German Swedish Auto Service

Terribly slow service. Was quoted prices, that were 3x as much as that should’ve been.
The kid answering the phone and writing the orders is a punk and does not care the least bit about his job. He is very dismissive and disrespectful.
All and all it was a very slow, overpriced, frustrating experience from start to finish. Wouldn’t recommend to anyone

Needed an oil drain drilled and tapped on a 535i on New Years Eve. Bob was incredibly helpful gathering the needed items, including clean containers to capture the synthetic oil that was just put in the car, and accomplished the work in short order. I’m incredibly grateful as I’m leaving the area in the next couple of days and did not want my bride left with a leaking car. Great and thorough work, fair pricing… highly recommended.

The owner is very knowledgeable and generous with his time to explain exactly what the problem is and how he recommends tackling the issue. The experience gained is obviously from a passion for his work, as evident from the ‘artwork’ in the lobby. The fine mechanical specimen of a go-​cart and what looks to be a pedal-​power vehicle, both of which you come to find out are products of the owner’s hobbies.
The real value add here is the experience of the team. There are other auto shops and then there are real professionals that have the knowledge to diagnose the problem correctly the first time, to make the repair, time and cost efficient. I highly recommend this team of professionals for any European or domestic repair.

I have a Volvo S 40 which needs a timing belt repair, along with the timing belt I wanted to replace the water pump, so far pretty straight forward. My husband calls German Swedish and speaks with Josh who gives him a quote over the phone of $ 900. It is understood that this quote was derived from a long conversation about the engine, make model, etc…
I call Swedish German auto to confirm price and ask about «the specials» as listed on their website. This time I get Bob who quotes me $ 1300 for the same job! I am shocked and he says, «well for a new customer I would say $ 1100.» I hang up with Bob and call back and ask to speak with Josh. He affirms his previous quote of $ 900. I tell him about my conversation with Bob. He is speechless, literally I am saying «Josh» «Josh» over and over on the phone. Finally he says and I quote, «well Bob is the owner he would know better than me, I am quoting the labor guide for repairs, he has 40 years of experience.» Experience with what I wonder? So I asked Josh…” you mean to tell me I could come in off of your initial quote of $ 900 and end up paying $ 1300?” He said, «Yes, everyone knows that.»
Now I understand these are estimates. I understand that if the car came in and there was alot more work to be done it could raise the initial quote. However, $ 400 is a pretty large disparity. The vehicle has been looked at by Volvo and I know the job is pretty straight forward. I am giving them one star not because they do poor work but, because I don’t feel they can be trusted. In fact, I would say women beware. If they hear a female voice on the phone, expect a few hundred dollars to be tacked on.

I just picked up my 2004 Saab convertible from the German Swedish Auto Services shop and I can’t tell you how pleased I am!!! I was getting an airbag warning light and had an idea what was wrong so I shared that info with the guys. I fully expected them to poo-​poo me because I’m a woman. Quite the opposite — they treated me with great respect and showed me the problem and how they fixed it. I love my car and hope to be able to drive it for years to come … Now that I have found Bob and his great group of guys, I believe my little car and I will have many more happy years to come!!!
It is always scary going to a new service provider, but you can set aside those fears with Bob and the service pros at German Swedish Auto Service. They offer very professional service at a fair and reasonable price. THANKS again to the whole crew for renewing my faith in Saab service professionals!

NOTE: This review is of the facility itself and rife with suggestions for improvement. Once I get my car back, I will write a follow-​up review.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
I really hope that this place’s work lives up to the hype on their website of, «THE HIGHEST RATED EUROPEAN REPAIR SHOP IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA.» Customer comforts, such as restrooms and vending in addition to newer and cleaner loaner vehicles, desperately need improvement.
PROS
Should you need or want to wait in the lobby for your car to be serviced, the ambient noise is slim to none. The only noise I experienced over an hour’s time was the receptionist and owner answering phone calls and speaking with customers and delivery people. I was able to sit and study for an exam with no problem whatsoever.
The owner came over to speak to me after my car’s needs were assessed. He completely explained everything that was wrong, specifically talked about the 3 issues I had presented on my appointment request via their website, and the estimate was fully explained. He calmly, patiently, and respectfully answered all of my questions. I was treated fairly in addition to my gender and lack of car knowledge not being used against me to «pad the bill».
MINOR ANNOYANCES
The women’s restroom was dirty. There were dead and dried flower petals and plant leaves on the floor, the tiny trash can was overflowing with used paper towels, and the tile floor was obviously in dire need of a good mopping.
CONS
This is the only car repair facility that I have ever been in that does not even have a water cooler. There is no coffee and tea station, no vending machines for food or beverages, and there isn’t even a water fountain on the wall. Anyone who has to or chooses to wait in the lobby needs to know to bring their own water bottle and snacks or lunch because this place literally has nothing for you. Seriously, most customers expect at least a water cooler/​fountain and a vending machine with snacks at a repair shop.
The loaner car I was given, which is a blue Volvo station wagon, is in horrible shape. The owner did check to make sure that the gas tank was full before I left, which was nice, but the car is a beater! The first thing I noticed upon closing the car door is that the check engine light is on. Really?! You’re going to give me a broken car to drive when it is literally your job to fix these exact problems? What?!
The leather upholstery has certainly seen better and cleaner days, the floorboards are covered in debris, and there are multiple electrical problems with the car. The knob to adjust the side mirrors does not have the plastic cap so just the joystick remains and only the right mirror is adjustable as the left one is broken. I was unable to get the radio to come on. Also, the sunroof leaks considerably in the left front corner such that the water drips onto the driver’s left leg. It is literally raining inside the car right now as it has been raining for several hours straight by now. Mercifully, I only live a few minutes’ drive from the shop, so this was not intolerable. Never have I ever had a loaner car be so old, abused, and of exceedingly poor quality like this before.
I was told that my car would be ready by 4:30 pm today and here it is 5:15 pm and no one has called, emailed, or texted me with an update or status report. As I was not told that there was a likelihood of not getting my car back today, a courtesy call when the technicians realized this reality would have been extremely welcome as I now have to figure out how to pick up my car without a babysitter in a loaner car without a car seat base, which is in the back of my Volvo that is being worked on. My dear husband will have to take a long lunch again, I fear.

Called this place to ask how much it would be to do the timing belt and water pump. First, I explained what I was asking to the guy who answered the phone. He said ok, which led me to believe he was looking it up, but he never actually said that he was looking it up. Instead I just sort of sat there in complete silence for a minute or two. Then he asked me if I could hold on a second and transferred me to someone else. No explanation that he was transferring me or anything. It’s sort of weird when people can’t communicate basic information and just leave you hanging like that. I could deal with this if it were the only problem.
So I repeat my request to the next guy and he gives me a rough price. I asked how much to do the cam seals while they’re in there for the timing belt and he also gave me a rough price for that. I asked whether they use OEM or OEM-​quality equipment and he adopts a testy tone and provides a half-​answer about certain of the parts. (It’s a legit question — not sure why anyone would take issue with wanting to know the quality of the parts they use. A simple yes or no would have been the right answer, with an explanation if there’s a particular reason they don’t use a particular OEM part.)
When I asked about one part in particular (a part known to cause problems for my model of car if you use a crappy one), he started in with some mini-​lecture about how it’s obvious I’ve been calling around and have talked to a few places. I interrupted him and said, no, actually, they’re the first place I’ve called but that I could tell from this conversation that I’m not interested in doing business with them.
I’m not sure why the guy was such a jerk about my questions. I am female, and it’s pretty common to be talked down to (and sometimes outright lied to) by car repair folks. They’re not usually this plain rude, though. And, I can’t be sure because the guy didn’t actually completely answer the question I asked about parts quality, but the defensiveness in his answer would lead me to believe the correct answer to the question is no, they do not use OEM or OEM-​quality parts. But, like I said, who knows given that the guy didn’t just answer the question.
The rough prices he gave me seemed perfectly reasonable assuming the parts involved are of decent quality. I’m sort of on the fence about whether to do this work myself — it’s a pain in the ass job, especially the cam seals, but it’s labor intensive and will save me a lot of money to do it myself. If this is how German Swedish Auto Service treats prospective customers before they even get them in the door, I hate to think what happens once you actually bring the vehicle in and are sort of stuck with them for the work. I will not be bringing my car there simply because they were jerks and could not answer simple questions, but, despite the rudeness, I’m giving two stars instead of one because the prices seemed ok (though, like I said, it’s hard to be sure given that the guy couldn’t answer my very simple question about parts quality).

Took my Audi for service. (Oil change and tire rotation)
Got a call 4 hours later that car was ready. I got there and paid my bill. As I was getting into my car I noticed the tires had not been rotated. I know that because one of the tires has a white line on it that distinguishes it from the rest of the tires. I pointed that out to the sales clerk who checked with the mechanic who confirmed that he didn’t rotate the tires or forgot to do it. The owner was very apologetic and corrected the mistake but I think they need to have a system where they dont make mistakes like this.

I have a 2001 VW Passat that I won’t take anywhere else. I have had to take it to the VW dealer a few times for recalls. Every time I go the dealer tells me I need some expensive repair done or my car will stop running immediately.
I take it to German Swedish and I get a different story. That only seem to do the necessary repairs. It’s no cheap, but it gets done right the first time.

Great business! Unlike other auto shops that wouldn’t guarantee the price quote doing a difficult job of replacing rear wheel bearings on my BMW, they did and even despite some challenges with the work, delivered exactly as promised! Thumbs UP!

Less than a month ago I paid this garage $ 1000 dollars to do brakes, the front control arm and align the car. After the repairs the car was still pulling to the right and driving «funny» and when I questioned why I was told by the owner of the garage, «the roads around here are not even.»
So I found another garage to take it to. I just discovered that I was charged for work that was never done, parts that were not replaced.
I guess I should have expected this, the first time I took the car to them they «fixed» an engine problem only to have the car towed back to the shop to them the next day.
I will never recommend this garage to anyone. I can understand a mistake being made once but I was deliberately mislead and taken advantage of. Beware and take your Volvo elsewhere.

The positive reputation Bob and his team have earned is well deserved. Three other shops (including the local Volvo dealer) weren’t able to properly diagnose a problem with our 2005 V-70’s suspension. GSAS solved the mystery and fixed it for about $ 300. If you’re looking for solid business ethics and trustworthiness, this is the place.

After 11 years and 100,000 miles on my 323i, I started to think «Why am I taking this car into the dealership for every repair?»
I had a card from these guys and they’re close by, but I never went. Finally, on the way home from a meeting — my AC conked out and the engine temp went right into the red zone. You don’t have to be a certified engine tech to know that’s going to be an expensive repair bill at the BMW dealer, and lately — I’ve not had great experiences with BMW dealers.
So, I called and they said drop it off. That was easy. They didn’t seem to think it was going to be as major, and sure enough they called me on my way out of town and said it was just a fan that had gone out — about a ¹⁄₃ of what I feared it would cost. Since they were doing that, I had them do the front brakes. Picked up the car this morning and the repairs are beautiful. AC is excellent and the car is handling just right.
I’m going to be taking the car back in for some other repairs I’ve been putting off, since I plan on selling it to a buddy.
These guys are straight up, tell you what’s true and don’t condescend. They’re respectful and fair. I don’t know what else you can hope for, but if you have to have a fancy showroom and a latte bar — well, look elsewhere. If you just want it done correctly I think this may very well be the place.

Being a Saab owner it’s not an easy task to find a mechanic who really knows how to work on these cars. I live in Lorton and was lucky enough to notice their sign from the highway. Also being that I live in Lorton the closest Saab dealership is in Falls Church. I’ve been there twice and was NOT happy at all with the service they provided.
German Swedish Auto is reasonable, fast, and honest.