I've know Mike close to twenty years and would not take my air-cooled '79 bus to any other mechanic in the wider Seattle area. Prior to setting up his own business, he worked in a machine shop that specialized in rebuilding air-cooled VW engines. In short, he knows these engines inside and out. Aside from his mechanical prowess, he is also an extremely conscientious, and totally trustworthy guy. He'll tell you, for example, if you really need to jump on a fix or can safely put it off for awhile. He'll also try to find alternative solutions that will save you money, if money is a concern. Some of the other things I've learned about Mike over the years: he has an MA in Comparative Literature, he's an accomplished pianist (maybe one reason you can almost always hear classical music when you visit his shop), and he's an avid hiker and camper. read more

Mike is my rockstar mechanic. I have a very old Beetle and a Vanagon and he's knowledgeable and awesome with both. He's also consistently fair and honest and his prices are GREAT compared to some others. He will tell you if you don't need a repair and/or exactly how long you can put it off and sometimes he seems honestly pained when he has to present you with a large bill. He's a top-shelf mechanic and I think he knows Volkswagens more than anyone I've ever met. He's diagnosed problems with my car that have gone on for years. Some tips: - Do NOT drop off a car without making an appointment - Clean your car before you go in - He only takes cash - Be on-time and reliable If you follow these rules, you should be well on your way towards the best mechanicing in town. read more

Mike has worked on my 1979 VW Bus several times, just recently he re-build the engine. I will not take my bus anywhere else, because I trust him and believe he charges a fair price for his service. I never feel he pushes me to get things done that can wait a bit, and he explains what he did clearly and makes sure I know what to do to keep up with checking fluids and such. I'm a customer for as long as Mike has a shop. read more

Mike and Alex did great work tuning up my 87 Vanagon GL. Cheapest labor rates in the area, and exceptional service. You don't need to drop off early and wait all day. I made an appointment, and Mike was outside to meet me at that time. He took my van for a spin, and immediately started working on it. A little after lunch, it was done. No more rough idle, and a clear checklist of things to fix in the future. I wish he did rebuilds for water-cooled, but he referred me to Jerry @ NWCR and he's also great. I will bring my vanagon back here to do as much work as possible, including switching out my exhaust system. read more

Mike is the best. I took my '71 Bug to shops and VW specialists all over the Sound and got totally disheartened (and wasted a lot of money) before I heard about Mike. He has set the bar high: he is everything I have come to value in a mechanic, for all the reasons the previous reviewers mention. After many great years with Mike, I worried what I would do when I moved to San Francisco last year--drive up 800 miles for a tune-up every year? I might. (Fortunately, I've found the one guy in SF who can keep up, but I'd happily see Mike just to say hello.) read more

Wagenschmitt is the place to go if you have a classic VW. Mike and his team did a thorough inspection and meticulous check of my old 1963 VW Beetle and got it running and driving like it should. Their work was excellent and they really took the time to thoroughly inspect and repair it to make it safe and reliable once again. I'll be coming back again for all my VW service. read more

I recently had my 71 Super beetle worked on at Wagenschmitt's and I can't tell you how impressed I was with the honesty and knowledge of Mike. I recently purchased the car and am working on it as I can, I asked Mike to replace all the bushings with urethane ones and I get a call from him that they were fine and didn't need replaced. He then went on to fix my horn and charged me what i thought was a very fair price. Again honest, knowledgeable, and fair. Thanks Mike. read more

Mike Schmitt really knows my Volkswagens. I have total confidence in his knowledge and ability. I rarely have to wait long to get my car in or out of his shop. His prices are fair and consistent. He is a man of honor, worthy of trust. read more

Mike is the VW guy you are looking for. He knows VWs inside and out, will tell you exactly what you need to fix to keep them running well (and how long you have before you really need to do it, if money is an issue), and does top notch work. He keeps my 79 superbeetle purring, and I have found him trustworthy and great at what he does. Highly recommended! read more

Just had Mike work on my 1970 Karmann Ghia for the first time. He fixed what initially brought me and pointed out a few things he saw that could be improved. After a couple hours I'm driving away and the car feels and runs great. Thankful for his work and ability. He was great and showed me a couple things as I'm learning about VWs (first time air-cooled guy here). read more

I've been driving my VW for 26 years now. I've taken it to many different mechanics but not since I found Wagenshmitt! Mike Schmitt is by far the most knowledgeable, fair and honest mechanic in this city. I can always get my car in within a few days. He's clear about communicating what needs to be done right away and what can wait. He saves the parts he's removed to show me. He takes the time to explain what he's done. He lets me know what needs to be done right away and what can wait. As far as I'm concerned there is nothing more you could ask from your mechanic. However, there is more . . . if you arrive at the right time you might get to hear him playing his piano! And he's a very interesting conversationalist too. read more

I have a 1974 VW Bug and it is not easy to find a mechanic that wants to work on an air cooled engine and is really experienced like Mike Schmitt. I found him on line when I moved to the Fremont area of Seattle a few years back. I have brought my old girl to him for many different issues and for tune ups and oil changes as well. He always fixes my car in a timely manner and he has very fair and consistant pricing. He is great at figuring out strange and odd things that other people could not diagnose and fix on my car. Mike is a man of his word, very trustworthy, and I have complete confidence in all the work he has done on my car. I highly recommend Mike Schmitt at Wagenschmitt VW Service for anyone that has a VW Bug! read more

Awesome mechanic. Very responsive, honest, and skilled. I would not take my bus anywhere else. His rates are very good. They are amazing if you also consider his experience and skill. read more

Mike's shop is magic. He's remarkable with engine's, straight up with pricing. He's worked on my 72 VW Beetle for the last few years and I absolutely LOVE his work. Honest, trustworthy and brilliant with engine's of this type. Won't take my bug to anyone else. Thanks Mike.... read more

Hi, I'm writing this about Mike's vw repair. I had moved away and have tried to get other people to work on the beetle. I recently called Mike back and told him I missed his professionalism and his courtesy. He would always let me know if extra work would be needed. He told me bring it back after 3000 miles for oil change or a tune up. He cared for my beetle and that is why I had it with him from the beginning of 2006 up until 2015. He is knowledgeable and I felt I could count on him. He was patient with me when all I would say is -- its squeaking. Also his price point is reasonable and his turn around is excellent, and no I'm not a relative of mikes-just sorry I moved to far away to keep him as a mechanic. read more

so, i went to mike based on all these awesome reviews and was sorely disappointed -- ended up shelling out several hundred dollars and he still couldn't figure out how to repair my indicator and my jammed heater in my 1985 vw westy -- AND demanded to be paid for the time it took to figure out he couldn't fix it. i don't think he's a bad guy but I was pissed that he said he could fix a freaking blinker and it still doesn't work. i won't go back again. read more

Outstanding shop to keep your vintage VW bus running fit. I bought my bus according to Mike's specifications, and he's been doing work on it for me ever since. More than 10-years of great service. Even with the occasional major repair, the cost of keeping my bus running with Mike's excellent and reasonable service beats the cost of a new car by 10,000 kilometers. read more

Let's see... Where do I start? First off, I won't knock Mike for his ability to diagnose issues and work on vw aircooled engines ONLY. Anything beyond that, I would take your money elsewhere to a more capable mechanic. I took my 1971 VW Westy to him to have the brakes worked on. They have screeched since I left his shop. At the same time, he was to fix the stock heat in the bus; I picked the bus up, paid over 300 dollars and no heat... When I asked him why it wasn't working, he acted like it was my problem and for another 100 dollars, he would actually fix it. After righting that wrong and emptying my wallet further, he also "attempted" to fix my dome light and rear camping light. I picked it up and the dome light worked, but the camping light in rear did not... Took it back to him to fix, and now the DOME LIGHT DOESN'T WORK but the rear light does... Not too mention the extra 50 dollars he charged me on that one to FIX NOTHING. I am done with this guy and the way he treats his customers. Save yourself the trouble. read more

We've been looking for a local VW mechanic to be our regular go to person for our 1978 VW Bus. Others we've tried left some things to be desired. My husband found Mike online so we gave him a try. We were sure we were going to be spending $1000+ on necessary repairs due to how it had been running recently. We dropped it off on a Wednesday morning and received a call later that day from Mike letting us know that he went through the entire system, made some adjustments, lubed some things up and it was good to go (for a much smaller $$ amount than we were assuming we'd need to spend). We were so skeptical that adjustments were all that were needed, but sure enough, it is running better than when we first got it - we keep finding things that he tweaked without even mentioning it (our sliding door, the emergency brake). Planning to send it in to Mike regularly for upkeep. Couldn't be happier with his service and knowledge. So glad we found him. read more