Very friendly and knowledgable, especially with an older car. No nonsense, informed approach.

Bavarian Imports on Howell Mill Road in Atlanta referred me to Karma VW and Audi in Scottdale, located just northeast of Decatur in DeKalb County. Bavarian referred me to Karma for a second opinion after Bavarian recommended a $6,000 engine replacement for my 2001.5 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T with about 303,000 miles. You can read my Yelp review of Bavarian for details on that. My service advisor at Bavarian said my engine had maybe six months before it would brick (die) and that I should consider putting that $6k instead into a new or used car. As the original owner of my car (still original engine too), I didn't want to give up on it just yet. I took my car to Karma, got that second opinion, and Karma saved my car. It's starting and running better than it has in a long time. General manager Jonathan Parker and mechanic Mike truly are VW specialists. Thank you, Jon and Mike! If you have an old VW or Audi and are looking for a good mechanic in the Atlanta area, this shop is worth the drive. It was for me. Karma is the sixth independent VW/Audi specialty garage I've taken my car to since 2009 and about 105,000 miles. Before then, I took my car to VW dealers. Jon has worked at three VW dealers and two independent garages. One thing that makes Karma different from other independent garages I've been to is Jon and Mike like to do things by the book. Other shops were/are OK with shortcuts and workarounds that aren't factory spec, so keep that in mind if you've had work done to your car that isn't to original VW/Audi design settings. I took my car to Karma (and Bavarian) to diagnose my engine occasionally misfiring upon cold starts. Karma's diagnosis was completely different than Bavarian's. Bavarian said old valve guide seals were causing oil to leak into my cylinders. Karma's diagnosis, per my invoice, was: "Found fault codes stored for secondary air injection. Found someone has misrouted vacuum hoses and blocked several off. Ran output test on secondary air pump. Failed. Found kombi valve sticking open, which allows water vapor from exhaust to build in secondary air pump, which has killed it and popped fuse." Yes, I was aware my previous two mechanics/shops had done various work to my secondary air injection system. Lately, I was OK with "deleting" or removing the secondary air injection system because I was told by at least one VW/Audi specialist that the system was for emissions only and that it didn't affect the running of the car. That was true to a certain extent as I drove my car for several years with the P0411 check engine light code for "Secondary Air Injection System Incorrect Flow Detected." What Karma did solved that problem. Mike performed the following, per invoice: wiring repair at ignition coil harness, removed bumper and replaced secondary air pump and mounts, replaced kombi valve and cracked 90-degree hose, replaced fuse for secondary air pump in ECM box, properly routed vacuum hoses and replaced all of them, and set readiness code to ensure no other engine performance issues. All of this work, parts and labor, cost about $2,500. Mike found some other stuff wrong with my car, which I authorized he and Jon to fix. Mike replaced: my leaking valve cover gasket and camshaft adjuster seals, faulty blow-off valve, and boost pressure control valve. This other work, parts and labor, cost about $1,000. My total bill was $3,477.94. As Jon put it, "Better than a new car payment." I agree. At the time of my visit, Karma's labor rate was $140 per hour. For comparison, less than two weeks prior when I was at Bavarian, their labor rate was $150 per hour. I have no idea what VW and Audi dealer rates are like these days. The bottom of my invoice says all of Karma's work comes with a 12-month, 12,000-mile warranty, which is the same as any VW dealer. One thing I really liked about my experience with Karma was the after-hours drop-off and pick-up. I was able to drop off and pick up my car when it was convenient for me. I didn't have to take off work or wake up really early or anything like that. I actually never once visited this shop when they were open. All communications I had with Jon were via Yelp messaging (initially, to set up my appointment), email (to get an estimate in writing/PDF), and phone calls. I paid over the phone too. Convenient. I will say, over the phone, Jon talked really fast for me and sometimes, it was hard to hear/understand him, so it was hard for me to process all of the information he was telling me. We think at different speeds and I'm slower. Also, I'm not a VW expert like him. In general, I try to understand all of the issues and work done to my car. Just from our phone conversations, I could tell Jon was very busy taking other calls and seeing other customers come into the shop. I could hear all the activity and he had to ask me to hold several times, which I didn't mind. Based on this experience, I plan to take my Passat to Karma for service for the foreseeable future. read more

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Had a 2009 Audi, by the time I found this place it was already in engine failure for the 3rd time. They did what the could, it was time to be grateful for the memories and let it cross the bridge to "we buy cars"! Please learn from my lesson. If you have an Audi or VW, please tow to this shop before doing anything. I only wish I would have known. RIP cute money drain. read more

Very good experience. I needed some work done on my 2008 Audi. There are very few places that will do maintenance on an Audi that is 10 years or older. I also had a difficult problem in that the convertible top was intermittent. I had the luxury of time and they did find the issue and provided the fix. John was very responsive and provided my updates with the progress and cost of repairs. Excellent customer service. read more

The blind spot monitors for my son's Mk 7.5 GTI weren't working. I made the mistake of taking the car into the dealership and was quoted more than $2500 to install new monitors. So after paying the $200 diagnostic fee, I took the car back. I was able to get an appointment with Karma very quickly and they had my car overnight. After trying to diagnose the problem, they found that a computer had not been updated. They updated everything and saved me more than $2000 in the process. The monitors work great now. The staff was very friendly and communicative, which I appreciated as a first time customer. We'll definitely be back. read more

This is the place to bring your car for service. After experiencing other garages, including the dealer, I was tired of being ripped off. The work here is performed honestly and is high quality. I am sharing this lil gem because these folks deserve all the kudos! For ex: I was out of town recently and took my car into the local dealer for a check engine / temp light on the dashboard. I got an outrageous quote and scare-tactic like warnings to not drive the car at all. I called Karma to share the data and asked if I really should pay the sum / do all the work before returning home. I was given straighforward translation to what the dealer had reported, and was able to make an informed decision. I had limited work done by the dealer for way less than the total quote and drove the car back to atl so that Karma can fix the issue. I was safe and did not have to spend the $9k (!) that the dealer wanted. Karma is good value for your money. It is all in the name. Thank you Karma. read more

Without a doubt, if you own an Audi-- this is the only place that you should go. They are nice and honest mechanics.

If there is one honest mechanic in the city it's the people here at karma!! They were super upfront about costs, talked through multiple options with me, and were just generally very sweet people. Audis and WVs are notoriously pricey to upkeep, and it's not cheap to come here, but you are certainly paying at a good value. Thank you, karma!! read more

Friendly, reliable, professional, cost conscious. Bought a used 2011 Jetta diesel wagon that drives like a dream now thanks to John and Karma! I started taking my 2019 Alltrack there for service as well. It's so comforting to find a reliable, honest automobile mechanic. read more

A great experience! These guys know what they're doing and their prices are very competitive (I got quotes from multiple shops). I'm definitely coming back to this shop. read more

John the owner, upbeat and on top of his business...efficient and reasonable costs and good recommendations for your auto maintenance.

Well worth the drive!! Great service and thorough. My Audi was well taken care of and the price was reasonable too!

When moving to a new city, there are certain services that one has to do extensive research on to find the best of the best. Car service is one of those things and I am so happy to have found Karma! I've been getting my oil changes and routine services with Karma for almost 2 years now and I am a very satisfied customer. I originally found them on Yelp, sent the business a message and received a personable and detailed reply in less than an hour - the customer service at the shop is also top notch! read more

Good shop , good rates Labor as of April 2017 is $110.00 per hour. Fair rates for parts , get the work done fast too. Plus awesome slammed VW bus chilling out in waiting room. read more

Karma VW and Audi - Auto Repair Near Me - Scottdale, Georgia

My car broke down and it needed to be towed to a shop. After a few calls I was referred to Karma so I tried them. They were able to look at my car and give me a quote that day! It was ready in a couple of days and it ended up being 700 LESS than my quote! They were friendly, fast and honest. I will definitely use them again and would recommend them to anyone with a VW or Audi. read more

The owner was a really nice guy but PLEASE don't bring your car here; my dad has worked on my dream car for months and has fixed practically every issue I've had with it since he's worked on cars since he was a kid, but this time he decided to give himself a break and just take it here... he paid about 1200 for them just to mess up his work he'd previously done. They fixed what he'd brung it in for but my engine light came on 3 days after getting my car from here and began making a popping noise that I've never had before. My dad also pointed out that it'd started leaking about a week later. It is very upsetting knowing my dad spent months, thousands fixing my car up and replacing almost every part just for this place to mess it up. My dad has already read the code and fixed the issue but even though there is a 30 day warranty I wouldn't trust this place with my car again... you're better off taking your vehicle to a dealership. read more

Jonathan just gave me great advice on turning my engine on my Audi Q5. I was having a lot of trouble changing injectors and cleaning the ports but he was kind enough to take the time to explain a few things during what was probably a busy day for him. Top guy! read more

I have been to many specialty auto mechanics in my life. I have owned Volvo's for the most part but since purchasing this Jetta I haven't found a shop that feels like home. Today that changed. Not only are they professional with their time during one of the most unprecedented times in our lifetimes, they went they extra mile without batting a eye. They did all the specific work I needed for a margin of the price if you were to go to somewhere like firestone or auto parts. After they did all the necessary work they replaced my running lights and balanced my tires. And this was just because they new it needed to be done. They have earned a customer that will continue to return as long as I own a VW. BTW I only made a yelp account to review this shop. That's how great they are. Please give them your service if you own a Audi or VW!!! read more

I don't know anything about cars. This is something that some repair shops would take advantage of, but not Karma. They provided honest work for a fair price. I went to Audi Atlanta 1.5 years ago for routine maintenance. They told me that my front brake pads were on their last bit of life and I was "days or weeks" away from the warning light coming on. I decided to take my chances and wait. Fast forward to now, and I returned to Audi Atlanta for a routine maintenance where they told me I needed my front and rear brake pads replaced. Not knowing whether I could trust their opinion, I took my car to Karma (which was recommended by my coworker) that same week. They inspected my car, told me I didn't need to replace the rear brakes, and replaced my front brakes for $260 less than what I was quoted at Audi Atlanta. I really appreciate their honest work, quick turnaround time, and reasonable pricing. I'll be bringing my car back to Karma! read more

Every time I've needed to take my Audi in they've been fast, friendly, and reasonably priced!

Had two great experiences when they fixed my Audi and will definitely be using them for all repairs and even oil changes.

Karma VW & Audi was a referral given to me by my go to Bavarian Imports in Atlanta. I am very pleased with the level of customer service and attention to detail Jonathan provided as well as the technicians who worked on my vehicle. Jonathan has great people skills and full transparency on recommended procedures and costs. Moving forward, I will be bringing my vehicle here for regular, required maintenance or anything of the sort. Thank you. read more

It took a bit to get to my car because they are so busy. My VW seemed to be burning oil more than normal and was expecting bad news and a hefty estimate. They told me there was no evidence of a problem and only charged me 48.00 for the diagnostic. I was very relieved read more

I had a mishap with my car, a friend recommended Karma. I had my car towed there on a Friday evening, they are closed on the weekend. Monday mid-morning they called with the diagnosis and an estimate. The car was complete and ready for pickup the same day. They work quickly to get you back on the road. They are reasonably priced. Super friendly and professional. I will be using them from now on. I highly recommend giving them a call for any issues or maintenance needs. read more

I can't express how completely over the moon I am about the service at Karma! At a dealership, I was told that I needed a new transmission and new clutch at a cost of $4,200. I had my car towed from the west perimeter to Karma and got better customer service and a willingness to explore the problem. 4 days later, I have my car with a new clutch, smooth ride and WAAAYYYYY less of a bill. (Think less than 1/3 of the dealer quote even if I include the separate towing cost) I LOVE Karma VW!!! read more

My usual shop asked why I ever bought my 2008 VW EOS and said they couldn't fix the problem. I went to John at Karma - he diagnosed and fixed the problem for under $500. These guys know VWs. I hate to share this info with the Yelp universe because I like holding this shop as my own little secret. But just think of the good Karma I might earn as a result. :) read more

Honeymoon's over. Because we had such a great first experience here, we went back to Karma VW for some brake work, which was quoted really really high. So we asked questions, which I think is OK when you're going to shell out a lot of money. But the mechanic got a little attitude. So then we took the car elsewhere for a second quote. Came back way lower. Hundreds of dollars lower. Called Karma. More attitude. Say no more, Karma. We get the point. Bye bye. read more

If you're like me, you bought a VW and then realized how crazy expensive they are to repair. Karma VW is no bargain, but if you have one of these stupid cars I swear you cannot put a price on having an honest mechanic who actually knows how to fix it. Well obviously they do put a price on it - and that price is lower than a VW dealer. It's kind of a haul for me, but totally worth it. They're super close to MARTA, so you can drop off the car and hop on a train. Just one warning, this place is first come first serve and they are ALWAYS swamped. Do not just drive out to Decatur and assume they'll look at your car. Call ahead and plan to get there really early if you want same-day service. read more

"I'm afraid you've failed," says the emissions guy. This is what started my search for a cheap, good and honest mechanic. The place I found on Yelp doesn't work on VWs, but they did recommend Karma VW to me. The place is pretty small, and the people are friendly. They charge $80 an hour, and appear to be pretty honest about the actual amount of time they spend working on your car, i.e. they don't round up to the nearest hour. They fixed all the things wrong with my car's emissions in one afternoon, and didn't find a whole bunch of other things "wrong" with my car. I did learn one thing, though, do NOT put green antifreeze in a VW!! read more

I never write reviews specially for car repair shops. I have a 2004 VW Beetle and started having problems with my back lights and the check engine light went on. I was really worried since it was the first bad thing that happened since I had the car. I started browsing online on my Iphone on the different places I could go not being the dealership. I seriously thought on the turn out of taking my car some place in Decatur that said they "know" the VW and Audis. I was not convinced at all in the beginning since it seemed a little repair shop that had only a few people working in. And adding to that I needed to do emissions test and of course it wouldn't pass since the computer might be sending wrong errors. The first time I went in I explained what my problems were and right away and they fixed in that moment my tail lights since they were my main issue. I paid around 70 dls for that but was quite impressed how fast they did it. That maybe was a little expensive. I assumed they didn't have a lot of cars in line. I had tried fixing my lights everywhere and no one knew how to do it. So as a first impression I was happy with someone that knew what the issue was and how to repair it. Seriously 3 different places and no one knew how change and check my back bulbs. From Pep Boys, Midtown Tire and another one I can't remember. That same day I got a quote mentioning what the problem of the check engine light was. It was a big thing since it was the Thermostat, Water Temperature Sensor, restarting of the computer and the hand work for that. I don't remember their names but they explained me what the issue was and I understood right away. I felt nothing tricky or hidden in their words, pretty straight forward. The quote was expensive. I still thought if it was accurate. I don't like paying for car repairs at all. I consulted with a bunch of friends about it and they said that the quote might be very accurate. One of my friend's parent is a mechanic and he said: -Dude, those things are expensive since they're all connected to the computer, probably they need to restart the whole system.- He had a little computer with him that you connect to the car and throws out codes you can google later. Yep, it was the same thing. At least same vocabulary. So I went back a week later, that day being today. I got there as soon as 10:00 am and saw the same 3 people. I told them if they could get my car in and they said yes but you will have to leave it here and pick it up by the end of the day. I thought they could do it right away as the lights thing but never mentioned it. I said to them a friend of mine was picking me up so I would wait until someone could pick me up. By the way the MARTA station is right there. I forgot about that. I sat there for 45 minutes or a little more waiting for my friend to pick me up. I saw my car going back and forth thinking they were checking what the work would be. To my surprise they tell me in that moment. Mauricio you are lucky today! Your car is already fixed we could do it since we had all the parts in that moment. I couldn't believe it! I was surprised and even joked a little about it. For real? I said. Wow! They told me: You are ready to go! You can go now and do your emissions test right away since you are an April guy. So, I am not sure what happened or if they do this to everyone but seriously they took no time with me in fixing my stuff. I can almost guarantee they know what they do and they will do good work to your car. Maybe a little expensive, maybe a little small, but I'm still very impressed. They all seem to be good people. Now I hope all the fixes they did last. I am happy with them as for now. Check around the office and you will see all their Karma stickers and I think there is one that said: You send out good Karma and it will get back to you. read more

I've been here twice. Once for a broken timing belt, which the VW "stealership" wanted to charge me 4-5K to fix it and urged me to upgrade.. yeah right. So after some research, i found Karma VW. They rebuilt my top end of my 1.8T and its been runnin like a champ ever since. I think it ended costing around 2500 after parts and labor. Anna runs the front desk and is very knowledgeable and helpful. Johnathan is the genius VW mechanic, and he definitely knows his stuff, super friendly. He took the time to explain why it happened (didn't change my timing belt... duh) and the damage, and how it could have been worse, etc. They are very fair and highly accurate w/ regard to labor hours estimates and parts. They are always super packed as someone mentioned already, so definitely call ahead to see when they're available. Second time was emissions related. I had the stupid P0411 trouble code (Secondary Air Injection System failure) and turned out to be the smog pump which was expensive, but the dealership would've probably been double. (I won't own a VW in a metro area ever again) Bottom line, this is a tight run shop, very friendly, and VERY good at what they do. They know their stuff. 5 stars. read more

This is NOT the good shop, the REAL shop is called Carma, with a C, it's on 3500 Chamblee Dunwoody Road Atlanta GA 30341 and Alex Chester is the most honest mechanic around. He would certainly never try to be a parasite off of a good shop's reputation like these guys are. Beware, and go to Carma; the actual karma will come to take care of these frauds. read more

DO NOT!!!! I REPEAT!!! DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE HERE!!!!! I went in to get a quote for my insurance and have my engine oil changed out on my Audi TT. I walked in to this shop with a flawless vehicle and after I left all my dash lights started coming on. They tried to tell me I need major work on my transmission but 4 months prior to today I had took my vehicle to get the belt changed at another repair shop and was told that my cars transmission is flawless....I believe they took parts from my car beciase now I'm having random lights come on on the dash board that had never came on before. They tried to tell me it would cost over $3000 to fix my car . I said I'd prefer to park it and drive another one of my vehicles and he had the nerve to suggest I sell it to him!!!! What they don't know is that I am very car savvvy myself and only went to them for insurance estimate purposes. After refusing to get the work done he had the audacity to say I owe him $88 for checking my vehicle. He never once mentioned prior to checking my vehicle that I would owe anything!!!! Most repair shops don't charge quoted when providing an estimate for the insurance company. This is illegal practices!!! One day Karma is going to bite you in the butt if you keep taking advantage of ppl. THEY ARE CROOKS RUN!! Update!!! I DID NOT Have you look at my transmission you took it upon yourself to do so. All I asked for was a top up on my transmission fluid or a transmission fluid change. Come to find out I own a vehicle that does not require transmission fluid changes and the issue I was having with my vehicle was that the ignition coils needed changing! You are crooks! read more

I've found my new go-to place for my Audi. It's always scary going to a new little shop but reviews on Google and Yelp were stellar and they were right. Great service, personable and up front about costs and timing. read more

I have mixed feelings about Karma. I went here for a few issues with no problem. Last summer I had a problem with some noise that my car was making and my car was driving like crap...a few days and $1400 later..still driving like crap. When I took the car back they looked at it and had to remove the valve cover. Diagnosed the REAL problem which was going to be $1900. A couple of days after I got the car back, the oil light was coming on. I topped it off. Every few days the oil kept needing to be replaced. I finally took it to the dealership and the valve cover is broken. read more

Its' s so hard to find a shop that you can trust. I usually do my own work so I'm hard pressed to find a shop that is reliable and that I feel comfortable going to. I have found it, finally! Karma is freakin' amazing! I did quite a bit of research of the local shops in my area and found several with great reviews, Karma was one of those so I figured I would give them a shot. I feel I chose right, the first time! It's usually a good sign when you arrive at a shop and they have a wide variety of VAG vehicles outside...well, Karma did and that means they love VAG's (VW's, AUDI's). I called in and they new exactly my issue, based upon my description of the noise and my own diagnosis. I had a bearing going out on the idler pulley so it needed to be replaced before it blew-out completely. I was at 94K miles already do decided to go ahead and do the timing belt. I ordered my parts directly from another provider (like I usually do) and then called them and set everything up. I brought my car in late one afternoon and had my car back in less than 24 hours...yeah, that's a good turnaround time! The price was fair based upon my research on the forums, so I feel like I got a great deal. The owner took care of me when I came in to pick it up and was extremely friendly and easy going. I felt very comfortable here. I'm familiar with my car and it's upkeep and know some lingo so I felt like I could chat with him about VAG's and that he understood. I would say that someone who does NOT know a lot about cars would feel the same comfort that I did. This is a great shop with honest owners and employees. They will be my only shop for any future repairs! read more

Jason is a very honest, and conscious man. The labor fee is not cheap (I think it's currently $100/hour or so), but they do impeccable work. read more

Karma VW provided great service at a great price. My 2006 VW Jetta had just 80,000 miles on it, so it was time for a timing belt change and the general 80,000 mile service. I e-mailed Karma and they provided me with a quota ASAP. When I took my car in for an expected 2-day service job, they said it might take one day longer than expected due to another, high-priority job that had come in. However, I got a call the next day saying they had finished with everything in just one day. When I picked up my car, there were no surprises. The amount charged was the amount quoted and they didn't try to sell me on anything else other than reminding me about the next oil change. I will be taking my VW back to Karma and my wife's VW as well once the warranty expires. The people at Karma are friendly, honest, and do good work. I can't recommend them enough. read more

great hipster dudes who know VWs. they use oe/oem parts, are thorough, and honest. what else could you ask for!? read more

I went in to have my A/C checked on my Audi because it wasn't blowing air into the car. It was the end of the day when I got there. Jonathan said they wouldn't get to it that day because they were swamped but if I came back the next morning, he could take a look and see what the problem was. I went back first thing and they checked it. He ordered the part. It got there by lunchtime that day. He called and I went back. It was fixed before 4pm and it works! The price was fair, the service was excellent and I'm glad that I stopped by. Back up and running in no time! I will use them again. read more