VFC Engineering

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Nick Bibbs
3 years ago
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! I'm cheap, with a love of high-mileage, aging German cars, so since I enjoy pain, I'm glad to find a repair shop with people I trust.I've been taking my 1998 BMW M3 (240K miles) and 2013 BMW 328XI (170K miles) here for the past 5-6 years for all of my routine maintenance and major servicing. I have primarily worked with Zach and Carlos, who have always been professional, thorough and understanding of what I needed. Pricing has always been fair and they understand that not every German machine is a garage queen or track machine. I have never felt like a service or repair with VFC was not worth the $$ spent. If you want something done right, for less than dealership rates, this is the place in Chicago you need to take your car to, hands down.

  Milo Oti
6 years ago
Yep! As good as it gets! Bring your euro to VFC!German cars are incredible... incredibly practical, incredibly well engineered, incredibly fun to drive, and sometimes, incredibly a pain-in-the-ass to tune, maintain and repair! The crew at VFC know this, and passionately geek out on dissecting issues, discussing modifications, presenting smart options, and getting it all done so you don't have to worry.I purchased an older model modified Audi from Pennsylvania, and drove it 12 hours home (whew!) with little knowledge about it's current maintenance status/needs. Zach coordinated to inspect it, educated me on the mods the previous owner had done, took time to print me a complete run-down of everything needed, and got it up to par quickly so I could enjoy it and comfortably take ownership. Simply, piece of mind.Dealership? No thanks. I get anxiety just thinking about the random technician, car mishandling, and pretentious overpricing the dealership experience would bring.I m so very grateful for the technical knowledge, honesty, communication, and BEYOND EXCELLENT customer service each visit.Thanks VFC! See ya next visit!

  Chris Newton
9 months ago
Bought a used 2014 x3 as an extra with 2 new/young drivers. VFC was great on the prepurchase inspection AND normal maintenance and minor repairs since then. I trust that they manage what needs to be done - not just looking at a list and doing/charging me. Trust matters and the value is good!

  Emmanuel Favila
10 months ago
I came to VFC for the first time after reading recommendations from online forums and was very glad I did. Zach was extremely helpful in advising me on a track day suspension setup and the whole project was done in a timely manner. Pricing was fair and a bit better than other shops in the Chicagoland area. For the level of work he puts into the proper alignment, I definitely feel it was worth it. I'll probably come back for routine maintenance in the future rather than paying dealer prices. I highly recommend!

  Jori Hardman
4 years ago
If you're looking for a Porsche shop that has seen it all, this is the spot. I've been bringing my 997.1 911 here for the last two years ever since I had them perform a pre-purchase inspection on it, and whenever I come by, the shop always has various generations of 911 around. I've seen 997s, 996s, 993s, 964s, and even pre-964 911s; air-cooled or water-cooled, they handle it.I've always received good clarity and explanations regarding the work that needs done - Zach especially is happy to take you around your car while it's up and point out concerns or things to watch out for. I've learned quite a few things just by stopping by during the work, which I really appreciate.One caveat is that the work is not typically inexpensive, but then again, if you bought a Porsche, you should be well-prepared for that. If what's important to you is that the work is done right, then you will be very happy with your service here.

  Mark Sartain
9 months ago
we were having unsatisfactory experiences taking a car to the dealer for repairs, maintenance. on several recommendations from friends we took our car to vfc, and the service and personal attention we received blew our minds!! zach and his crew are absolutely stellar and we recommend vfc engineering 1000%!!>Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Vehicle Inspection, Auto maintenanceServices: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Vehicle Inspection, Auto maintenance

  Christa Georgeson
a year ago
HIGHLY RECOMMEND this family owned business -- We've been bringing our euro cars to VFC since 2007. Quality service and superior integrity. We trust Zach and team. They take the time to walk us through the issue and the options to resolution. You will pay a living wage, VFC will stand by their work, and you will enjoy driving your car.Services: Air & cabin filter replacement, Auto engine diagnostic, Auto engine tuning, Engine repair, Auto maintenance, Oil change

  Katy Loeb
6 years ago
I've been taking my car to VFC for nearly 4 years. Zach and the rest of the team have always been extremely communicative, and make complicated car issues easy to understand, and decisions easy to weigh. I've never had an issue making an appointment at a time I prefer. I trust VFC WAY more than I ever did the local Audi dealership in Chicago. I genuinely believe they have my best interests in mind. Highly recommend.

  D. H.
4 years ago
We recently moved to Chicago and had a major repair to our car shortly after moving here. We didn t know which repair places were honest so we took the car to the dealership.Months later we found a repair place with stellar reviews, VFC, and took the car in for a battery change. Turns out my original dealership put in a battery designed for an A3 rather than A4. Next we went in for an oil change. At the oil change, they found another major issue with the car. Zach explained it to us but it was a difficult decision based on the high cost. When I went to pick the car up, Zach went over everything and had pictures and parts to explain what happened and how things worked. It was a major education that I appreciated.Zach seemed to know everything about the car and even suggested I follow up on a class action suit I had filed a couple months earlier. If he hadn t suggested that, I would have guessed they weren t going to refund me. Excellent knowledge and super customer service. This is my permanent go to place as long as we have an Audi. When I find a business with quality and honesty, I put my loyalty there. So happy to find this place! Zach is fantastic.

  Zappa Savulescu
4 years ago
I've been servicing my Mini Cooper here for the past 5years. Highly recommended shop. They specialize in European cars. The fact that they are also involved into national championship car racing, and know how to tune-up their cars, gives me confidence that they are the best in class when comes to car diagnosis and repairs.I've got multiple repairs done on my car over the years, and VFC was absolutely the best choice for the job. No other car service dealership can match the experience and knowledge of those techs at VFC. Zach and Doug are a joy to talk and interact with. Thanks VFC !

  Tony Ohlhausen
8 months ago
Their employees drive the wrong way down the one way street and verbally accost people that live in the area. The managers encourage the behavior. So if you want to run the risk of your car getting into an accident due to willful negligence, this is the place for you.

  Tom Eversz
10 years ago
I have been taking my Audi to VFC Engineering for several years now, and will continue to do so.Owners Greg and Robin are outstanding in communicating to the customer the particulars of the work being done on your car.The quality of work at VFC is superb. I completely trust their work, and would not hesitate recommending them to anyone who owns a German automobile that needs attention.

  PD Mitchell
3 years ago
If the following mirrors your experience with VFC, my opinion would be to stay away from these guys:I have taken two separate SUVs in for service at VFC. Each time, upon picking up my vehicle, the service writer told me they found a couple of problems with my car. They said that if I get the problem(s) they identified fixed NOW, the cost of repair will be lower. However, if I wait, the problem will become much worse and will cost me LOTS more money to fix, so I better act now! Sound familiar? Read on.I purchased my most recent SUV about one year ago, a Certified Pre Owned from the dealership that came with a warranty from the factory. VFC Engineering said my spark plugs were showing excessive fouling and I needed a coolant flush. They said if I get the work done now, the cost was approximately $1,000. If I wait, they said, the problem will get worse and will cost me much more money to repair.Given that my SUV was/is under Certified Pre Owned Warranty, I took it to the dealer for a second opinion. They pulled two of my spark plugs and showed me, there was no evidence of "excessive fouling" as VFC claimed. They also said I did not have any issue with my coolant.The work VFC Engineering did on my vehicles was adequate, I guess. However, they have lost my trust. If upon picking up your car from VFC Engineering the following sounds familiar 'watch out! You have this or that problem with your car. If you fix it now, the repair cost will be lower. If you wait, this that and the other bad thing(s) will happen so you better do the repair now!", at the very least I would consider a second opinion. For me? They have lost my trust. I will not be going back.

  Michael Von Staats
4 years ago
If you take your car here you ll get taken. I have a 2007 Porsche Cayman. I ve been taking it to VFC for 4 years for routine maintenance. Which is to say I ve been getting my oil changed, since the car hasn t required much maintenance in the last four years. You ll find the operations front man Zach to be very affable and knowledgeable about all things Porsche.On my last oil change I got a call from Zach informing me I needed a new water pump, not too surprising since the car has 55,000 miles on it. When I asked how much he quoted me $2300, which seemed high. He explained he would change the belt, thermostat, tensioner and pulleys for that price. It still seemed pricey so I said I d be back to pick up the car and schedule the pump change for the following week. I wanted to get a second opinion from Porsche. He explained to me that the car was leaking bad and he just barely made it back to the garage, that I could severely damage the engine and that I would need to sign a release of liability before he would let me take the car. As I said Zach is very affable and I wanted to trust him, so I said go ahead with the repairs.I ve worked on cars my whole life, changed many failed water pumps and have never seen one fail so catastrophically without warning, but the Cayman is my first Porsche. I called Zach back 5 minutes later to tell him I wanted to inspect the car before they started the repair, but he said they had already started. I went anyway and saw evidence of a typical water pump failure, calcified coolant in the water pump area, but no evidence of the catastrophic failure Zach had described, liquid coolant should have been everywhere. Zach hasn t made much money on me over the years, and the pump needed to be changed anyway, so I apologized to Zach for not trusting him, and told him to continue, but that I expected the price he gave me would be a fair one and that I would check.When I got home I called the Porsche dealership and asked for a price for the work VFC was doing belt, thermostat, pulleys and tensioner included. They gave me a price $1800 out the door. I called Zach and gave him the bad news and emailed him a copy of Porsche s estimate.Porsche quoted 4 hours of labor VFC 7, Porsche water pump price $300 VFC $500, all the other parts VFC charged 30 to 100% more than Porsche.When confronted with all the evidence VFC refused to budge on their $2300 price for the job, siting their superior expertise and 3 year warranty as being the reason I had to pay more.We agreed to never do business again, unless I had to exercise their 3 year warranty, which I ll bet is as worthless as the rest of their operation.

  Benedict Deloria
4 years ago
Great neighborhood mechanic. I have nothing but good things to say about the owner Zach and the mechanics at VFC. They have helped me countless times with oil changes suspension advice on my track vehicle. They only use quality parts and are one of the few places that offer a warranty on some of their work.

  Lissa Weinstein
2 years ago
Exceptional Cusomer service, knowledge and integrity. Most people take their cars to the generic dealer repair place for their car brand - ie Audi repair until they are recommended someone better. One of the toughest things about finding a good auto repair service is trust - trusting the workmanship and the bid. Zack Hillman, the owner of VCF Engineering, has earned my trust in spades. Their knowledge and care for European cars, in my case an Audi Q5, is first rate.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Brakes, Oil change

  Jarrett Widman
11 years ago
VFC is by far the best mechanic I've ever been to. They have gone beyond my expectations on warranty issues, are almost always on time, always answer their phone, and cost much less than the dealership. I have a Mini Cooper and recommend them to anyone with a German car, which is their specialty - that and the crazy rally cars that are scattered around their shop.

  Paul Le Rolland
7 years ago
Please read this carefully before going to VFC When I bought my 2005 Audi A4 Cab, I took it to VFC to have them inspect the car. They rebuilt the cooling system and advised me to watch a few parts that would need to be changed soon. They walked me through the repairs, showed me what they were doing, and were extremely nice. I was delighted by their apparent knowledge of my car and was excited that I finally found a good garage that I could trust!When I came back 6 months later for a simple oil change, I asked them about the airbag light that was back on (they cleared it the first time which is exactly what needed to be done). Zach told me he would send me a detailed quote on the work to fix the airbag. I never received that quote.I came back once again for the following oil change. That time, Zach told me that my admission lines needed to be changed. I am not a mechanics but I like to know what is done on my car, so I asked for a detailed quote on the admission lines change. I never received it. That s when I started to be suspicious of their work. I googled admission lines audi a4 but couldn t find anything interesting. I took my car to a different garage with amazing reviews not to far from VFC and asked them to check the car. And they said the car was absolutely fine! So I kept my car to the new garage and stopped going to VFC.A few weeks ago, my car showed a low coolant warning. So I took my car to VFC since the repair was under warranty. Zach greeted me very nicely, as usual, and said they would take care of it. The same day, I stopped by and he told me the repair would be covered by the warranty because the coolant flange was leaking. But he warned me that my bushings were worn and my front brake rotors were so rusty that if I needed to brake, they would not operate. I thanked him for his advices and told him that my main focus was to fix the coolant leak. He insisted that the work he wanted to do on the car was safety issue and he would have to specify on the invoice that this was a safety issue and I declined to address it. I still declined the work. I just wanted my coolant leak to be fixed.After a couple days to receive the part, Zach called me in the check what the issue was. Apparently, the coolant flange was actually fine, but the engine part that connects to the coolant flange was pitted, preventing the seal between the flange and the engine. The solution he offered was to take the engine apart and refinish the part. This would be a very costly operation. He also offered to try to use silicone sealant to fix the issue, but it would not be covered by the warranty.Zach tried to apply the sealant twice. It failed twice. So he called me back and told me that the only solution was to take the engine apart. I told him that I wanted a second opinion before spending more than $1500 on the car, so I just wanted to drive the car to my current mechanics to ask him to fix the issue now that I knew it was not covered by the warranty. Zach refused to let me drive the car, calling for safety issues. He offered to put the car on a truck to there for free, which was really nice of him. But then he gave me the invoice for the repair. He not only charged me for the silicone sealant, but also for the coolant flange that they misdiagnosed and was supposed to be covered by the warranty! I told him that I would not pay nor sign the invoice but he pressured me into signing it saying that he would not return the car to me otherwise. So I paid and signed (which was a mistake) the $700 invoice for a not repaired car.The day that followed, he dropped the car to my mechanics who diagnosed a leaking heater hose that fixed everything in 24h for $350. I sent an email to Zach asking for a refund. He refused to give it to me since I agreed on the repair . I contacted the Better Business Bureau about the issue, but VFC never reached back out to them so they had to close the incident.Do not take your car there. These people don t have your best interest in mind.

  Randall Honold
5 years ago
Is it a sad or happy day when you know you won't see your mechanic any more? Zach and his team have been servicing my BMW for four years. They're a cut above the dealers and other German car specialists I've used. Unfortunately my most recent visit concluded with the car towed away for junk, as they diagnosed an effectively irreparable electrical problem. I'll save comments about over-engineering for another venue but suffice it to say I don't expect to be driving another German car for some time.

  Dena Poonam
4 years ago
Zach and his staff are extremely knowledgeable about maintaining and repairing German cars. He s upfront about costs, reasonably priced, and stands by his work. We have a 08 Audi with close to 200k miles, and with VFC s service and care, hope to get a few 100k more.

  Jarek Chmiel
2 years ago
Took my GTI Mk 7.5 to get diagnosed and I will definitely be going there again. It was obvious that these guys know what they're talking about when it comes to German cars. Friendly, welcoming, and super knowledgable, their experience is evident right away.Service: Auto engine diagnosticService: Auto engine diagnostic

  Kristene Richardson
9 years ago
Doug and Zach know German engines. Plain and simple. I'm a woman and I know my car - 2002 TDI New Beetle. I did a lot of searching before I picked them. I would walk in to a shop and say do you work on TDI's? If I got a blank stare or the little lady treatment, "yeah we work on all cars"- I'd walk out. Then I found VFC and they have tended to my turbo diesel injection engine for 4+ years. We've had some mystery issues but they've always gotten to the bottom of it. And they've been more than considerate and fair with my schedule, time and money. They race cars too. Better more personalized care than you'd get at a dealership with expertise you can trust. I'll pay for that, all day long.

  Adhemar Dellagiustina
4 years ago
This is the place!I have searched high and low for a good mechanic for my aging Passat, and after a few disappointing places, I m happy to report that VFC surpassed my expectations by a mile!It is a small shop that really cares about their craft and their customers. I can t say enough about their work ethics, they are impeccable.If you are searching for a great team of mechanics, here they are, give them a call.

  Aravind lekshminarayanan
8 years ago
Being a small business owner myself i always like supporting genuine small businesses.Usually i always take my AUDI 2009 to the AUDI showroom for any service or repair, but for the first time i went to VFC Engineering to get the whole brake pads/rotor set replaced for my car. I must say the quality of the work is immaculate and the best part is i was only advised on what needed to be done for proper upkeep of the car rather than the showroom technique where its better to change this and that. Now for me this is my goto place for my car ! For all the German Car owners out there, this is a great option !

  Benjamin Blair
3 years ago
They do a great job with 993s and all air-cooled 911s! Zach and his dad are the best ... the only issue is word has gotten out about how good they are and they can get busy. Not cheap, but you pay now or pay later -- trust me on that one. I once had an issue on a big, complex and odd repair and they were truly the very best at remediating it. I have never trusted a mechanic so much. I have also used them for an X5 just out of warranty and they pinpointed a problem very quickly. Finally, prepare to waste some time seeing the "project cars" they are working on in the shop (928s seem to hang around for a while). They will also tell you what not to buy because of part issues -- forget that old 928 or 944 unless you will tolerate non-OEM parts!

  Richard Masterson
4 years ago
VFC was amazing with not only their automotive service but also their customer service. They explained everything carefully and they bent over backwards to not only get everything on my car repaired but also make sure I had a rental car and they even worked with my warranty company to save me a ton of money out of pocket. While I do not live anywhere close to VFC I will not take my car anywhere else in the future.

  TheLightAffect
4 years ago
When my wife and I got married in 2012 we purchased a used 2011 vw golf. It had 40k miles on it and was in overall decent shape.Since that purchase we have moved from Chicago to Phoenix, New Mexico, Los Angeles, Maui, and back to Chicago. Through those years of traveling we would always take a road trip back from wherever we were at (except Maui) at least twice per year and every time we came back, I brought the car to VFC.Zach would look over the car and let me know the current status of everything that was a problem or might become a problem, if he said it was causing a problem, or he was concerned it could, then I asked him to fix it.Sometimes it seems like people think replacing parts before they completely fail is a waste of money and time, but I doubt those same people think about how much time and money they waste when they brake down on the side of the road not to mention the problems that result from that failure.As of today, my 2011 vw golf has 174,593 miles and I have had only ONE Major Failure on the car, and that was when we were living in Maui after we shipped the car on a boat for a month to get there.I don't generally trust businesses, but I do trust individual people who do what they truly love for a living. If it's their life passion, and they pursue it then they probably know it better.I have never walked out of VFC thinking that something could had been done better, or that everything is not in the absolute best shape it can be in- that's the best compliment I can give.

  David Reifman
3 years ago
This place is an amazing hidden gem in Ravenswood. If you have a German car, this is the place for any issues or needed repairs and required maintenance. They are practical, committed, knowledgeable and friendly. I would not take my car anywhere else.

  Sarah R
5 years ago
Really nice and helpful people. They explained why my car was having the issues it was having, and exactly what they have to do to fix it. Very thorough and fair. My car runs great now! Glad to have found an awesome shop for my Volkswagen.

  A
10 years ago
I first took my car to an actual BMW dealership to get a simple inspection they told me my BMW was fine. A month later I decide to put the car up for sale so needed another inspection just to have at hand for a new customer when I decided to take it here. They told me I had a weird transmission but couldn't explain to me what it was because nothing appeared to be wrong. They didn't know what was wrong with my car, but the worst part wad they charged me about $75 more for an inspection that they did not even tell me anything. When I told them why are they charging me if they didn't do anything since she told me that the first inspection was free. But she said she still "wasted" her time looking at my car so I need to pay the $175 inspection fee. I wouldn't bring my new BMW here at all. They think they know what they're doing but they couldn't find a problem they said my car had. It didn't make sense to me. A week later my check engine light comes on, & I take it to BMW & they replace my MAF sensor & that made my car ride better & have had no problems since. & BMW actually printed me a report about everything including that the transmission was in perfect shape. & how VFC was wrong & stole my money. I would not recommend. If you have a BMW just pay the extra at the dealer but get it done right.