Porbug Repair

George and Jason are amazing VW mechanics and I have trusted them w/ my '87 Vanagon Syncro for over 15 years. Why? First, they know what they're doing. If you have ever owned one of these vehicles, you know how many gremlins exist. Plus, my vehicle is so far from the original build .. everything from the fridge to bumpers to engine has been replaced and yet, they're able to figure out any malfunction, leak or noise by applying sound logic and their extensive experience. Second, they charge a very fair price and they stand by their work. If you need A, B and C to fix your problem, then that's what they're going to do. They're not going to upsell you - they don't have time for that. Third, they have answered countless phone calls when I was stuck on the side of the road left scratching my head. In every situation, they've walked me thru the possible cause and more importantly, what needed to be done next. Over these years, I have found George and Jason to be kind, generous individuals in addition to competent mechanics. They certainly don't suffer fools and yet, somehow they keep answering my questions.

It's been about 8 months since my experience with Porbug and it's been bothering me this whole time. Perhaps after writing this review I can let go of my anger. I had heard about Porbug from many people and read online reviews as well. My car, a 1972 Super Beetle, had recently developed a pretty serious oil leak and it was something I couldn't fix myself. I called Porbug to make an appt. The person on the phone was abrupt and it made me feel very awkward. When I dropped off my car, the attitude of the men there was the same as on the phone; abrupt, bothered. I told them when I dropped it off that if they had it ready that day or even the following day, I wouldn't be able to pick it up til later in the week because I had obligations and my husband has to drive me from Port Townsend to pick up my car. They acknowledged that. The next day they call and tell me they found the source of the leak and that it was my oil cooler seals. Cool. Then they tell me they need me to pick it up the next day because they were out of room in their lot, even though I told them that picking it up early would be a hardship. We managed to make arrangements to come early. At that point, I was wondering why Porbug came so highly recommended, but maybe customer service doesn't matter as much as a competent mechanic who does a good job, so I let it slide. We picked up the car, they showed me the old seals and explained how shot they were, and I paid the bill and that was that. Took the car home and it seemed OK. Next day I looked under the car and no oil was leaking. Good. Three weeks later though, I've got the same kind of leak that I did before, coming from the same part of the engine; at least as far as I could tell. I called Porbug and said the leak had returned. Made another appt. I take the car in, go into the office, and as I'm saying "Good morning" he interrupts me and barks "KEYS!". Took me aback, but I handed him my keys and left. Car is ready the next day. At pick up I asked him what the problem was. He said that the oil screen was bent preventing the drain plate from screwing on all the way. It made sense to me in the moment because this man's attitude intimidated me so much. But as I was driving home and thought about it, that explanation made no sense. The last person to install my oil screen was HIM. Does that mean he knowingly or even unknowingly re-installed a bent screen? Either way, not good. And why would my car be fine for 3 weeks, then all of a sudden start leaking oil if the screen was bent the whole time? They don't bend out of shape by themselves. And the oil leak wasn't even coming from that part of the engine anyway. Predictably, I saw the oil leak was still there. I realized that I'd been lied to. But why? Based on their unfriendly attitude, it feels like they didn't want to work on my car at all. I finally went to another shop which is a lot farther away from me, but also highly recommended, Too Quick's in Tacoma. The difference between my experience at Too Quick's and Porbug is like night and day. They found the cause of the leak: Oil cooler seals. AGAIN. If Porbug installed new seals, why would they have failed again so quickly? The answer is that the oil cooler failed the pressure test, a test any competent VW mechanic would do since the oil cooler is exposed anyway. My oil cooler needed to be replaced. So either Porbug never pressure tested my oil cooler (which they should have) or they did and just replaced the seals and called it a day. Either way, not good. I don't know why my experience seems like a one-off compared to other reviews. But there's no excuse for lying to a customer. None. I will never recommend them to anyone.

I had an unfortunate experience. Walked in and got a couple quotes and was surprised by the costs of repair. Their reply was to laugh in my face and call me stupid for thinking a wiper motor fix for $400 was a lot. Was told I had hydraulic valves. Turns out I dont. I get that these things have hundreds of people adjusting things, in home or what have you. But seems like they have bigger problems to tackle and any work you bring them is just too much for them to handle. Spend some time finding other people to work on your air-cooled engine. They are out there.

Always rock solid. Great shop. Great guys. Always appreciate their help.

My Beetle has been in this facility multiple times they've always been honest they have always been quick and always understanding I have never had a problem here and I am very happy with their service I am a fixed Ops director over multiple car lines and this is way better service then we provide I will continue to learn from these guys