Pugi of Chicagoland

The service department is the worst!!! I promise you it is! I had an appointment for an oil change and then decided to replace the rear windshield wiper blade. The windshield wiper was no longer working when I received the car. I am sure it was working before hand but the manager insisted it wasn’t because my rear windshield was dirty and what really motivated me to write this review was that he accused me of lying and bringing into the shop broken. And because I was advocating for myself he insisted I was raising my voice at him, which I was not. I am an attorney and have a good job and thankfully can afford to replace the fuse or fix whatever the problem might have been– I clearly did not need a freeby fuse from them. The manager was incredibly rude, probably the rudest costumer service I have received in my life and was incredibly defensive and accusatory when I pointed out an issue. I don’t write many reviews on here and when I do its to praise amazing places but this place needs to be AVOIDed. Read other reviews about the service department and you will see its true. Michelle at service however, was helpful and approached the situation from a solution driven perspective, is a shame the manager is disrespectful and simply doesn’t care about costumer satisfaction. Avoid service there!

My 2007 Mazda 3 was totaled so I needed a new car. Jesse and Mike at Pugi in Downers Grove are fantastic! They made the process of buying a car very easy. I received a great interest rate and they also gave me a great deal on a brand new Mazda3. They made me feel very comfortable and were never rude. Jesse was great about following up with me about the car. Their customer service is outstanding.
Thank you Jesse and Mike for making this process very easy and for helping me through a tough situation.

Bought a car for my daughter yesterday at Pugi VW and Jesse Sanchez took amazing care of us! Kind, gracious, and patient. He will work hard to get you what you want. Thanks Jesse!

They stand behind there used cars… this Dealership went above and beyond to make me a satisfied customer. I would definitely buy a car from them again… even if it’s a few dollars more. Peace of mind is priceless. Thanks again to Anthony and Joe.

Still waiting to meet with the owner or waiting for him to even give me the courtesy of a phone call. Still waiting for my brand new car that has been in the service department since March 20^th. Talk is cheap and unfortunately when it’s coming from anyone that works at Pugi it’s completely meaningless and just a bunch of empty words.

I took my car here for an oil change after going to another dealer. They treated me like family there. They gave me honest advice about my car on several occasions. They did not try to sell me on any unnecessary work and they did a great job servicing my car. They even gave me a family discount on accessories. The only reason why I didn’t give them 5 stars is because the waiting room is not as nice as others and they don’t have snacks for the customers like other places. I didn’t buy my car from them, but when I was waiting and looking at cars, only one sales rep came and talked to me during my 7 – 8 visits or so.

Overall, we had a really positive experience with Pugi, though it was slightly complicated. The initial car buying experience was positive and hassle free, and Joe Stach was patient with us and low key. We were looking on the lower end in terms of price, so we probably weren’t the most thrilling customers for them, but they did a great job of not pressuring us into anything we weren’t interested in getting, and kept things in our price range. We felt treated well throughout.
The one issue was that we needed a car pretty immediately and didn’t have time to get it to a mechanic before the purchase, only after. And in that time between purchase and inspection, it started to run quite loud. Our mechanic informed us we had a corroded flex pipe, which clearly had not just corroded in the 5 days we had owned the car. While that was frustrating, we called Pugi back and Chris, the used car manager, offered to help cover some of the repair costs with us. Given that we had signed off on the car as-​is and that he didn’t technically have to give us anything, it was refreshing that he was willing to helping us out. It speaks to the character of the place and their openness to working with customers at whatever car-​buying level they are at.

First person to approach us was salesman Joe Stach. Considering this was the first time our daughter was buying a car he was the perfect salesman. He was helpful, encouraging, and honest. After looking for Hyundai Sonata’s at half a dozen dealerships in the western suburbs we settled on the first car we saw with Joe. Could not beat the car, could not beat the price. Thank you Joe! It still smells like new!

I’ve recently gotten a oil change here and the hood strut didn’t work afterwards. I know it’s possible that the strut could go at anytime, since my car is an ’02, but they never mentioned it to me. Upon realizing it, I promptly called them back. The service manager told me that he could help with the cost of the labor but I would have to purchase the part. I was throughly annoyed. They also ignored the amber, check engine light that seems to remain on (missed up sale opportunity). Finally, if car washes are a service, you have to do more than run the car through a car wash and dry it off quickly. The car wasn’t clean. I would prefer they leave it dirty, if it wasn’t going to be cleaned properly. I was possibly looking at purchasing a new Passat in the near future but I won’t be purchasing it from Pugi.

Pugi is run by good people. Nice new facilities and 3 great brands.

As a first time car buyer with subprime credit I never thought I’d be able to make it out of this unscathed OR with a brand new car, but that’s EXACTLY what the folks at Pugi Mazda did for me on ¹¹⁄₁₃. After experiences with Oak Lawn Mazda, Autobarn in Evanston, Napleton Schaumburg Mazda, and Wilkins Mazda (reviews on all here on Unilocal), this was the ONLY dealership that gave me what I wanted, listened to me, and went not 1, but 100 extra miles for me! I got a 2012 mazda3 i Touring at a disgustingly low interest rate for my credit score AND FAR BELOW INVOICE.
The entire deal was made over the course of a week via late night phone calls and emails (I have a crazy work schedule), I never saw a SINGLE «four square sheet», and the prices and car were ready and waiting when I got there to sign the papers. They are SO transparent with their customers that they even let me see the computer screen as they typed in prices. They gave me every fee and percentage in advance, so I did all my own calculations before I stepped foot in the office on purchase day. They were even patient with me as I doubled checked all my numbers with their computer and the papers I signed– which matched down to the cent. Mike Kabak, their finance guy and business manager, stayed until 10:30pm finalizing my deal and working out my extended warranty.
Guys, if you read this, I can’t thank you enough for doing this. My future depended on this car. Ask for BRAD and you’ll get taken care of!!!

Now, I am in sales as well and understand the process of a sales transaction and how difficult it can be sometimes. I also understand that the relationship is most important and that no matter what, the client should feel important, listened too and understood to help them make the best decision. I felt Rey did a phenomenal job in all aspects of this transaction. He is true professional and a great asset to your team. If I had the chance to fill out a comment card or review for Rey, he would get a 10 in all aspects!
A few things that stuck out for me with Rey was his communication and responsiveness. Whether I called, e-​mailed or text, he was quick to respond… even after normal business hours. This purchase had us asking ourselves questions at all times of the day and Rey was always available to respond or take our call.
Also, we had the chance to sit down with Mike in finance who was great to work with as well. He was able to beat our 1.99% rate we had with a credit union by working with Bank of America at 1.9% for 60 months verses the 48 we had with the credit union. Additionally, he saved us money on the extended warranty and hooked us up with new plates and registration and saved us again from having to go through the city of Chicago. I always felt like your team was trying their best to give their best and make us feel comfortable about each decision. This process took a lot longer than we expected but your team was patient with us and helped us through every decision.
Overall, we had a great experience with Pugi and would not hesitate to recommend your group to others or come back in the future for a new or used car. Thank you for making the process a great experience for us both. We now have a great car that we will enjoy for years to come.

Had Unilocal been around 5 years ago (maybe it was, I just didn’t know) — Pugi would have gotten 5 stars from me! But, after this week — sorry, you’re down to 2!
Roll the calendar way way back to 1999 — my boyfriend (now husband) was looking for a fuel efficient car — and fell in love with the VW Golf TDI. They were limited in availability at the time, so they took his «top 3» list and when one came within 200 miles of Pugi, they’d make a trade to snag it! Long story short — pleasant buying experience a few weeks later. (We also sent my dad there who bought a Jetta TDI a month or so later!)
We still own this Golf TDI with over 115k miles. With the exception of about 3 service appointments, it has been exclusively serviced at Pugi. They have always bent over backwards to take care of things — and squeezing them in under warranty. Our latest issue was the end of the 12 year corrosion warranty coming up — there was some bubbling rust happening on the back tail gate. They covered it (and the new handle required)… which also lead us to get the car completely repainted… but that’s another review all together (and 5 stars for that place!)
Fast forward to 2010 — I owned a minivan that I was tired of getting only 16 – 18 mpg with, and fell in love with the new Jetta SportWagen TDI. The buying experience was excellent! Things went smoothly and quickly, thankfully they had exactly the car I wanted in stock (none of the other local VW dealers did!) Now comes the reason for backing this review down to 2 stars.
After we pick up the Golf from the body shop, we notice that the sunroof isn’t closing completely (and we knew the seal needed to be replaced), so I called to schedule a service appointment. I had to leave a message in a random service adviser’s vmail box that I wanted to schedule an appointment. He called back a few hours later. Got the appointment scheduled for the next day. Two days later, we haven’t heard anything — so I have to call to find out status… they’re waiting for the part, should be in and done tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and goes, no call. I call the next day, «Oh yeah, it was done yesterday.» Well, maybe someone would like to tell US that!
Now, on to my Jetta. I’m over due for my 20K service. So, I check online, they used to have an online scheduler — it’s no longer available. I call them, go through their menus to get directed to the VW dealership, get the operator. «I’d like to schedule service please» — «OK, one moment». I’m on hold for about 3 minutes when I’m ‘teased’ with a pick-​up and then back on hold for another 5 minutes when I’m disconnected. So, I call back. Same start, 3 minutes hold, ‘tease’ pick-​up, 5 minutes hold then the «Service Voicemail». So I leave a message that I’d like to schedule service, please call me back. 2 days later they finally call back and say «Sorry for the delay». I say, «It’s your loss, I already scheduled my service at another dealer!»
We used to drive out of our way to get service at Pugi… no longer! Sorry Pugi!

The Pugi name must be something special because my boyfriend and I went into two different Pugi dealerships and were provided the same brand of service that was friendly and unintimidating. My boyfriend had an old 2000 Saturn LS that was on its way out so he was shopping around for a new vehicle. He was very particular about the options he wanted and how he wanted his vehicle to look.
We first went into Pugi Hyundai and spoke with a gentleman named Tim. He allowed us to take a test drive alone on a Tucson. When we got back he helped us compare the vehicle to other Hyundai models. Ultimately after his educating us on the midsized vehicle category my boyfriend finally decided what type of car he was looking for.
We then went into Pugi Mazda a few days or so after. He decided to test drive a Mazda CX-​7. The gentleman who took us through the test drive was James. He was exceptionally informative about all the bells & whistles the vehicle came with. We left Pugi Mazda with his contact information & a brochure on the CX-​7.
After a few more days of deliberating we went with the Mazda because they had some excellent financing rates. We went into the dealership on a Tuesday afternoon and facilitated the paperwork. My only qualm with the process was that there were a lot of extras they were trying to sling and they weren’t very flexible on the price. That would be my only reason this wasn’t a 5 star experience. However, much to my surprise our sales person James came out to the vehicle with us after all was said and done and showed us how to use EVERY option on the vehicle. I would personally give James 5 stars himself.
We haven’t had to use the service department yet, so hopefully they will be smooth with customer relations and I won’t regret this review.

Athough my story may be a little late in coming, I feel the need to tell it since there seems to be quite a few negative comments and experiences by others regarding PUGI. Although I cannot comment on their service department, I can comment on the experience I had when I purchased a brand new 2001 Black Passat — back in 2001.
About 2 weeks after I took delivery, the car literally died on I-​88. It completely shut down, and I couldn’t do anything — luckily it was not busy or I could have been killed. Not a good thing.
It was towed to Pugi and they could not figure out what the problem was. They sent the data from the computer chip to Germany and everyone was stumped. They later learned there was something wrong with the transmission. Now, what MOST dealers would do is REPLACE the transmission since it is, technically, a warranty issue at this point. That is NOT what PUGI did, the owner himself called me at work. I explained to him that if you do switch out the transmission, I know for sure that every sound I hear I will always attribute any noises to the transmission, and I probably would never be happy. He told me that normally they would just change the transmission, but instead, he found me the exact same car from Jennings VW in Glenview and had it brought over to PUGI within a few days. I never paid a thing, not even the transfer of the plates or registration — nothing.
I will NEVER forget that and think that the owner of PUGI deserves credit where credit is due for that good deed.
I drove the car until 2005 and never had a problem with it. I sold it on eBay to a couple from Denver — yes, they flew to Chicago and I picked them up at the airport — the car was in mint condition and they send me a Christmas card every year.
That’s my story.

My how things change in a few years…
The excellent service guy I originally wrote about is no longer there, and his replacement is what I would describe as your average crappy service guy experience. Now when I bring in my car for issues they are quickly dismissed if there isn’t a light that came on because of it. Never mind that there is a TSB that describes the exact problem. Even basic things like oil changes take something like an hour and a half, which seem excessive. In short, I do feel dismissed and like the issues with my car are ignored now. Such a shame since it at one time was so much better. As far as I see it though, there is no reason to keep coming back here, so bye bye Pugi!

The car PURCHASING experience here is quite good– much like those below me have described. I purchased my 06 Hyundai Tucson here late on a Saturday night– we technically walked in after the dealer had closed, but the salesman was willing to stay to make a sale!
However, the service department is a nightmare. I have had so much trouble getting them to just find the time to LOOK at my car in a prompt manner, let alone actually fix it. They claim they have loaners but they are never available. They always blame a lack of service bays, a lack of technicians, SOMETHING. There is always an excuse.
It took 1.5 hours for my car to be diagnosed today, and I was then TURNED AWAY to actually get it fixed at any point this entire long weekend because of a lack of technicians and time. My hunch is that because my repair was a 5 labor hour fix covered by warranty, Pugi simply did not want to lose out on a paid (and thus profitable) repair. I am extremely disappointed that Pugi was not willing to work with me, even though I explained that the car was going out of town for a few weeks on Monday. And this was being told to me by the service manager.
Oh, and the waiting room/​visual of the dealership is very subpar. Does not even compare to that of the Honda and Toyota dealerships we go to for our other cars.

While I’m a girl who likes fancy cars– I also have a practical side and know that I also need a car that can haul things or that can hold several flats of flowers for when I am hell bent on wielding my green thumb.
So while I’ve been used to a SUV, given the gas it guzzles– I thought it might be time to make a change and go smaller. .. .like a VW Jetta Wagon. This Pugi dealership is also the closest VW dealer to my house so off I set to find a smaller ride.
I hate to car shop so I was a bit apprehensive to go into this place as I really wasn’t sure what I wanted– but they were great! This is what car buying should be. No pressure. Lots of information. And a salesperson who went out on the lot and found me exactly what I was looking for so I could test drive it.
Renaldo was patient, interested and gave me a number of options– even selling me on the government new car rebate program. Sweet! He even patiently stood by while I figured out just how many flats of flowers might fit in this car with all the seats down.
Not the most expensive car dealership I’ve been to…but one that clearly values my business and will work to get ti. And that’s what car buying should be all about!

Two weeks later and my car is still running great. No problems whatsoever :) Also got a call from the owner congratulating me along with some friendly bantor… What a great establishment and great customer service. I have reccommended to all my friends and family. My sister is in the market and my Dad may be as well. Pugi watch out… HERE WE COME! LOL

I never in my life thought I would ever rate buying a new car as a 5 star experience. But that is exactly what I got at Pugi today. No haggling, no worrying, and best of all — no bullshit!
Bobby Torres was just as charming in person as he had been over the phone and through email. The bottom line quoted was indeed the bottom line when I got there.
Joe Grimm was the person who really stood out, though. I was immediately suspicious when he came out and started asking me a bunch of questions about our other car. Bobby must have told him I had grumbled about the extended package and the «window incident» from last year.
Joe went out of his way to explain what had actually happened with the extended package — we didn’t get ripped off at all, in fact, through a fault of that jerk Craig (who wasn’t there any more), we had actually gotten free oil changes for those first 3 years. Even better, if we can last 25,000 more miles on our other car without using the extended warranty, we will be getting the $ 1500 we paid for it back in full! No one had bothered to tell us that! He also explained why the price for the window repair was what it was, making me feel a lot better about it.
Joe realized that I was giving Pugi a second chance and I really feel he appreciated that. Joe got that loyalty is earned first, and then deserved… not vice versa like some pompous asses like to think. Oh, and Joe, if you read this, I’m totally holding you to the promise of getting to drive your convertible when I come in for an oil change during the summer!
The whole experience was fabulous. No, really. Effin’ fabulous. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so good about getting into more debt as I did today at Pugi. And did I mention my car is gorgeous??? A 3 door hatchback was what I could afford. What I got for the same price was a smokin’ hot piece of Korean metal I won’t be embarrassed to drive. Yowza.