GVW Auto Repair

Jimmy and Joe are as good as mechanics get. Thorough and honest, I felt secure knowing that they would take care of my Audi with their extensive knowledge and expertise. Fair pricing and great service. No more going to the dealership for an arm and leg. Will be back for regular maintenance!

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!

I brought my 1982 Westfalia in for a total suspension rework; Bilstein HD shocks, lifted springs, T3 poly bushings, T3 steering rack bushing, T3 front anti-​swaybar, adaco rear anti-​swaybar, SmallCar Performance bigger front & rear brakes, which all required swapping the spindles out as well. Huge amount of work, now Betsy feels like a luxury car. Totally a VW gem GVW is!

I found GVW in the Yellow Pages back in 2003 when I moved to Northridge from AZ. At one point I was working on becoming a Master Mechanic myself so first off I checked out his bays. They are clean and organized and he has kept the same employees for many years. He is personally present and overseeing the work everyday, all day. In 11 years, I have never had to bring a car back to re-​fix a problem. His pricing is much better than a dealer’s and since he owns the business every client gets personalized and friendly service.
At one point Brand X Quick Oil Change stripped my oil pan plug by over-​tightening. Jim re-​threaded the plug, saving me the cost of a new pan. Since then I go to GVW for oil changes that cost the same as Brand X, and I don’t worry about a stripped plug anymore. Also I don’t worry whether or not the oil and filter are actually changed.
He has arrangements with local car rentals for an inexpensive loaner if you need one. He’s been in business so long there he can recommend body shops and not only tell you which dealer to go to for warranty work but call a friend there to advise him you’re coming in.
I have a VW Golf, nothing special, but Jim treats me well and honestly. He tells me if something is important or can wait. I have never trusted any mechanic, I think they’re all out to rip me off (hence my Master Mechanic classes) but I trust Jim.

Jim Greene has done a wonderful job for us for many years. Jim works on our race cars so what we ask him to do is sometimes complex and ambiguous — more of R&D than routine maintenance. Jim handles it all with sincerity, humility and work ethic. His great work and great attitude have contributed to 3 championships. Also he is good at respecting our limited budget — he never pushes me to buy something that we can’t afford.

stay away, far away !

I was refereed to GVW and Jim Green and have had my Jetta TDI serviced there a few times. TDI’s were not sold in California until the last few years so finding someone who could work on an older model was pretty hard GVM is very professional and I have not had any issue with Jim’s follow up. I used to go to an established VW dealership in Van Nuys and they would not honor coupons from other locations. I don’t need to look for coupons because I have found GVM gives me a fair deal without all the dealership smoke and mirrors.
I was perplexed on how Joe P was so dissatisfied with Jim so I read his other ratings. I am now suspicious because he has one local service dealership as a 5 star and within 10 days he used 2 other service dealerships and gave them a single star AFTER his five star service. Why use another dealership days later when you are so happy with first mechanic?

Well, where do I start? The Owner is a Complete Fool. I told him I had a day off from work and wanted to bring in my car for a brake job so that when he finished I could enjoy the rest of the day. Mr Greene? Why did you make me wait all day to pick up my car? I wasted the whole day waiting for the car to be finished. You should have been done by 11am and I called you at 4 and you said «Oh yeah we finished around 3»
Shame on You For such Terrible Customer Service. I haven’t been back since you pulled that stunt on me and never will be back.
And Here’s the kicker… My brakes continued to make that scraping sound and he told me «That’s normal»

Well, where do I start?
I found out about Jim and GVW (Jim Greene — Greene VW) through VW Vortex, in it it was the good word on GVW and Jim. I was looking for a shop that specialized in VWs for I was looking to buy a very rare, limited production and highly collectable car, that even among VW techs is not always well known and or properly «respected», the car in question is a Corrado. The C as I like to call it, is a rather interesting car of which only about 19,000 ever made it to North America! So, it was my surprise when I called Jim from HI and found out that not only was one of his techs highly knowledgeable on the C, his tech actually owned one himself!!!
I knew then that I had found the right tech, and place. But I didn’t know then just how «right» I was, what followed was a relationship where my C was thoroughly inspected, saved some $$$ in the purchase price and applied that to the repair, Jim kept my baby for me ensuring that all the necessary work was done in a highly efficient and thorough manner.
I actually spent a lot of time speaking with Jim about different subjects and came to enjoy talking to him quite a lot. I feel that we came to know Jim’s family just through our conversations!
His shop is a no-​non-​sense place that although having VW in the name also specializes in other makes such as Audi, Honda and Toyota among others.
Although I do not live in LA, or even CA, I would definitely see Jim again where I in the area!!! I would recommend GVW to anyone that needs a good, honest, reliable and properly priced repair shop!!!

How am I the first person to review this place? After getting a quote of $ 1500 to repair my AC from another not so-​reputable mechanic (who didn’t even bother to LOOK at the car before giving me the quote… I kid you not), I was thrilled and relieved that GVW was able to get me up and running at a very reasonable cost… and on a day where the temperature had soared to 112 and I was basically at their mercy ;-) Jim, the owner of the shop, sat down with me and asked me a number of questions about my AC to help diagnose the problem before taking a look at the vehicle. He and his workers were able to readjust a piece in my car that would have been VERY expensive to replace… saving me a ton of money and a ton of grief in the process. My car is a problem car, so I’m sure I will be seeing them again sooner than I’d like… :-) However, their kindness and honesty make working with them a pleasure!