Paul Miller Volkswagen of Bernardsville

We bought a 2010 Jetta TDI diesel wagon, driving 2 hours from home because Bernardsville VW (NJ, off Route I-287) had a large allocation and our local dealer had maybe one of this model and 4 buyers. When from home because Bernardsville VW (NJ, off Route I-287) had a large allocation and our local dealer had maybe one of this model and 4 buyers. When we ordered the car, they offered a NAV device (integrated into a fancy radio system), and we paid them $2000 for it -- steep, but we reasoned that a built-in NAV would avoid the theft issue (our previous car was broken into, costing us about $1200 in repairs, plus replacing the Garmin and a stolen laptop, plus a lot of time and aggravation). The NAV device is from a company called Rosen -- not as attractive as Garmin or what our Honda has -- but as Bernardsville VW and their signage promised, appears to be made for this make, model and year of car. We also bought a 7 year warranty for the car through VW. First, when we went to register the car in Connecticut, it turned out Bernardsville VW had failed to give us one of the documents we needed. They were apologetic and said they'd overnight it. It arrived a couple days later by regular mail. Okay. Annoying, but mistakes happen. The analog speedometer worked oddly; we thought maybe it was registering kilometers and that a simple programming tweak would fix it. We couldn't find it in the manual, and we thought it could wait for the first servicing. Then the information panel which displays the odometer, digital speedometer, tank range, etc., started intermittently displaying random white lines and no information. We took it to our local VW dealer in Connecticut, whose service manager had never seen that before. At his suggestion, we made an appointment (here) and took it in. It turned out that it was the way the NAV device was installed, or a problem with the radio/NAV device. Since the local dealership hadn't installed the Rosen NAV/radio, it was not his problem. He charged us $50 for their time. So today we took it back to Bernardsville -- a 4 hour roundtrip, plus waiting time of 3 hours. Bernardsville VW's response? Not their problem. Our problem. They didn't have parts on hand to fix the wiring problem, and they reinstalled the original radio. I suppose we're going to make another long round trip once the parts come in. Net net? It's not their problem! We're out $2000 and have a lovely $2000 doorstop. They offered it, they installed it, but they don't stand behind it. Sorry folks! Our advice? If you like the plain vanilla car, as it comes from the factory, Bernardsville VW might be just fine. But don't assume that Bernardsville VW stands behind anything themselves, even if they've sold you a $2000 add-on from THEIR selected vendor. The funny thing is that Bernardsville VW has a deal offering free tires for the life of your car, if they do all the service on your car. (They don't manufacture tires, as far as I know, and neither does VW.) But they won't stand behind the radio/NAV device, sold and installed at a premium price. What do we want? Either a car that works -- little details like speedometer, odometer, etc. -- with the NAV/radio device we paid them $2000 for, or our $2000 plus tax back (and the information panel and speedometer working, of course). Are we being unreasonable? I don't think so. STEER CLEAR! If they issue a check, I'll gladly post the information here. In the meantime, I'd advise you to use the web, and see what other customers have to say. I'm realizing we're not the only unhappy customers, but I didn't think to look before we bought. We were too trusting. How could the largest VW dealership in the NY Metro area not be worthy? Shame on us. More

I visited this dealership and put a down-payment on a 2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI in August 2009. Part of the deal was to submit for the cash for clunkers program. They submitted my claim but never follo 2010 Jetta Sportwagen TDI in August 2009. Part of the deal was to submit for the cash for clunkers program. They submitted my claim but never followed up with it. The new car was due to come in during October and the cash for clunker program requires that the dealership provide a status update every week. Well because of the carelessness of the dealership, my eligible claim was rejected and I ended up loosing out on $4,500 for my clunker. I contacted the manager at the dealership, Ed Levinstone, and asked why his dealership failed to handle my claim correctly and he told me that I am a nobody, I am only one of 78 claims and he didn't want to take the time to resubmit with the cash for clunkers program because he didn't want to get audited by the government. Ed Levinstone then had the nerve to ask me to back out of my down-payment because he had other prospective buyers. This car was our wedding present and he even called me up when I was on my honeymoon to make me have to call him back to verbally confirm I wanted the car despite the fact I put a downpayment on it before I left and told him the exact date of my return to finalize the deal. I had to take the time to call him back while I was on my honeymoon to tell him to keep my deposit on the car! The day I came to the dealership to pick up the car I was not on their list and they were not ready for me. I had to wait 30 minutes before being helped. In the final price for the vehicle, they charge a bogus amount of $200 for documentation and handling. I wanted the charge removed before finalizing the sale but they told me either I pay it or go somewhere else. I guess I should be lucky to get the car for just MSRP since other dealerships were offering the car for "only $500 over sticker". Before I left the dealership on the day I picked up my car, I had asked Ed Levinstone the manager if I could get mudflaps for the car (a port option for only a few dollars more). He told me that it was too late, that I should have been smart enough to think about that before and if I wanted to get them, I would have to buy them through his sales department. Overall, this dealership does not care about people. All they want is your money and they will try to scam you anyway possible. This all starts at the top with Ed Levinstone and his greedy careless mentality. THERE ARE OTHER VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIPS IN NEW JERSEY. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. More

BEWARE of Bernardsville VW Service Department. Drove the car in one morning and could barely drive it out in the afternoon. Took it in for "loss of power" and they diagnosed a bad catalytic converter for $ car in one morning and could barely drive it out in the afternoon. Took it in for "loss of power" and they diagnosed a bad catalytic converter for $1000. I said I would take the car home and think about it. Upon starting the car, it blew black smoke and had no power whatsoever. It was barely driveable. I immediately drove it to another service station at about 30 mph - as fast as it would go. And to note, the VW Service man said that he "guaranteed" that the cat would fix the problem. Haha, many fixes later my car is running well again. NEVER, EVER trust your car to VW in Bernardsville. Having spoken to the general manager there, about this, he proved to be as ignorant as his mechanics. Sad state of affairs there for sure. STAY AWAY or be prepared to give them lots and lots of your money. More

I am the owner of a Passat and I have had several issues with my car and I find that when I take it to this particular dealership I get the issues resolved. I have taken my car to other dealerships much cl with my car and I find that when I take it to this particular dealership I get the issues resolved. I have taken my car to other dealerships much closer to my home but have NOT had the same level of service. I am not one of the most pleasant people to be around when something goes wrong, but I find that Andrea has ALWAYS been pleasant with me. This is a sign of good service person. The customer is always right! I am a very busy person with many things going on in my life but I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the service personnel at Bernardsville Volkswagen for their commitment to their customers. Keep up the great work!!! Thanks again, Maria More

AVOID having your car serviced at this dealership. Over-priced parts and labor, scare tactics to get you to rush into repairs, poor customer service (requests to see "failed parts" are not always hono Over-priced parts and labor, scare tactics to get you to rush into repairs, poor customer service (requests to see "failed parts" are not always honored, then they lie about it if reported to VW "Customer Care"). Dealership owner (Tony Altomare) claims that they are "dedicated to customer satisfaction", which I have yet to see. In this economy, it's really foolish for business owners to not (at the very least) meet their loyal customers half-way and resolve complaints in a fair manner. Never again. I'm switching car companies and telling everyone I know to avoid VW and Bernardsville VW. (My experiences: Clutch failed at 20,000 miles: $2,000. Braked failed soon after: $600. Engine light came on: charged me to diagnose the problem & claimed that I needed a $800 repair ASAP...light went off & a mechanic friend told me there was nothing wrong with the car. Prices for an oil change seem to change on a whim. Bad, Bad business. I'm contacting the BBB next.) More

I have 153,000 miles on my Jetta 1.8t 2002. Check engine light has been on more than its been off. I already replaced the catalytic converter once at 90,000 miles. Recently had the check engine light blink light has been on more than its been off. I already replaced the catalytic converter once at 90,000 miles. Recently had the check engine light blink and brought it to this dealership. They replaced 2 engine coils which went bad. Mind you, this is after the "defective ones" were replaced back at 45,000 miles by same dealership. Today I had to bring it back for same blinking check engine light. This time it was conveniently the 3rd one that went bad. They tried to charge me about the same price for one engine coil repair that they charged for two engine coils two months earlier. I argued the price and he suddenly could charge me a cheaper rate. Then he states the converter needs to be changed again - for $899. Told him forget it. Its been a bitter sweet relationship with this car. Bad engine coils can cause converters to go bad. Unused fuel builds up in the converter and ruins them. Watch out! Won't be buying another VW. More