My closest Audi dealer and service department is an hour away. However I have two European car specialist shops very close with one of them less than 100 yards from the house. Are there any certifications or qualifications I should look for in a mechanic outside of a dealership before I entrust my 2001 TT to them?

Edit (with apologies to Raptor): There is also no close VW dealer. Closest is even farther than the Audi dealer.

 

Closest Audi Dealer to me is about an hour but i have a VW dealer in my town.
I bring my audi to them for basic service. seeing as the Audi's engine is the same motor thats in the VW.

 

See if they will give you some references. You might also post a message on a local/regional EuroForum to see if anyone else has good/bad experiences with them. Also take a look at their lot/garage to see what kind of cars they are working on. If you see Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, etc, you are likely going to find them to be a pretty good place. I know most of the Porsche/Ferrari crowd is very **** about who they let work on their cars (not that I am any less **** about mine).

 

I feel ya, mate - nearest Audi place for me is over 120 miles away! Not something I considered when I purchased this girl. [:-]

There's only one mechanic in town here that I can rely on and that's not the best feeling for me, either. I may take Racer's lead and start taking mine to the VW dealership for service.

 

I did quite a bit of research for my local area and came up compeltely blank in terms of recommendations, BBB complaints, etc. I took a chance on the guy whose shop is 100 yards from my garage and think I lucked out. I described the symptoms to him and he immediately came back with a list of four things he'd check and why and his answer included one item (the electric fan) that isn't universal to most cars. I concluded that he obviously knew the car.

He solved the problem (corroded terminals on the fuses/fuse box) and for cheap. And you can't top the convenience. I can drop the car off and walk back home.

There was another obviously long-time customer in the shop when I arrived and it was clear that the relationship was solid.

I think I'm in good shape.