Swedish Auto Service

Always knowledgable and helpful, they have saved me thousands over the years by doing better work than the dealerships at a fraction of the cost. Shiidon has always been so friendly and made every experience smooth. Both times that I have bought Volvos and brought them in for their first service they have given me a full rundown on what the car could use, and then helped me to find what would fit my budget and didn’t ever try to push me to do additional unnecessary service work.
Hell, we bought our 2006 XC90 because we knew we’d have a great shop to work on it.
It’s hard to come by a mechanic that reliable and trustworthy, especially a specialist.

I started dealing with this shop when my 2002 S60 had a strong gas smell inside the cabin, Shidon gave me a number to a Volvo to call and said it was a recall item. He then took care of my XC70 and my XC90 when I had those vehicles. I just called him for my check engine light on my V50, after explaining the symptoms, he and again told me to call Volvo that it may be a recall item. I have had nothing but good experiences with him, I grew up in the car business and have dealt with many unscrupulous mechanics over my years and I have always been treated with honesty at Swedish Auto.

My 1999 Volvo s70 was my daily driver until recently. The ETS light had come on, and according to my research it is not to be ignored. The car was running perfectly with no symptoms, and had recently passed inspection. I paid ~$ 900 for a new throttle body assembly and picked up an unusable car. They claim the ECM (main vehicle computer) «went out» while they had possession of it, but it surely had nothing to do with their work. Weeks of haggling ensue. The service contact was very coordial and professional, but the owner was both rude and inaccurate in his arguments.
I end up having it towed to another repair shop. The other shop confirms the ECM is dead, but repeats again and again their amazement because to their experience it is a very rare event.
So, go to Swedish Auto Service if you want to drive it in and tow it out.

We have had all of our Volvo XC90 work done here. They have been honest and fairly priced. For example, at one service appt he said our brakes would need to be addressed within the next year, but it wasn’t urgent. We appreciated not being «upsold.» They were right, we did end up replacing them about 10 months later. Similarly, he pointed out that 2 of our engine mounts were failing. He just advised of the pros/​cons to replacing them and left it up to us. At our last appt we had 3 – 4 small things needing to be addressed, and he didn’t charge us for the labor to diagnose them. The business is privately owned, and the owner is always there. It is no longer convenient for us, but we still make the drive. Highly recommend!

I’m surprised by the number of 1-​star and 2-​star reviews for Swedish Auto. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more honest and straightforward service manager than Shiidon. I’ve been taking my cars there for years after some bad experiences elsewhere. I totally agree with James S. If you aren’t up for a fully-​engaging car maintenance process, don’t buy a Saab or a Volvo. That said, these guys are fair and straight shooters.

Come here if you want to be ripped off and have a small problem turn into a much larger problem.
Nothing but liars here that try to pull out as much money from you as possible.

These guys are excellent! Skilled, trustworthy, fair and kind.

3 reviews is my standard «good review». I give more stars for places that are beyond what I expect. Having said that, here’s my review. I love Shidon. Honest guy, pleasant and I really wanted to keep giving him my business. I spent about $ 4,000 with him in the past 12 months.
Recently, his team looked at my car and identified an issue I needed fixed. Fine, I was going to do it. I called, and YES I know this is somewhat obnoxious, but I felt having spent this much money already I could ask. It’s not like a big name Volvo dealership or something. I had a part that needed to be replaced, a hose. I would have paid for the labor. Since he already quoted me the money for the other job, I figured he’d do a nicey-​nice and say «sure». Why buy a new part if I already have it? Anyway, he said NO. I was annoyed so I called Beasely. Turns out they were more than $ 100 cheaper for the repair I needed, and they gave me a free loaner car. Which that isn’t a fair comparison as these guys don’t have a dealership to just grab a car and give it to you.
I don’t expect to screw a small business and go out of my way to be loyal. But to charge MORE than a Volvo dealership for a repair is really pushing the envelope a little. Had he said yes to the part replacement I would not have even called Beasely to compare the quote, I trust him that much.
So the one little hose replacement walked out probably thousands in future repairs. I already need a timing belt, engine mounts etc etc…
In today’s word you have to go a little extra for a loyal customer…

Owning a Swedish car takes a special breed, they are not a «change the oil and go» type of auto. They take care, are not cheap, and need pampering. If you do need this type of service, Swedish Auto is the place to go. My SAAB 9 – 5 is running like new, it doesn’t come cheap, but SAS is much better than Roger Beasly. I love the car, there is nothing like driving it. Swedish Auto made sure everything was running well for my 1000 mile trip. The car ran beautifully. I have full confidence in this SAS and the team there.

CUSTOMERS BEWARE!!! READ THIS REVIEW!!!
OK —
so 2 sundays ago (3÷16÷14), I’m driving my 2007 volvo S40 down the highway, and suddenly I get a notification on my dash that says «shift up or slow down» when I was in automatic mode at a low RPM (2500 rpm)… I suddenly felt a very hard shudder, and immediately following there was a loud clacking noise every time I would press the gas and then my oil light came on. i immediately pulled over, turned my car off, popped the hood, and oil was all over the back side of the motor, exhaust manifold, lower suspension and steering components. while waiting on the tow truck i tried to start the car and zero signs of life from the motor. no compression, just the sound of my starter.
so i have it towed to swedish auto whom i trusted per the reputation i had heard about and the fact that i had called and spoken with Shidan a few times over the years about various issues… i talked to shidan on monday and was told to call back the next day for diagnosis. i call on tuesday and his exact words were «you’re engine is toast, upper engine damage, but you’d have to pay us more labor hours to give you any more information». told me i owed an hours worth of labor for diagnosis. but he said minimum price to fix would be $ 2500 or $ 5000 if the entire motor needs to be replaced
so i go there yesterday to get some personal items from my car (3÷24÷14), he calls my name and the first thing out of his mouth is «ok $ 95.47» and i said i’d like to talk about the car a tiny bit first.
me:
«what’s wrong with the car? any specific information at all about what happened?»
shidan:
«there is motor damage, you’d have to pay more money for us to pull the motor apart»
me:
«where did all of the oil come from? there has to be some opening in the motor that allowed oil to spew everywhere.»
shidan:
«im not the one that looked at your car, but i will go talk to him»
(comes back a few minutes later)
«your radiator reservoir was low and your piston rings burned up and all the oil came out of your oil fill cap and thats what blew your motor»
me:
«that’s DEFINITELY NOT what happened, the top of my motor is spotless, if oil would’ve spewed out of my oil cap it would be all over the top of the motor and all over the underside of the hood. the oil is all over my exhaust manifold and lower suspension»
shidan:
(in a defensive tone)
«well lets go look at it right now then.»
as we are walking through the garage he says «we didn’t put it on the lift» but didn’t give me any explanation why
we get there and pop the hood, and just like i had said the engine was completely clean. i continue to explain how oil would be everywhere on top of my engine if what he had explained to me had happened.
me:
«this is a full blown shop (volvo specialist on top of that) and you can’t even tell me where the oil is coming from? not even an accurate general area? what did you guys do for this hour that you want me to pay $ 100 for? if you want me to pay you i need some type of documentation saying (at least generally anyway) what is wrong with the motor… i knew that i had engine trouble when i was broken down in the parking lot, i didn’t need to pay someone $ 100 to state the painfully obvious»
so then his attitude goes from defensive to rude and he says «here’s your key, we are done here… i’ll just pay my mechanic for diagnosing your car, this is ridiculous» and starts to walk inside the shop away from me
i left and had the car towed away about an hour later
my guess is that they tried to start the car, it didn’t start. then popped the hood and saw the oil and said «motor must be screwed up» and shut the hood, and printed out and invoice for $ 95…
to anyone reading, I just don’t want anyone else to be taken advantage of like they tried to do to me. i understand that the majority of people don’t know their foot from their ass when it comes to cars and mechanics. I’m just scared to think about how many people this has possibly happened to, or will happen to in the future. hopefully the Unilocal review will be read by swedish auto and they will think twice next time they want to make a quick buck of an «unsuspecting» customer and remember when that customer (me) knew more than they anticipated and they got calle rout on it.
***THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED HERE IS BELOW SO SWEDISH AUTO PAY ATTENTION***
1.) if you’re going to lie, make sure the person you’re lying to won’t know any better… I’m not some oblivious old woman that is easy to take advantage of. i know about cars and am pretty good at working on them and being caught in a bold faced lie must’ve been pretty embarrassing. LOL
2.) if you don’t do the work, don’t charge the customer. i don’t know what all your accountant knows, but i wouldn’t guess ya’ll are doing that bad as much as ya’ll charge for labor, and the up-​charge on OEM volvo parts that you would feel the need to cheat someone out of $ 100.
and I’ve reached the character max. I’m done :)

These guys do a decent job and are adequate as far as technical ability goes. Given that Saab is bankrupt, there are not a ton of options to service Saabs by people that know what they are doing.
The customer service team, led by Shidon is also friendly, courteous and responsive.
What bugs me however are the crazy prices they charge. I understand they are a for-​profit business and wouldn’t be bothered if they made a decent profit on service or even parts.
I recently got my car fixed there and was stunned to find that they marked up the cost of parts they used by my car by as much as 200%. A part they used I found a dealer selling for $ 200, they charged me $ 500 for. Both were identical, new parts.
So even though I use these guys, I wish they ran their business a bit more ethically and didn’t charge ridiculous prices and were a bit fairer.

Shidon and staff are fantastic and honest. I’ve been coming here since 2006 with my S60 and have had nothing but great service. They communicate very well and there’s never any misunderstanding. Also there’s never pressure that I HAVE to fix everything. The suggested items are listed and I can get to them when I can get to them… obviously safety items are immediate!
The mechanics come out and will answer any questions.
The lobby is clean with free wifi and if you’re really bored, head across the street to the Asian Market for some Phở or Korean BBQ!

I used Swedish Auto Service on a recommendation. I had a standard service (60K) performed and also a battery replacement. This came it an $ 900 which I thought was high but since it was the first time I had such service done in the USA U accepted it. I’ve since seen on
that this would should have cost no more than $ 500. I’ve subsequently used other shops for work and this price seems more consistent. These guys charge too much.
In addition before I had my eyes opened I called to set up an appointment for some work. They couldn’t create an appointment for some reason at that time, and promised to call me back. I didn’t hear back from them several days later so called back again. Once again, I got a promise of a callback which never came so I gave up.
Save yourself some money and go somewhere else.

I haven’t actually had any work done here but hear me out…
I own a Saab 9 – 5. There are 3 – 4 things on this car that are pretty much guaranteed to break before 100k miles:
1) Direct Ignition Cassette
2) Crankshaft Position Sensor
3) Coolant Bypass Valve
I guarantee that any shop who actually knows Saabs does each of these repairs at least once a week. Apparently Swedish Auto service is the ONLY place in town that actually knows (drives, works on, etc.) Saabs. I called them all.
My coolant bypass valve went a few weeks ago, and since I haven’t found a Saab mechanic in Austin, I called around to get estimates.

Since its 2011, and I have the internet, I knew how much the part cost, and how much labor one should expect to pay. Basically its a simple procedure — remove a few hoses and replace the broken piece of plastic with a new piece of plastic. Unfortunately this piece of plastic is buried deep and you have to remove some things to access it. It requires superior tools and little monkey hands. Huge pain in the ass.
I called Revolution Motors (Do not take your Saab there). I told them exactly what was wrong. It took them 2 hours to call me back with an estimate, and it was clear they weren’t entirely familiar with the procedure. They insisted I replace the entire assembly (valve, every hose in the coolant system etc) and pay their diagnostic fee. $ 850… Keep in mind the valve is $ 100, or $ 40 if you use the non-​Saab version. Diagnosis consists of looking at the noticeably leaking valve that is leaking and determining that it is leaking. This doesn’t require a fancy computer etc, it merely requires a brain that is connected to eyes.
I called another shop who said they refuse to work on Saabs, because they are nightmares. Perfectly understandable.
Finally I call Swedish Auto. Told them my coolant bypass valve was pissing coolant everywhere. FINALLY a shop that could talk to me about my car. Guy told me how much it would cost and introduced the option of bypassing the worthless valve. Unfortunately, they were booked for 3 weeks. Its easier to get a kid into Princeton than to get an appointment here.
I stopped by their shop and chatted with their main mechanic and he knows whats up. It appears every single saab in Austin was there being fixed. Offered to get me in earlier, as it wasn’t too bad of a repair. I needed my car fixed urgently, so I rolled up my sleeves and did it myself, which really was a pain in the ass. It took me about half an hour more than their labor quote and oh yeah 2 hours less than the labor quote from Revolution. And that included 3 – 4 beers.
Bottom line is that this place actually understands Saabs and doesn’t rip you off with the labor. Their rates are typical Saab rates — not exactly cheap, but less per hour than I paid in California. Their part markup was fair enough. When I inevitably have to repair something in the next 6 months, they’ve got my business.

This review is long-​over due, but man is it due.
I brought my Saab to Swedish Auto Service for 3 – 4 years. I always trusted what they said even though they could never fix a problem without having to go in 3 – 4 times. I figured — my car was old and that was the real problem.
Before I drove the rickety thing cross-​country to Los Angeles for a move, I brought it in for a complete tune-​up (the last thing I wanted was to get stuck in the desert). I noticed servarl problems along the way, nothing major, but thought I’d bring it to my family’s mechanic in Los Angeles.
He made it clear the engine hadn’t been touched in years. They didn’t change my transmission fluid or spark plugs, or anything else associated with a tune up.
As an inexperienced college girl, I never checked up on their work — and apart from bringing my car here that was my biggest mistake.

No one wants to get a call from the shop informing them their car needs $ 1,500 worth of repairs. But when you know for a fact from your research (and a quote from another repair shop) that it could’ve easily been $ 4000 or more, it is actually a pretty big relief.
Anyone who owns a Saab knows that having one is a financial hazard. The parts are just more expensive, the issues more complex, and the technicians specially trained, so they can charge more for labor. It’s immediately clear just from a phone call to Swedish Auto Services that these guys know what they’re doing. And I know from experience and comparison shopping that they’re really conscientious, so you can rest easy knowing they’re giving you the best deal on parts they have access to and being honest about the hours your repair service will take. Plus, they usually throw in a couple goodies/​small services for free to cushion the fall when you have a big repair to take care of (I hope I’m not getting in trouble here — no guarantees!).
They go out of their way to help you with every question and concern you walk in with, even the ones that won’t earn them any money.
The person below me is right that Asian cars are cheaper. But Saabs and Volvos (at least the pre-​GM ones) have character and style and a driving feel that I don’t think you can get from an Acura or any other non-​European car, for that matter. It’s like what Shidan (?) told me: «What you’ve got is a truly exotic car, somewhere between a Volkswagen and a Porsche. And it drives like that, too.»

I totally agree with Austin G.‘s review. I only went there a few times last year. Shidon (sp?) is not the owner, but I believe he runs most of the operation. To give them credit, he and my mechanic were nice and seemed fairly knowledgeable (but remember, cars are cars).
But in the end, they are running a business and of course, the goal of a business is to make as much profit as possible.
As «Austin G.» said, 1) They seem to do more than might be necessary. Which maybe they might be saving you trouble down the road, but remember these are Swedish cars, there’s usually not much more road. So don’t jump to fix everything at once. It adds up.
2) Like 98% of shops, they upcharge a lot on the parts. In doing so, they can show off how they charge less than the dealer for labor charges. (Duh, never go to the dealer!) 3) They took longer than expected to do the job without ever telling you why. I was so tired in the end of the car itself and everything that I didn’t bother to ask why.
Overall, if you are considering buying a Swedish car or any European car for that matter, DO NOT… unless you have money to burn.
It doesn’t seem to matter if it is new or old. If you have one, consider selling it:) Otherwise, stick to Japanese ones. If you have the money, buy an Acura or Infiniti and you’ll get a nice car that keeps its value and with way less hassles in the future.

The mechanics here seem to be qualified and experienced, but unfortunately, I am not able to establish a trusting relationship with the owner Shidan. I’ve had my Saab serviced there for about two years, and noticed some consistent trends: 1) the cost for the repair is consistently more expensive than originally anticipated… never had it go the other way; 2) it is never ready in a reasonable time frame or when I am told it will be; 3) there is always something more complicated about the repair than originally thought.
These observations aren’t just based on one or two visits. This is a trend over a couple years. My last visit a couple weeks ago was the final visit because, for the prices that they charge, I am confident there is a better shop out there. My advice is to keep looking.

Ok — new to town, have a slow cranking 1989 Volvo. I do some digging around online, and this place seems like it might be the right one.
I make an appointment, show up and ask that they test my battery to make sure it is good because my car is hard starting. They say they tested the battery and it held a load, but that it was my fuel intake valve that was bad. 200 $ later my car is still running like crap and starting hard.
I take it back the next day and have them look at it again — this time it is my fuel sensor that is bad. 180 $ later my car is still running crappy and not starting sometimes.
I took it to the Firestone up the street, and whaddya know — it was a bad battery. I didn’t have any way to test it, and I took Swedish Auto at their word that my battery tested good. 400 $ down the tubes, and I’m still looking for a replacement Volvo mechanic now that I’m in Austin.
Let me also say that all the other Volvos and SAABS that were in there were much newer than mine and probably had a computer output code for whatever might be wrong with the car. I didn’t get the impression that anyone there knew anything about mechanics other than hooking them up to the computer to find out what the error code was.
1989 Volvo’s don’t have error codes, and require real mechanics with knowledge not just a computer.

SAS has been taking care of my Volvo for 6 years. Trustworthy and honest mechanics, wow. The front office manager has great communication skills and a personal easy-​going manner. Their office is clean, comfortable and organized.
There’s a car rental company right next store so you can conveniently get a loaner while your Swedish car is in service.