Dishonest ..took my car there for a tune up ..got told I also needed to spend another $4k on new breaks .. when I dropped it off it had working breaks ..when I picked it up they were non existent.. had it towed to another shop .who told me half the stuff I was told was needed wasn't. It ended up costing me $800 at another shop . Very disappointing as I've been a customer for years. Will not go back . They actually have a lot of negative reviews over many sites saying the same thing ..over charging for work that's not needed . And on top of thay my car it's running worse than before after spending $1k on a tune up up ..but it's refuse to take it back there out of principle. I'll try the other vw shop in Berkeley . read more

VW BUS LAB They specialize in all this VW BUSES! Great service cool people And come check it out ! read more

My wife and I left the Seattle area in our 1990 Westy and drove to LA to visit our daughter and granddaughter over the Labor Day weekend. All went well til halfway back we started losing oil on the freeway near Redwood City, CA and were towed to Buslab in Berkeley at the recommendation of our home base shop "Small Car Performance" in Tacoma, WA. We are completely happy with the service and the quality of work at Buslab. Marco the owner and Brett were fantastic to work with. They had us back on the road in no time and at a fair price. I highly recommend Buslab for their expertise and great service!!! read more

The Buslab - My unexpected trip to Buslab - Auto Repair Near Me - Berkeley, California

These guys are awesome. Super friendly and welcoming, gives you tips and tricks even when you're just buying parts! One of the things I look for in a shop is a sense of welcoming and these guys make you feel at home! Had all the parts I needed last minute to make my camp trip! read more

willing to work with customer waiting for appt: will advise if have avilable appt. because i need my car thanks for working with dusty. 10 stars read more

I attended Synchro Fest 2024 which was sponsored by Buslab and as things go my Vanagon developed a problem in the front end. I got to their location on Adeline St in Berkeley the following Monday. They were able to get me in, diagnose the problem and get me on my way. Their expertise in VW Vanagons and any VW Bus allows me to wholeheartedly recommend them for service and parts of your VW! Marco and his crew are Great! Thanks, G. read more

I have had an excellent experience with the Buslab owner and crew. Honest team that doesn't run up costs, or throw parts at problems, or upsell you on other issues. They trouble shoot the problem, explain their thoughts, and stand behind it. This integrity is very hard to find into today's car repair industry. They specialize in mainly vanagons and VW buses, but they know their aircooled bugs. They were nice enough to fit me in with my 1970 beetle and get me back on the road. read more

I was originally stoked to bring my vanagon here. I called within 30mins after leaving to discuss a new symptom the brakes were making (the exact thing they replaced/worked on). The service manager became defensive & said they are "doing the best they can with after market parts". He also said they had been having this problem recently with other customers brakes, but never mentioned anything to me at the time of pick up. He offered to remedy the issue by having me come back to the shop to drop the car off again. While also letting me know "you will be the last person we do this for". Kind of wild having that conversation after shelling out over $900.00 the very same day. Other things I could mention that made the whole interaction lame and uncomfortable but I've already said enough.. Good luck read more

You could say I got taken to the cleaners. My "right" front rotor broke. The owner was sure the spindle was damaged, before he looked at it. The business end guy quoted me $617 to fix it. Turns out that spindle was okay, which they discovered as I stood there for them to show me. I asked if it would now be cheaper and they said the final price would reflect the difference. The business end guy then insisted I go across the street for a coffee while they did the work. I came back to find that they had disassembled the "left" front wheel assembly and found that spindle was damaged. Why did they do that? I had no problem there. Yes, he showed me the damage on the spindle - but was that my spindle? I felt like I was in one of those shell games. Do I want him to replace it? "It's not safe!" What am I supposed to say to that? I'm sure you could go through that relic and find 10 things that could break at any moment - but did I ask you to? I just wanted to get home from a breakdown in Yosemite. And they knew that. Yet, he was making work for himself, racking up the bill. So I say yes and he says, "Good, but now the price has doubled." I arrived with my car on the tow truck a little after 4pm, watched the tow truck guy unload and thanked him, saw the quote at 4:16pm, and paid the bill at 5:37pm. Labor was $524.70, total $1299.36. In hindsight, I needed a new rotor and wheel bearings on the broken side, and a new set of brake pads to go with the new rotor. The rest was not necessary. I recommend mining the one star reviews for other shops in the area that work on buses. read more

Bad experience. Brought my 76 westie in for several engine repairs. After waiting a week to take it in, it sat there for another 2 weeks waiting in the cue. They fixed the engine issues OK, at a premium price. As with many old buses, the shifting was sloppy and I asked them to have aq look. They charged me to supposedly replace a bushing, now it's much worse. Can't even get into second gear. I won't bother with the hassle of taking it back to them. I've heard simiar stories from other VW bus owners. Good thing for these guys they're the only game in town for old VWs. Otherwise they'd be outta business. Wish there was somewhere closer in the bay area. read more

I've used the Buslab for years to keep my 87 Vanagon, Greta I'm n the road. Recently, my original starter failed, and it had it towed to their facility. They diagnosed the problem quickly, gave me the option for a rebuilt, or new starter, and was on my way. I got a call the next morning, and it was fixed. I'm very happy with their service, and they are very friendly! Thank you for keeping Greta on the road! read more

Edit: after this review, they called me and fired me as a customer. They could have taken the opportunity to try to fix the situation, but instead they took revenge. Very telling. Original: I'm very torn about this place. It seems like when the customer service people want to/have to talk to you, they're friendly, but it's otherwise a crapshoot with how they will regard you. I had the audacity to call for an update after three days without one, and the person I spoke to was quite short and sounded annoyed with me. How dare I bother them! I also picked up my van the other day, and the final bill was almost $400 more than they quoted. I called and left a message to ask why, but no one called me back. Given my experience, I'm thinking I shouldn't expect a call. Their expertise and convenience are a huge draw, but I think I'm going to try a different shop next time; y know, someone who is thankful for my $5k in business. read more

Wow. Pretty stunned at their rude customer service. I have a Aerostar with a pop-top. A bracket piece on the pop-top snapped, and I just needed the piece replaced. The company who made the conversion suggested taking it to BusVan since it would be an easy repair to just swap out the part (that I already prepurchased.) Anyway, I called to see if they could help replace the part and was told no way, and then he said (and I quote) "If we let one Ford Van in here, we'll have to let them all in." Charming. read more

dishonest and dangerous big warning do not take your vw bus here. i have read reviews . The ones with only 1 star i agree and can not even bring myself to recount what they did to me , my vw bus and how they treated me and how expensive rude dishonest and incompetent they really are . There only response to complaints is to fire you as a customer ! to pay to be treated in such a rude and dangerous manner . these guys deserve to be sued heavily read more

Excellent customer service and parts availability. These guys are awesome and they ship parts out the same day!

My bus underwent a professional inspection, costing several hundred dollars, noting that there was an oil leak. I took the bus to bus lab to have them check out the leak, and provide a quote. I was not able to pick up my car in person, so I called them the next day to follow up on the issue and pay for any repairs. The service person would not discuss anything about the issue with me until I paid a $300 inspection fee? Excuise me, but no one told me I was paying for an "inspection fee"? I did not appreciate being strong-armed into a $300 hussle to simply get a quote for business I was going to send there way. Dude was extremely rude, informing me that we previously discussed this (We absolutely did not discuss "inspection" nor $300). Regardless, I pay the fee. You win, just tell me what is wrong with my bus. He asks me, you seem upset about this. Yes, I'm upset, but paid your fee and just want a freaking quote of repairs. He starts to rant and yell and tells me that they would have been able to apply that to the work (great, thats all you had to say), but before he can calm down he told me to "F*#K OFF" (direct quote) and hung up on me. I have had VW busses for 15 years. I've been here only a few times over the years and never had a good experience. No wonder real bus people who are in the know would never take there bus here. Rude, shady, petty. read more

I brought my '89 Synchro in for a Subaru conversion, and it's been a long, strange, three-year+ trip to achieve a state of reliability (I hope!). Marco and his crew are good folks trying to do right - 200+ conversions to their credit - but their heavy work load and my not being local created challenges. There was a dismal lack of communication throughout the process, and I'm not needy. Updates and call returns were negligible, and eMail wasn't an option. I spent a ton of money there and my power windows still don't work ('fixed' 3x, no response), the oxygen sensor light remains dim, and she runs hot. read more

I have a rare '71 Bay Window crew cab that was used by a VW dealer for chasing parts and customer transport which meant it had many hard driving hands on the steering wheel. The parts person at Buslab, understood the problem (excessive hammering on the steering wheel) and sent me the right parts to fix my problem. Now the wheel feels like new. 5 stars. read more

One of those times when I wish it was possible to give zero stars to a business. It is almost unfair to call this place a business. I've bought goo balls in concert parking lots from more professional places than this. After a couple initial conversations with this place we left our bus there to get started on some interior work. Called them three times before I could even get to someone to talk about a quote. He said he would get back to me. Two weeks later and three more calls and we still haven't heard one thing from them. I didn't even mind that in our initial conversations they were quoting very high prices. Just respond to your customers! Beware of the Bus Lab! read more

So Yelp just removed my previous review. Guess folks didn't like it. So they had our van for forever and a day. Never called to give progress reports - we'd have to call them and say "hey, you said Tuesday and we never heard from you and it's Wednesday late morning. oh, it's now pick-up on Thursday?" We asked for a full soup-to-nuts inspection, they never caledl us to discuss said inspection and then forget to replace the water tank pump, after we finally call them and ask to really make sure the camping equipment works? THEN not have checked the water tank before they called you to come pick up and have you wait around while they repair it? no thanks, peeps. Looking for a place to take your Westfalia or Vanagon? Not here. Go to Karmakanix. They'll provide follow up, write down what you want looked at, provide a written estimate that includes estimated time to fix and triage that list with you if time or money is a concern and make sure that the work is actually finished before you show up to pick up your vehicle. read more

after my Vanagon failed smog check 4 times, the Buslab got me in the same day and fixed the problem. passed inspection and its all history now. They also diagnosed and fixed a problem with my coolant system I've had for over a year. Great attitude from everybody I dealt with. This place is a great asset to Vanagon owners and Berkeley in general. read more

Marine Layer Bus. '69 restore, repair. Specialists on it! read more

So I'm driving my 84 Adventurewagen Vanagon around Berkeley doing a million errands getting ready to leave for Burning Man the NEXT DAY and I notice coolant dribbling out of the back of my van onto the bank parking lot FOOKERY!! I call my jack of all trades mechanic in Kensington and he's booked solid that day, but recommends the Buslab. I call and they are of course booked out solid for two weeks, but I explain my situation to the receptionist and she calls back a little while later and says that Marco says he will try and fix it by tomorrow if it is nothing major... Turns out to be a very specific and unique cooling hose that needs to be ordered and waited for for a couple of days, of course I'm trying to get to the Burn and the guys are rad and so they figure out how to MAKE my hose out of a rubber one and a metal tube that they have laying around...and they squeeze me in even though the tow-trucks keep arriving with busted down vans. People never stop flying at these guys from all directions, I would go bat-shit crazy, but they patiently answer my questions and totally help me out and stoke me for a reasonable fee... By the way, there was another guy there from Tennessee who's bus's brakes screwed the pooch that same day, and he was trying to get to the Burn as well...and they stayed overtime that night to get his stuff done...Great guys, great place...and we must love our vanagons because the buslab is busy and those vans are rickety!!! read more

Having the Buslab install a Subaru engine in our 1991 Westy was the right choice. I am an engineer, build custom bicycle frames, and restore vintage airplanes. I have had bugs, busses, vans, and syncro's since 1968. Our original engine was worn out and we needed to figure out whether to rebuild it, install a GoWesty modified engine, or do an engine conversation. I wanted a bit more power to make the trips to the mountains easier. I wanted to increase the dependability of the drivetrain. I wanted to make the vehicle better than new. I wanted the job done right. I chose the Subaru conversion from the Buslab because of the people there. I spent a lot of time on my back looking at Vanagon engine conversions, talking to owners, and engine conversion shops. I visited lots of shops and saw how they solved problems. I liked the Buslab. The shop was crowded, cluttered, and filled with people who knew what they were doing and loved working on these wonderful old VW's. These were people I could trust to do the job correctly. It wasn't cheap. The best never is. The work included the 2.2 Subaru conversation, new transmission with taller 4th gear and a limited slip differential, rebuilt cv joints and several small fixes. I couldn't be happier with the results. The van is so much nicer to drive than before. It is easier to drive and faster up the hills Driving a Westy is always fun. Now it is funner thanks to the guys at the Buslab. Thanks again! read more

Wow. These guys are LEGIT. I am a long time VW enthusiast - having restored many early Type II buses. I recently purchased a vanagon, and brought it to the BusLab for an initial inspection as the new owner. They performed work for me, and provided a thorough review of items that may need to be addressed in the future. No pressure, just straight-up guidance. These guys even fixed a couple cosmetic odds and ends that were small items, but things that just 'bugged them' to see unattended. They have won me over with their honesty, their passion, and just being all around nice guys. I now know that I have a favorite "go-to" shop to keep my vanagon in top running shape. The BusLab rules. (Also walking distance from the Ashby BART station). -Dan B read more

Anyone who has owned a Vanagon for more than a month knows what a god send a good bus mechanic is. The Vanagon was not a reliable vehicle when first released and time hasn't been kind. With 28 feet of coolant hose, a flawed gasket design, strange engine layout and finicky ECM, few auto shops will even agree to work on them. That's your starting point to consider any review of a Vanagon mechanic... Marco and Steve love these vehicles and that is shown in their high-caliber of work and deep knowledge of the vehicles. I've had them do everything from vent window replacement to installing a used jump seat to installing new heads (see gaskets above) and I've never been anything but ecstatic with their work. They aren't cheap, but if you love your Westy, you know there's no other choice. The only knock is that there's often quite a wait to get in and they aren't always able to get your Vanagon out of there as fast as you'd expect. Not that that'll stop me from coming. read more

It's difficult to find a shop that specializes in old VWs, let alone find one that specializes in old VW buses. The Buslab knows it all, and is quite happy to work on my old bus. They have seen everything, so when you mention some weird VW bus quirk, they know just what you're talking about. What's more, they usually have the parts in stock. Believe me, I have tried every shop that has ever been in Berkeley (for over 30 years) and this shop is the best VW repair shop ever. I highly recommend them! read more

I don't understand why I ended up with such poor service, but it was such a phenomenal and continuous set of failures that I'm perplexed as to why everyone else rates them highly. I'm shocked that they managed to charge me hundreds of dollars to put my car in worse shape then it was when I brought it in. I brought in my Ghia because I needed: 1) A new ignition key 2) A new headlight switch 3) For them to tell me why my new generator wasn't fixing my charging problem. They installed the new ignition key, and now my horn isn't working. I'm pretty sure it was working before, though I can admit that I have no way of being sure it was while it was there that it was broken. So we'll let that one go. However, in putting in the new headlight switch, they managed to break the speedometer cable. I mentioned it to them, but they claimed they talked to the mechanic and he knew nothing of it. I decided not to fight it because VW speedo cables aren't super expensive and I can install it myself. Except that after trying to order one I discover that the speedo in my car isn't standard, and I can't find a replacement cable anywhere, so now I have to buy a new speedometer. Furthermore, I noticed that when I turned on the parking lights, the dash lights came on, but when I further turn on the head lights, the dash goes back off. I decided this also wasn't worth a fight with a company that doesn't seem interested in taking much blame, but sadly I later discovered that my taillights are doing the same thing - only coming on with the parking lights, but back off with the headlights. I suppose it's possible that I'm dealing with another connection problem, but my guess is that they screwed up the headlight switch installation. And finally, when I picked up the car, they tried to charge me over $200 to tell me that the car wasn't charging. Right. Just like I had told them when I dropped it off. They want to charge me over $200 to tell me something I told them? And even if I hadn't told them - do they really get to charge over $200 to tell me that my generator light is on? Really? And maybe they even hooked up a voltmeter as I did and discovered that the generator isn't charging. That's $200+? Heck, I should become a VW mechanic, I'll be rich. Never going back to this place. Perhaps they're great if you have a VW bus, but if I were you I wouldn't bring my VW here. read more

I just bought an '89 Vanagon...without driving it...yeah, a bit of a shot in the dark. Did what I could to suss it out then turned it over to the folks at Buslab. They did a ultra thorough inspection of the van, providing me with a list of things that could use fixing. The main bits were the clutch and brakes - they did those for cheaper than anyone else I could find and the fact that they specialize in these large german boxes on wheels provides the assurance that the work has been done right. The people that work there seem pretty right on as well. Happy to give advice to dudes like me who want to try to fix stuff with shoe goo... Buy a van and take it to them! read more

Ahem. They did a fantastic job on my '86 Westie three months ago; diagnostics, mechanical and some small-fry repairs. Plus they helped out over the phone when I had some car trouble away from home. I've been to many different auto mechanics in my 50 years on the planet and rarely do I feel that they are really trustworthy.. These guys are good; they know their way around these cars, they are exceedingly pleasant and cheerful, they work hard and I recommend them to all van/Westie owners. read more

I wanted to share a recent experience because i think it illustrates the difference between a good and an exceptional business. I blew a coolant hose in Emeryville, pulled over, diagnosed the problem, and called the Buslab. It was almost closing time and I needed more Pentosin (nitrate free coolant which can be hard to find). Dan showed up after hours to deliver The Goods. Admittedly, i've been coming for years and it's probably unfair of me to advertise this and raise expectations because they seem to have gotten a lot busier since I started coming here years ago. As far as the 1-star review... I suppose it can happen, and it's unfortunate. However, I would give them another shot. The experience is almost certainly an outlier (as the other reviews would imply). read more

The Buslab replaced my Syncro's Wasserboxer with a 2002 Subaru ej251-3 about 25K miles ago. (The Syncro was registered in Canada, so I could use a 2.5). Well, apart from using a gutless starter and a crappy non-SS exhaust that immediately cracked, all was well with the new engine until last week, when it slipped its timing belt. Upon teardown, we discovered Buslab had not replaced the tensioner or pulleys from the donor heads, and had forgotten to put in a timing belt sheild, which Subaru requires on all manual shift cars. Apparently, since my donor engine was on an automatic, it lacked the shield. Without that $10 shield, and by their reuse of the 2002 high mile belt tensioner and pulleys, the belt finally slipped and I came within a tooth or two of losing the whole engine in a tangle of valves and pistons. Way to go, Buslab. If you still want these guys to do yours, make sure they install a new belt kit with water pump, a diesel starter, and real SS exhaust. Or use an older 2.2 or 2.0 non-interference engine. I wish I could make them pay for this, but of course, it's way past their 12 month warranty. read more

These guys are AMAZINNNNNNNNNNG !!!!! Totally saved my but ,have anything VW you need, and will walk you threw the steps to either do it yourself , or help the person doing it for you. And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg . I really appreciate them and the guy at the desk is so cool, he totally got someone to help me out who didn't bullshit me in the process ..... thanks guys read more

The Buslab - Auto Repair Near Me - Berkeley, California

Firstly, I really hate reviews like the last one that accuse mechanics of BS. There are a lot of dishonest mechanics and the Bus Lab are certainly not them. Vanagons and Vanagon owners live on their own little planet, including me. I also previously had an overheating Vanagon with a GTI engine conversion. It took me with all my know how 6 weeks to figure out. If you have a slight leaking head that doesn't show in the coolant and only after really heavy loads then it will take a while to find, The Bus Lab or anyone else does not have 6 hours to drive around and try an find, and yes they'll charge you for diagnosis, they are a business with bills. Before you write a review of these guys please think that you are driving a 20 year old vehicle, not an exact science. 110K cars with 10 miles on the clock have problems so imagine 20 years. I dealt with Steve and Marco. They were totally straight, realistic and the work was exactly what it should have been. Are they cheap, yes and no. Looking at their work you can almost certainly get someone to do for 30% less. However you pay for their experience and getting it done right. Between my time, stress and not having to keep returning you'll figure they'll be 30% cheaper over time. Steve did not allow me to push them and delivered exactly when he told me it would be delivered. Work exceeded my expectations and was very clean. Only issue I had was a leaking windshield, nothing with the bus lab, 20 year old vehicle and couldn't tell till I drove in torrential rain. Typical Vanagon issue. Great shop, great work and spot on pricing. Thanks guys for the great conversion, working clock (first time in 7 yrs) and especially ending my having to bang the instrument cluster to kep th lights on! read more

These guys take care of business. Both Steve and Marco are straight shooters and will make your Vanagon better. Not too many people understand these van's like they do, because of that they are busy but still get things done in a timely manner. Ask them anything about your van and they can help. read more

These guys are awesome. I just bought a 1991 Westfalia Camper, brought it in for a full inspection to see where it was mechanically. They gave it a once over, and then explained everything in layman's terms to me. They fixed the most important stuff first, and we made plans to fix other items later, as they didn't need fixing quite yet. They did great work, and now my "new" Westy runs like a champ and we are ready to have some adventures in it. Loved the customer support and the quality work they did. read more

Can't say enough about he fellas over at Buslab. I was just passing thru the Bay Area when I was having charging issues. They were able to squeeze me into their busy day, diagnosed the problem and had me out of there for only half an hours labor. Thanks a million guys! read more

Graham, Dan and David in parts helped me out tremendously getting everything I needed together. They also were able to give me some great advice as to what else I should be replacing while I was taking on my project. The prices are quite fair too! Side note: Yelp now has "PokéStop Nearby" as an additional tip. Christ. read more

Wizards! My 1990 Vanagon power windows were haunted by a malevolent unfathomable force. When it was clear that science would not bring the demon under foot, BusLab did not waiver, they faced the challenge with arcane and blasphemous techniques, and subdued the unclean wind demon. They never gave up, did the mystical work for free, and exorcised the mighty Pazuzu! I can still hear the windows quietly chant Pazuzu as they rise to face the wind but now he is completely in my thrall! I am now master of the wind thanks to BusLab! read more

As a broke college grad students the Bus Lab seemed expensive at first; however, the mechanics are so good that they often found the 'real' program and others that were far more detrimental to the longevity of the vehicle. Due to the specialized knowledge, the hour rate for their crew is a steal! They are also tend to be cheaper on part cost too. I highly recommend entrusting your VW children to these responsible babysitters:) GO BUS Lab!!! read more