Customer Testimonials

We had a wonderful experience with our purchase of our new Volkswagen Tiguan. Bryan Younts was amazing with communication , information and all around experience. Thanks Bryan for such a great experience.

On November 4th, 2026, We purchased a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 139k miles, It appeared to be in very good condition and had extensive service records going back to the day it was delivered to the dealer in 2012, The last entry of which was a brake service by Lithia Volkswagen in Johnson, Iowa on October 15th, 2026 whereas rotors and pads were replaced on both rear wheels. At about 60 miles into the trip home.The rear brakes developed a grinding noise and clunking noise at low speeds And we nursed the car back home since it was shorter and the brakes were ... Read More

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DealerRater - Nov 10, 2026

On November 4th, 2026, We purchased a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 139k miles, It appeared to be in very good condition and had extensive service records going back to the day it was delivered to the dealer in 2012, The last entry of which was a brake service by Lithia Volkswagen in Johnson, Iowa on October 15th, 2026 whereas rotors and pads were replaced on both rear wheels. At about 60 miles into the trip home.The rear brakes developed a grinding noise and clunking noise at low speeds And we nursed the car back home since it was shorter and the brakes were still working. I contacted the dealer the next day.Having sent them a text that night informing them of tae problem, at which point they said I could drive it back to the dealer , and they would look at it, and when I pointed out that it might not be a good idea to drive it that far without knowing what the problem with the brakes actually was, they suggested I pay to have it towed ninety miles to their shop , so they could again look at it. I attempted to speak with the general manager unsuccessfully, calls to corporate achieved nothing either. Today November 9th, 2026, we took it to the highest rated independent shop in town who informed us that the issue was whoever performed the brake service at Lithia did not tighten the caliper bolts, the noise started because the lower bolt had completely backed out and fallen out, and the upper bolt was only holding on by about 5 threads when he looked at it so it was close to falling off completely. The fact that the only response from this company into life-threatening negligence on the part of their so-called technicians is corporate copy paste says everything you need to know. We are now having the jeep taken to the local jeep dealer for a thorough inspection to see if there's anything else we need to be aware of under the circumstances.

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Communication was fantastic. I knew exactly what was going on from start to finish. The employees were very professional and answered all of my questions quickly. I would highly recommend Des Moines Volkswagen.

On November 4th, 2026, We purchased a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 139k miles, It appeared to be in very good condition and had extensive service records going back to the day it was delivered to the dealer in 2012, The last entry of which was a brake service by Lithia Volkswagen in Johnson, Iowa on October 15th, 2026 whereas rotors and pads were replaced on both rear wheels. At about 60 miles into the trip home.The rear brakes developed a grinding noise and clunking noise at low speeds And we nursed the car back home since it was shorter and the brakes were ... Read More

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Google - Nov 10, 2026

On November 4th, 2026, We purchased a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 139k miles, It appeared to be in very good condition and had extensive service records going back to the day it was delivered to the dealer in 2012, The last entry of which was a brake service by Lithia Volkswagen in Johnson, Iowa on October 15th, 2026 whereas rotors and pads were replaced on both rear wheels. At about 60 miles into the trip home.The rear brakes developed a grinding noise and clunking noise at low speeds And we nursed the car back home since it was shorter and the brakes were still working. I contacted the dealer the next day.Having sent them a text that night informing them of tae problem, at which point they said I could drive it back to the dealer , and they would look at it, and when I pointed out that it might not be a good idea to drive it that far without knowing what the problem with the brakes actually was, they suggested I pay to have it towed ninety miles to their shop , so they could again look at it. I attempted to speak with the general manager unsuccessfully, calls to corporate achieved nothing either. Today November 9th, 2026, we took it to the highest rated independent shop in town who informed us that the issue was whoever performed the brake service at Lithia did not tighten the caliper bolts, the noise started because the lower bolt had completely backed out and fallen out, and the upper bolt was only holding on by about 5 threads when he looked at it so it was close to falling off completely. The fact that the only response from this company into life-threatening negligence on the part of their so-called technicians is corporate copy paste says everything you need to know. We are now having the jeep taken to the local jeep dealer for a thorough inspection to see if there's anything else we need to be aware of under the circumstances.

Ben was a great help as we were searching for a reliable used car for one of our kids. Knowledgeable and low-pressure. Really appreciated working with him. Thanks, Ben!

They communicate well

Emir, was awesome!! We bought a nice car in our price range, with no pressure. Great place to check out if you are looking for a car.

Alex was great to work with, friendly and wasn’t pushy. Very easy process for us.

Had a great experience! Ben made this process painless.

Excellent help from advisor.

Emrah is the best service advisor!

The sales team and finance were great Amir was a fantastic salesman

Car battery died last week and a friend was able to replace it. Called the dealership to make an appointment for them to reprogram the car to the new battery. While talking to the person in the service department, they told me that it would not be able to be reprogrammed (ever) without the old battery. The guy told me I could bring it in for the $190 diagnostic and they would look at it but wouldn't be able to fix it most likely. I ended up calling a local repair shop and they were able to get me in ... Read More

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Google - Oct 23, 2026

Car battery died last week and a friend was able to replace it. Called the dealership to make an appointment for them to reprogram the car to the new battery. While talking to the person in the service department, they told me that it would not be able to be reprogrammed (ever) without the old battery. The guy told me I could bring it in for the $190 diagnostic and they would look at it but wouldn't be able to fix it most likely. I ended up calling a local repair shop and they were able to get me in the same day, way cheaper, and without the use of the old battery.

Alex. Good guy. Buy a car from him.

Last Wednesday, I purchased my new Jetta from Alex Wilson. He made the entire process a breeze. He was very patient and even stayed past closing time to ensure everything was taken care of. Alex was welcoming, professional and friendly throughout the process. In general the entire staff at VW of Des Moines are fantastic.

Knowledgeable staff and very fair and honest finance manager. Probably one of the best car buying experiences I've had.

Our experience was great, start to finish! Salesman Alex Wilson was knowledgeable and professional, and really fun to work with!

They were a great help in dealing with a warranty company. Warranty company was trying not to cover. Cory the service manger was great and got them to cover.

Arrived at appt time, had to wait half hour to get to me, then an hour to get my car in. 1 1/2 hours wasted. Then they tell me it was bad gas...why don't they check that first. I am very disappointed.

Very helpful staff. I was very satisfied with the experience

Alex was extremely personal and was super easy to work with! He was very transparent and trustworthy. I highly recommend working with him and his team!

Very professional, curious and helpful.

Came in for service. The place is clean and very helpful

I had the best experience in buying a certified VW from Alex Wilson as well as his sales manager, Brian. They were upfront & treated me with respect as well as listened to what I was looking for. Offered me a fair trade.

It does not take 5 hours to do an oil change and break flush. Appointment at 11am then if you don't opt to suffer and wait there, they deprioritize you. So 11am appointment not done til 4pm. Because they didn't start it at 11am they started at 2pm. Do not recommend getting cars serviced here as they triple book appointments and don't value their customers time.

Great experience!

Great service and Jontay is an excellent advisor.

Great service from knowledgeable and quick professionals.

Great service! Best buying experience that I have ever had buying a new car.

Had to wait a few days for a loaner, but worth it - a brand new Atlas. Repair completed ahead of schedule.

These guys really take care of you while your car is under their care.

The service was good and on time. Jontay was very responsive and did a great job managing the oil exchange service.

Took some time to get my car back to me but overall the service was good. Guy who helped me was very nice and apologetic for the time I was without my car.

My salesman, Mondo, was awesome! He was extremely knowledgeable and willing to help me purchase the vehicle that is just what I wanted!

Very good service and fast

We had driven the VW Atlas and fell in love. We did the dealing thru text and and paperwork was complete and ready to aign when we arrived to pick up our new car. Sejad was great to work with.

Everyone at Lithia VW was a pleasure to deal with and made buying a car very easy and fun.

Everything was fine except I’m waiting to hear back about my one key fob which isn’t working. Communication was good except for this issue.

My wife and I were 1000000% satisfied with the customer service that Chad and Jason gave us. We went late afternoon and Chad did not hesitate to help us right away. He communicated openly and was very honest about the car we were looking at. He informed us every step of the way and Jason was also very honest and helpful. Both of them made my wife feel comfortable and gained her trust. I will absolutely recommend for my family to come and see Chad!

We just recently purchased a new VW Tiguan from Chad Brauer at Lithia VW of Des Moines. Chad is terrific! He is skilled at reading the customer and providing a balance between giving knowledge, answering questions, and following up without being too aggressive. He provides a comfortable buying experience. The whole team at Lithia is welcoming, professional and personable. We purchased our car in the evening before closing time. Due to our error in initially providing incorrect paperwork the process took a bit longer. Chad was patient with us and other team members stayed after close to help complete the ... Read More

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Google - Aug 29, 2026

We just recently purchased a new VW Tiguan from Chad Brauer at Lithia VW of Des Moines. Chad is terrific! He is skilled at reading the customer and providing a balance between giving knowledge, answering questions, and following up without being too aggressive. He provides a comfortable buying experience. The whole team at Lithia is welcoming, professional and personable. We purchased our car in the evening before closing time. Due to our error in initially providing incorrect paperwork the process took a bit longer. Chad was patient with us and other team members stayed after close to help complete the buying process - never making us feel rushed. Superior customer service! We love our Tiguan and will continue to work with Lithia for our future vehicle needs. Big thank you to Chad and the team for providing such a fun, pleasant experience!

super easy to get my regular service done and staff was very helpful

(Translated by Google) Terrible service. They sold me a battery with 48% life remaining, like new, for $400, and charged me $200 for supposedly checking the A/C, which they didn't even do. (Original) Mal servicio me vendieron una bateria de 48% de vida como nueva en 400 dolares y me cobraron 200 por segun checar el a/c y no lo hicieron

I have been trying to get the refund from mygap insurance I have been trying since January and its still ongoing between Brian Fluegge "forgetting" we have talked on the phone and email back and forth or him just sending the wrong paperwork for me to sign multiple times or the dealership dodging my calls or having no one available to talk to me about this situation they said it was a 9 week process we are now 8 months into this and I still have yet to receive hardly any information about anything or received my money

Have had several interactions with this dealership for repairs. Service manager has been more than accommodating with requests, will update once my cars finally fixed, frustrated is and understatement at this point. I picked it up last Thursday and the AC repair it was in for started acting up on the first drive I took with on the next day. Literally didn’t go anywhere, straight home and the very next day it started doing the exact same thing they had told me they repaired.

Tried schedule service on 6/4 - no return call, tried again on 6/5 and I think I scheduled an appointment on 6/8 but the Ai (assuming) was not clear as I had a question which I never got the opportunity to ask? How do I speak to a CS, I received a text that I was trying to make an appointment, why can't can't I receive a phone call back?

2nd time we have had an oil change and they didn't fill the oil up. I drove 20 minutes away from the shop & my warning message read "add up to 1 1/4 qrts of oil". WTH. I paid $220 for an oil change.

Note: I bought my car here. The sales experience was not bad. The service department however… Never ever ever ever again. (And I hardly ever complain, I usually just pay up). I first brought my vehicle here for a simple service/ oil change. The people were great, the price was a little bit high, but I paid and left without too much issue. I brought my vehicle into be serviced a second time, this time with a warning light on and a broken hood release cable. The people working there were kind, warned me that service would take longer than ... Read More

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Google - Jun 2, 2026

Note: I bought my car here. The sales experience was not bad. The service department however… Never ever ever ever again. (And I hardly ever complain, I usually just pay up). I first brought my vehicle here for a simple service/ oil change. The people were great, the price was a little bit high, but I paid and left without too much issue. I brought my vehicle into be serviced a second time, this time with a warning light on and a broken hood release cable. The people working there were kind, warned me that service would take longer than I expected. I made arrangements. Then came the bill. $3,000 to fix the main issues. $4,000 to do everything that THEY thought should be done (still have the proof). I picked up my car after declining all services. Here’s the kicker: I took it to a more local car shop. EVERYTHING is getting fixed up for $550. People. Don’t get screwed over. There’s better options out there. I’m so glad I didn’t let them go ahead with their service. 0/10.

Sucks at all levels

One star itself is too high. I’m not typically the kind of person to tear down a business publicly, but I can’t really stay quiet anymore. I purchased a 2021 Kia Sorento back in the fall and I was so excited for it. It had the interior I wanted and all the little gadgets. Perhaps my first red flag should’ve been that I was buying it from a Volkswagen dealer and not a Kia dealer but I’ve never had any issues in the past so it never raised any concern. Within the first few weeks of having ... Read More

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Google - May 23, 2026

One star itself is too high. I’m not typically the kind of person to tear down a business publicly, but I can’t really stay quiet anymore. I purchased a 2021 Kia Sorento back in the fall and I was so excited for it. It had the interior I wanted and all the little gadgets. Perhaps my first red flag should’ve been that I was buying it from a Volkswagen dealer and not a Kia dealer but I’ve never had any issues in the past so it never raised any concern. Within the first few weeks of having the vehicle, I was having issues. My vehicle kept going up on RPMs when I was breaking and there was something rolling around in the floor board. We reached out to Volkswagen and after a few tries, they finally decided to look at it. Of course they didn’t hear the sound in the floor board so we took it to Kia. They heard the object rolling around but were unable to locate it. They offered to use a camera but for $200/hour, I didn’t find it necessary so I just decided to deal with it. I don’t recall what was wrong with the braking issue but Kia also fixed that and we paid out of pocket. A month or so after that, my sunroof wouldn’t close and the motor for the front passenger window went out, we tried to reach out to Lithia but never heard anything back so we took it to Kia and they replaced the window motor and the tracks on the sunroof. The sunroof still doesn’t work correctly, but that’s not Kia’s fault. Since then multiple things have happened. My tailgate gets stuck and doesn’t open. My vehicle keeps throwing a code and triggering my check engine light, my fiancé says the code is something to do with the coolant. We reached out to Lithia last week and were told someone would call us back, nobody has. Yesterday, I had my windows down because it was nice out, my buttons on my doors quit working. I can’t roll down or up my windows, lock/unlock the doors, etc. Perhaps nothing beneficial will come out of this review for me but perhaps you can take some insight from it and save yourself stress, time, and money by not giving business to Lithia VW of Des Moines.

I was nervous about the mixed reviews, but I should have followed my gut and trusted the 1 star reviews. This place is terrible & I won’t ever be coming back. The sales guy that approached me was aggressive and pushy for me to buy a car. Not only that the lack of transparency when I asked the conditions of some of the vehicles I looked at was just sketchy.

RUN FAR AWAY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP! I would never recommend anyone to buy from here. This dealership is very shady and does not care about its customers. They will buy cars at auctions and claim they don’t know of any of the damages to it, that the title is salvage, and act like the car is in perfect working order. When you try to get anyone to help you they just give you the run around. This is by far the worst car buying experience I have ever had.

I would highly consider anyone considering doing business here to run far away. Important information about vehicles won't properly be disclosed and when you try to address an issue with them they will try to just push you under the rug instead of being held accountable. Transparency and honesty matter and you will NOT get that with this company.

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP!!! My sister trusted this dealership to be transparent and ethical but instead got completely taken advantage off. They sold her a car with a clean title that actually has a salvage title and severe structural damage, and after her finding out about this they did nothing to resolve the issue. So much for caring about your customers. I would never recommend this dealership to anyone. l Look elsewhere!

Dirty practices, and bad customer service. Shame on yall

LITERALLY AVOID THIS DEALERSHIP! I bought a vehicle from this dealership in June of 2022 believing it was safe and in good condition.I discovered it had severe structural/frame damage that was never disclosed to me. This was brought to my attention when I tried to trade in the vehicle. I had no idea of the severe structural damage until I went to another dealership. This is affecting the integrity and value of the vehicle. Had I known about the extent of the damage, I never would have purchased the car for full price! I then call my bank and ... Read More

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Google - May 15, 2026

LITERALLY AVOID THIS DEALERSHIP! I bought a vehicle from this dealership in June of 2022 believing it was safe and in good condition.I discovered it had severe structural/frame damage that was never disclosed to me. This was brought to my attention when I tried to trade in the vehicle. I had no idea of the severe structural damage until I went to another dealership. This is affecting the integrity and value of the vehicle. Had I known about the extent of the damage, I never would have purchased the car for full price! I then call my bank and it was brought to my attention that this vehicle has a salvage title in Texas and they title swapped it to a clean title in Iowa. Since bringing this to their attention, I've been given the no one seems willing to take responsibility! I trusted this dealership to be transparent and ethical, and that trust was completely misplaced. I will tell everyone I know about this experience and will never recommend them to anyone I know. Look elsewhere! AGAIN I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS DEALERSHIP

I bought a used car from here on the promise they would fix a paint chip on the door. They said the body shop would contact me to set up an appointment. It was Christmas time and I didn’t hear from them. I just figured they were out for the holidays. At the end of January, I started calling to see what was going on. This went into February, finally someone called me back and said that offer had only been good for 30 days from when the vehicle was purchased. I would not recommend this company because they do ... Read More

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Google - Mar 17, 2026

I bought a used car from here on the promise they would fix a paint chip on the door. They said the body shop would contact me to set up an appointment. It was Christmas time and I didn’t hear from them. I just figured they were out for the holidays. At the end of January, I started calling to see what was going on. This went into February, finally someone called me back and said that offer had only been good for 30 days from when the vehicle was purchased. I would not recommend this company because they do not honor their word.

I made an appointment to test a specific vehicle. Moe was unprepared to answer questions and talk about the vehicle with that advance notice. i knew more about it than he did after taking 30 seconds to read about it. the vehicle was on your lot for two months and you couldn’t fix the broken windshield in addition to have me test drive on a nearly empty tank. I won't be doing business with Volkswagen of Des Moines. I do not have confidence that you are trustworthy and can give me correct information.

Horrible service department

My Husband and I scheduled a test drive of a used vehicle we had already decided we wanted, but just wanted to be certain we liked how it handled before buying it. We did arrive early, so expected a bit of a wait. We were greeted when we arrived, and told to go wait in the waiting area while they texted the person we were meeting with to let them know we were there. We waited, and waited, then waited some more. A full 30 minutes after our scheduled time, we left. They never checked on us, never communicated that they ... Read More

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Google - Feb 14, 2026

My Husband and I scheduled a test drive of a used vehicle we had already decided we wanted, but just wanted to be certain we liked how it handled before buying it. We did arrive early, so expected a bit of a wait. We were greeted when we arrived, and told to go wait in the waiting area while they texted the person we were meeting with to let them know we were there. We waited, and waited, then waited some more. A full 30 minutes after our scheduled time, we left. They never checked on us, never communicated that they were running late. And have not responded to us since. We'll shop elsewhere.

So just to be clear about the place my grand daughter went to buy her dream car. They took her to VW of Des Moines on Merle Hay Rd in Johnston. It was a 2016 Ford Escape and looked very nice. She was so excited. They told her they would finish an awesome detail and she could come back later and pick it up. She was so excited. She picked it up and brought it to show me and she was so excited. I looked on the floor on the off driver's side to see a couple vapes. I stuck ... Read More

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Google - Jan 12, 2026

So just to be clear about the place my grand daughter went to buy her dream car. They took her to VW of Des Moines on Merle Hay Rd in Johnston. It was a 2016 Ford Escape and looked very nice. She was so excited. They told her they would finish an awesome detail and she could come back later and pick it up. She was so excited. She picked it up and brought it to show me and she was so excited. I looked on the floor on the off driver's side to see a couple vapes. I stuck my hand under the seat to get a third one and poke my finger on glass. A complete broken glass. Took it back and they were embarrassed and did a detail even though they weren't happy to do it. We had the car a couple weeks and she was getting out of the car only to the shocked it wouldn't go into gear. A safety recall hasn't been done. We found out,so I don't know how these people didn't know. Oh, I do they never checked. We took to the Ford dealership to fix. No sorry no nothing. So let's speed forward another 5 weeks. It won't run right. Come to find out the turbo Charger is going out. Yep $4000.00. They didn't want to do a dang thing. But we continued complaining and they decided they would pay half. So now in a few months we have a 10 dollar car now we add 2000.00 more. Let's speed ahead a couple more months and now the transmission is gone. Estimates as high as 6 grand. They told her nothing they could do about it because she didn't buy a warranty. Well here we sit again with the help of some really good friends with a rebuilt tranny and a pretty awesome job with labor We will get this girl her car that she just knew would serve her trips back and forth to Ames to attend Iowa St next year. In talking with numerous tow truck drivers and mechanics we find out this is one of the worse pieces of crap cars on the road. One driver said he tows one a couple times a month. They knew that to and that's why they were so quick to get off the lot. Well I hope those money grabbing you know what's at VW of Des Moines feel real good about ruining a girl's big moment. Sorry but we will make my girl happy

Armin sold me a car that needed $1,500 of work done 5 months later... He doesn't even work there anymore... None of the problems were reported on the report they gave me.

Morgan and the other ones were very helpful and made everything very easy and a pleasant experience. Very great full with everyone. Specially Morgan

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1 star for VW/dealer: someone should have notified me about the rear brakes being defective. There was a recall on my rear brakes but it was only covered until 25k miles and I had 28k when I came in for annual service so I was charged an unnecessary, overpriced charge for new rear brakes. VW should have covered the cost because I wasn’t due for service until 30k so there’s no way I would have known to get the brakes done under the recall. I don’t think I’ll buy another VW ever again which is disappointing.

Helped me get into a vehicle the same day. Morgan did a world class job.

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Couldn’t even be bothered to detail the vehicle before I purchased it, nor follow up with me about things that were wrong with the vehicle. Zero attention to detail and a very unprofessional ordeal.

The guys here are truly nice and have good intentions! They helped me get a new car after mine broke down on me and did whatever they could to help me find something that would work for me! I ended up getting a Toyota Rav 4! Emir and Morgan are amazing guys who were super patient with me and are so easy to talk to! Truly one of the best experiences ive had:) thanks to them both!

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New car is losing coolant (1/4 the reserve tank a week). Has been to the service department twice and they replaced an unrelated fuel system component twice (unnecessary both times; code they used to rationalize replacement was due to gas cap not being tight once). They indicated nothing is wrong with the coolant system and advised to keep topping off with coolant every week and to not bring the car back for this issue. Service Advisor and Manager both refused to call back to discuss how the car could possibly be losing coolant every week. Due to their negligence and lack ... Read More

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Google - Nov 2, 2025

New car is losing coolant (1/4 the reserve tank a week). Has been to the service department twice and they replaced an unrelated fuel system component twice (unnecessary both times; code they used to rationalize replacement was due to gas cap not being tight once). They indicated nothing is wrong with the coolant system and advised to keep topping off with coolant every week and to not bring the car back for this issue. Service Advisor and Manager both refused to call back to discuss how the car could possibly be losing coolant every week. Due to their negligence and lack of diligence, unfortunately had to contact the State Attorney General’s office. Bottom Line: Don’t buy a car from here or own a VW in the Des Moines area unless you plan to never use that car. PS - Topped off the car with coolant on 10/26. Attached image is the coolant level on 10/30. Update - Attempted to work with Mark, but no solution because he cant find a visible leak. We did have an employee drive the car at 85+ MPH, have multiple high acceleration, and hard brake warnings which were provided through VW’s app. Mark’s response was “that’s surprising” and no further action was taken with that employee. Unfortunately will need to take legal action to get this service department to do anything and act responsibly.

Armin and the guys went out of their way to help us trade into a gently used Atlas. Thanks again!

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I really wish I could give you ZERO stars! I purchased a used vehicle for cash and the car had just come in as a trade (no sticker, hadn’t been inspected or cleaned, nothing)! My 17 year old loved the car so they said they would do inspection and detail so we went to dinner! In the 45 minutes we were at dinner they were done with everything! I am not dumb it doesn’t take 45 minutes to do a full detail and inspection on a vehicle! We get the car and take it home to then find a lot of ... Read More

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Google - Sep 9, 2025

I really wish I could give you ZERO stars! I purchased a used vehicle for cash and the car had just come in as a trade (no sticker, hadn’t been inspected or cleaned, nothing)! My 17 year old loved the car so they said they would do inspection and detail so we went to dinner! In the 45 minutes we were at dinner they were done with everything! I am not dumb it doesn’t take 45 minutes to do a full detail and inspection on a vehicle! We get the car and take it home to then find a lot of broken glass under the passenger seat (pic included) and vape pens everywhere! So I call to complain and they did have her bring it back for a full detail! Fast forward about 35 days there is a safety recall that was never done on the vehicle where the displays show car in park when in fact it isn’t! I am fortunate my daughter didn’t exit the vehicle and get hurt when the car would roll! Manager says an inspection was done and the car fax didn’t show this, so how when I ran the VIN it came right up as an overdue safety recall? There also is a light out which should have been found in an inspection if it was done (which I know it wasn’t)! Now last week and only 7 weeks since I bought it there is more issues with check engine light coming on! Granted I didn’t get the warranty as I paid cash for car and didn’t have enough for the extra. I feel they took advantage of that but to lie to me about the inspection being done and detail that is not great service! I asked them to either take the crap car back or fix the issues and they refuses! And they say they always take care of the customer, well that doesn’t seem to be the case here! Looking into my options but why can’t they just make this right?

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP!! Morgan was a completely useless salesman. I scheduled an appointment to see a vehicle, and instead of having it pulled up like any professional dealership would, he had us walk all the way to the back of the lot. (I’ve worked at a dealership before—I know the standard courtesy is to have the vehicle ready.) The vehicle had not been through service or detailed. My husband liked it (I thought it was just okay, but I had just totaled a vehicle I loved, so we were in a time crunch). Morgan never ... Read More

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Google - Sep 8, 2025

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP!! Morgan was a completely useless salesman. I scheduled an appointment to see a vehicle, and instead of having it pulled up like any professional dealership would, he had us walk all the way to the back of the lot. (I’ve worked at a dealership before—I know the standard courtesy is to have the vehicle ready.) The vehicle had not been through service or detailed. My husband liked it (I thought it was just okay, but I had just totaled a vehicle I loved, so we were in a time crunch). Morgan never communicated when it would actually be ready—I had to call and chase him down. That should have been my first red flag. When I finally picked it up, he assured me the vehicle was mechanically sound. I asked to take it to a shop the following week, but he made it seem like they wouldn’t wait, even with a deposit. Against my better judgment, I purchased it. Within a week, the check engine light came on and the vehicle lost power while driving. I reached out to Morgan, and his response was rude and dismissive: “It’s a used vehicle, it will eventually have issues.” That’s not acceptable—especially within a week of purchase and before even receiving my plates! On top of that, the car was delivered dirty. Morgan ran it through a car wash and wiped it down with a spray bottle and rag. Old food under the seats, crumbs everywhere—completely unacceptable. Detailing should have been done before I ever arrived. I then wasted 3 hours getting the issue diagnosed, only to be told I would be responsible for the $3800 repair. How does a vehicle supposedly “go through service” and then break down within a week? Terrible customer service, terrible communication, and zero accountability. They do not stand behind what they sell. Save yourself the headache—go to Ken Garff instead. They treat people right.

Shady dealership making false claims of previous accident with a fake car fax report trying to devalue a trade in. AJ was the salesperson.

They confirmed my oil change for life and then told me to pay for it or leave because of 8 days. I could have been informed of this before I got there. I get 2 oil changes every year and I’ve had one. How can there be a date restriction when there never has been one. I've been looking at new cars and I think it's time I leave the Lithia family. I've hung on because I love VW's but it gets worse every month. Poor management and communication. 11 years and 3 cars. You guys blew it.

Had a salesman who wouldn’t drop their “mandatory” warranty, a finance department that I’ve called numerous times with questions and concerns, left voicemails and gotten guarantees of a call back, never did. Very disappointing experience.

I am not happy with my experience. This is a long post, so bear with me. My daughter's Jetta displayed a warning with the oil sensor and it advised that the car be looked at. I came to the Ames/ Des Moines area to help her out with this, as we're originally from the Chicago area. Making the appointment was easy and smooth enough. I had it made in advance of when I'd be in the area so I could allow myself to travel. I arrived on a Tuesday and had the car towed in on a ... Read More

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Google - Jul 6, 2025

I am not happy with my experience. This is a long post, so bear with me. My daughter's Jetta displayed a warning with the oil sensor and it advised that the car be looked at. I came to the Ames/ Des Moines area to help her out with this, as we're originally from the Chicago area. Making the appointment was easy and smooth enough. I had it made in advance of when I'd be in the area so I could allow myself to travel. I arrived on a Tuesday and had the car towed in on a Wednesday evening, with my appointment being the very next day. I was assured that this would be something simple to take care of, so I had it in my mind that I'd be back home by Saturday sometime. I was wrong. I called on Thursday morning to verify that the car was there and I was told that they'd get to it. Ok. Good. Waited to hear back that day. Nothing. I finally got a call Friday morning with information about the repair needed. But I was then told that they were suddenly shorthanded, and the car would not be worked on that day. I was getting angry that this simple repair would now last into Monday because I was informed that my kind of service work was not typically performed on Saturdays. Just oil changes and minor situations because the people needed for this type of repair didn't work on Saturdays. I definitely expressed my dissatisfaction with the situation with this news. At that point, I also began to wonder if I was being led on because I'm female or because I'm from out of town. I will say that I have NO proof of this, but it was a feeling I was getting. I was just amazed at how a simple repair was now going to take almost a week. I am not a "car person" but I'm old enough and experienced enough to comprehend most car repairs. The wires on the oil sensor had been chewed by mice or some small rodent. I had read about how this is a sadly common issue in Jettas and with my daughter being in a somewhat rural part of Iowa, this made sense. It wasn't a warranty repair, unfortunately. (Though if you ask me, a known issue like this that has been discussed in numerous online forums really should become a warranty repair. VW designed this engine, so they had to have been aware of a weak point like this.) Just an overall disappointing experience with them. My usual dealer by home is amazing and I was expecting a similar type of experience. Guess I was wrong.

Parts department was absolutely zero help. I knew the part I was looking for was unavailable or discontinued. I was looking for a suggestions if any parts from other VW's were interchangeable. I was basically told to Google it.

I’ve now made two separate trips to VW Lithia of Des Moines for issues that were clearly covered under warranty — and both times have been horrible experiences. I want to be clear that Jontay was great to work with — very nice and helpful — but unfortunately the management and service department suck. After specifically requesting to speak with a manager, no one came out to address our concerns, which is completely unacceptable. Each visit has involved them trying to tell me that obvious warranty issues weren’t covered, despite clear documentation that say otherwise. On top of that, my car ... Read More

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Google - Jun 23, 2025

I’ve now made two separate trips to VW Lithia of Des Moines for issues that were clearly covered under warranty — and both times have been horrible experiences. I want to be clear that Jontay was great to work with — very nice and helpful — but unfortunately the management and service department suck. After specifically requesting to speak with a manager, no one came out to address our concerns, which is completely unacceptable. Each visit has involved them trying to tell me that obvious warranty issues weren’t covered, despite clear documentation that say otherwise. On top of that, my car never fails to be there longer than promised, with no loaner vehicle provided (after calling to double check there would be one right before my appt - TWICE). The service department consistently seems uninformed, disorganized, and far from transparent about pricing. Sadly, I wouldn’t recommend this dealership to anyone based on my experiences. The lack of accountability and poor customer service from management have made this process incredibly frustrating. As a first time car buyer, this has been nothing but a headache and an experience I never want to deal with again.

I have a Volkswagen Golf. This service department attempted to fix my hand brake. They replaced it 2 times. It broke a third time. I brought it in again. Then I moved to Illinois and could not get it repaired before I moved due to parts not being available. Brought it to the Peoria Volkswagen and they informed me the handbrake isn't working due to poor workmanship in Des Moines and that I have to take it up with Des Moines to have it paid for. Overall, I was very dissatisfied with my experience at DSM and I would never ... Read More

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Google - Jun 19, 2025

I have a Volkswagen Golf. This service department attempted to fix my hand brake. They replaced it 2 times. It broke a third time. I brought it in again. Then I moved to Illinois and could not get it repaired before I moved due to parts not being available. Brought it to the Peoria Volkswagen and they informed me the handbrake isn't working due to poor workmanship in Des Moines and that I have to take it up with Des Moines to have it paid for. Overall, I was very dissatisfied with my experience at DSM and I would never go back there for service.

I brought my 14 jetta to this dealership to have some issues looked at. They had my car over a month was told parts where on back order. FInally called to talk to the parts department, they had the vin number wrong in the parts department. God only knows how long they would of had it. if I didnt call to check with parts department. That's number 1 Number 2 problem finally got my car back and my issue i was having was missed by their technician. Had the video inspection sent to me said my lower control arms were bad. Paid ... Read More

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Google - Jun 9, 2025

I brought my 14 jetta to this dealership to have some issues looked at. They had my car over a month was told parts where on back order. FInally called to talk to the parts department, they had the vin number wrong in the parts department. God only knows how long they would of had it. if I didnt call to check with parts department. That's number 1 Number 2 problem finally got my car back and my issue i was having was missed by their technician. Had the video inspection sent to me said my lower control arms were bad. Paid over 1800. And it was my strut on the driver side the spring was broken. So did I even need the lower control arms . I had another shop do the struts because they had my vehicle over 2 weeks so a total of six weeks without my car it was a mess. Hope everyone has better luck.

They're incompetent. I called ahead to make sure they could handle something a week later when I dropped off the car I found out they couldn't. Then they sent a ride to pick me up but sent it to the wrong location. Highly recommend going anywhere else

Got my car aligned and ACC hooked up. Drove 2 hours and My appointment was at 10 am, they told me it wouldn’t be done until 2-4pm.. it didn’t get done until 5, 7 hours later. The estimated cost was $369.00 and I ended up paying $555.00 at the end of it all. It was absolutely ridiculous. Would never have gone there if I didn’t have to. Not to mention we were stranded in Des Moines for the entire time and they did not offer a loaner car.

Was considering of trading in my vehicle for a new atlas. Jeffrey Weber was too pushy an was rushing me to come in when I politely asked to reschedule for the next day . I know you want my Alfa really bad so it's your lost.

Waited two hours for an oil change and tire rotation. Tire rotation was a separate charge (carX does it for free). The gentleman who checks me in was no help, but a woman working the desk with red hair was more helpful and applied 10% off for all our trouble.