BAR Tuning

You all were LIFESAVERS! I thought I’d be screwed after I noticed my car flooded in Houston after all that weather craziness. Ya’ll started work on my flooded car immediately and kept moist/​mold problem under control until the insurance company finally got to the car inspection. I was updated the entire way. After all of your work, it’s pretty much impossible to tell there was a lick of water damage. It even smells better. Thank you Mike and everybody!

I have mixed feelings about BAR Turning and Mike Staley. I’ve gone to him for years with 2 different cars, 1 of which I purchased directly from his parents, which ended up having numerous issues he glazed over. I’ve recommended him to friends who have subsequently had similar experiences to me. I no longer recommend him.
Mike is a salesman as much as he is a mechanic. He is enthusiastic and is the type of person who makes any ‘problem’ or issue sound like it’s amazing and not such a big deal, however, once you hand over your money or car and you’re effectively on the hook, contact drops off and you’re left waiting longer than anticipated or the problem he mentioned is conveniently not that big an issue and is not addressed properly. My friend and I have had to bring our cars back for issues that have reoccurred due to not being addressed the first time it was dropped off.
Another thing is the cost. In the past he’s glazed over cost of repair only to be hit with a massive invoice upon arrival. There’s not much you can do at that stage to dispute an invoice.
As an alternative, I tried another shop (VW Autoworks) and Das Autohaus. I recommend both over BAR Tuning.

Mike is amazing. Wouldn’t even consider taking either of my German cars anywhere else! He has tunes and worked on my GTI, as well as my wife’s jettasportwagen. Top notch work, expertise, and a true passion for German cars! He talked me through a new purchase (wife’s car was totaled! Not her fault!) did an inspection on it (Audi A3 Used) before I purchased it, and helped me figure out how to negotiate a better deal to boot!!! He is the only one to touch any of my cars!
All service! All tuning! Pick the best! Bar tuning for the win!

So these guys work on Audis, Volkswagens and all sorts of exotic cars… some how I got them to do a brake job on my C6 Corvette. They are extremely profession, courteous and FAST. The brakes feel great and I have a added bonus… very little brake dust on my wheels. It has been months and my wheels are easy to polish and they used to be a pain. Its like having a good friend in the car repair business. Thanks Mr Bar. Bill F

Great service! Even though it took a day later, Mike made sure he did the job right. My brother got a flat tire taking me there and he helped change it. I will be back.

Got our car tuned here with APR software. Very knowledgeable staff and very friendly. The place looks old but don’t let that deter you! Great place to get your performance upgrades.

Service was great. Very friendly and knowledgeable. My first time there and will definitely come back.

Mike Staley is a hack! His previous customer says it all in another honest review,
«Several bad experiences of not fixing or diagnosing the problem properly, wasting my time and money. Not to mention horrible customer service (not return phone calls, poor information) If you dont have a suped up lamborgini or gasser, you may as well plan on getting some crappy service. Do not get fooled into thinking there are any good diesel mechanics there. Service has gone down the shitter ever since I started going there. DO NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE!!»
I spent over ten thousand dollars with this shop and Mike Staley did nothing but ruin my car and got all of his work redone. This shop is a complete joke in the Audi/​VW world. Do yourself a favor and do a little research before committing anything to this shop and go elsewhere. Please learn from my mistakes.

Took my daughters 2010 Bug to Mike on a friends recommendation. She tried to go Baja in it and busted the radiator bracket and punched a hole in the coolant line for the condenser. The dealership wanted to break me down like a shotgun, so I went for a second opinion.
Mike fixed it without having to replace the entire line like the dealership stated, saving me a ton of cash.
No games, no loading you up with a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Mike loves cars and is straight up and friendly. He’ll be. My go too guy now on.

Mike and his team are absolutely phenomenal! They are so talented, I drove from Dallas to Houston to have BARTUNING tune my brand new 2014 VW Jetta GLI. The drive was completely worth it as I couldn’t trust my brand new car to anyone else. While spending the day at the shop, I had the opportunity to meet many people that just came in to say, «hi» to Mike and chat with him. Mike is extremely knowledgable and the service he provides is outstanding. He has a true fan base! I will not be taking my car anywhere else, and I will be happy to drive to Houston anytime for the amazing service at BARTUNING.

BAR Tuning is really great. I don’t trust most mechanics, but these guys don’t try and sell you anything you don’t need and don’t apply any pressure at all, which goes a very long way with me. The shop is nice and it is very comforting knowing that they really are specialists/​enthusiasts with European cars. If you have a European car, I highly recommend to bring your car here for any needs.

BAR Tuning is a European auto repair /​tuner /​life saver shop located in Houston. Similar to another review here, I recently relocated to Texas from Florida looking for a reputable shop to fix what I thought was bad CV-​Joints or Axles.
After searching Google and visiting the APR (Performance Parts Manufacturer) site, I found BAR Tuning as a authorize dealer. I called them up and spoke to Clint and with my usual cautious «I’m not ready to get ripped off attitude» I asked if they could fix CV joints and how much would it cost. He was patient and responded in a kind manner stating that they would need to see the car and diagnose the issue in order to determine if and what needed to be replaced.

I drove over and they did exactly as stated which was pull the car in the bay and onto the lift to examine the axles. After looking everything over the owner Mike came out to introduce himself and asked me to go for a ride with him to confirm the noise that I was hearing. We drove about 50 yards and he explained that the issue is with the wheel bearing hub. He showed me the exact part needed in order to resolve the problem along with the cost to complete the repair. Zero up selling and absolutely no gimmicks by Mike or anyone at the shop.
Once the parts were delivered to the shop, the work was completed in a short period of time.

When dealing with people, I am able to easily determine who’s being genuine and who’s not. Without a doubt this is one of the most trustworthy places I have ever visited for service. Mike’s knowledge about general automotive is extremely vast, but his tuner knowledge is unparalleled to any other that I have spoken to in the industry. After having the maintenance issues resolved I advised that I will be heading back for upgrades.
It’s extremely easy to write a book about BAR Tuning, and how unbelievable their quality of service and work ethics are compared to other shops. However nothing will do this place justice except recommending someone to experience the same as I have.

Here’s my story… I moved to Houston from Hawaii about 2 weeks ago. Somewhere along the 10 between CA and TX, I hit my 40k mile mark. Having spent countless nights reading VWVortex to prepare myself for the upcoming services and issues one would expect in owning a European car, I knew this service was crucial. I spent most of my first week here Unilocaling and scanning forums for a good shop to get the work done.
My first stop is the dealership, where I am quoted upwards of $ 490 for what is ultimately just an oil change, the DSG transmission flush would cost me another $ 400. Luckily, I met a few Houstonian’s who pointed me in a few directions. One of them HIGHLY recommended BAR Tuning, specifically the owner, Mike Staley. At this time, I had already set up an appointment at a different shop. I call Mike and talk with him briefly about what was needed. From a simple phone call you really get an idea of how friendly and helpful this guy is. It was very refreshing in comparison to the various other shops I spoke with. He explains to me the procedure for the 40k service INCLUDING the DSG service (I like this guy already), requested to see the car before he could quote me a price, gave me a time frame and set up an appointment for the following morning.
Judgement day. I jump in my car and head over to BAR Tuning. Which might I add, is easy to find! I enter this very clean, furnished office and am greeted by the most friendly staff I’ve ever met at a tuning shop. They check out the car and determine what is required, explain it to me, and give me a price. I’m still a newbie to the whole VW scene but I’ve been in to cars for a while so I know when someone is telling me the truth. Mike Staley is definitely an honest guy who really cares about his customers. He gave me my options; what needs to be changed and what doesn’t. The price was astronomically less than the dealer price, but slightly higher than the original shop I was going to go with. This increase was understandable because we went with premium oil and that definitely upped the price for good reason. The DSG fluid and filter replacement was a big deal for me and Mike proved to be a pro at that. The guys replaced the fluid and filter, and then took it step further to recalibrate the DSG — something the dealer and prob a bunch of other shops won’t do for you. Mike kept me really involved in the whole process so I knew what was going on and I could clearly see them working on it through the shop window.
After I left, I could immediately sense the difference with the oil quality and the DSG service. Everything just seemed smoother. I am really thankful for Mike, Clint and everyone else at BAR Tuning. They’re really great. They gave me a bunch of pointers on what to do with the car in the future, what to do in Houston, and just really kept me entertained with conversation while I waited.
I definitely recommend BAR Tuning for anyone with a Euro. These guys know what they’re doing! I’m definitely going to them for my next service, and so forth. Hopefully for an APR chip in the future as well. :)

Not the place to go to if you have a TDI. Several bad experiences of not fixing or diagnosing the problem properly, wasting my time and money. Not to mention horrible customer service (not return phone calls, poor information) If you dont have a suped up lamborgini or gasser, you may as well plan on getting some crappy service. Do not get fooled into thinking there are any good diesel mechanics there. Service has gone down the shitter ever since I started going there. DO NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE!
Just one case (out of a couple) but paid 2300 for a new turbo (was diagnosis of underboost) that took 3+ weeks to complete. Had rental car entire time. Picked it up only to find out that I have the same problems. wrong diagnosis, wasted my money and time. No apology or offer to fix correctly. Do not go there. Period.

The only reason I’m giving this four stars and not five is that I can’t completely compare this place to any other just yet as I’ve only taken advantage of their pre-​purchase inspection service, but let me tell you that it was a great experience thanks to Mike (a surprisingly friendly and outgoing owner) and his crew.
My roommate decided to take a used Mercedes here before agreeing to buy it and Mike took us for a test drive, raised it up and inspected it himself along with another of his employees, brought us under the car and pointed out a few things, gave his opinion, and helped my roommate save around around $ 800 that was knocked off the final sales price once we showed BAR’s documentation. Not to mention it gave my roommate some peace of mind that someone so passionate about cars gave a pretty glowing recommendation despite some minor issues. This comfort cost $ 115.
Even though we didn’t have any intricate service done, I must note that Mike seems very detail oriented and takes great pride in is work; I say this because while we were waiting for our turn I witnessed him take part in pretty much every other customers’ service routine in some way. In addition, while we were being rung up and he was making notes on our bill, he had to quickly rush off and leave the task to his front office clerk because he needed to approve of a repair before releasing it to the customer.
Admittedly my experience was limited, but I thought Mike’s enthusiasm deserved some recognition. I’ll update this review when I have some more encounters with BAR Tuning.

I highly recommend everyone purchasing a used car to get a pre-​purchase inspection check, especially at BAR Tuning for european cars. I was in desperate need of getting a 2^nd opinion of a used Jetta I was thinking of buying and thank goodness for the great Unilocal reviews, I called and took the car to Mike.
They advertise that they work with integrity and honesty and I can tell you that Mike is definitely one of the most honest mechanics I’ve met and I knew that I could trust his judgment and expertise after him giving me advice on Volkswagen and about the used car I brought to him. I would have saved myself thousands of dollars if I didn’t go to BAR Tuning. Mike and his staff immediately could tell the amount of damage the used jetta had gone through, all the way from a rear ended collision to the paint job. I was really thankful because I would have never caught some of the details he saw on the car — only because he knows so much about volkswagens and have worked on them.
So any european car owners and those looking to buy used cars, BAR Tuning is the place to go without feeling ripped off or skeptical. Don’t forget to call and make an appointment!

I’ve put this review off for far too long. BAR Tuning is an exceptional place to take your auto for repair or more. The owner, Mike, really loves cars and takes great care in making sure you know exactly what is happening to your car and how much it will cost. I’ve taken my Audi to several repair shops (not in Houston) and have always had good luck, why? Going to enthusiast web sites with forums is the fastest way to find a reputable shop in your area and I found BAR Tuning on one of these sites and could not be happier with the work they have done. Mike and his crew know cars and I’m thankful they do… because I don’t.

Unaware of where to take my Volkswagen for it’s Stage 1 APR ECU Upgrade, I took a chance on BAR-​TUNING, and I coundn’t have had a better experience. The owner (Mike) and his staff was professional & friendly.
I’m kind of a dullard when it comes to tuning my VW, but they made every effort to explain everything in great detail so I knew what was going on. They even let me into the shop and showed me the process.
You hear a lot about mechanics running a rip-​off raquet, but not here. The guys were honest and open about everything. Thanks again Bar-​Tuning! As far as I’m concerned there’s no where else to take my Jetta.
Thanks again Mike and Clint.

I would not let just anyone work on my new VW TDI Jetta sportswagen so imagine how long I vexed over letting Mike pull the engine on my Ferrari F355 Berlinetta S/​N 101 141. Actually not long — Mike and I have been in agreement on every aspect of the cars repair and I ecstatic that Mike and
are repairing my car. Thanks Staley Family.

This place is called «BAR Tuning» now, but Mike and his employees are at the top of a very short list of people who I’ll let turn a wrench on any of my vehicles. As a professional mechanic myself, I’m pretty picky, so if I’m satisfied you’ll probably be too.
He’s not the cheapest, but he’s honest and knows what he’s doing. That’s hard to find in a mechanic. If you have a new European car, particularly a VW or Audi, he’s the best bet short of going to the dealer, and he’s a whole lot cheaper than them. I’ve even had him work on my F150 as well with great results.
It’s not easy to find, but it’s worth it.