DARCARS Volkswagen Silver Spring

In writing to update my previous review, I am sharing that I met with two managers after my first review, including the service manager of that location. They listened to my list of concerns and set as as a goal that of fixing the problem correctly, following VW’s protocol. I was educated on how my car works, the problem itself, and the steps they were taking to address it, particularly going to the manufacturer, VW, to gain additional technical support.
They both have done everything in their abilities to make my situation right. The service manager, Mario has surpassed excellent customer care in this matter. If the problem continues (please all pray for me that it will not), it is a manufacturing issue and nothing all to do with how the staff there uses their expertise and kindness in making one happy with the process and outcome-​fixed car. Mario has been an «advocate» on my behalf and I recommend that you make arrangements to speak with him when there is a need to for increased satisfaction.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
KAD

Awesome place… Always friendly people always energetic… Love working with these people especially with Leslie Zell, when it comes to insurance needs im glad to be their insurance rep man, she has the knowledge for the new cars arriving on the lot and always is willing help with everything and everyone. Glad to be at service!!!

Beware this place! The service is terrible and, potentially, deceitful. We have used it for the free scheduled maintenance for both our gti and tiguan. It was a necessary evil because it was close by. Service was always petulant and sometimes downright rude. And always different staff. Not a good sign. However, after the warranty expired (just), we took the gti to a local shop to check out rough idle and coolant leak. The former was an error code which indicated a needed software update, so it was off to dealer (Darcars). The latter a leaking water pump. $ 900 repair. Took the car to Darcars. According to their shop? A valve cleaning and replacement of rear seal. $ 1000 and $ 1700 respectively. And the water pump. $ 1300. I said no way. At the recommendation of another mechanic, took the gti to wheaton service center (rocks!). Yes I needed new water pump. $ 800. But error code was probably caused by no dipstick. Huh? Called Darcars. Oh the technician «forgot» to put it back in. Uh huh. Picked up dipstick. No apology. Nothing. With dipstick in, some other repairs, and new water pump, car runs great. We are a bit poorer, but not broke. Avoid this shop!

Leslie is simply amazing. I came in knowing exactly what I wanted. She right away found my car and allowed me to test drive it and was very clear about all the features. Last dealership I went to they made me fill out paperwork before even looking at a car. Leslie took time with me and made sure I felt comfortable and not pressured. Cameron the manager was also great he reviewed my application carefully and even had a great since of humor. This isn’t my first car however it’s the first car I financed. In the mean time they showed my friend a car he was interested in and let him know all the juicy details. They finally approved me for my 2015 Jetta and off I was. We sealed the deal and it was a very pleasant experience. One of the best customer service experiences I have had in a while. I suggest Darcars Volkswagen even if you have less than perfect credit like me. Be sure to see Leslie.

I worked with Leslie and she went above and beyond to get me into the car I wanted with payments in the range I needed. She even shopped around to find a better deal on insurance for me and made sure I wasn’t sitting in the dealership for too long. I didn’t feel like I was being given the usual «sales talk», she’s really easy to talk to and stays at work late into the night working to take care of you. When I needed to come in the next day to drop off paperwork, she offered to come meet me early in the morning before the dealership opened to make it more convenient for me. If you’re looking to buy or lease a car, she is definitely the person to work with!

We’ve had bad experiences across the board with VW dealership service departments. This dealership, hands down, the best!

The service department at Darcars is great! I had to bring my brand new 2015 Passat in because the dealership I purchased it from was incompetent and could not find nor fix the problem (Pohanka in Capitol Heights). The mechanic knew exactly what the issue was and immediately ordered the parts and fixed the problem. I am very happy with the service I received and will be taking my car there for all of my future maintenance appointments.

Darcars VW ROCKS!!! Bought my GTI here. Best experience ever. Best deal and best service. New management has changed this place. Now new showroom as well. Guess what… I work here now and drive my GTI to work everyday.

It’s a shame that we purchased a VW from this dealer — not because of the dealer itself (can’t complain about the car buying experience), but because of both the body shop and service center.
Body shop: I’ve had 2 major accidents. The first, they didn’t quite match up the parts correctly, as my door now only only closes when slammed shut and over the years rust has been eating away at the separation caused by this mismatch. The second, my car left the shop not driving smoothly. Of course they advised that I take my car to the service center, who determined that I had 0 transmission fluid left (note: front-​end collision). Of course they swore that it was not the body shop’s oversight and I had to pay out-​of-​pocket. Which leads me to the service center…
Service center: I’ve frequented the service center more than the body shop and haven’t had any major complaints — until recently. First, they are impossible to reach over the phone. The operator forwards your call, which no one picks up, which gets routed back to the operator, who tries to connect you again, and again no one picks up, then they quietly hang up the line in hopes that you too have given up. Second, they pulled a bait-​and-​switch — this is the email that I received:
VW Synthetic Oil Change for $ 49.95 After Mail-​in Rebate***
***Rebate offered by Castrol. Must present offer at time of write-​up. Pricing applies for most models. Model pricing may vary and is subject to change. Pricing includes parts and labor. Taxes are not included. Not to be combined with other offers. Valid at this participating dealership only. Not redeemable for advertised specials, previous purchases, or cash. Offer expires October 31, 2014. See our dealership for complete details.
I got my oil change — which came out to approximately $ 90 — and my mail-​in card to Castrol. So, $ 70 is more than what was advertised, but I went ahead and mailed in the card for my rebate. To my surprise, the check that I received was not only made out to DARCARS, it stated that it was for A FUTURE OIL CHANGE. I contacted customer service but emails seem to go into the same abyss as phone calls. I would rather lose $ 20 than have to go back and give them more business after their dishonest tactics and complete lack of customer service.
I strongly do not recommend coming to this dealer for the body shop or service center. You — and your car — will thank me later.

I was shopping around different offers for a national VW offer and happened to call DARCARS Volkswagen in Silver Spring. I am really glad I did!
I worked with their general sales manager, Kamran, over the phone who offered me a deal that beat any of the competitor’s offers out of the water. And more importantly, I was never made to feel like I was asking them for too much– unlike what I experienced when negotiating with other dealerships in the area.
After I decided that I wanted to go with DARCARS, they expedited the entire process, and made it truly effortless for me. It was my very first car buying experience and I am afraid that I’m spoiled– they were great.
After shopping around at other dealers in the area, I am SO happy I ended up at DARCARS. I look forward to continuing to do business with them in the years to come and want to recommend them to everyone!

My husband made an apt to have his car serviced for 8:15AM on Saturday morning. It took them 2 hours just to look at his car. Then, they said it would be another 2 hours just to give him an estimate for repairs. I am only giving 2 stars because an employee offered to fill the air in his tire and gave him a tip on a better repair shop.

I bought my Touareg from Darcars Silver Spring about two months ago. Leslie greeted us within 30 sec after we walked in the show room and gave us a wonderful car buying experience. She also did a follow up call a week later to check if we need her help for the fancy functions this car provides and set up our first 30 day quality check appointment. I would recommend Darcars VW to for car purchase as they have excellent incentives and competitive pricings. They gave their honest pricing upfront and no games.

I had to bring our 2010 Jetta TDI in for warranty work on a defective exhaust pressure valve. I had just moved back from Europe, where we had bought the car from an American reseller. When i brought the car in there, there was some disconnect between VW USA and VW Europe and the service managers at DARCARS couldn’t authorize the warranty work to be paid for by VW until they tracked it down. It was going to be around $ 1000, so I was a little concerned.
They sent me home in a rental car and told me they would call me when they had some news. The next morning they called and told me it was all taken care of and it would cost me nothing. When I picked up my car not only had they done the original work, but had taken care of 4 other recall issues, and washed my car. The whole time both service managers were pleasant and honest.
So, you may say that they were under obligation to do this, but in my experience many dealerships will take the path of least resistance and do the minimum required. These guys spent a considerable amount of time resolving my unusual issue and were professional to a T.
I’ll be buying my next VW from them.

Love the car. Leslie Zell is an excellent sales woman. Thank you for your patience. She is very knowledgable about cars, and the services that DarCars VW provide. I was very impressed. Thanks Leslie!!!
Harold C.

I had the most pleasant experience with Leslie Zell of darcars vw. Her down to earth approach to cars and people is fantastic and makes the process much more bearable.
She is an enthusiast of cars and has a knowledge base greater than most other sales people (like a service advisor and sales rolled into one).

I bought a car from Brandon Downing at DARCARS, and he was the best. I recommend everyone dealing with him, and the dealership. They picked me up at the airport, got me a super low interest loan, and gave me a sweet deal. Go see Brandon, you won’t be sorry!

We came here to purchase a car. After walking around for 30 minutes we narrowed our choices down to two cars. Unfortunately, we had not yet been approached. FINALLY a salesman who was with a customer said he’d get someone for us. Still… we waited 10 more minutes. We saw another employee, we asked him for help. He said he wasn’t a salesman and would get someone… and we waited 10 more minutes. We finally got in our car and left. These salesmen must be rich because they clearly weren’t eager for a commission.

For a good 3 weeks I was in search for the new 2015 GTI in the manual transmission and today I brought one home with me!
Originally I jumped back and forth between the different VW dealerships in the area to find the perfect price that would fit into my budget. And then eventually, I found myself here. Without a hesitation, whether it is myself again or a friend/​family member that is looking for a VW vehicle, I would recommend the Silver Spring Darcars.
This was my time purchasing a new car right out of college and unlike the other dealerships that I have visited, the employees in the sales and finance department did not take advantage of my short knowledge in car buying but rather explained everything thoroughly (*multiple times! which I am so thankful for) until I was able to comprehend every detail.
Kamaran, Uriel, and Dean were very pleasant to do business with and here I thought that buying a car for the first time would be stressful! Everyone was very knowledgable, friendly, and patient during the whole process.
If you’re looking for a great experience, consider Darcars in Silver Spring. They take care of you and your dream car :)

This was my first time at Darcars despite my living in the area I purchased my car from Martens VW and always took it there for service. Welp I bit the bullet and took a chance since I needed my 40k mile service done and after calling around they were $ 100 cheaper. I had to call 3 times just to get someone on the phone, their website is crappy also. Finally got an appointment and dropped my car off, they gave me a loaner which was great the only drawback was the service advisor was waaaayy to chatty I wound up waiting over an hour just to go over the services performed and to pay. Happy with the service could do without the long waits due to excessive talking. Bottom line is they were cheaper.

I’m giving them 2 stars because it looks like all the 1 star reviews have been filtered. But they deserve 1 star.
I scheduled my VW TDI for it’s 40k service using VW’s website. The 40k service is the first service after the free maintainance period ended, and it’s very expensive and thorough. Even though dealer’s service centers are expensive, I chose Darcars because I wanted everything done right. The 40k is one of the most important for cars with DSG transmissions because it includes a full transmission fluid change, plus air filter, pollen filter, fuel filter, sunroof drainage cleaning, and service on a couple belts (VW’s version of the timing belt — very important to keep in good condition).
So after VW sent the service request to Darcars, they contacted me to scheudule an appointment and quote $ 750. OK, fine — it’s a lot, but honestly not as much as I expected.
I drop my car off at 11pm. The assigned service tech isn’t in the building, so I just check in with the receptionist. Around 3, I see I have an email from Darcars, basically a checklist of all the stuff that is done at the 20k service (oil, etc). I find I have a voice mail from the service tech telling me they found a broken fog light — and call if I want it fixed.
So I try to call the service department a couple times. I can’t ever get through to a human — basically I am put in a phone que loop, where the front desk puts it through to service, no one picks up, and I talk to the front desk again. After wasting some time at this game, I give up. I get to the shop 15 minutes before 5. Lo and behold, the tech has left the building. I’ll have to bring the car back to get the headlight fixed.
The bill is only $ 550. I notice it is missing some key items — DSG service is not mentioned, nor is the sunroof or belts. However, they billed me for oil change & filter, fuel filter, air filter, and a couple odds and ends. $ 550.
Since the tech is gone, no one can answer questions about my car. No one knows if the DSG was serviced, or what they found regarding belts.
So I call back the next day. And the next day. And the next day… Through the week. Their phone system never works. At one point, the tech calls me back but I can’t return HER calls because she doesn’t have a direct extension and is never in the shop.
I try calling the service manager, Kevin. Unfortunately, he doesn’t answer his phone and his voice mailbox is full, so I can’t leave a message.
A few days go by, VW emails me a customer satisfaction survey. So I put in my story… NOW Kevin calls me back. And emails me. And makes sure I get to talk to him.
He tells me the DSG wasn’t serviced. He doesn’t know why. He says of course his techs checked the belts. When I ask about the sunroof, he goes «Your car has a sunroof?» Of COURSE it has a sunroof. IF the shop had bothered to put the VIN into their computer, they’d see it had a sunroof (if they couldn’t see it anyways).
He says I can reschedule an appointment for them to complete the service, which will cost more. At the same time, they could also change the foglight and «take a look at the sunroof» (note, VW recommends cleaning the drainage system at 40k, if this doesn’t happen water will collect and the car will smell moldy).
This shop has now lost my trust, because they clearly aren’t doing things by the book. They never entered my VIN… Who knows if they even knew my car had a DSG, or a sunroof, or required diesel!!!
So I took my car to a non-​VW shop to complete the work. The manager had his techs go over the car with a finetooth comb, and check all the work that had been «completed».
The new shop told me the oil was very black and viscus, like it had been driven 10k, not under 1k since the last oil change. The filter was beginning to break down. The pollen filter was covered with pollen, and they thought it looked about a year old — not 3 weeks old.
They also told me there is a black market for things like oil filters. Techs at dealerships often don’t replace things like oil filters. Instead, they sell them to aftermarket shops, which use them to service cars.
My husband took all the old filters to the shop, and showed them to Kevin. He claimed the second shop was full of crap, that all filters were fresh and had been serviced by his techs. He had no explaination about why they hadn’t serviced the DSG (the cost of which had been pre-​approved by me!), or the sunroof.
So that’s it. I am done with Darcars.
All in all, my 40k cost double what it should have, well over $ 1k. All because Darcars is untrustworthy, and I couldn’t take them at their word when they said they had done some, but not all, of the required service — and when they made it clear they hadn’t entered my VIN # into their computer system to pull up the car’s history.
I never spoke with the service technician who was assigned my car. I never received a call back from Darcars customer service department (as promised in week 1).
Don’t go to Darcars.