Jafstram

After reading good reviews, I took my SUV for repair of the front end. Brian called me and gave me an estimate for $ 900. I asked how much for parts and how much for labor. He said $ 540 for parts and $ 360 for labor. I asked about the parts and he told me that these are used parts. I asked him whether I can get original parts from the manufacturer. He said no problem. I got the parts and gave to him. He repaired the SUV and gave me a $ 979 bill for labor. When I asked him why it is so different from the phone estimate, he and the owner Jon started yelling and screaming at me that they did not give me the estimate of $ 360 labor and they did not make any money on the parts. They are total liars. Do not go there.

Misdiagnosis our car 2 times and over charged us. We looked up the parts online that they were recommending and they were marking everything up 200% and charging us $ 95 an hour for labor. They act nice but do your research and get a second option. RUN if they tell you «there’s really no margin in this for me» like they’re giving you a good deal.

I hope I will be able to provide a more positive review in the very near future, but at this time, Jafstram Imported Car Service gets ZERO stars (I had to give at least one to post a review).
I needed to find a mechanic who had experience working on Saabs. I purchased a 1988 900T a few months ago, and I recently lost the clutch pedal. Saabs require a different knowledge and skill set, so I couldn’t use just any mechanic.
I had my car towed to the shop on Monday at 3:45pm. I called them on Wednesday and was told that they hadn’t been able to check it out yet, but would that afternoon. I called on Friday because I hadn’t heard anything back from them. I was told that they had checked out my car, and was told what needed to be done. I asked for an estimate for the work and was told «I don’t have that right now. I’ll call you back in 15 – 20 minutes». That was the last I heard from them.
As of today, Jafstram has had my car for a week. I received two recommendations for other mechanics from local Facebook members. I called both this morning and found both to have great customer service skills and experience/​familiarity with vintage Saabs. They also both charge the same per hour rate. For various reasons, I chose one over the other, and am having my car towed today.
I called Jafstram to find out if the car was in one piece (which I was told it is) and to let them know I was having it towed, and the response was «That is fine» and then *click* — yup, he hung up on me.
Oh well… I know that many other people have had great experiences with Jafstram, so maybe this was just a fluke, or maybe they don’t like Saabs, or maybe it was something else. My experience was bad, but it’s obvious that’s not how they normally operate. So, take my review for what it is — one person’s opinion.

I love Jafstram for my car repairs. I have an older car (2001) and I have been taking it here for the past 4 years. My boss turned me on to this place and i love it. I don’t feel like I am being taken advantage of and they are always upfront about the costs and what needs to be done. I had to have my fuel injector replaced one year and their price was considerably lower than the «chain» garage (Pep Boys). I love the fact that they are located near the Collingswood Speedline b/​c i drop my car off in the morning and take the train to work. Then i pick it up on my way home. They also don’t try to sell you unnecessary repairs to your car the way the «chain» garages do. I will continue to bring my car here.

New Brakes, Part 2
After wasting a perfectly good lunch break on a trip to another mechanic, I returned to work, annoyed with my experience but happy that I had read my Unilocal friends’ reviews that morning. Brian L. had written about his recent experience at Jafstram, an auto shop within walking distance to both my apartment and job. Brian L’s car had also needed a brake job, and he had called around to other shops in search of price quotes so he knew that Jafstram was fair with their pricing. Another established Unilocaler had also written a stellar review for the place, so I felt like I would likely be in good hands. I called and spoke with Brian (too many Brians in this story), who said I could bring my car in first thing on Monday morning for an estimate.
On Monday, I arrived at the garage and left my car in Brian’s care. A couple hours later, he called with an estimate and then proceeded with the brake job. I was able to pick up the ride on my way home from work that same day.
Apparently, it’s a good idea to have brakes replaced every four years, and not every five and a half. I learned the hard way that the longer you wait, the more expensive things get, when you have to start replacing rotars and other thingamabobs that make the car run. I’m officially on house arrest for the next few weeks or so do to EWS (empty wallet syndrome), but my ride is safer and the brakes are no longer screechy.

After getting a ridiculous price quote on a full brake replacement at those «chain» garages, I sought out to find a smaller, non-​change garage.
I found this one on Unilocal and it had a review, so I gave them a shot. They initial scheduling phone communication was great. Very friendly, not pushy, easy to deal with. I dropped my car off in the morning and they called me later that day with a price quote and estimate (for free!).
The price was much cheaper than most of the places I had called in the area, so it was a no brainer for me. The job was completed in a day and it was a smooth transaction.
My rear brakes squeaked oddly for a few weeks afterwards while I doubted the quality of work that was done. When I brought it back to get checked, they said that they just need some time to get used to. (Is this normal? I don’t know, i’m not much of a gear head and have never had a full brake job done before). I have to say though, after a few weeks, the brakes no longer squeak.
They did a good job and they’re friendly and easy to deal with. The only downer is that they close at 5:30pm M-​F and are NOT open on the weekends at all. For a working man (or woman) this can be tough.
I’ll probably come back again for another service/replacement…once I have the cash haha.

My father has been taking his cars to Jafstram for the past 15 years. Just to give you an idea of how exceptional the service is there, there are over 40 miles between his home and Jaftstram. There are quite a number of others who make similar treks as well. It is worth it when you consider the peace of mind you’ll have in knowing you won’t find a better group of auto mechanics anywhere. The many service awards they have won and continue to win are evidence of this.
John the owner has over forty years of experience. His integrity is second-​to-​none. He and his crew work with both great diligence and expedience. Jafstram’s rates are very reasonable. In addition to excellent repair and restoration work, it is also a good place to check out if you happen to be searching for a used car. I bought one from him six years ago before moving cross country. With over 80,000 miles on it when I purchased the car, it ran without incident for over 90,000 miles with nothing more than regular oil changes and new tires.