Rwl German Imports

I have had both my BMWs worked on at RWL on many ocassions and never experienced anything less than quality workmanship and service. They always exibit expertise and professionalism in all my interactions with them. I highly recommend their services for any German car. more

I regret bringing my car to RWL. Everybody told me this is the place to go for my Mercedes. He can do a great job on complicated repairs, but Bob Lane's attention to detail is very poor. He was able to fix a blown gasket, but he left me with the following: 1. My front end got smashed in his shop. This took an extra week to repair (he did pay for it though). 2. I drove off the lot and realized he did not refill the coolant he had drained. 3. A week later I realized Bob had drained the a/c fluid and had not refilled it. 4. A belt he replaced was not tightened correctly and still squeaks terribly. more

In response to Mr. Terrell's letter concerning the work we performed on his car in March, 2011. I first wonder why, if Mr. Terrell had an issue with our work, did he wait a year to react to it, and then through a third party and not directly to me. I remember the car, mainly due to the amount of engine related work that needed to be done. I remember denting the left front fender, which we had repaired, I remember noting that the car was in a dire state of neglect, needing more work than Mr. Terrell was prepared to address. I don't understand the coolant issue that he refers to. With the amount of engine work performed, the car would have been test driven extensively afterwards to make sue we had covered all of our bases. It would not have been possible to have done this without having adequate coolant in the system. The reference to the lack of ""A/C coolant"" makes me wonder to whom he intended this comment, we did not address the A/C system at all. As far as a squealing belt, is it the belt or might it be one of the pulleys or rollers involved in the belt/pulley system? My understanding of his issures are inconclusive inasmuch as these problems were not brought to me to assess. I wish I had been given an opportunity to interpret the issues first hand. Bob Lane more

After my car had been running hot, I decided to take it in for someone to diagnose. After 3 days, they decided to try and replace the thermostat (even though the thermostat was not throwing a code, electric sensor B6 Audi a4), it had been quoted at $350 to replace. 4 days later, I had not heard anything so I decided to give them a call. They said that the thermostat did not fix the overheating issue, and they would need to replace the water pump. I asked what I owed currently and the $350 dollar thermostat was an actual $530. The invoice stated $400 for labor on the thermostat; I finally settled up the payment which came to $570. When I got the quote for $1100 to replace the water pump, I decided to go elsewhere, afraid that it would skyrocket. Everyone was friendly, but never on the same page. I?d get different dollar amounts each time I called. I wish it was a more positive experience. more

I was dismayed to see that a very few commentators do not share my strong, positive feelings towards RWL. Perhaps it was because these folks did not like how much was wrong with their auto?or perhaps RWL has greater proficiency with some German models and less with others, but I can best sum up my relationship with RWL with the statement that ?these folks at RWL (Bob, Brendan, and Nancy) have INTEGRITY?. I own a much beloved 1989 BMW 635csi (with 240,000 miles on it), and have a hard time finding people competent enough to work on it. I will take her nowhere else. Bob has always been honest with me, and I know has spent many hours trying to find obscure issues with my car that he has not charged me for. In fact, I would wager that Bob has often felt embarrassed by some of the bills he has presented me with (hey, and some very expensive things have worn out and needed replaced), and I cannot help but feel that Bob has understated (and by that I mean what actually showed up on the bill!) some of the labour costs associated with repairs. I have never written a comment online for a business before, but I feel so strongly that I feel I must?I only did so because I just recommended them to a neighbor and thought I should spread the good news. In life, a person needs a few people he can trust?a lawyer, financial advisor, and a mechanic. While I am loathed to speak of Bob with the mere title of ?mechanic?, I can say that have found the latter (oh and big bonus to Nancy for driving me a ride to work after I dropped my car off in her delightful vintage 911?I want one!). If you own an older German car you would be a fool to take it elsewhere. more

I am nost sure why this facility is still in business. The customer service is poor and the quality of the parts they use are substandard. The technicians at this site are unprofessional and do not provide excellent service. The service fees they charge are generally overpriced and provide repair costs with discounted parts. Please do not visit this repair shop you will be greatly disappointed in the quality of work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more

After reading the review submitted by mce35, I was compelled to add my own review. My BMW went out of warrantee right as my car was in need of new brakes. I decided to give Rwl a try based on recommendations given by my cousin AND one of my clients. Rwl repaired my car in one day for 1/2 of what Nalley BMW quoted. A few weeks later, the wiring on my right back tail light fried (a common problem for BMW's). Having already had the left one replaced by Nalley I knew I was looking at a $300 bill - Rwl was able to rewire the tail light for $49 in less than an hour. The owner / main mechanic is a throw back to when people knew how to figure things out and actually fix them. I am sorry that someone would be so malice as to try to do harm to a small, local business that has a 32 year history and many, many satisfied clients. I found them by referral and I am happy to refer them to others! Pros: Honest, Great Troubleshooting, Reasonable Pricing Cons: none so far more

I have used RWL for 15 years. Bob is very exacting. He will work to see what theproblem is on your car. This sometimes takes time...but I know that the problem will be fixed the first time! Pros: competent and consistat service more

I've been using RWL for maintaining my German vehicles since I moved to town 7 years ago. They are extremely competant and honest folks. No, it's not a fancy showroom/shop, but their prices reflect that. The owner is great at explaining exactly what they are planning to do before performing the work. As an engineer in the automotive industry I understand that not even a master technician will know exactly what is wrong with a vehicle until they get their hands a little dirty with it. I highly recommend RWL as your local shop if you've got Porsche, BMW, Mercedes etc... that means something special to you. Pros: extremely knowledgable - they can fix anything if it makes sense for them to Cons: small shop that sometimes gets overbooked more

The folks at RWL are quite competent, knowledgeable and more that anything, ethical. With all my dealings with RWL, with multiple cars, and multiple service items, the story related is not even close to the RWL I?ve known and dealt with for over 11 years. Pros: Service Cons: This isn't a NASCAR ""you can eat off the floor"" garage. more

The first two negative reviews were written by the same person, they threatened to post as many negative comments on the web as they could, and they have. Pros: Very knowledgeable master mechanic Cons: they stay busy more

I wholeheartedly agree with the previous reviewer. I wish I had read his comment prior to my experience. When my Porshe needed towing, I selected this place simply because it was the nearest German automotive repair center to my Virginia-Highlands home. Initially, I was impressed with their responsiveness. That quickly changed, however, when there was delay after delay. The car was brought in for a minor repair. Ironically, the mechanic found a more serious problem. I gave the go ahead for repair and was given the price. The repair was not done when I was told it would be ready. It took three additional days and the cost increased $200 from what I had been told. When I questioned the receptionist (forget about ever being allowed to actually speak to the owner or mechanic) she became extremely rude. After I asked to be given the replaced parts (so I could make sure they had actually been replaced and actually needed replacing) I was then told that my $793 bill (which had started out as $282) had to be in cash, although the invoice clearly states payment by cash, check or credit card. The reception explained she could change the rules anytime she wanted to. Cons: Extremely rude people. No customer service skills. more

Let me just start of by saying there were more things wrong with my porsche after I picked the car up, than when I dropped it off. Came in for smoke coming out of the tailpipe. When I got it back, Window switch was inop, and speaker hanging down from the wire. When asked if he (mech) would take care of it, he told me he didn't break it. Never got a call to let me know if my car was ready; after about a week I just decided to drop by to see how much progress was made, pulled up and seen my convertible sitting in the hot 100 degree sun for 2 days. (which is the reason the mech gave me as to how the speaker fell off my door) So needless to say, no care was takin for my custumized 993 while in their possession. As far as the items that were wrong with the car after I picked it up; was told that they were not liable. Cons: place is very cluttered and nasty; service is terrible more