Swede’s Auto Repair

Been to see Olff more than once for work on a ’93 240. Sometimes he gives advice, other times he sees work that needs done and does it. What he doesn’t do is push repairs you never even came in for, or give advice you didn’t ask for. What he does do is diagnose and fix problems well, no matter the complexity. He was timely, and so affordable, I felt obliged to tack on a decent tip. If you were to list the things you looked for in a mechanic and the things you wanted to avoid, you could put a check by every point on both lists with this place. I have been back and will be back I’m sure. As good as it gets.

We who drive Volvo 240s are fortunate enough to experience quality and dependability of a bygone era, and our cars deserve the same treatment. Ulf («Swede») recently put a new clutch/​main seal in my 240 (go-​to mechanic was overbooked), and I’m thrilled to have found another solid single-​mechanic Volvo shop in Portland. If you go to Swede’s, you and your car will deal with nobody but Ulf, and he knows what he’s doing. Though he does charge $ 85/​hr, he’ll do big nasty jobs without complaining. I highly recommend this truly Swedish service.
Also, Ulf works on Saabs.

Absolutely the best Volvo mechanic one could dream up. He is intuitive with Volvos, often correctly diagnosing the problem on the phone before even inspecting the vehicle. He is honest and fair and a good guy. I’ve been going to him for years and highly recommend anyone in this town with a Volvo do the same.

My car is a bit newer for his liking (1996 Volvo 850), but as long as I don’t need a repair requiring a computer he is the go-​to man! He is extremely honest, quirky, and just loves his craft. I had him do quite a bit of things– timing belt, PCV system, coolant flush, air boot, and much more. I’ve never trusted a mechanic as much as Olf.

He only works on older Volvo’s, older than my 2001 XC70 which I thought was old enough. The reason I’m giving him a high rating is that I left a message describing my car and the problem, and he took the time to call me back to let me know he couldn’t do it and recommended another place I could take it.

I’ve been using Swede’s for a dozen years. I can do a fair amount of work myself
and appreciate having Swede for the crunch times, or when I the work is beyond me.
He should call NPR and take over the Car Talk guys spot and offer folks some of his down to earth humor and wisdom. Swede is an honest, skilled, and conscientious man. If a job occasionally needs a second look or adjustment there would NEVER be any hassle.

Yep, the Swede himself tinkered and toyed with my poor jacked car, got inside, then underneath, finally reassuring me that it was fine to drive and just needed some body work.
No parts? No leaving it for a diagnosis? No thousand dollars? Um… OK. He looked it over for free and let me know it would just be the body damage that I needed to deal with.
It’s not often that you find a mechanic with that kind of honesty.

Who do you want to repair your Volvo? How about Olff, a Swedish man who has been repairing Volvos for 30+ years? Olff owns Swedes, an impossible to find Volvo repair shop near Powell.
Olff is a mechanic you can trust. For instance, Olff could not figure out for the life of him why my car would not start, usually while running errands.
He thought he fixed the problem. I called him and told him the car would not start. i brought the car in for him to fix. He thought he had figured it out. Nope. I brought the car in at least three times. He charged me only for a part. That’s it. It was a matter of pride. Now, rhe car runs great. Olff is awesome. I am sorely going to miss him when he retires next year.
My 1991blue Volvo station wagon would have trouble starting. I’d drive, stop for an errand and pray it would start when I finished.