Our Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certified technicians have decades of experience working on all kinds of foreign and domestic vehicles: Dodge Repair, Chevrolet Repair, Ford Repair, Honda Repair, Nissan Repair, Toyota Repair, Aura Repair, Audi Repair, Hyundai Repair, Infiniti Repair, Kia Repair, Lexus Repair. Backed by quality Our Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certified technicians have decades of experience working on all kinds of foreign and domestic vehicles: Dodge Repair, Chevrolet Repair, Ford Repair, Honda Repair, Nissan Repair, Toyota Repair, Aura Repair, Audi Repair, Hyundai Repair, Infiniti Repair, Kia Repair, Lexus Repair. Backed by quality workmanship, Champs Family Automotive provides outstanding automotive repair and services in Goodyear, Arizona. To learn more, just call or message us today. ...more
I brought my 2021 VW Tiguan to Champs Automotive for overheating, limp mode, and a P00B7 low coolant flow code. They diagnosed the problem as a thermostat and water pump issue and replaced both components. I was told the vehicle was repaired. Within approximately an hour, the exact same problem returned. This happened multiple times. After repeated trips back to the shop, extended periods with little communication, and multiple assurances that the vehicle was ready, I ultimately took my vehicle home with the check engine light still illuminated and was then told I might need an ECU repair costing thousands more. Based on my experience, I would not trust Champs Automotive with another vehicle.
Full Review
I rarely leave reviews, but this experience was frustrating enough that I feel obligated to share it.
I brought my 2021 VW Tiguan to Champs Automotive because it was overheating, going into limp mode, and displaying a check engine light related to low coolant flow (P00B7). Like most customers, I am not a technician. I brought the vehicle to a professional repair shop because I expected them to diagnose the problem correctly and explain the situation honestly.
Champs diagnosed the issue as a failed thermostat and water pump and recommended replacing both. I approved the repair because I trusted that they had identified the root cause of the problem.
That trust turned out to be misplaced.
After paying for the repair and being told the vehicle was fixed, I picked it up and drove away. Within approximately an hour, the exact same symptoms returned.
The vehicle was overheating.
The vehicle went back into limp mode.
The check engine light returned.
In other words, the exact problem I paid to have fixed was still there.
I brought the vehicle back.
At that point, I expected a deeper investigation into what was actually causing the issue. Instead, the process dragged on. Communication was inconsistent. There were stretches where days would pass without meaningful updates, forcing me to reach out and ask for information about my own vehicle.
The vehicle was returned to me again.
The same problem returned.
The vehicle was returned again.
The same problem returned.
As a customer, there comes a point where you stop feeling like your vehicle is being diagnosed and start feeling like you’re participating in a guessing game.
What bothers me most is not the money. Automotive repairs are expensive and I understand that complex problems exist. What bothers me is that the original diagnosis did absolutely nothing to solve the issue that brought me into the shop in the first place.
Had I been told from the beginning:
“We believe it’s the thermostat and water pump, but there may be deeper electrical or ECU-related issues that could require additional diagnosis,”
I would have respected that honesty.
Instead, I repeatedly received a vehicle that continued exhibiting the exact same symptoms.
Another major red flag for me was when complimentary services started being offered during the process. While some customers might appreciate that, it did not inspire confidence. I wasn’t looking for free services. I was looking for my vehicle to be properly diagnosed and repaired.
Eventually, after all of this, I was informed that the vehicle may need an ECU repair costing thousands of dollars more.
Naturally, that raises a simple question:
If the ECU was a possible cause of the problem, why wasn’t that possibility identified and discussed before major components were replaced and before the vehicle was repeatedly returned to me as repaired?
I understand that vehicles can be difficult to diagnose. I understand that technicians are human. What I do not understand is how a customer can pay for a repair, experience the exact same failure within an hour, repeat that cycle multiple times, and still be left without a resolution.
The final result of my experience with Champs Automotive was simple:
I brought them a vehicle with an overheating problem and a check engine light.
I paid for repairs intended to solve that problem.
The same problem repeatedly returned.
I eventually took the vehicle home with the check engine light still on.
That is the outcome.
Everyone can draw their own conclusions from that.
As for me, I would not trust Champs Automotive with another vehicle, and I would strongly encourage anyone considering major repairs to ask detailed questions, demand clear communication, and seriously consider obtaining a second opinion before authorizing expensive work.