Dominik Keresztes
Overall very disappointing experience. I booked my Audi in for both an EGR cooler replacement and a timing belt replacement, specifically to save on labour costs by having the work done at the same time. The garage confirmed they could do the EGR cooler and accepted the job. After 1.5 days, I received a call saying the car was ready for collection, which led me to believe that both jobs had been completed as agreed. However, when I arrived, I was then told that they could not replace the EGR cooler because of its location and the additional labour required, something they apparently “didn’t realise” before taking the job. For a garage that claims to specialise in VW Group vehicles, this is very concerning. The position of the EGR cooler on these cars should not come as a surprise, and it raises serious doubts about their expertise. What makes this worse is the lack of communication. During the entire time they had my car, I received no call or update to inform me that they were unable to carry out the EGR work. They simply went ahead and replaced the timing belt anyway. I even phoned them on the afternoon of drop-off to confirm the water pump replacement along the timing belt, and they didn't have the courtesy to inform me that the EGR cooler cannot be done. I was then charged £703 for the timing belt replacement, which is way overpriced. I contacted multiple other garages in Edinburgh, most of which quoted £400–£550 for the same job. To add to this, they recommended another garage who can do a chemical cleaning process (normally used for DPFs) as a solution for the EGR cooler. When I contacted the garage they recommended, I was told that this process does not clean the EGR cooler at all, which I knew but still wanted to hear their opinion. Again highlighting a lack of knowledge from Edinburgh Specialist Cars. As a result of all this, I have wasted both my time and money, and I am now back to square one with the original EGR issue still unresolved. I have used this garage three times now, first time, last time, and never again. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend them. The service was unprofessional, poorly communicated, and overpriced, and I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere if you value honesty and competence.
