The place is great...the shop kinda sucks they rebuilt my engine 3 time before they got it right..had to play 2 times at over 2k$ and also shane is a huge dik!! read more

While I can't speak for the services department, the guys in parts were extremely helpful. Knowledgeable and good prices.

Absolute worst VW shop I've ever been to in my life... Very rude and not informative at all! Take your business elsewhere you'll save yourself the headache and stress. Thieves and swindlers! You've been warned!! There's plenty of other shops with MUCH faster turn around time and helpful service... Brought an engine case to have machined, 3 months later untouched and claimed it was "junk" even writing on my freshly painted case. Took it to a shop in the HD 2 days later and it was done! They said the crack was absolutely NOTHING at all. This place is a joke, they've forever lost my service and I'll forever tell others to take their money and time elsewhere!! read more

I like them overall.... they are really good when you know exactly what you need, but I think that they are sometimes too busy to offer advise when the shop is stacked with customers. Go in the mornings during off hours and you are guaranteed to get your answers. They are competitive with most parts except the specialty items (and even then just show them a competing advertisement and they will usually match it or beat it). If you need body parts that are super quality I recommend Wolfsburg West or WCM; however, the engine parts they sell are comparable to most any other place. I gave them a 4 because some of the parts they sell are cheap Chinese garbage and have failed when good parts would not have otherwise. read more

Purchased an alternator in mid July and installed it a month later. The alternator cought on fire in November. I called Ron at the parts department, he stated that the altermator has no warranty but he could sell me another potentually bad alternator if I was a gambler or a succer for cost at $60.00. I might of been born at night, but not last night. Every business has its problems, but it`s how you handle the problems that make you successful. Obviously this business will not be around for long if they continue ripping off their customers. My advice, STAY AWAY! They are only as good as their last sale, and the last sale was horrible. I ONLY ASKED TO EXCHANGE THE ALTERNATOR. If you want to keep your $, stay away. read more

Took my 2006 VW Jetta in for a clutch job. A few months later my left front suspension became loose. I took it to VW dealer who said whoever did the clutch job had to remove left front suspension to replace clutch. The suspension problem was caused by a suspension bolt that was too short and the wrong size and the other two bolts not tightened causing the suspension to come loose and damaging the aluminum suspension. Cost me over a $1,000 at VW dealer. When I approached Car Craft they said I should have brought it back to them to repair. But I didn't realize Car Craft had touched the suspension until VW dealer told me. What shop installs the wrong bolt on a suspension and leaves other two loose? This was either gross negligence or deliberate. Steer clear of these idiots. read more

talked to someone on the phone and they were really helpful. Told me to come down and they would look and something and give an opinion if they could help or not. I did. When I got there the owner. The son. Was a complete ASS. He said we won't look at anything and to make an appointment to drop it off. He wouldn't even answer my question so I don't know if they even did that. SO WHY WOULD I DROP IT OFF for you to say we don't do that??? No one there could believe the way he talked too and treated me!! Even the guy dropping off parts said he couldn't believe that when I saw him in the parking lot. I WOULD NEVER GIVE HIM MY BUSINESS!! read more

Do not buy anything from here even if it looks like a great deal on "The Samba" or anywhere else they run ads.....Purchaced a "Freeway Flyer" transmission from them and found out internals were not close to what they should be,they blamed it on Benco where they farm out the work to.Got nothing but 'tude with them on the phone.....So,I guess I would stay away from this dump and Benco also....perfect! read more

We had have our beetles service there since 2014 for the past last 6 month we have had the most crap service ever we pay and pay and the cars are still broken, I ask to talk to the guy in charge and Shane "Owner" told us that if we wanted a car with no issues to purchase a new car!!, and that he refuses to work on our cars because he really dosnt need the money! Is not about the money to us is about the service and doing the work right! The staff is great!!!, ED we are going to miss you take care, And Shane I hope you really Stay in business. read more

Came here a little while back to get a new 32/36 carb installed on my 74 bug. Ron was excellent help inside the store, gave me all the information I needed and answered the thousands of questions I had for him. Dropped the car off on a Thursday, came back Friday to pick it up, no problems at all. But on the drive home, I struggled immensely on the freeway, I could barely get over 40mph and I had a feeling the second barrel was opening up all the way. Got home and my dad took a look at it, and at that moment he found out there was a bunch of slack on the throttle cable and the second barrel wasn't opening at all which was the cause of the low mph. We fixed it up, no big deal, just thought maybe someone overlooked it and didn't double check it after everything was said and done. A few days later I'm driving to work and I notice one of my headlights went out. Later on in the day, come home and notice I popped the fuse, and again, no big deal. But for the next few weeks, when I turn on my lights, I'm constantly popping fuses, then I notice one night there's smoke coming from the front compartment of the car. Open her up, try to diagnose what was burning, couldn't find anything. Test drive it a few days later, I'm still popping fuses. Finally my dad had enough of it so he did a complete walk around of the car, only to find out that the wires for the license plate lights were not connected correctly after the mechanics put it back together, being they hooked up 2 different wires together, which was the cause of all of the light and fuse problems. Needless to say, although Ron was a ton of help on setting up my car for its mini overhaul, the mechanic work on the other hand was not at all what I was hoping for. read more

I would give this auto repair place car craft zero star .Unfortunately I have to give a rating or else I can't post this so. I'll give them one star when in reality it should be a zero star. So I called this place up asking for help and advice about parts & service for a car that I have a 1978 BMW 320 I. When I called car craft. I'm only assuming I'm just talking to the owner who seem to be very rude to me over the phone. I had explained to him that the car was given to me as a gift by a friend of mine ,and that It's been parked for over 25 years. The first negative thing that comes out of this person's mouth is. You should give the car back to your friend, and they have no value and very expensive to repair. He also said I don't have any parts for your car,and I don't service your kind of car. I then replied to him your advertisement here on the Yellow Pages says that you specialize in German cars Volkswagen Audi BMW and Porsche. He then said well I don't,and I don't want to work on your car. What an asshole!... I believe this owner of this repair shop is racist,and discriminates. Because of my last name that probably showed up on his caller ID,and he assumes that I can't afford to own and repair a BMW. I would not recommend anyone to take their cars here for service,and support his business especially since he seems to be a racist. If he advertises that he works on German cars. Why not BMW. read more

Got a quote for $225. Came back to get work done, wouldn't honor quote charged me $100. More.the kid in the store big help .the shop will never get me in there again.rip-off read more

I live in Carlsbad and the are 3 parts sources here in North SD county. One has excellent help and service but very high prices. The second has good prices but a treats me like a nuisance because I do my own work. The third is just overpriced. My point in saying this is that Car Craft nails the sweet spot of great people who take an old school approach to taking care of customers and great prices. Their machine shop does a great job as well. I've been making the 1 1/2 hour drive to these guys for 4 years and they've never disappointed. read more

My husband took the custom headers for his 55 Chevy to this shop for an "old school" white ceramic coating. He was originally impressed because the motto is "Your satisfaction is Our #1 Priority". When he picked them up the coating was uneven, blotchy and DEFINITELY NOT what he had been led to expect. When he objected to the very poor quality of the work he was told that it was the best that could be expected. He paid the $350 bill for a TERRIBLE job and promised a negative review. He then brought the headers to Young Gun in Rancho Cucamonga (where he should have gone in the first place). The headers were first sand blasted and then coated PERFECTLY! Lesson learned: take your headers to the guys who know their stuff!!! read more

Worst bug place ever. Bought a carburetor from them and went out 2 months later. Also bought a headliner from them to find out it doesn't even fit. Horrible. Don't go. read more

Best vw shop around.. Ed's been Building bugs since Most of us were born .. If u have a problem or need parts fast car craft is ur place

I love Car Craft! I've been going to them for years and they always get my 68 Bug running just right. They also have great customer service, prices, and their mail order dept. is awesome. Try them, you'll like them. :D read more

I went here for a rebuilt transmission in my Meyers Manx Dune Buggy because they seemed to know what they were doing and they do. My problem is I am 60 miles from them. I except that. Shane's first estimate on time was three days. after two weeks I was losing patience. He said the problem was that I need the High Torque Starter and it was on order. a week later he said he is trying to chase it down and put it in so come on out to Riverside we will have it for you when you get here. The car was ready but it still shifted funny. Shane said it was the shifter bushing and coupling. He was nice enough to give me the parts and I left. Unfortunately the coupler he gave me was the wrong part so I had to drive all over to get the right one. He said I would have to send his back before he sent me the correct one. Another week down.I put in the parts and the car runs for about five minutes and then I cant get it into gear. Shane says you have to bring it back. I ask him can you possibly give me a guess as to what it might be? I didn't want to tow it all the way back there. He said "I don't make conjectures" so I tow it out there and his mechanic looks at it and says too much free play in the clutch. He tightens it and the car is fine. I'm happy the mechanic fixed it but Shane has cost me so much time, energy and gas that I can only give 2 stars. Sheesh!!! read more

OMG!!! I should have come here to read the reviews.HORRIBLE people. Took these tards 2 1/2 days to tell me what was wrong with my car (oil leak) Mike said he has no idea how to fix it and for me to double the labor so he can take his time. He wanted to charge me two hours of labor to diagnose me car, I told him no I am only paying the 75 i was told it would cost to diagnose my car. He took my car home which I never said was ok, when I get there to pick up my car I was charged 20 dollars for gas, I refused to pay it. The manager said I dropped my car off with no fuel, I refused and they went ahead and took off the charges. I get into my car and the mechanic had smoked in it...like one after another, it reeked soooo bad. I have asthma and can not be anywere near smoke. I talk to him shane about it on Monday and he said he will pay to have my car cleaned but swore his mechanic didnt smoke in it when he took my car home but that he did smoke in my car while he was working on it. A few days later I call back to confirm they are going to pay to get my car cleaned and Shane said after thinking about it and talking to his mechanic Mike that they will only pay 50-60 dollars to get it cleaned since I am probably blowing it out of poportion and that I am "emotional" I gave up talking to him and will be in tomorrow with my estimate to get my car detailed t oget the smell of nasty smoke out of my car. NEVER NEVER take your car to them...............HORRIBLE SERVICE, HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!! I will be reporting them to the BBB. read more

Okay so I am building a Baja bug and I have been told this is the place to go, but I have also been told that the guys here are A-holes. Well today was my 3rd visit and I have yet to meet an A-hole. I worked with Shane on my first/second visit and wow what a great guy he is. There was a miscommunication on MY PART about which disk brake kit I wanted, and after realizing I had the wrong one, he swapped them out (I paid 189 for the wrong kit, the kit I needed was 230, he said, "my bad dude I'll have it swapped out and ready for pickup tomorrow at the same price" and then marked my invoice with his initials. A $40 discount like it was no big deal. Well all I can say is, this is my GO TO VW shop and I will refer EVERYONE I know to this place. Stand up guys, awesome customer service, BADASS SHOWROOM full of sh$t I can't afford, and an all together great atmosphere. If you are new to the VW world like myself, GO HERE. you will NOT be disappointed. What a great place to find. Thanks Car Craft for getting my pile back on the road. read more

DON'T GO HERE!!! DO NOT GO TO CARCRAFT!!! Even Blodgetts warned me about them...I should have heeded. They have HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE and DON'T BACK THE PRODUCTS THEY SELL. They sold some felt dual port gaskets in an intake boot kit which did not fit properly.... extra bolt holes in the gasket laid on metal creating an improper seal. The small gaskets going to the heater lines were not included..so I had to use the old metal crush gaskets for everything. That I lived with. I bought a "new" carbureter for my 70 bug. Everything seemed cool. I got my engine back together, put the carbureter on, set the idle and mixture. Then putting the last piece back on the engine, the oil bath air cleaner, it would not fit. The neck of the carbureter is the same diameter! Searching for some possible type of adapter, I was told by 2 other bug mechanics to take it back. So that's what I did. I explained to who turned out to be an unfriendly, grumpy, gray haired old man (this guy was a total dick), what my problem was. He did not believe me. He took out his own oil bath air cleaner, and WOW! SURPRISE! It did not fit on his either. Just like I told him, and he still tried to act like I was lying and trying to scam them. Oh, but if he cleans it up better and does whatever modification to it he can, he'll make it fit!, he tells me, "and if it doesn't he'll give me my money back and the carbureter."Yeah right, BS!!!, I already tried other options, cleaning and tweaking my oil bath cannister to widen it, etc.... doesn't work. Sounds like a great offer, but I need this car up and running and I cannot wait another week to bring my parts to him so he can screw around with them, or mess them up, retract his offer, and probably try to sell me something else. He already attempted to fit his part on it, saw it did not fit with his part, and still acted like there is nothing wrong with that carbureter. The idea of a new product is for it to fit properly, not have to mickey mouse parts to make them work. It fit perfectly fine on my old carbureter. He said he would not take it back or give me my money back because I already installed it and ran fuel through it. First off, I did not ask for a refund, I just wanted to exchange it for another carb because I felt it may have been machined wrong, and since it did not accomodate the air filtration cannister for my vehicle, that exchanging it should not be a problem. He treated me like I was trying to scam him, like I was lying, and like I was stupid. I measured the diameter of the carb necks with a ruler, because i don't have a micrometer; my old carb was at about 50mm in diameter, the new one was about 52mm. I told him that and he said I was full of crap, stock carb necks have never been 50mm and the one that I purchased from them was 51.7mm. And he "doesn't believe I'm the only person who could have this problem", even though he could not get his own part on it. Then he accused me of driving the car around, because fuel was run through it. Hello GENIUS! Not expecting to have a problem I set the timing mixture and idle. THE ENGINE HAS TO BE RUNNING! When I completed that I tried to place my oil bath air cleaner on, the last thing to go on, and it DOES NOT FIT! There is no way in hell any person with common sense would drive around without an air cleaner on their carbureter...unless this old fart is so stupid that he does so. He just kept repeating for me bring my parts down and he'll make them fit. NO THANK YOU! I grabbed the POS carb and told him I will never purchase parts from them again and walked out. And, by the way, you pathetic excuse for a automotive shop, you missed out on an additional chunk of money in parts sales, and future purchases, all because you have no customer service skills! I had to really forcefully jam my oil bath cleaner on this carbureter to get it to sit just enough to attach hoses to it. It is very unsteady, but the hoses attached to it are helping hold it in place and hopefully the decklid will keep it from falling off completely until I can figure something out other than filing the carb neck down. I test drove the car took it on the freeway. As I got off the freeway my idle was screaming!....POS carbureter has an idle screw that is so loose, the vibration of the engine almost shook it out of place. It's almost as if, and now I would not be surprised, that it is the wrong diameter for the threaded hole it's in. If I had gone another mile or two, that pin would have fallen out and I would have been screwed! I placed a rubber cap on the back of it to help hold it in place, but now have to figure out how to fix or modify the idle screw to keep it from shifting and falling out. I was going to file a complaint with the BBB, but CARCRAFT is not even BBB certified/recognized. BEWARE, DO NOT PURCHASE PARTS FROM CARCRAFT IN RIVERSIDE. They'll TAKE YOUR MONEY and give you POOR QUALITY PARTS! NO EXCHANGES OR REFUNDS REGARDLESS. DO NOT GO HERE!!! read more

Where to begin...I'm not at all shocked to see the other negative posts here. After another shop failed miserably, I decided to get one of Car Craft's zero mile 1700cc engines. They were polite until they had my bus hostage, then they were total pricks. My engine? Has not stopped leaking oil since I picked it up. The first leak I found was due to their having re-used a torn o-ring distributor seal. I fixed that with another shop (used as my witness). Next leak was the oil sender (no thread sealant). Then the front crank seal and the fuel pump gaskets. All of this in under 1000 miles. And the carburetor they sold me is complete crap and won't idle properly When I spoke to the owner about these problems (and his staff's lies) he said all VWs leak and insisted that there's a mystifying difference between a drip and a leak and he defended the liar. I didn't mention the carb to him. The last thing I'll do is take the bus back to them to fix any of this. They're dishonest, rude and they're liars. If you take your VW to them, be ready to bend over, and keep bending over chasing your oil "Drips" Mine driped at a rate of 1qt per 400 miles. I now have it down to dripping 1/3qt every 1000. Buyer BEWARE! read more