Peninsula Automotive Independent Volkswagen & Audi Specialists

These guys have allways taken care of my volksie (s)!.. They have never let me down… They are straight up with you no matter what the deal is… Honest repair business…

I own a 2010 A4 Audi and was having car issues while driving up to Northern California for a business trip. Right when I walked in the door, staff was eager to assist. Dave is very knowledgeable and explains everything so there’s no surprises. Quality work and super friendly. Best yet, they don’t charge dealership prices. Wish I had a place like this back home.

Great Service and Honest. Don’t spend hundreds of dollars at the Audi Dealer. They really took care of my Audi issue without telling me that I need to fix other extra stuff.

I made a pretty big mistake thinking I could trust Peninsula Automotive to fix my car. I was reassured many times that their mechanics were experts and they would fix my problems quickly and simply. I was very wrong.
I’d read previous Unilocal reviews complaining about inflated repair bills, and I’d also read the garages response apologizing. I’d figured they would try their best to correct previous mistakes and build a better reputation and gain customer trust once more. I mean, recommendations and referrals are a garages best friend. Why try to be dishonourable?
I took my car to have a switch replaced. It was supposed to be a 1 hour job. After weekly phone calls and 5 months later I had to get my car towed to another garage to get it to even drive again. The car had been working fine for 2 years. I just wanted the back-​up lights to work again.
The problem was that by replacing the switch, they destroyed the transmission harness (they admitted fault). By replacing the transmission harness they destroyed the transmission ECU (they admitted fault). They warned me that it was also likely that the entire transmission was now likely to be replaced because of that.
I was looking at a bill of thousands of $ to replace a $ 10 switch. They seem perplexed that they should be responsible and refused to bear the cost of any of the damage they caused to the car. I gave them the chance to ‘do the right thing and put it right’; they refused.
So now 5 months later I have to get my car towed to get inspected so that I can get legal advice on how to get my money back. Then I need to get my car fixed.
It’s a complete mess, and something that should never have happened had skilled mechanics been working on my car.
I have never had cause to write a bad review before, but this has been shambolic.
If you want to take the risk; take your car there to get fixed.
If you don’t mind huge bills, a car that gets worse the more they ‘fix’ and don’t mind being without a car for half a year. Go ahead.
I have spent 15 years working in Automotive, I design ECUs for cars. I’ve done nothing else! — I know cars inside-​out. I’ve never heard such a string of stories in my life. Technically their explanations made no sense. Scratch the surface and ask them to explain their actions or reasons and it’s clear they have no clue.
$ 1600 to fix a reversing light, and now I have a car that doesn’t drive. Who knows how much it will cost to get my car back on the road again.

My first experience with Peninsula Automotive will certainly be my last. Be very careful when you leave your auto at this shop as it can be very expensive $$$$. But, If you enjoy paying inflated labor /​parts charges, and with a dash of arrogance, this place is for you.

Peninsula Automotive gets the job done!
I have a 99 Cabrio and the check engine light kept coming on. I first took it to Stevens Creek VW and the first thing they did was to replace the check engine light bulb?! Yes, they replaced the bulb. First, they charged me $ 139 for a $ 2 bulb. Second, you don’t change the bulb for a check engine light that keeps coming on! After 3 other attempts and $ 1400 later the check engine light still kept coming on and they smiled and said what else can we do for you? Really?!
I then took my car to Peninsula Automotive and they diagnosed and fixed the problem the first time out.
If you have a problem with your VW go to Peninsula Automotive. Please, please do not go to Stevens Creek VW.

If its a hard to find part or any VW question you might have these guys are the best !!!

a great local vw shop! this shop specializes in All Vw repairs but they excel on buses and bugs.
Dave is the go to man here but Sharon or Jason are equally capable.
Blue, Mike and Mike are the best vw mechanics ever.
Peanut the dog is always about so bring sum dog treats.

Dave at Peninsula Automotive was extremely helpful. While he couldn’t weld the after market cat to my 2000 VW Passat, he located a local muffler shop, made sure they understood the nuances of the cat layout, and phoned me back with the contact information the very next day. And I’m NOT a current customer; although I will be the next time I need some work.

I own two air cooled VWs (’70 bug and ’73 bus) and have had them serviced here several times. First, I should say that these guys know their stuff. They are very knowledgable and I think they do good work, but I always leave feeling taken advantage of. For one, I feel like they upsell you every time; if you take your car in for a brake job get ready for the whole shebang– new rotors, discs, pads, etc. Also, they consistently keep my cars longer than they say they will need them. They park them outside, and while I have never had any theft or vandelism, they are returned covered in bird poop and grime. They say they will call when the work is complete but then dont. You have to stay on these guys and call them up– here only the squeeky wheel gets the grease. It is my experience that estimates are always significantly lower than the final bill. The last $ 600 estimate (basic tune up and breaks) ended up costing $ 900 and they didn’t even do some of the things listed on the estimate! It was yet another case of being over billed and under served. I finally had had enough and I talked to the owner and explained exactly why I was unhappy, but he was not willing to do anything for me. Apparently they were not very interested in keeping my business. I’d recommend Bugformance in San Jose; they have a great mechanic named MAV who is honest and does good work.

I’ve been a long time customer (15 years +) of Peninsula Automotive and I feel this is great opportunity to share my experience with others. Along with the Technical staff, David’s knowledge in being able to trouble shoot and identify the many problems my VWs were experiencing saved me time and money. He and the others at Peninsula Automotive were prompt in informing me of the expected time and cost in servicing my cars. For that, I salute them in what they do and the passion they show in caring for and keeping my old VW on the road. Thanks a bunch to everyone at PA!

I’ve been going to these guys since I was a teenager (long time ago). They are strait shooters and always get the job done. I realize most people are pissed when they get an unexpected high bill for repairs or the car takes too long but good news or bad, these guys know their stuff and my cars are well cared for. Oh, they also drive and love VW’s, big plus.

Well, apparently my first review was deleted, so here it is again:
Do not take your car here. They seem like nice enough guys until they start making up reasons to charge you, in my case I got charged $ 1500 for a job I didn’t tell them to do, that they told me I didn’t really need. The reason I was told they went ahead with the job was because they didn’t think I would come back to get the job done (which I owe them why?).
They totally took advantage of me, and I’ve not only bought my car from them, but ONLY ever had it worked on there, and they decided to totally skrew me for no reason. These guys suck and are thieves. Wonder how long this stays up before it’s deleted…

OK, I give this place 2 stars which I will explain later. The service here was decent. The employees are very knowledgeable and they explain what needs to be done which I liked. Prices are good and they are sure better than Bugformance. I was satisfied with the work that was done here and the time in which it was done. A good thing is that the dog park is right on the other side of the bridge so you can bring your dog there to kill time.
Now the ridiculous part. So I dropped my car off for an oil change which is fast so I was just hanging out inside. Them a couple of the guys friends came in and said they were going to go outside to smoke some pot and order some pizza… then the guy goes outside to join them… wtf! OK I understand people who drive bugs have the reputation of being stoners and all but (a) smoking pot is stupid, and (b) doing it on the job is 10x worse.
If you do not care about this kind of behavior than I do recommend this shop because they are a lot better than bugformance. I personally feel that allowing someone to conduct illegal activities on the premise should not be tolerated. A professional thing to say would be «do it at home», or «don’t do that hear». Regardless of who the person is and what the reason is, it is still illegal to use drugs for any purpose in a public setting.

The Blokes at Peninsula are a funny bunch. They are not the same sort of mechanics as dealers… People don’t bring cars that a family of racoons live in to Stevens Creek Audi and expect them to get it running for $ 50.00
Working on old cars for money can be a nightmare-​especially VWs.
I have found them to be honest, and quite a lot of fun. I’ve had them do very difficult projects for me, and they always treat me like a rich uncle when I visit. They are also happy to teach me how to do things myself, and on one occasion fabricated me a Z shaped wrench that I invented myself for reaching otherwise impossible anglesof my Manx.
I admit many things I’ve sent them cost more than I expected, but nobody gets free rent in silicon valley. I’m happy places like this and guys like them are still around, and it’s not been turned into a F-​ng Starbucks.

Took my Volkswagen in for two main problems — a shake in the front end and an oil leak. After spending $ 1,400 for Todd at Peninsula to fix it (more than what the car is worth), both problems hadn’t been fixed. When I asked Todd why he chose to fix my brakes for $ 692 when they had nothing to do with my main problems, he told me he felt compelled to fix them. So instead of dealing with the issues given to them by ME, they chose to charge an arm and a leg for whatever suited their business practice. I’m filing a complaint with the BBB in addition to this rating. I realize that the economy is horrible, but businesses like this can’t just screw over consumers without repercussion. If you have any pride for your wallet at all, DO NOT take your vehicle to this shop.

Specializes in vintage VW. Nevertheless, I took my Audi to this place a couple of times. If you can stand their attitude, their mechanic is more competent and thorough than, say, Audi Stevens Creek. However, do not expect bargains (labor rate $ 90+). They are only slightly cheaper than the stealer. Be sure to ask for detailed estimates and your old parts. Overall a reasonable place. I wish I could find a cheaper, competent independent in the Bay Area… but I am dreaming.

I’ve been taking our VWs to Peninsula for 5 years now; first, a restored VW Convertible, now my daughter’s high-​mileage Jetta. This shop is exactly what you dream about; they are thorough, friendly, and in my experiences (many) completely trustworthy. Many times they’ve diagnosed a problem and offered two solutions — like a rebuilt part vs. a new part, a weld vs. a replacement, etc. Even for the more difficult problems, they’ll suggest a conservative approach first. Their prices are quite reasonable, and while they may sometimes take a little longer than anticipated, I’d find no faults with their service.

I’ve taken my VW to several different shops in the South Bay area, but wasn’t satisfied until I discovered Peninsula Automotive. They specialize in Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche, and carry lots of parts and accessories in their on-​site store — both water-​cooled and air-​cooled stuff. The mechanics definitely know Volkswagens, and the shop’s parking lot will always have the most awesome selection of vintage vee-​dubs to gawk at, on your way in.
Their rates are cheaper than many other Euro-​specialized shops, and I completely trust them to tell me the truth. I even take my car here for regular oil-​changes, because: 1) I know that they’ll only recommend an additional service when it’s actually necessary, 2) because they’re knowledgeable enough to recognize and diagnose any issues or potential issues, and 3) because I feel like my baby is in good hands.
Customer service has always been stellar; everyone is super-​friendly, and extremely accommodating. I’ve never had any issues with getting my car back late, or have ever had any problems getting it in to be worked on. Their estimates have been accurate in regards to both cost and timing.
I honestly haven’t been able to recommend another shop this much since Hackel’s VW in Albany, NY.