R & D Automotive Bavarian Rocket Science in Albany, NY

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Telephone:	+1 518-598-1273
Website:	www.bavarianrocketscience.com
Address:	16 Tivoli St, Albany, NY, 12207
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	1 miSouth Pearl (BusPlus) 1 miCapitol/Hawk (BusPlus) 1.1 miBroadway (Bus Plus)
Categories:	Auto Repair Auto Customization

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Accepts Credit Cards

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Today

Today	–
Local time (Albany)	6:54 PM Saturday, June 21, 2025

Business hours

Monday	7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday	7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday	7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday	7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Friday	7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday	–
Sunday	–

Description

Specialties

Audi — BMW — Mercedes Benz — MINI — Porsche — VW Independent Specialists

No repair is too big or too small! Daily Drivers, Weekend Toys, Modern Sports Cars, Tasteful Modifications & Customization, Classic Vintage Preservation & Restoration, we can fix anything German.

Pre & Post Purchase Inspections, Free Safety Checks

Preventative Maintenance, Oil Changes & Scheduled Seasonal Services

Computer Diagnostics, Tuning & NY State Inspection

Brakes, Mufflers, Springs, Shocks, High Performance Suspensions, Corner Balancing

Computerized 4 Wheel Alignments

Engine Repair & Rebuilding — Routine to Radical

Transmission Repair & Rebuilding

Electrical & Charging Systems, Heat & Air Conditioning

Wheel & Tire Mounting & Balancing, Storage

OEM, Vintage, Classic Hard to Find Parts

History

Established in 1982.

30+ years of German auto maintenance, repair, modification and customization, specializing in your daily drivers to classic vintage preservation and restoration and race car preparation.

We change the way people care for their cars by providing convenient and innovative repair and maintenance solutions, allowing our clients to safely enjoy their vehicles with great peace of mind.

Meet the Manager

Tom D.

Manager

Tom grew up working in the family business at R & D Auto, sweeping floors as a youngster then learning about the cars and how to turn wrenches. His automotive infatuation developed early on as he started driving as soon as he could see over the steering wheel. Along the way he began working directly with clients and assisting with customer service.

A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Tom used his marketing and mechanical engineering background to work for leaders in the automotive industry, including Bentley Publishers and Porsche of Boston. He has since returned to Bavarian Rocket Science to take on a management role.

When not at the shop, he enjoys representing BRS at various auto club events and on the race track. He truly loves cars and his passion for helping people shines through when you meet him. Always willing to take a moment to answer questions, provide advice or give a helping hand, Tom and the team at R & D look forward to helping you.

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7 reviews of R & D Automotive Bavarian Rocket Science

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Greg J.

Place rating: 1
Athens, NY

Can’t speak for there work, they may do the best work in the capital district for all I know but getting back to the customer/customer service is terrible.
Sent an email early in the week describing the detail of work I was looking to have done and asking for a quote. Never got a response. I called a day or two later and spoke with someone — asked for a quote told them the detail or work, type of car left my name and number — was told they’d look it over and get back to me with a price. 2 days later and I haven’t heard back. Again I can’t speak for there work on the actual vehicles but I won’t chase someone around to take my money, if you want business stay on top of your contacts.

Gray L.

Place rating: 5
Saratoga Springs, NY

I purchased a 1976 vw bus that was not running and after speaking with and briefly meeting Tom Dobush, I decided to have it towed directly to their shop. They fixed everything that was wrong with it (fixed the rear axles, ball joints, and tuned her up among other things). On top of the great work they did, they are a really friendly group. These guys know what they’re doing and they are the first shop i call when something goes wrong.

Darlene K.

Place rating: 5
Greenville, NY

Have been here a few times for service after the local Audi dealer messed up. Also after Mavis gave me a faulty alignment causing front inner tires to wear to the steel cord causing one to go flat at 75 MPH on an interstate. R & D checked the issue for no charge, Mavis fixed it at no charge and R & D rechecked at no charge. R & D takes care to do a full point service on my Audi and lets me know of any issues that need to be repaired. They are my go to guys from now on.

Michael C.

Place rating: 1
Delmar, NY

I drove my 1998 Mercedes Benz E-300 Turbodiesel to R&D Automotive after noticing some difficulty with cold starting. In the past this indicated that routine glow plug replacement was needed. I had spoken to Rick Dobush, the owner, beforehand and he assured me that he has done many of these jobs and it should take approximately 4 man hours. This seemed reasonable as my wife’s E-300 Turbo had the same issue and Keeler Motor Car, our local Mercedes Benz dealer, had changed her glow plugs for about $ 600.00.

I checked on the progress daily and Rick said he was having problems extracting the glow plugs from the head. After three weeks of this news and no progress, I called a tow truck and had the car brought to Keeler. They found that R&D had broken four out of six glow plugs off in the cylinder head. Keeler had to extract the broken glow plugs and re-bore the head to accommodate the replacement glow plugs. The cost of labor alone to repair the damage was $ 1800.00.
I went to Rick and asked for compensation as the job cost $ 1800-$ 600=$ 1200 more than it should have. He refused to compensate me for the additional cost.
I would avoid this repair shop as they proved to be incapable of completing fairly simple repair work and were very difficult to deal with.

Nate D.

Place rating: 1
Troy, NY

Pretty un happy with the service here. went in for a muffler, and somehow wound up needing a new starter because mine magically didn’t work anymore. to top everything off they flat out refused to provide me with the ‘faulty’ parts that they replaced. definitely going to pursue ever avenue of recourse i can.

M G.

Place rating: 5
East Greenbush, NY

Top workmanship. Always feel good when I leave.

Todd F.

Place rating: 5
Richland, WA

Just moved here from the W Coast, heard great recommendations from the local Porsche club, amongst others. We dropped by unannounced to check them out, and were suitably impressed~!
We plan to do our suspension work [lowering springs, corner balancing], install new wheels/tires, and intake/exhaust install with this shop. Can’t wait to see results, :)

R & D Automotive Bavarian Rocket Science

Albany, United States