VW Independents and garages in Bristol

[SRC1]

Moved to Bristol from London four years back and was looking for a reliable and cost effective independent garage for my Golf and wife's Touran.
Am finicky when it comes to servicing, and like to pay a 'fair price' for quality. (Who doesnt!), hence did a fair bit of research since quality of workmanship and parts of a car service or part replacement can only be judged months later after the service!
Read reviews on this forum, and had a look at few. Tried few of them over last few years. Sharing my experiences as this may benefit others looking for same.

1. Main dealer - Heritage at BS4 3QB. Would recommend on balance. Priciest as expected, but have generally done a good job (8/10) except only in my last service (Nov 2015) when a rookie seemed to have been in charge, and standards slipped. Genuine parts provide peace of mind, but they do provide extra value at times - e.g. they arranged with VW to replace a part free of cost even when it was out of warranty, bulbs are installed free (just pay the price of bulb), wash/vacuuum etc. done well, and their diagnosis sheets are very informative. Service + MOT together saves a few pounds than doing separately. They have another branch at Weston, but i prefer the quality of service at Bristol. Have mostly used these guys as over a few years - the peace of mind well exceeds the costs saved and hassle of independents. For two services and two MOTS a year - try the VW fixed service plan.

2. Vee W - BS3 4AG - Knowledgable and helpful. Does try to save you a few pounds if repairs are unnecessary - since i can go over-the-top. Did power windows and dampeners for me.

3. StreetWise Automotive - BS5 9DF - Avoid. Friendly, try to make customers feel comfy, have facilities like retuning and ICCU remaps - but quality of actual mechanics are erratic. They say they use original VW parts but my experiences have shown otherwise, maybe to keep costs attractive. Have had two disastrous incidents as a result of getting servicing done here. Would stay clear of them by a mile for peace of mind.

4. AES Retrofits - Auto Electrical Components, Handsfree, reversing sensors etc. Were clear and transparent on costs and timings, and did a very clean and neat job. Fully recommended!

5. Ryans Garage - Portishead BS20 8BX - Excellent Service. Came to them via a Groupon deal. They got to work immediately, did the diags, recommended the repairs and did it promptly. Courteous staff. Recommended if you are near that area (Portishead)