CIverson at Citysearch

I went to Import Connection with a few issues with my '03 VW GTI 1.8T. Thanks to John and his crew Don and the mechanics my car runs and drives like new. John and Don took the time to explain to me why my check engine light was on and what the underlying issues were relating to it. They also took the time to look over the rest of my car and alerted me to some suspension bushings and shocks that needed attention. When it came to pricing the new suspension pieces I found that John and Import Connection had the best prices in town, even against other so-called experts. Their fair pricing and excellent work took an otherwise stressful situation and gave me peace-of-mind knowing that John and his professional crew were taking good care of my car. Oh I forgot to mention all this took place in only a couple of days time from beginning to end all while I was kept informed of the progress, I just can't say enough good things about my experience!

• Pros: Excellent Pricing, Knowledgable Mechanics, Great PPL

02/02/10

Great service and prices!

by jcjclinton7 at Citysearch

Just moved here from Seattle and was looking for a place to take my 07 VW Toureg. Tried 2 of the local VW dealers before finding Import Connection. Had them do my timing belt service and valve cover gaskets. They were hundreds of dollars cheaper than the dealer quoted me for the exact same job. They dropped me off at my office downtown (or uptown as they say here) and picked me back up. I was very pleased with their service.

• Pros: Quality work. Friendly. Price
• Cons: None so far.

01/27/10

Looking for service

Contributor at Citysearch

I'm trying to decide if this is the place for me to get my BMW serviced but I'm not sure now. I was ripped off by another import dealer so I'm kind of leary now! Anybody out there have anymore suggestions?

01/04/10

Stay Away

by JohnSmith3000 at Citysearch

I came in with my Audi A6 because I needed a headlamp replaced and my check engine light was on (I needed to get a NC inspection). I was told that they would put my car on the 'machine' in order to diagnose the problem. Two days later (a Thursday) they called me with what they believed was the problem and gave me a quote ($700). I was told that the car would be ready by the next Monday. Well Monday came and went and I had to call them on Tuesday to see what was up. I was told there was a delay and the car should be ready Thursday. Thursday came and I had to call again to check on my cars status? I was told it would be ready the next day. I go that Friday morning to pick up the Audi to find that the service fee was now $1200! They explain that they had to get more parts yadda yadda yadda. Okay, I wrote them a check and was given my keys. The headlight is fine the check engine light is off, but the sunroof is literally stuck open! I can not close it. I go back in the office to explain that the roof is open and can not be closed. The owner/manager is adamant that I brought the car there with the sunroof open. This is in February and it is quite cold, so there is no way I am riding around with my sunroof open, and besides if it was malfunctioning why did you not tell me that before now, I ask? The manager then angrily demands the keys and says that they will have to look at the car the following week. I had done a little research and found that when the battery is disconnected (as in when trying to reset the check engine light) the sunroof opens and can not be closed. The next week comes and I have to contact them to check on my cars status. I am forced to use a rental and I drive to the shop (kids in tow) to check on the car. The manager still contends that the roof was open when I came and I tell him no way. Then he tells me that the car is not ready to come back the next day (Thursday, two weeks later). While I was going back to my car with my kids the manager comes out to say that the car would definitely be ready tomorrow. I found that odd because we had just established that in the office. At that same moment a man whom I presume to be a mechanic comes out yelling to anyone within earshot about why would he open up the sun roof, he did not open up the roof! I am taken aback because it was obvious he was referring to my car! I did not want to engage these people in front of my kids, so I left.

My wife and I came back the next morning and the manager says the car is fixed and explains that my check did not clear and I had to pay using either credit or debit. We argue with the manager over their service and professionalism for about 20 minutes, meanwhile the mechanics block the only exit out of the lot, amazing! As if we were going to make a run for it!? It just got to the point were I just wanted to get away from these people, so I used my debit card, that was attached to the same account of the non-clearing check, and paid the now $1,300!

Two words: Stay Away!

• Pros: Please exhaust all of your other options.
• Cons: Poor customer service, shady business practices.

Response from this business

importconnection– September 14, 2010 at 12:39:02 PDT

The sunroof was open when the car arrived as was seen by 2 techs who were standing outside the shop. It was Feb. but it was about noon time and a warm day. We never had any reason to close the sunroof as the car was inside the whole time. We didn't even think about the sunroof until the customer came back in and said it didn't work, then we fixed it for free. He was completely informed of what we were doing and the costs involved, we did have to special order a couple of parts from Audi which took longer than we anticipated. We wanted the car done ASAP too as it was tying up valuable space in our shop. The real issue was that his check would not run electronically so we requested another form of payment. I regret that he didn't like our shop but the facts are that we fixed his car right at a reasonable price and fixed his sunroof for free. We then simply asked that he pay with an acceptable form of payment.

03/09/09

Couldn't get a quote

by gj83 at Citysearch

I called in saying I scheduled maintenance for my audi TT.

I asked how much that interval would cost. The guy said he needed to look up a part and would call me back. I never heard back, but took my car in when I said and asked when it would be done. It wasn't going to get done that day so I rescheduled for the next day. I brought it in right at opening instead of 10:30 am just to give them enough time.

Around noon I got a call saying that some plastic thing was close to breaking and I could pay $250 and fix it now or wait for it to break and then pay $750 to fix it when that happened. No explanation of what the thing did, but I looked it up later and apparently it just makes the car heat up faster.

I still had no idea how much my original work was going to cost, but I agreed to let them fix the thing.

Had I known my scheduled maintenance was going to cost $400 (the previous visit to the dealer was only $200) I would have just taken my chances on getting that repair done.

I never got a call that my car was done. I just went right before closing to pick it up since I was told it would be done that day and I was leaving town the next day.

I will not be back.

• Pros: specialize in imports so they know Audis
• Cons: never got a call from them unless they wanted more work.

Response from this business

importconnection– September 14, 2010 at 13:28:10 PDT

This was 40K service that included spark plugs cabin filter, air filter as well as a long list. This service obviously costs more than previous services most of which would have been glorified oil changes. As far as the air pump we repaired, we would have been happy to explain how and why this pump works. We are happy to give any customer as much or as little technical info as they want. Many of our customers don't want a lot of technical talk but I am always happy to talk at length with any who do. This was something we found during the course of the service and simply made a recomendation that it be repaired. Not sure what we did wrong here except perhaps we could have communicated better. We had only one service writer at the time and on busy days it was easy to get overwhelmed.

12/16/08

They came Through like a champ!

by Audi2000 at Citysearch

I was totally new to the area. The AAA towing dude suggested this was the best place for imports. I just went with his suggestions seeing as I was new to the area. They totally helped me out gave me great prices I could afford. The service is Southern style so don't be in a rush. They were very patient with me, frustrations, my pickyness and all. John the owner will totally help you out. Its now my car repair home. Yes, you see them chowing together but this is probably where they figure things out...like the old saying says, "many hands make easy work!" I'm satisfied.

• Pros: Good service and prices are competitive
• Cons: You may have to wait a bit, so don't be in a rush.

11/13/08

Best Volkswagon Specialist In Charlotte

by TheJayMan08 at Citysearch

I came here with not a lot of money and a whole lot of problems. Don the service manager was respectful to me and treated me like a costumer should be treated. I have heard great reviews about this shop from all my friends and I am so glad I came here. I can honestly say I will be a costumer for a long time here. Thaks Import Connection for helping me get my volkswagon back on the road.

• Pros: This place will get your car what it needs for the lowest price possible
• Cons: A bit slow but worth it

10/23/08

avoid

by johnstafford66 at Citysearch

Horrible service. mechanics seemed shady and kept telling me parts were bad and still didnt fix problems.

Response from this business

importconnection– September 14, 2010 at 13:01:03 PDT

Not sure who johnstafford66 is but I think he's confusing us with another shop. First we have no customers with the last name of Stafford. My techs are anything but shady, all have been with us for 5 - 10 years and have the utmost integrity. They also would not be talking to a customer telling them "parts were bad" as our service manager is the one who normally speaks to customers. Sorry this guy had a bad experience but it sure wasn't here.

09/16/08

Service not so good!

by RemarAnchor at Citysearch

I think this establishment is not for people of color. I felt very un - welcome there. I was over looked for quite some time. I also was told over the phone to come in and they will put my car on their machine and tell me what's wrong with it ... never telling me that they would charge me.100.00 bucks. I thought it was like advance or auto zone where they would check it for free. I also observed that all the mechanics take a community breakfast together all at once and neglected their paying customers for about 45 min to an hour.

Response from this business

importconnection– September 15, 2010 at 08:25:06 PDT

It seems like what this person is saying is that he wanted his car diagnosed for free and done really fast too. The facts are, he made an appointment to drop his car off to have it diagnosed. When he showed up he decided to wait on it. We already had scheduled work including several "wait" appointments. Yes, we have a "community" breakfast every Friday. No we don't sit around for an hour. The tech who was looking at this car stopped for about 5 min to eat. No we are not "autozone" where they give you a free diagnosis which is actually a generic scan used to sell you parts that probably won't fix your problem. We have invested a lot of money in diagnostic equipment and have highly skilled techs to use it. Our diagnostic fee is clearly posted in our waiting area.