I brought my vehicle to the shop to have the check engine light checked and it was in working condition when I brought it in. Within 48 hours, the technician had given me two completely different diagnosis. First diagnosis involved minor issues and it should be ready to be picked up soon. Within 48 hours, all the sudden the engine needs to be replaced. So, what went wrong within 48 hours? When I was trying to drive it out of the parking lot, it wouldn't go pass 40km and the engine sounded rough. Not only did they didn't address my concerns, but they returned it in worse conditions. On top of that, they blamed me for bringing it in, in that condition to begin with. All I have to say is, this location is doing shady business and is very money driven. Very poor customer service and it's not one of their top priorities at all! Not to mention, they were not concerned whether the vehicle was safe to be driven home and was being very dismissive. What they did felt criminal and unethical. Overall, nothing was fixed and I was slapped a bill on top. read more

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More info about Downtown Volkswagen

591 Central Ave
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5R5
Canada
Directions
(807) 344-9700
Call Now
Visit Website
https://www.downtownvw.com/en/

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Does Downtown Volkswagen have free WiFi?

Yes, Downtown Volkswagen has free WiFi.

From the Business

Specialties

Downtown Volkswagen is a family run business and was established in 1997. We are very proud to sponsor and support many local community events and causes which include sporting events, team sponsorships, golf, curling, breast cancer, Save a Heart Ball, George Jeffery (physical and developmental disabilities in children), Northwestern Ontario Film Festival and numerous charity events throughout the community. Downtown Volkswagen is proud to be your Central Ave Thunder Bay Ontario Volkswagen dealer and is conveniently located in the heart of Thunder Bay. Downtown Volkswagen specializes in new, used/pre-owned Volkswagens for sale, lease, finance or trade. Downtown Volkswagen's friendly and knowledgeable staff is here to assist in helping you have all the information and expertise solutions available to give our VW guests the best customer service experience possible. Contact Downtown Volkswagen for our Special Cash Discounts and Financing Offers.

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Superior Hyundai

(2 reviews)

When it comes to buying a new car, I will not even consider another place. These guys have earned…read moremy loyalty. Particularly the work of Ryan and Jay. When a member of my family experienced health issues, these guys did what they could to help out. I am a customer for life.

Was a long time customer for many many years. After our last…read morecar and it being such a lemon they started to treat us poorly both the service and finance dept. They also like to pick and choose whats covered under 'freedom maintenance' being told a cabin filter was not covered spite the pamphlet saying 'all filters etc '. The salesmen are nice, but one hire up berated me in front of customers because I asked if it was ok if we were a few days late with the payment. Few other unkind things were said bye another higher up assuming we still owed from the previous car when we got the lemon, when in fact the previous was paid off early when we tried to get into a reliable vehicle at our expense. A also relative went to buy a car with cash a second hand '13 Santa fe. They would not drop the price 500$ for a scratch and lost the sale. Some line about them still having to fix it etc. Lost our business for life and any other sales references.

Select iCar

(2 reviews)

BUYER BEWARE!! DO NOT BUY A CAR FROM ICAR THUNDERBAY!!!!…read moreThis summer I purchased a 2019 Elantra with 40 000 kms on it from ICAR. The car appeared to be in good condition and with low milage. When I brought my car to the carwash however, I barely started to spray the hood and a bunch of paint just wiped off my car. I contacted the sales rep that sold me the car and he said that it was my fault for bringing the car to the car wash. I then went to an auto repair shop and they confirmed that there was definitely something wrong with the paint and that bringing it to the car wash should not have taken off the paint as described. I then emailed the sales rep that sold me the car. He again told me it was my fault for washing my car at the carwash, even though I barely sprayed it, but said that if I got a second quote to fix the paint, they would see what they could do to help me get it fixed. He also claimed that they care about my experience with them and want to help me fix this issue ( LMDAO) . I then sought out a second opinion and quote at a different auto repair shop. I was told by the second car repair shop that not only was it not my fault that the paint came off, and that unless I was holding the pressure washer directly against the paint ( which obviously I did not do), then there was no reason for the paint to come off and clearly there was a defect in the paint. Every single car owner brings their car to the carwash and the paint doesn't come off like that. This car repair expert told me to just keep contacting the people who sold me the car, because it clearly was a defect with the paint. I have since sent in this quote to icar and they have decided to just ignore my emails and refuse to acknowledge this issue further. My partner has been looking to buy his own vehicle and was interested in a car at icar but has since changed his mind, seeing how they have been treating me. Again, do not buy a car from ICAR THUNDERBAY, I regret trusting them, now I am going to be out an additional 1500$ to repair the paint, when I am already overpaying for the car I got. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T FALL FOR IT THEY WILL NOT ASSIST YOU IF YOU FIND SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR YOU BUY FROM THEM

I bought a car from this place 5 years ago under new managment the purchace was great from start to…read morefinish.

True Value Auto Sales

(2 reviews)

stay away, salesman Jon Niskanen has a bad attitude and treats customers like they are poor. place…read moreis shadey. shop elsewhere, vehicles there are just auctioned junk from other dealers that couldnt sell them.

Steve eaton is the best, I have 4-5 different cars bought for friends & family. All are happy with…read morepurchase. Buying 1 for myself as well. Keep up the good work guys.

Lakehead Motors

(8 reviews)

absolutely terrible service department!!! do not go here if you can help! I bought elsewhere and…read moreeven getting warranty work here or recall work here has been nothing but a headache.....

I never write reviews. Lakehead motors definitely deserves one. This is the worst dealership you…read morecould ever imagine to deal with. Purchasing, trading in, new or used, service... especially service, is a complete embarrassment. They do not give a damn about you or your vehicle. They try their hardest to get out of doing any warranty work. They are ignorant and rude. Any issue that isn't completely obvious on the first attempt, they will not fix or give a damn unless you get angry with them. Dealerships are never a fun place but this is the absolute scumbags of them all. I Drove 18 hours 1 way to purchase a vehicle and drive it all the way home so I wouldnt deal with these scumbags. They did a credit check when I told them not to because I was not sure I wanted the vehicle. Luckily I get alerts from my credit bureau and when I called them out on it they did absolutely nothing. Do not trust these scumbags. I had warranty on air suspension from when I was in Alberta. I fought and fought but they refused. I had to call FCA Canada and complain to them. Finally I was able to get warranty. I hate this dealership with every ounce of hate. I could go on and on and on with incidents but you get the point.

Wayne Toyota

(1 review)

Snakes & incompetent mechanics. Service department has…read moremessed up in the past, but this last time may have done major damage to my engine. Avoid this place at all costs.

From the owner: Wayne Toyota is committed to ensuring the long term satisfaction of each and every customer by…read moresurpassing individual expectations through our top quality products and service.

Grand Marais Motors

(2 reviews)

These guys helped me out with a relatively minor (but necessary) repair, on short notice, with…read morecheerful handling, at a very reasonable price. THANK YOU.

I visit Grand Marais every July, and every July something minor needs checking on my little Jeep…read more As one of the "little old lady" brigade it's wonderful to find a place that has such helpful and trustworthy people. They always explain things, do the repairs or fix what needs fixing, cheerfully. They don't over charge. I trust them completely, and that means a LOT.

Downtown Volkswagen - car_dealers - Updated September 2026

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Select iCar

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BUYER BEWARE!! DO NOT BUY A CAR FROM ICAR THUNDERBAY!!!!…read moreThis summer I purchased a 2019 Elantra with 40 000 kms on it from ICAR. The car appeared to be in good condition and with low milage. When I brought my car to the carwash however, I barely started to spray the hood and a bunch of paint just wiped off my car. I contacted the sales rep that sold me the car and he said that it was my fault for bringing the car to the car wash. I then went to an auto repair shop and they confirmed that there was definitely something wrong with the paint and that bringing it to the car wash should not have taken off the paint as described. I then emailed the sales rep that sold me the car. He again told me it was my fault for washing my car at the carwash, even though I barely sprayed it, but said that if I got a second quote to fix the paint, they would see what they could do to help me get it fixed. He also claimed that they care about my experience with them and want to help me fix this issue ( LMDAO) . I then sought out a second opinion and quote at a different auto repair shop. I was told by the second car repair shop that not only was it not my fault that the paint came off, and that unless I was holding the pressure washer directly against the paint ( which obviously I did not do), then there was no reason for the paint to come off and clearly there was a defect in the paint. Every single car owner brings their car to the carwash and the paint doesn't come off like that. This car repair expert told me to just keep contacting the people who sold me the car, because it clearly was a defect with the paint. I have since sent in this quote to icar and they have decided to just ignore my emails and refuse to acknowledge this issue further. My partner has been looking to buy his own vehicle and was interested in a car at icar but has since changed his mind, seeing how they have been treating me. Again, do not buy a car from ICAR THUNDERBAY, I regret trusting them, now I am going to be out an additional 1500$ to repair the paint, when I am already overpaying for the car I got. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T FALL FOR IT THEY WILL NOT ASSIST YOU IF YOU FIND SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR YOU BUY FROM THEM

I bought a car from this place 5 years ago under new managment the purchace was great from start to…read morefinish.

Sheparski's Auto Body

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(3 reviews)

Just wanted to give credit when is credit is due. Dropped my…read morecar off for a repair, and it was completed perfectly. Chris was amazing and gave me a great deal. Highly recommend this place.

I've been to more than a few garages in town. Being a woman, it's difficult to get an honest…read moreprice. Men in this field have a tendency to take financial advantage of women in mechanical need, assuming they don't know any different. Not only is Sheparski one of those rare honest-price workers, he's a miracle worker! I can't believe how great and fast his work was! So happy with this shop. Will definitely be going here, from now on! :)

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