We brought our 2002 VW Jetta VR6 Automatic to Hans Imports located in North Kingstown, RI with a transmission shifting problem. After charging us over $680 the only thing we had to show for this amount was the replacing of the cars battery! Hans gave us a computer printout showing "all" of the so called work he had done! This worked included, as listed on the packet / receipt, went as follows; "put fender covers on fenders as too not scratch the paint." "Removed engine cover." "Plugged in the diagnostic computer and ran a test." "Test showed; Alternator fine, battery's no good." "Disconnected battery cables." "Removed old battery." "Installed new battery." "Reconnected battery cables." "Ran diagnostics again." (now mind you, running diagnostics simply means, plug in the computer, turn on the car and let it idle while the computer does the rest!) Computer then gives codes for what's wrong or not rite. Hans stated that; "the diagnostic code that came up reflects a 'hard failure' within the transmission." Now mind you, my wife purchased this car in '04 with only 24,000 miles on it. It has had ALL scheduled maintenance done, records and receipts to prove this, and babied since day one. When we brought the car to Hans Imports it only had 86,000 miles! Way below the average miles for the year. Now, the shifting problem was NOT continuous. Sometimes it shifted fine, sometimes it didn't. It acted up mostly when the car was cold. Once warmed up, it was fine. After researching, a hard failure basically means a real bad problem to where you cannot drive the car. Hans informed us that for him to fix the car; " we would have to replace the transmission!" When I asked the cost, he quoted us over $4,000! I asked, "is this our only alternative, he replied, "unfortunately, yes." He then looked me in the eye and stated, "those cars are notorious for transmission problems and the tip-tronic transmissions cannot be rebuilt fore they are a sealed unit." Now, sick to my stomach with the news just given by a self proclaimed VW / Audi, German automotive expert / professional, I was about to cry knowing that I cannot afford this costly repair. With this economy the way it is & supporting my family on one income, as my wife is in school to become a Nurse, I feared our car was going to have to sit for a looooong time until I could afford to fix it. But, being a smart consumer, I decide to do some research as I tend to NOT believe in just one opinion. Especially after hearing and reading about many horror stories of how people that are ignorant to auto repairs are and have been taken advantage of through out time. To wrap this up, I came across an article in an online VW forum written by a mechanic in San Diego, California that basically states how disturbing it is for self proclaimed Specialist's / mechanics, and Dealerships as well mind you, take advantage of the consumer and their ignorance. I mentioned Dealerships because 2 located here in RI, wanted to charge us close to $6,000 to repair our car!!! Or, they would be happy to take it in as a trade toward a brand new vehicle!!! Ultimately, the CA mechanic stated that these poor people are paying thousands of dollars for a $36.00 part!! Yes, a $36.00 part. I'm stunned. So I dive deeper into my research and find a "true" VW specialist in Florida who is very familiar with this common Volkswagon problem. As a matter of fact, he told me that he presently has 3 Jettas in his shop with the same exact problem. That problem being, a bad solenoid in the transmission. Literally a $36.00 part. He advises me, since you will already be in there, to replace all 6 solenoids so this problem does not reoccur. So, for $242.00 I purchased the 6 solenoids and a transmission pan gasket and have the parts shipped to my door. Once arrived, I found A reputable transmission shop located rite down the road from me, that was willing to take on the job. I tell him the situation and he agrees to do the 4 HOUR JOB for $200. So, for less than $450.00 our CAR IS FIXED and shifting better than ever!! Thank god for honest people AND SHAME ON YOU HANS IMPORTS!! How do you sleep at night. CONSUMER BEWARE....because unless you do your homework, you will NEVER know how bad you are being taken advantage of!!
Hans Imports and Domestic Reviews
We brought our 2002 VW Jetta VR6 Automatic to Hans Imports located in North Kingstown, RI with a transmission shifting problem. After charging us over $680 the only thing we had to show for this amount was the replacing of the cars battery! Hans gave us a computer printout showing "all" of the so called work he had done! This worked included, as listed on the packet / receipt, went as follows; "put fender covers on fenders as too not scratch the paint." "Removed engine cover." "Plugged in the diagnostic computer and ran a test." "Test showed; Alternator fine, battery's no good." "Disconnected battery cables." "Removed old battery." "Installed new battery." "Reconnected battery cables." "Ran diagnostics again." (now mind you, running diagnostics simply means, plug in the computer, turn on the car and let it idle while the computer does the rest!) Computer then gives codes for what's wrong or not rite. Hans stated that; "the diagnostic code that came up reflects a 'hard failure' within the transmission." Now mind you, my wife purchased this car in '04 with only 24,000 miles on it. It has had ALL scheduled maintenance done, records and receipts to prove this, and babied since day one. When we brought the car to Hans Imports it only had 86,000 miles! Way below the average miles for the year. Now, the shifting problem was NOT continuous. Sometimes it shifted fine, sometimes it didn't. It acted up mostly when the car was cold. Once warmed up, it was fine. After researching, a hard failure basically means a real bad problem to where you cannot drive the car. Hans informed us that for him to fix the car; " we would have to replace the transmission!" When I asked the cost, he quoted us over $4,000! I asked, "is this our only alternative, he replied, "unfortunately, yes." He then looked me in the eye and stated, "those cars are notorious for transmission problems and the tip-tronic transmissions cannot be rebuilt fore they are a sealed unit." Now, sick to my stomach with the news just given by a self proclaimed VW / Audi, German automotive expert / professional, I was about to cry knowing that I cannot afford this costly repair. With this economy the way it is & supporting my family on one income, as my wife is in school to become a Nurse, I feared our car was going to have to sit for a looooong time until I could afford to fix it. But, being a smart consumer, I decide to do some research as I tend to NOT believe in just one opinion. Especially after hearing and reading about many horror stories of how people that are ignorant to auto repairs are and have been taken advantage of through out time. To wrap this up, I came across an article in an online VW forum written by a mechanic in San Diego, California that basically states how disturbing it is for self proclaimed Specialist's / mechanics, and Dealerships as well mind you, take advantage of the consumer and their ignorance. I mentioned Dealerships because 2 located here in RI, wanted to charge us close to $6,000 to repair our car!!! Or, they would be happy to take it in as a trade toward a brand new vehicle!!! Ultimately, the CA mechanic stated that these poor people are paying thousands of dollars for a $36.00 part!! Yes, a $36.00 part. I'm stunned. So I dive deeper into my research and find a "true" VW specialist in Florida who is very familiar with this common Volkswagon problem. As a matter of fact, he told me that he presently has 3 Jettas in his shop with the same exact problem. That problem being, a bad solenoid in the transmission. Literally a $36.00 part. He advises me, since you will already be in there, to replace all 6 solenoids so this problem does not reoccur. So, for $242.00 I purchased the 6 solenoids and a transmission pan gasket and have the parts shipped to my door. Once arrived, I found A reputable transmission shop located rite down the road from me, that was willing to take on the job. I tell him the situation and he agrees to do the 4 HOUR JOB for $200. So, for less than $450.00 our CAR IS FIXED and shifting better than ever!! Thank god for honest people AND SHAME ON YOU HANS IMPORTS!! How do you sleep at night. CONSUMER BEWARE....because unless you do your homework, you will NEVER know how bad you are being taken advantage of!!