My Audi Q5 2.0l turbo was burning oil at a rate of 0.25 - 0.50 quarts every 200-300 miles. When I asked why it was doing this, I got the "its nothing to be concerned about." run around. Come to find out too little too late that Audi settled a class action lawsuit for this very issue and a manufacturing issue of piston ring failure. $20,000 for a new engine. Never buying any thing from VW group again! read more

I should have read the yelp reviews before buying a car at Bay City Audi. :( I highly recommend you stay away from Bay City Audi for service and car purchases. They sold me a lemon either intentionally (they knew there were issues and didn't disclose), or unintentionally (their service department is incompetent and didn't perform a basic safety inspection of the vehicle before listing for sale). I flew in from California to buy a used 2017 Audi Q7 from them to tow a trailer from Pennsylvania to Michigan. They sold me a car with numerous issues. When I arrived in Michigan, the car wasn't ready. The tow package didn't include the module to control lights so I couldn't tow. They tried to encourage me to buy the car without the safety features calibrated because they were having issues in their shop. They finally thought outside the box and found someone to calibrate the drive sense safety features/camera. The car was not detailed or washed when I arrived. While test driving I heard some unusual braking noises that I wasn't able to reproduce with the sales rep. The rep said maybe it was due to the car sitting. Turns out this car, which is supposed to have new front brakes actually needs new rotors (and brakes). It make a rotating clicking noise when gently braking. I had the car inspected by a mechanic after purchase. Not only do the front brakes and rotors need to be replaced, but the exhaust is cracked in a visible area where service supposedly replaced some exhaust clamps before the purchase. There is also an issue with the rear trunk lid sensor/lights. At the end of the day, when I fly across the country to buy a car, I expect it to be ready and in good working order. I've bought 8 Audi vehicles over the last 10 years and this the single worst experience in my history with the Audi brand. I don't expect an Audi dealership to sell me a lemon. Nobody has returned my calls or emails regarding these issues. read more

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BEWARE!!NOT A CERTIFIED VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP!!!! I was scammed out of $200 for them to hold my car for 20+ days, not update me on the process and refuse to communicate with me about what was wrong with my car and when I could pick it up! It wasn't until my dad called that they explained everything to him, even though he is not the owner of the car. The disrespect against woman is disgusting and those mechanics should be ashamed. When I did contact a verified dealership they said they couldn't find any service papers from my visit there and that Volkswagen's company policy is that they must enter all information of service into the data bank, they did not, my verified dealership said they will be looking into this matter and will be able to fix my car in a few days! This dealership also told me the part they needed to order was going to be $500 and 8+ months to get, the REAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP said my part was under warranty and they were surprised this wack place didn't even mention this! I am so baffled and feel truly disgusted by this dealership, shame on you for false advertising, false knowledge of Volkswagen and calling yourselves a "dealership", GO TO A LEGIT DEALERSHIP AND SAVE YOURSELF MONEY read more

EDIT: Thelen Auto Group publicly commented on my facebook post asking for proof of my broken parts and asked for them to be brought to their designated location. I did so three weeks ago and haven't been contacted since. Very poor business conduct. Recently purchased a used 2012 Buick Verano from The Thelen Auto Group, paid $6,900 cash for the vehicle. Two months off the lot I am now sinking over $1,000 into my car for a timing chain issue. When I had called the manager of the store that I purchased my car from to express this he stated and I quote "This is like purchasing a vehicle off of the side of the road you never know what you will get." So for any of you out there like me a 23-year-old making their first car purchase, know that this dealership does not hold themselves to a higher standard than that of a Joe-Shmo on the side of the road. Very untrustworthy company. read more

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Do not go to this dealership, especially if you're a woman. During the pandemic she left her car there for 6 days only to be told that they couldn't find the problem with it. I looked at the repair order and there is nothing shown that they actually diagnosed anything with the problem. They said it was parasitic draw but it only states that there is a maximum of 12 milliamps when everything below 20 to 25 is completely normal. so they kept her car for a week, didn't fix it and then tried to baffle her because she doesn't know enough about cars. I would never take my car to a dealership that doesn't stand behind their work is dishonest and doesn't know what they're doing read more

Thelen Volkswagen Audi Mazda - Car Dealers Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

my wife and I purchased a mazda 3 carbon edition from Angelo Santoyo at thelen. it was a great experience they treated very well, I whould buy another car from them, also like to thank tom thelen too. read more

They broke my son's parking break, lost a part for it, said it was going to break anyway, and refused to fix it without charging him. Then they reconsidered and offered him a 10% to 15% discount to fix it. Are you kidding me?!?! read more

Tl;dr - Their detailer ruins all of their used car's paint, even if they're virtually brand-new. Emailed the GM to give feedback and was immediately blown off. Sales people were initially great, aftercare was non-existant. First of all, Justin was one of the best salespeople I've ever worked with - from both a customer and sales perspective. He struck the perfect combination of listening and leading the interaction to make my wife and I feel comfortable yet more confident in our decision. I was equally impressed at the lengths he and Josh were willing to go to to close the deal, given that we had intentionally not brought our title for trade-in, had no intention of buying, and hadn't even yet applied for a loan. I have serious respect for his ability to close a sale. During the interaction while negotiating the value of our trade in, Justin made mention of, what sounded to me like, a third party whom they use for detailing or "restoring" used cars prior to putting them on the lot. Whoever this person or group is, they need to stop giving them their business. The cars they sell would be worth more if the "detailer" had never touched them. I spend a decent amount of my free time detailing cars, and know enough to tell you that the techniques they are using are incredibly lazy and, in cases such as with our car, can cause severe damage to the car's paint. The damage to our car's paint was likely caused by someone using an incredibly aggressive wool pad on a rotary buffer, which was in no way necessary. These are usually reserved for use in body shops to remove wetsanding marks in between multiple coats of new paint. I was able - after about 9 hours of work - to remove the holograms caused by their "detailer," but there is no way to rebuild the significant amount of clear coat they unnecessarily removed. This was also evident on ALL the other used cars I glanced at on their lot - a 2014 Audi S5, two 2013 Mazda3 sedans, a 2013 Camaro. All cars that, like ours, were probably in fairly clean condition before being "restored" and made much worse. After finishing fixing the mess they had created, I emailed the GM, CC'ing the salesman and sales manager that had assisted us, trying to let them know that they should find someone else to do their detailing work for them and showing them pictures of the damaged paint. I wasn't asking for compensation and wasn't angry. The response I got was "Thank you for your business and feedback Zack." I used URL shorteners for the links I sent to the pictures so that I could track whether they were clicked through or not, and only one of them was clicked once between the three people who received the email. I would not recommend shopping here unless you want to buy a car that's paint will fail years before it should. read more

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In the spring of 2004 I traded my Subaru for a VW convertible. The salesman (don't recall his name but he used to make or sell jewelry, something like that) accompanied me on a test drive. I should have known this car would end up being a disaster when the salesman couldn't figure how to roll the top down. In fact, he attempted to open the top by physically applying pressure to the canvas. Luckily for him and unluckily for me, he didn't rip it. Otherwise, I've been stuck with an inferior vehicle that has been in and out of the shop way too many times to count. Do you realize how much it costs to fix a problem, even relatively minor, on a VW? You can inherit these types of problems with a real luxury German vehicle, not one manufactured south of the border. Come to find out seven years later that my car has structural damage which was not disclosed by the salesperson or by Thelen. Additionally, they didn't give me jack shit for the trade. I should have walked but I was seduced into buying a convertible because of the breathtaking spring weather. Hopefully I will be able to unload the piece of shit to some sucker who is also enjoying beautiful weather, structural damage be damned. And once again, car salesmen everywhere continue to get a bad rep because of dishonest dealerships. read more

We recently moved to the area and wanted to trade in our expensive car for a new Subaru. The salesman was dopey, and the used car manager kept us sitting around for an hour (as they are trained to do, sadly), until he finally gave us a low-ball offer. We walked out and the manager literally chased us into the parking lot yelling at us. Sad, I really wanted to buy a car from them. read more

Scheduled my Jetta for 8am repairs, I took my car the night before and put keys in their Dropbox as agreed. Next day I called at 3:30pm to pick my car up and was told they did not have my keys!!!! They also said they didn't know where my car was?!?!?!?! I was placed on hold for 5 minutes and told me they found my keys and would start the repairs! I was told the repairs would be done by 3:30 the day before. When I arrived at Thelen's I asked to speak Shannon the service manager, who basically stated it was my fault my keys were lost since they must of fell and inadvertently kicked under desk. She didn't have a good answer why no one called to ask why I hadn't shown for the appointment, or why my car was parked in their lot outside of the repair garage. The completion of the expensive glow plugs turned out not to be the fix for the check engine light that was on as they described, and was told further repairs would be needed in excess of $5000 to make it go off. It felt like a giant FU Every visit here is an experience in stupid screw ups, lost cars and mistaken repairs. read more

This is the fourth car I have purchased form Thelen over 15 year's time, and there is a reason I keep going back. The sales people are friendly and knowledgeable, and the deals are fair. For any of the other buyers who gave them only one star, their experience would have been improved by doing just a little research online. Carfax reports are easy to get, and deals can be found by just doing a simple online search. I was allowed to take the car I was looking at on an extended test drive, take it to my mechanic, crawl all around it - before I was even certain I wanted to buy a new used car.. Rob Curran, my exemplary sales person, even asked me the best question I was ever asked when looking at used cars. "What DON"T you like about it? If we can figure that out, I can find a vehicle that will fit your needs better" Wow - what a great approach! I really felt like I was getting the personal treatment, and wasn't just a wallet with legs. (as it turned out, there wasn't anything I didn't like - so I am driving it today!) Rob really is the best of the best - catch him at the Subaru lot and be ready for personalized service. I am super happy with the '12 Forester I bought from Rob. It was time to retire my '03 Stratus (purchased from Thelen 7 years ago). No car dealership will give you what your car is worth on a trade in, so I financed the whole thing, and sold my Stratus for a good price the very next day :) read more

Dropped my car (2012 VW Jetta GLI) off to get looked at because I've been having issues with it, when I came back to pick it up the knob on the end of my parking break was gone and my parking break was broken, when I pulled up on it, it wouldn't lock into place like it's supposed to do. I drive a manual care so I use it every time I park. I told them as soon as I saw the issue, thankfully before I left. The service manager said they won't pay for it but she talked to the technician that worked on my car and the manager said that the technician said that when he test drove my car everything was in working order and everything was intact and in my car. Myself, as well as the manager and another worker all looked for the knob in my car and none of us could find it. The manager said she would give me a quote and MAYBE gimme a 10 or 15% discount. so I told them that I'm never coming back, absolutely ridiculous! She said because it's an old car and was gonna break anyways that they wouldn't fix it or replace it for free even though it broke in their care!!! I never had an issue with my parking break before I dropped it off. I also told them that I will be spreading the word about their poor customer service and she (the service manager) didn't seem to have an issue with it at all. Very disappointing. read more

Could at least call someone an let them know you sold the vehicle, dodged my calls until he bank calls. Then tell me the vehicle is gone what a joke! read more

Last January, I purchased a Subaru Outback. I love the car. I am currently looking for a replacement for my second car, wanted to shop Thelen online, and cannot. They have mysteriously removed all the prices, and replaced them with "Call for pricing". Bull shit. The whole idea of the internet is to shop in peace without an annoying salesperson. I will shop another dealer . Wake up Thelen. read more

From reading a couple of the other reviews I'm not sure that they were at the same dealership we went to. We just picked up a Mazda 6 from Thelen. we worked with a great salesman named Chris Pickett. He and the sales manager, Kelly Isbell, could not have been any more knowledgeable, honest and kind. Chris knew every detail about the car. And told us about the different model variations. When it came time to make the deal we feel we got a great deal! Great price, great interest rate! No hassling. The car was detailed perfectly and the entire sales process was very smooth. We felt more like friends than customers! Thelen has earned our business for life! read more

I have been really pleased with the Subaru service team: Shannon, Jason, Josh and Melissa have taken great care of me and my '07 Forester with 140K miles. Additionally, Kelly, the new car manager, has always been very fair and pleasant to deal with. Finally, Maria in the body shop consistently goes above and beyond for her customers. I respect these people a great deal, and have had nothing but positive experiences. read more

I brought in my 2014 Audi SQ5 for a 35K service and a recent back-up camera failure. They did a great job taking care of things diagnosing the problem on the first day, ordering the needed part, and performing the service. They then hand washed the car inside and out doing a great job and then dropped it off with my front desk reception person! (I didn't even ask for this!!!) Just a few days later the part came in, I dropped the car off (again using the key drop) and this afternoon they AGAIN dropped off a freshly washed car with the repairs completed at my office (all under warranty coverage!!). I don't know how they could have done a better job! DEFINITELY 5 stars! read more

Great service, quick and friendly. Happnwith the service, they drove me to the mall and called me when my car was completely finished. Would definitely recommend read more

Do not go to Thelen for service if you cherish your vehicle. I went for an oil change, which I was baited and switched on the price. Now I have an invoice for $2300 for a new belly pan because they did not properly fasten it back on when they were done. The mechanics seem under qualified. While they were under my car, they kept asking me what problems I was having with my air suspension because they couldn't find any leaks. Although my car did come from the factory with air suspension, I converted it to coil-overs a year ago. Something is wrong if an Audi mechanic can't tell the difference between air shocks and coil-overs. The service manager is very rude. She wouldn't give me the time of day to plead my case, and said if it was their fault "the wind" would've broke my belly pan off, not the snow.... Not very likely. As I exited the service department with my outrageous quote for damages they caused, she laughed at me. I will never go back to Thelen, they lost a customer over a few belly pan fasteners. read more

Very helpful staff, they've sold me a few cars over the years and I will not deal with anyone else.

I would give the service department at Thelen a zero star if I could. My husband and I went in yesterday day for and oil change and tire rotation because the idiot light on the dashboard turned on. Normally we wouldn't go to the dealership for such but because it's a brand new car (2015 CRV) and still under warranty we chose the dealership. When we went in, we requested an oil change and tire rotation. During the wait, they came and showed us the cabin/pollen air filter and said it needed replacing. We agreed. They also said the vehicle was in need of dual pump fluid change which we did not agree to, being that this is a new car and has only 16,000 miles on it and still under warranty. Even my husbands truck does not require this until 1000,000 miles. I do not understand, but this is another issue. When my car was done, we paid the bill and started to leave. After getting in the vehicle and turning on the air, a strange noise came from the air vents. We immediately went back in and reported it. They cleaned out the place where the air filter was and this fixed the problem. About half way home I was going over the paperwork (we traveled over 60 miles to get to this dealership, which was the closest to where we live) and noticed that the tire rotation was never done. I called the service department at the dealership to confirm this, which they did. I asked why they did not do it after we requested it, and they had no answer. Also, the code on the dash of the "Maintenance Minder Message" was B16. B is the symbol for an oil change, the 6 is for "replace rear differential fluid" and the 1 is the symbol for "rotate tires and check tire pressure and condition". So not only did they ignore our verbal request for a tire rotation, they ignore the code that the vehicle gave. After being so frustrated, I wanted to make sure the service manager was aware of what happened. After taking time to fill in all the required fields and a lengthy explanation of what transpired, their web site would not allow me to send it. (Gee, no surprise). I then called the service manager directly and explained what happened. He said he was sorry. That doesn't cut it in my book. I will never do business with this dealership again. read more

Thank you Steven Lenhart and Thelen for making my recent experience so easy! I had to turn in a three year lease and pick out a new car. I knew what I wanted, a new Mazda3, and Steve made sure that I would be able to get the appropriate model with a hatchback. Because there wasn't one available on the lot, he said he'd get one for me by the beginning of the following week. Unfortunately, I was heading out of town for three weeks. Then, completely taking me by surprise, I was told that my car would be delivered to me where I was, and my old car would be taken back. So the next week, the car was delivered, I signed the paper work, and said goodbye to my 2014 Mazda3. I have continually been impressed by the service here and will return. read more

I am surprised there are not more negative reviews about Thelens. Over the last 15 years every experience I have had with Thelens has been bad. From taking weeks to fix my van, to not providing an appropriate loaner when my van was in the shop for a manufacturers issue, to offering me one deal on a car then when I decided to pay cash told me the car was already sold.. the time span was 15 minutes. I ended up talking with one of the Thelen brothers and got no where. I will NEVER shop at Thelens, EVER!! read more

I had an airbag recall on my Mazda mini van. Thelen schedules my repair and performed the work while I waited in their comfortable waiting room. They performed an inspection and were happy to tell me that everything checked out well. Good experience and my balance was zero and they even washed my car! read more

My husband and I purchased a used Subaru Tribeca from Thelen in November 2011. During our final inspection before driving away my husband noticed that the hood wasn't latched properly. Shannon the service manager was called to take a look. She had a mechanic "fix" the problem and we left. A couple months later my husband was driving 60mph down M46 when his hood flew open. Needless to say he couldn't see and was luckily able to pull over without hitting anything. We brought the Tribeca back to Thelen to get repaired. It took 4 weeks!!! And when I inquired about how they were going to compensate for their obvious neglect Bill James the Subaru manager said that the car was bought 'as is'. Buy a Subaru, but don't buy it at Thelens. read more

Let me start by saying I have never written a negative review before (mostly because people only take the time to write them when there have a problem) however this is a warning STAY AWAY!!!! They had my car for 13 (yes thirteen!!!) weeks for what they told my insurance company was a 5 day job. I got the gamut of excuses...waiting on part, technician had a baby, waiting on insurance company (even though they never sent my insurance company any paperwork), I could go on and on. They refused to pay for any part of the rental car. Interestingly enough when I returned the car, the people at the rental place said they have experienced problems with them as well and people around know not to go there - wish I would have had that information. So I picked up my car last night - my bumper is fixed with a ZIPTIE - ARE YOU SERIOUS!!! ...started my car up this morning and my check engine light is on. Bottom line WORST SERVICE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN ANY INDUSTRY. If there was a 0 star rating, I'd give it. Took it to a dealership to make sure the job was done right - couldnt have made a worse decision. I will never buy a Mazda again. read more

I would like to commend the sales team @ Thelen VW for helping me cope with a challenging situation. My car was totaled out by the insurance company so I needed to find a car. I began looking around at dealerships in the area but felt most comfortable @ Thelen VW because I was treated like a valued customer. Bob Landowski went right to work on matching me with a car that he knew I would like. Josh Faulk recognized me as a valued customer and made me feel very comfortable. Josh also supported my car's mechanical needs without hesitation. Joe Thelen was involved in the my purchase from start to finish and even followed up with e-mails to insure that I am completely satisfied with my purchase experience. He even thanked me for my business. The Service Department also impressed me with their support. They went right to work without delay on repairs that I requested. Jaymes, Patrick, and Chad(mechanic) worked together to treat me like a valued customer. All-in-all, I rate the Thelen VW team 4 star because their product, customer service,and professionalism are greatly appreciated! Thanks Guys!! read more