2008 Volkswagen Beetle - Dealers are pricey

Needs some repairs . Dealer was totally over priced .

Ask friends/family for repair shops they recommend, search Yelp and Google for VW specialists in your area, click on ‘Repair Shops’ at the top of this page to see if it lists any.

What repairs do you need?

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What repairs need to be done and what kind of prices were you quoted. Those dealer prices may not be out of line at all and even if they are higher there are legitimate reasons for the higher price.

I use a private shop that charges dealer prices, but they do outstanding work. I’m generally a cheap guy, but I’m willing to pay for primo service. I’m willing to pay for first-time fixes, and my shop guarantees that.

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Back in 1968 I had most of my work done at the VW dealer. They knew what they were doing, were fast, prices not bad, and walking distance to campus. Once in a while the owner’s daughter would be there too.

This just in: Abe Vigoda still dead.

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+1
Because so many VW dealers have a reputation for high-priced repairs and only mediocre competency when it comes to fixing their cars, most areas tend to have at least one independent VW specialist. I don’t think it should be too hard to find an indy VW specialist.

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I’m a former VW owner, so have some experience w/ VW Dealership shops and independent repair shops. I concur w/VDC above. OP is better off finding an independent VW or Euro-specialist. Prices will be similar, but the inde will likely produce a better result.

I was having so much trouble with using the dealership I finally gave up and took a night school class on auto repair.

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But, Captain Obvious is alive and well.

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Regarding dealer pricing I might ask this question. It involves Subaru, not VW, but this example stuck with me.
It’s about pricing on an inner CV joint.

NAPA price 68 dollars over the counter.
Subaru dealer cost; 65 dollars. Suggested list XX dollars.

What should the Subaru dealer sell that joint for to remain competitive and to not be thought of as gouging?

The Subaru Dealer’s price is competetive with Napa, the question is how much of a difference in cost between having the dealer do the work VS the local indy shop. The Shop my brother uses works on European and Asian cars with a particular emphasis on the German brands and Subaru’s.

This shop’s been working on a 2009 VW GTi and a 2006 Subaru Legacy since both cars were brand new and he’s preferred having them do the work instead of the local dealer.