Richard has been our TDI mechanic for quite some time, he knows what hes doing, quality work and very affordable rates. Hes honest and upfront about everything. Highly recommend to everyone!

Richard certainly knows his stuff! Service was completed as promised. Looking forward to the next project.

Excellent work, very good service. Highly recommend!

Richard is very up front and wont do any work he doesnt get approval for. I had multiple suggestions from friends AND where I used to take other vehicles. If youve got a VW Id take it there, assuming you have the time.

Had a DSG service done after hearing all the great things about this shop on a tdi page. Prompt knowledgeable service. I will be back for sure!

Richard is probably one of the greatest mechanics on the Kansas City area that strictly works on Volkswagen vehicles. I highly recommend him if you want a great price!

Found this shop searching for a VW TDI specialist. Richard and crew are both knowledgeable and thorough. If you have a VW or Audi, gasoline or diesel youve found the right shop.

I have had great experience using Cool Air Auto and Richard is very thorough, very honest and very professional. He has saved me a lot of money over the last couple of years and completed his work in a very timely manner. So before you go to a dealership and try to get your car fixed, I would highly recommend getting an estimate from Richard first as he will most likely be able to save you money and complete the work much faster than a dealership.

Couldnt be happier with my experience at Cool Air. Richard took the time to do a thorough job and didnt jump to conclusions. A dealer had tried to sell me a used trans at several thousand dollars. Richard could have done the same, but instead made repairs at a fraction of the cost. I was greatly relieved to have his help. A good business with a reliable and trustworthy owner/mechanic. I highly recommend Cool Air.

I wrote Richard via email regarding advice on a TDI car that I was interested in purchasing. He was extremely quick in response and gave a very useful and insight advice regarding the prospective car. Saved me alot of money since a friend of mine recommended an pre purchase inspection at an Audi dealer that wouldve cost almost $200. If I were to own a VW or a TDI product, I would definitely take it to Richard for service. Extremely highly recommended

I met Richard many years ago at a VW TDI club function. He has helped me get over 400k miles on a 2003 VW Jetta TDI (new owner is still driving it) and another 230k miles on my current VW new beetle TDI. He also has worked on my other gas engine vehicles for problems such as AC issues and a faulty fuel level sending unit. I recommend him to all my friends.

Richard along with his staff are a real class act. I would not trust anyone else with my VW hands down. Absolutely wonderful customer service and is very knowledgeable. Highly Recommended.

They did a great job replacing the brakes and rotors on a 2013 VW Tiguan I brought to them. Best price I was quoted in the area by a mile and did great work. I highly recommend. It’s worth the drive out from closer within the Kansas City Metro Area.

Took our VW Jetta and our Ford hes reasonable and does a good job Richard is a honest man and doesnt over charge

Richard was great his effort to share the knowledge made it easy to get the job done. Even tho we spent days through emails and time differences (Richard is 6+ hrs ahead of me) he was sure to send me the correct part I needed. He caught several typos and even a big mistake that I was asking for parts for the wrong transmission type. I put the VIN in a website and it told me I had a O1M when that was not true. Thanks Richard you saved me a week or more. Plus $100s from the dealership.

I had my 2005 Passat converted to a manual transmission here recently. I am extremely pleased with the conversion. The car is so much more fun to drive, and is getting substantially better fuel economy (got 41mpg on the way home after picking the car up and that was mixed driving in a hurry and not even trying for mileage). The conversion is extremely professional; you would never know that it isnt factory just from looking at it or driving it. I would also like to thank Richard for working with me as I brought the car in from several states away, and so we had to work around my schedule to drop it off and pick it up. He came in after hours so that I could pick up the car, which I greatly appreciate. First-rate customer service and first-rate craftsmanship equals 5 stars.

Richard is awesome. He was so helpful and willing to answer my questions(via email, no less), and pinpointed my problem like a pro. His advice saved me hundreds (if not thousands) in dealership shop charges. Thanks Richard!

You cant find a better VW TDI or Audi tech anywhere else in this city. Not the cleanest shop Ive been to but honesty, Integrity and hard work are what they are full of in this place. Im an auto dealer in Kansas who brings all his cars here.

Did Good Work

I wouldnt trust anyone else with my VW. Honest mechanics who are also experts at what they do are hard to find and Richard is the best.

Hes the best around for sure.

Ive had my 03 Golf TDI into Cool Air Auto twice now. The first was for a head replacement. Everything went awesome and Richard was more than helpful and informative. He had it going in a week or so and it ran better than ever. Today I stopped by due to horrible tick in my injection pump that was more than annoying since I was trying to hit the road tomorrow. Richard replaced the pump in two hours with a working unit he had laying around. I would recommend him to anyone within driving distance. Great all around service and pricing.

After getting an oil change at a dealership, said dealership said we needed new brakes and rotors. Took it to Richard at cool air auto and he showed us that they were lying and trying to rip us off. He saved us hundreds of dollars. I will gladly take my car to him because I can trust him.

Great experience with Richard and his staff. His knowledge of TDIs is impressive and the cost for the repairs on my 2003 Jetta were very reasonable and only around 1/4 of the cost that a dealership offered to fix the problems.

Very trustworthy I feel and does a great job

Excellent speed and quality of service, highly recommend for anyone who owns a VW or Audi vehicle.

Good guy knows his stuff

Richard is a straight shooter and a great mechanic. He fixes the issue and gets you driving again quickly. Very professional and friendly.

Richard is a great guy and does great work. Highly Recommend this place.

Richard and his team swapped the automatic transmission in out Jetta TDI out for a 5 speed. They are very knowledgeable and did a great job.

I have a 2006 TDI Beetle. It was having otherworldly intermittent problems. A local VW Dealer said that we needed a new transmission and wanted $6000 to start work. No doubt it would have cost much more in the end. They will never get our business for anything. Then a well known independent VW repair shop looked at it and said it was beyond their expertise and recommended CoolAirVW. I’m glad they did.Richard had the car for quite a while. He told us it would be some time before he could get to it. Later we talked and he said it might be the computer in the transmission. He also said he was going to do some more diagnostic work to make sure. In the end it was a broken wire. Richard could have stuck with the computer story and charged us $2000 plus. We would have never known. Instead we paid him less than $300. Richard is a good, honest mechanic. The Beetle runs great.Thanks Richard.

After a different mechanic and a dealership couldnt fix our VW Beetle, but Richard worked to totally fix the problem, avoid future problems and save us money. Top recommendation!

Great service, honest and trustworthy Ive taken several cars including my 04 Jetta TDI to Richard and his knowledgeable staff Ive never had a problem or a concern that the job wouldnt be well done.

Richard Middleton is the TDI of people. Like you’re TDI he may have seemed like a good deal at first, but after a couple years it’s plain to see that the entire experience is made up of lies designed to take your money. Like the TDI car, this guy is going the way of the dinosaur. These deceptive business practices aren’t sustainable. Sell your dumb TDI cars.

I have always had great experiences at Cool Air Auto. Most recently, I took my car to a place in midtown b/c I didnt want to drive all the way out to Belton again. The quote I got there was $2200, and I was about ready to just get rid of the car. Called Richard for a second opinion, and was given an alternative method (a used part, which he had in stock) that would only cost $700. When I brought the car in, turned out he could remedy the situation even cheaper (fixing the part I already had), for $500. At that price, even if the fix doesnt last as long, I can do it FOUR TIMES before I approach the cost I was originally given! I really appreciated Richard giving me options that fit what I was looking for. Ive learned my lesson - driving out to Belton may be a pain, but definitely worth the savings and excellent service. The day after I got my car back, I drove it to Chicago for the weekend. Im definitely a satisfied customer!

Another perfect 5 speed conversion, great work and great staff as always, If youre anywhere near KC this is THE place to go

Name says it all, this guy is really cool!!! He diagnosed my 01M problem by email, suggested I look for a TDI Club certified mechanic near me and I did and sure enough I found an excellent one. Saved me tons of money!! If you are near this shop and have a VW TDI. Dont let anyone else work on it but him!!!

My friend took his Jetta wagon here for service. He was very happy with the work performed. So I thought I would try them out. Richard (Owner) takes the time to provide an excellent service consultation. They use quality parts. I had new breaks put on and an oil change with filter. With 98,040 miles so far on my 2006 Jetta, which has only had schedule maintenance and service performed at the Volkswagen Dealer where I bought it. Cool Air Auto is now my go to Volkswagen connection! I am very pleased! Thank you Richard and team.

Im a diesel mechanic by trade and love working on them. My current job doesnt allow for time to repair my own car. I was referred by another customer of Richards. And the top quality work he dose. I have had some bad experiences with other mechanics and was a little worried about letting some one else work on my TDI, be sides me. But I was soon to learn that air cool auto is the Best place you can bring your VW TDI!!!!!! Best work I have ever had done on a car. There is nothing left wanting after the repair is done.

My wife and I have recently moved to Kansas City from Pennsylvania. We own a 2006 Jetta tdi. We have been having problems with the car not running good for several years now. (Running rough, no power, smoking) so after thousands of dollars in misdiagnosed repairs we decided to get rid of the car even though we like it and is excellent shape. Before we were able to trade it, it started to run horrible and let us sit broke down. I had found cool air auto (Richard) on the internet while trying to diagnose a previous problem, so we had it towed to his shop. This was on a Sunday. By Monday Richard had diagnosed the problem and called and told us the motor need a cam shaft lifters and everything else that goes with that problem. He told us that this was a common problem with this moter and he has done Twenty two of them. We decided to let him do the work. He finished the job in a timely manner and kept us posted on the progress. Have had the car back for two weeks now and are just so happy about the way the car is running after a major repair. It hasnt run like this in years. We will be keeping the car if it continues to run this way. He also did a software upgrade, brake job and air conditioning repair. We thought the price we were charged was fair for the work he preformed. I could tell from the start Richard is a very busy man but he did take time to answer all my texts, emails and phone calls. We would recommend and refer him to anyone with a TDI. We appreciated his professionalism and are looking forward to doing business with cool air. Thanks Richard!!!

Richard and his staff took great care of a special project I gave them. I knew they worked on VW Tiptronic transmissions but I didnt know if they would be able to help me with my 1992 Porsche 968 Tiptronic. Richard told me to bring it down, gave me a few different options for repair, and then made my old car drive like new! They even replace the rack and pinion on that car and its better be than ever! I highly recommend seeing Cool Air Auto for your VW AND Porsche needs.

As a TDI owner, feel very lucky to have these guys in the area. Always honest and knowledgeable. Had a quote for over $1800 on an AC repair. Took it Cool Air and he had it making ice cubes for $300. Definitely trust them with my 11 Sportwagen TDI.

Richard is by far the best VW mechanic around. I will only let him work on my EuroVan and Golf.

Richard is a knowledgeable vw mechanic. I needed to have a timing belt/water pump job done to my 2004 tdi and have no time during the week. After discussing our options, Richard offered to come in Saturday morning and had it finished by noon.As a plus he also let me know some about some things that were broken and worn on my car and options for fixing them, while at the same time not giving me the ol I wouldnt drive until thats replaced sales pitch. The next time I need something done Ill be taking my tdi 45 minutes back over to Belton.Knowledgeable, trustworthy, reliable!

Great work. Definitely bring your TDI here!

Very helpful with diagnosing some issues with my Golf GTI. They are very knowledgeable specialists with VWs. I would highly recommend them.

369,000 Mile Visit - I wasn’t sure what was causing the Jetta not to perform at high RPM and at times to shut the turbo down. We discussed different ideas and thoughts. Richard started troubleshooting. It didn’t take him long to figure out 2 simple problems. A vacuum leak and a simple adjustment on the turbo linkage. It also needed an EGR value but we know that when we started. Just another example of Richard’s knowledge and expertise to identify and troubleshoot the problem and how ethical he is to fix today’s problems and not take advantage of the situation. Thanks -2002 VW Jetta TDI 311,000 Miles - Now 324,000 Mile Update324,000 Mile VisitAnother pleasurable experience with Richard and the guys at Cool Air Auto. I scheduled a timing belt maintenance, it was due 324,000 miles. I waited for the car since I live about 1.5 hours away. The guys were great, it took about 6 hours, but I always feel I get a great deal and sometimes more than I paid for. They had problems with the bolts stripping out on the engine mount. The changed out the block and got me back on the road without increasing the overall price. They also told me the Alternator was week and needed to be replaced. Good to know right before winter, I didn’t want to get stuck in the cold. I changed the Alternator the next day, it was covered under warranty. I know I wouldn’t have been treated that good at the dealer I used to go to. To me Cool Air Auto is worth the drive, I’ll be back the next time the Jetta needs something.311,000 Mile Visit -The Jetta was having a ruff idle and a flatness or hesitation at higher RPM under load. The last time it was at the dealer they told me the Intake manifold was getting clogged and I should make plans to get it cleaned. I was assuming the manifold was the issue since it has been 190,000 miles since it was done. The dealer wanted $750.00 to preform the work. I was research the job on the Internet when I came across Richard and his shop. He was spoke very highly of on the TDI forum and had great reviews on the Internet. I decided I would have Richard preform the work and scheduled an appointment.Upon inspecting the manifold Richard rated its dirtiness a 2 on the 10 scale and recommended not to do the work at this time and we discussed the issues I was having. He adjusted the injector pump which took care of the ruff idle and suggested looking into the MAF sensor for the hesitation issue. Instead of paying to troubleshoot the issue I choose to just replace the sensor myself. I figured the cost of the sensor would probably be close to the cost of troubleshooting and in the end I might have to buy the sensor anyway.I appreciated Richards honesty for not doing work I didnt need and his knowledge and expertise to quickly identify and fix my particular issues. Now the Jetta runs better than it has in a long time at a cost of $175.00 instead of $750.00 to the dealer to work on something that would not have fixed either issue. I will return to Richards shop in the future as needs arise.

One of the best VW mechanics in the country. Richard went above and beyond by spending his Sunday under my Jetta TDi so I could get out of town in time. He flawlessly converted my automatic to a manual transmission, replaced all front suspension parts, installed a Stage 3 Malone tune, and larger injectors. All within a week.

Found these guys on the TDI Club and gotta say Im really happy. They did an auto to manual swap on my 2002 Jetta TDI. Richard was fair when encountering some additional items that needed attention and extremely knowledgable on tackling this project. This certainly is not the shops first rodeo ... theyve been here before. Price was good too. You can never rush an auto body guy or a mechanic. Projection time was close to accurate but once the job was started it appeared as if they were done the next day. Not shabby for the scale of this project. My advice ... be fair to the shop and they will be extremely fair to you. Good luck and yes I recommend this shop and will continue to use them.

Ive taken my 2000 Golf TDI to Richard at Cool Air Auto a couple of times. Most recently I was on my way out to Colorado and had turbo boost issues through the flint hills. Searching the web had me convinced the turbo was going out so I turned around and brought it to his shop, expecting to pay an arm and a leg for a new turbo. He got me in right away to diagnose it... 30 minutes and $30 later hed found and fixed a boost piping leak and I was back on the road. Even fixed a faulty brake pad wear sensor while I was in.If you have a TDI I highly recommend Richards shop. I found him on a list of trusted TDI gurus and hes definitely lived up to the title.

I found Richard on TDIClub and read up on his work. He came recommended. I brought him my Passat TDI for a auto to manual swap. Drove 840 miles from Winnipeg, MB Canada to see him. The end result was nothing short of amazing. Looked completely OEM and he made sure I knew what was going on every step of the way. Great communication. Keep up the awesome work!

I found Richard and his shop searching around the web trying to diagnose an issue I was having with my 02 TDI Jetta. I traded a couple of emails with him and he helped me with some quick troubleshooting. We even discussed potential cost up front because I am on a tight budget. He got to work on my car immediately and had it fixed the next day (ended up being the speed sensor). It was a great experience and a very reasonble price. I highly recommend his shop for VW work, as I have troubles finding one to do good work at a decent price.

Cool Air Auto has saved me money each time I have used them for my TDI Jetta. He has done my timing belt cheeper than other shops/dealerships and also fixed my A/C for a fraction of the cost that the dealer would. I feel very comforatable taking my diesel car to him knowing he knows what he is doing. I dont get that same feeling when i take my car to the dealership whos experience with Diesels could be very suspect.Will continue to be a repeat customer!

I learned of Richard through TDIforum as a trusted mechanic. I was lucky to have found him. He diagnosed my problem and replaced the severly worn cam (I saw it) at less than 1/2 of what it would have cost me at the dealership. What I like about Richard is that he is a Christian man, he has a passion for his work and he knows VWs. He also told me how to fix a few things myself which showed me character. You want your mechanic to have character.

I drove my 2004 Passat to KC for a convention. My serpentine belt was increasingly making more and more noise. Through TDIClub, I found Cool Air Auto and got in touch with Richard who was willing to get me that afternoon to have a look.As I limped my way to his place there was a thunk and my power steering pulley came off and trailed me down Rt71 at 60 mph. Since I would be leaving town shortly, he ordered a new part, then pulled a part from another long-term project Passat and had me up and going the next afternoon.His business manner was direct and clear. His diagnosis was accurate. His pricing was straghtforward and reasonable. Overall, he quickly earned my trust - both professionally and in personal integrity. I came upon Cool Air Auto through happenstance. Now I would seriously consider driving out of my way to have Richard work on my TDI. He well deserves the rank of Trusted TDI Mechanic.

My experience with Cool Air Auto was by far the best experience I have ever had with a mechanic. I was on a cross-country road trip when my automatic transmission on my 2002 VW Jetta TDI began to go. I went to a transmission shop that diagnosed it as a bad valve body, and gave me an estimate of between $3000 and $4500 dollars to install a used automatic transmission. I did not have the money for this, so I continued on my road trip as my transmission became increasingly inoperable. I looked on the TDI Club Forum and determined through much research that Cool Air Auto was the best place to have my transmission replaced. I called there and spoke with Richard who helped me to decide that a 5spd swap was the best decision for my car. He was willing to do it pretty much as soon as I got the car to Missouri even though it was the week of July 4th. He worked in the 110+ weather over the weekend and on the 4th of July to repair my car ASAP. He kept me up to date on the progress he was making on my vehicle, and his speed of work helped to keep my time in my rental down as much as possible. As a woman who understands a decent amount about cars, I am often talked down to by mechanics: This was not the case he listened to all of my concerns and explained the process to me in detail. He is a one of a kind mechanic and if I lived closer he would be the only mechanic I would ever have work on my VW. The transmission swap took place 1 year ago (due to my cross country travels in that year I have put on over 50k) I had elected to have a used transmission as well as many of the parts for the job to keep the cost down: I have had absolutely no problems with the transmission and components, it still continues to run great. I must also mention that this exceptional service also came at a GREAT PRICE. Cool Air Auto is the best of the best. I am so grateful for the service I received there.

I found Cool Air Auto after searching to find a solution to the issue my daughters 2003 Turbo Beelte (01M) was having. After reading through forums, etc... I found that the advice from Cool Air was helping people fix thier transmission issues. The estimate I received was $2,500-$3,500 to rebuild the transmission.It was deduced that a replacement valve body was needed - I would have had Cool Air rebuild it but I live in Southern California and the turn around time would have extended the repair longer than we could wait. After replacing the valve body (pruchased from the VW dealer) the transmission lost all forward gears while in Drive but was ok in 1,2 & 3 but no Overdrive.The dealership said that without checking or replacing the valve body wiring harness that they would not warranty the valve body for a return if neeed - this harness is $300+ at the dealer. I was able to purchase a valve body harness from Cool Air for $129 shipped - it arrived in two days and fit exactly like the factory harness and connectors.Richard suggested I perform the manual valve adjust - that fixed it!Not only did the valve body fix the original issue but the manual valve adjustment resolve the issue I caused by making the adjustment in neutral instead of park.All in all, we spent $900 total on the valve body, fluid, filter, harness, etc... which saved us from having to have the transmission rebuild.Cool Air is a God send and we are very blessed to have been able to work with them to get the issues resolved - no one and I mean no one I spoke with narrowed it down as quickly in person let alone through email. I know certified VW technicians that couldnt narrow down the initial concern as well as the post valve body concern.Thanks again Cool Air (Richard), your help with our issue was truly pricess. Everyone should have the passion you have with what they do in life - it would make the world a much better place.

After talking to Richard and reviewing his web links, I followed his directions on removing and installing my VW Jetta TDi 01M Transmission valve body. I sent the valve body to CoolairVW for refurbishment, and after 3 yrs, I am still very pleased with the operation of my transmission. Thanks to Richards guidance, support, and repair, I put new life in my 2000 Jetta. I now have over 310,000 miles, and still working fine.EdjetEd Dantzer

Richard is the best and prices are good