If it is too long, skip to the last paragraph.
I would first like to say that if you take a look at Joseph P's reviews, they are all negative and he seems to be overly sensitive to any unknown number of things. I will explain in great detail my experience today.
I went into see Jimmy today on a recommendation from a close friend who is a VERY knowledgable and competent Volkswagen mechanic. I bought a 1986 VW Vanagon Westfalia just 2 days ago and with the buyer already having sellers remorse, I didn't have an opportunity to have pre-purchase inspection performed (I know, I'm crazy). When my buddy referred me to another VW guy (Jimmy Greene) I was a bit shocked, but with him saying "He's the best around with those things", I took him at his word and boy was I impressed.
I drove to GVW Auto Repair today without so much as a phone call to inquire about making an appointment, I figured I would just stop in and at least meet the guys. I introduced myself to Jimmy, Joe, and Joy (the shop dog) explained that my friend had referred me to him and that I wanted to get a full top-to-bottom, front-to-back vehicle inspection done so I could find out if I had just bought a can of worms. Jimmy told me that a customer had just left to get a tire patched (his Baywindow Bus was on the lift) and that I could come back in a little and he would do the inspection for me; before I had the chance to leave, the customer returned and Jimmy and Joe immediately dove in and got cracking.
I have to tell you, I was initially a bit curious about how thorough of an "inspection" I might get, I wasn't disappointed. Moving with surgical precision, there wasn't a part accessible from under that still hot engine that Jimmy didn't have his hands on. Before I knew it he was working his way over the suspension, then the brakes, then to the transaxle, and finally back to the engine. About 40-45 minutes worth of inspection later, the car was being lowered to inspect the top of the engine and electronics from inside the rear hatch of the car. Every single part again, had his hands on them checking them over, all the while talking about what he is seeing as I stayed to watch, honestly anticipating bad news that never came.
I would say that Jimmy, in total, spent about 2 hours, maybe more, inspecting a vehicle owned by someone he's never met, who didn't have an appointment, and he did so with a shop packed full of work and a smile on his face. You can tell when someone does something because its work, and it pays the bills. But equally, you can tell when someone does something because they are passionate about what they do. With Jim having 40+ years of experience, and still doing this with a smile on his face, I would say that I got the feeling of the latter from Jimmy. Upon completion, I asked him for a list of what he found as well as a quote to remove and repair everything that he found to be mechanically unfit, or nearing the end of it's life. Just to give you an idea of a few, but not all the things on the list, Jimmy found the ball joints were bad, that I had a slight transmission fluid leak, the distributer cap and rotor were in need of replacement (hilariously enough I found out first hand what he meant when it rained 3 hours later and some moisture got in mine), my power-steering pump was leaking quite badly, the PS reservoir had been TERRIBLY repaired with JB-Weld, and the crankcase breather had a crack in it. I suggested the idea of a full service to the vehicle but he was honest enough to tell me I didn't need to do half of it. He then went into his office for 30+ minutes and when I finally went to go see what was going on, he was on his computer, SHOPPING AROUND TO FIND ME THE LOWEST PRICES on the obsolete parts that are no longer readily or easily available. I got the full scoop, a breakdown on repair costs for each item. Jimmy told me exactly how many hours each repair would take, and exactly how much the part was. When it came time to pay up and head out, Jimmy told me the cost of my inspection would be put towards the total cost of my repairs! This man, VERY EASILY could have taken advantage of my ignorance to make a few extra bucks all over the place. Instead what he did was save me money everywhere he could. I couldn't have better things to say about GVW, Jimmy and Joe.
My final note is to tell you to take your vehicle here with complete confidence that you will be well taken care of by VERY competent, sincere, and extremely knowledgable individuals. As long as I own this vehicle, there will not be another shop doing any repairs or service on my Westy. For the first time, I am bummed out that 5 stars are all I can give a business.
Thank you, GVW so much!
