R & D Automotive: Bavarian Rocket Science

Wyatt Madej

★★★★★

5 years ago

I'll never be taking my German cars anywhere else. After purchasing my first VW, a 1999 Cabrio, and it needed work to pass inspection I was recommended R&D Automotive. Everyone there was clear, respectful, and honest. They absolutely are the experts when it comes to German cars. They were able to quickly and accurately diagnose the handful of electrical issues that I had that were preventing me and the pervious owner from getting the car to pass inspection. Don't take your German cars anywhere else, these are the guys to go to.

B Mon

★★★★★

5 years ago

Extremely professional and a high level of integrity. I brought my Mercedes in for a brake flush and to replace some driveshaft bushings, turns out I didn't even need those bushings replaced and they were 100% honest with me about what my car did and did not need. These guys clearly care about cars and treated my aging C-class like it was one of their own; much respect for that and I will be bringing in the rest of my European cars for routine maintenance. Thanks guys!

Craig Franklin

★★★★★

2 years ago

Replaced the front brake pads and disks on my 2019 BMW X3 m40i. Fair pricing, clear communication and friendly service. I plan on using them for all the work my car needs in the future and I have full confidence in them

DICE

★★★★★

5 years ago

Chris was extremely professional. Clear communication, cheaper prices than Audi service center. Spoke with him daily while my car was in the shop for about a week and a half. Great work all around. If you need some work done, take it here and not to a dealership.

William Alderisio

★☆☆☆☆

2 years ago

Brought my Boxster in for work….. The WORST case of professionalism and customer service I have ever encountered. R&D had a great reputation and good reviews, but the service I encountered there was an ABSOLUTE JOKE. Terrible communication between workers. Labor and service was agreed upon on passenger door. One of the workers didn’t even look at this door, only briefly checked driver side door. When I complained, I was told to “hit the bricks” and that he didn’t have time for me. He told me to come back in May. Was I not a paying customer? Rick referred to himself as a “professional,” but he wasn’t anything close to that. It pained me to fork over the cash and pay for their incompetent work. You might get lucky and have no issues there, that is if Rick and Bob decide to put their brains in their skull that morning. Avoid at all costs.

Bram Shapiro

★★★★★

5 years ago

R&D performed a pre-purchase inspection of my 1991 e30 BMW convertible. They did a great job. They were spot on in their findings. Their advice allowed me to get the seller to fix an oil leak. They then inspected the car again after the work was completed by the seller and confirmed it was done properly. All done remotely! They were outstanding and I recommend them wholeheartedly.

Matthew Outsen

★☆☆☆☆

3 years ago

I would not recommend R&D. I needed an alignment done on my Audi S4. I didn’t want to pay the stealership to do it because I didn’t want to pay an outrageous amount of money just for an alignment. I drove 1.5 hours to have these guys do it and was reassured it would be done correctly and it was an easy process. Needless to say the car was at the shop for 8 hours just to get a “1 hour alignment”. When I got the car back at 5pm the steering wheel wasn’t straight and the car pulled to the right when I let the wheel go traveling down a straight highway in the left lane with little to no road crown. I immediately called on my way home and I was told this was “normal” and that they align racecars with those same specs. Well, it’s not a racecar… it’s my daily driver and I don’t want to have to hang on the steering wheel just to go straight when I drive down the highway. I ended up going to the dealership and it was aligned perfect, the steering wheel was straight and I’ve had zero issues for 5,000 miles. Lesson learned. Never again will I use R&D.

Carmela Bell

★★★★★

9 months ago

This is the best place to bring my German auto. They are clear and concise with what needs to be done for my vehicle. The expertise work completed on my vehicle is what makes me go back.

Debra Bruns

★★★★★

5 years ago

I brought my BMW 5 Series to R&D for a second opinion after the dealership quoted what I thought was way too much money to fix my car. Tom was totally awesome!! Not only did he squeeze me into their already full schedule but R&D saved me $1,000 off of what the dealership was going to charge. Tom and the staff did a fantastic job and I couldn’t be happier with the repairs and the service I received. If you have a BMW and need a good repair shop, look no further because R&D is it.

Fay W

★☆☆☆☆

10 months ago

Where do i begin. I dropped vehicle off for an oil change and nys inspection. I drive 18 Panamera. These guys changed my air filter a job i didnt ask for and charged me $1100. NEVER BRING YA CAR HERE. 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

Ryan Dolce

★★★★★

3 years ago

My Mercedes broke down when I was 5 hours away from home. It was a very stressful situation as I did not know anyone in the area to fix my car. I stumbled upon this place on Google and I noticed that the reviews are very good and that they worked on German cars. I called on a Saturday afternoon and left a message. I received a call back in less than 20 minutes. I informed the owner of my situation, and he told me not to worry and to get the car towed over to the shop. It was such a relief, knowing that my car was in good hands by someone knowledgeable, and very friendly. They were able to fix the electrical problem that my car was having for a very reasonable price. I cannot thank them enough for getting me out of a very stressful situation. Highly recommend.

Jim Moeschen

★☆☆☆☆

a year ago

Should have read the reviews and followed my gut. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE!!!!! They do not know how to fix the car properly and just throw parts at it to try to fix the problem. Almost $7k and 3 months later my car was returns and doesn’t run properly. Avoid at all cost if you love your vehicle. I put a hold on the credit card payment and the owner said the owner said bring it back and he would fix the problems. Upon my call back several weeks later they denied to correct the issues because the payment went through by them. They are a disgrace to honest mechanics and the entire VAG community.

Debbie

★★★★★

10 months ago

We were traveling through Albany from South Carolina and had an issue with our Porsche. The Porsche dealership in Clifton Park refused to help us unless we waited three weeks even though it was only a one hour repair. But Thomas was able to fit us in the following day and we were able to keep our traveling schedule. We were so grateful for their professionalism and kindness. Thank you!

Vincent Martin

★☆☆☆☆

11 months ago

I echo the reviews on Never bring your car here. Absolute terrible communication and I’m not sure who they have working in there shop but they obviously don’t have a clue on what they are doing. Took my Allroad there for an intermittent rough idle. They performed $1800 dollars worth of work and after I picked it up the engine light was back on before I got home and the car was running no better. So I took it back and then they now tell me it’s needs about $8000 of work to repair it. Either they just didn’t wanna do the job or they just didn’t know what was wrong with it. Either way I then took it to Albany Audi for a second opinion. They had it fixed and back to me in 3 days for $2400. So long story short they soaked me for $1800 for nothing. Again if your thinking of going to R&D Stay far away.. I learned my lesson the hard way

Jeff Jones

★☆☆☆☆

4 years ago

2004 645Ci with 100k on the clock, needed a complete checkup with some minor details like a headlight out and a mysterious shut down of power at high rpm’s. Left the car with R&D for 5-6 weeks and when I picked it up the headlight was still out and the RPM problem still existed. Check engine light still on and he presented me with a $3k bill. Car was returned dirty and left outside his shop in a rough neighborhood. Good luck if you use this shop is all I have to say. Zero communication through the process as well.

Daniel McCabe

★★★★★

4 months ago

My S5 broke down outside of Albany, about 200 miles from home. I called R&D and had the car towed there. They were able to diagnose and repair the transmission for far less than I expected. They were also extremely flexible about when I picked the car up, which was a huge help. I got my car back clean and ready to drive.

Nick Roberts

★☆☆☆☆

a year ago

NO NOT BRING YOUR CAR HERE! I have an 88 Mercedes. I dropped my car off on 7/17/24 and was told they would be able to get it back to me with a quote by next day. I needed my AC repaired, a clunking noise in the front end repaired, sway bar linkages installed (already purchased from the Mercedes Dealer), a dash bulb light replaced, a leak in my fuel pump, and an oil change. I never received a call the next day so I called but unfortunately Thomas said they weren't able to get the quote done. So I called again the next day, still no quote. I called Monday and Tuesday with the same result. I was finally sent a quote on 7/24/24. The front end noise was diagnosed as ball joins and control arms. They included everything else I needed addressed as well as recommending I repair a leak at my rear differential. It was reasonable for the amount of work so I approved it. I asked when I could expect to get my car back, Thomas told me by the end of the following week (expected 8/2/24 at the latest). I called 7/31/24 to see how everything was going and Thomas said they got the AC repaired they just had to get to the rest but they were still hoping to be done by the end of the week. I called back the next day and they confirmed the car won't be done until the following week. I followed up on Tuesday and they told me they did not finish the work and unfortunately the work wasn't done because he had multiple people out sick but they should be able to get it back to me soon. I decided to go to the shop on 8/9/24 as the work should now be done. Thomas told me again the work wasn't done. I looked over the car which was sitting in the same spot as when I dropped it off and it didn't appear anything had been touched but I was told early next week I should get my car back. 8/13.24 I called again with the same result. 8/16/24 I called and Thomas told me most of the work was done but they ran into some issues but they knew I was frustrated and told me I would be able to pick up my car. They told me I would have to come back for sway bar linkage and to get the tie rods replaced as the front end was still making a clunking noise. I requested they send me a quote and I bring the car back when it was more convenient. I drove the car home and the AC was great. Unfortunately that's where the good news ends. The clunking was no better than when I dropped it off, and the dash light was never replaced. When I got home I noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. There was a major oil leak all over the top of the motor. I looked at the oil filler cap and it wasn't even installed correctly which caused an oil to leak from the filler cap all the way from Albany to Saratoga. Frustrated I decided to check to make sure the fuel leak was actually addressed and I noticed there was plastic on my fuel pump which was not there before bringing it to the shop. I brought my car to another shop to get the work done and the shop tells me there is no sway bar link in the rear driver side. They never installed the rear sway bar on the driver side but allowed me to pick up my car. I was told I would have to come back to get them installed but I assumed the original wasn't taken out. I went to R and D on 9/10/24 to talk to them about my issues. I explained the oil filler cap and Thomas agreed that it was unacceptable and ridiculous. He told me the reason they didn't install the new sway bar link was because the old bolt was going to have to be drilled out and will take 5-6 hours. He said there was no way of knowing how much play there was in the tie rods until the ball joints were replaced. I forgot to ask why they charged me for a bulb replacement that was never done. When I asked about the plastic on my fuel pump he was completely dismissive said they didn't do that. I have photos of the fuel pump prior to bringing it to their shop without the plastic. I waited over a month and was charged almost $3000 for unacceptable work. The communication is horrible and the quality of work is horrible. They will make an excuse for any poor work they did. Go somewhere else!