MOTOR-VERKSTAD

This is a father & son operation. They are master Volvo mechanics and do very high quality Volvo repairs and maintenance. They're pro's - right down to their matching blue/gray mechanic uniforms. The father formerly raced cars professionally in Europe. The son has grown up in the business. Both are very responsible, approachable, mild mannered family guys who always save me money and fix it right the first time. They take the time to explain what's causing a given problem, and provide real-world counsel on the benefits of different courses of action. I've been taking my 1997 850 GLT to Motor-Verkstad for about four years, and have grown to completely trust their expertise and their honesty. Before I started doing business with Bill & Sam (father and son, respectively), I was wary of not going to my Volvo dealer - I had always used a Volvo dealer, even years after the warranty expired, but then the dealer wanted $500 for an oil change and lube on a 7 year old car, and I thought "what the **EXPLETIVE**?" So I found these guys and another mechanic on the "Car Talk" web site. I took my car to the other mechanic because he was closer, but when I picked it up he couldn't remember what had been wrong with my car, and when he opened the hood to remind himself, he had forgotten to put the oil cap back on...So next time, when I needed the brakes done, I took it to Bill and Sam at Motor-Verkstad. It's true that at the beginning of our relationship I would also take the car to the Volvo dealer for a second opinion/estimate, but I soon realized that with Bill and Sam I was dealing directly with master mechanics and the owners of the business, and it didn't hurt that each time they told me the whole story and usually saved me about 50-70% off what the dealer wanted for maintenance or repairs. One time they saved me about $1,500 when I had some trouble passing a SMOG check. Another example - for about a year, I was unemployed, after also working for a year on a failed startup. Bad times... Bill (the father) genuinely listened when he would greet me with a "How are you doing?", and he worked to find ways to keep my car running when I was short on cash. One time, after I had left the car with them and agreed to a $1200 repair, Bill called me at noon and told me that Sam had done some investigating based on a hunch, and discovered that the problem was not the major malfunction indicated by the car's diagnostic computer, but was instead caused by a previous "repair" done by the Volvo dealership mechanic - who had failed to properly reattach a sensor cable and now that assembly was shot. While it would still cost some money to fix, it was now only $400 - saving me $800. They could have charged me the $1,200 and I never would have known the difference one way or the other. Real honesty! I'll never leave these guys as long as I drive a Volvo.