S & J Automotive

Terrible. Brought my 05 9 – 3 here to fix an ignition problem. S&J charged me close to $ 1,000. When I went pick up the vehicle at S&J, it would not start. S&J sent a mechanic out to «fix» it again in their parking lot while I waited! Of course the problem immediately resumed. This place exists to milk Saab owners.

My wife and I moved to Georgia in 2014 and were looking forward to dealing with a reputable Saab mechanic. things in Hawaii had taken turn and we no longer trusted our Saab dealership there. So we were excited to find S and J Auto, even if it meant a two hour drive to get service and maintenance done.
My wife and I took her 2008 9 – 3 to Shelly and the gang several times over the period of a year. Initially we wanted to have the 60K service done. The work was done, though it took a week. Then over the next several months I returned for various small things, oil changes, etc. No issues really. Even from the first day, though, I felt at odds about this place, but give the options for Saab mechanics, I want with it. I brought the car in for a squeak that my wife had complained about in the front suspension. The initial assessment, «at the door» of S and J was that the sway bar end links were toast. It seemed plausible, we had been living in Hawaii and the roads are rough. While they had the car, which was for an agreed upon 5 days (separate story), Shelly diagnosed that the front struts were bad, too. Hmmm… I told them to go ahead with the repairs trusting their expertise. Well, we got the car back and on the way home the noise was still there. An odd squeak in the front suspension. After two trips to Shelly, the solution was to spray two cans of silicone fluid on the sway bar bushings and suspension rubber pieces… okay. It seems to have been the fix. The next issue is where things got weird. After about six weeks the left front strut began to leak pretty bad. (hindsight I was charged 100% mark-​up on these over the counter struts). I took it back to Shelly, they cleaned things off, and «couldn’t find the leak» I am a trusting individual, but I am also a former mechanic (previous stage of life). The explanation… «the silicone fluid that they had doused on the suspension for the squeak had pooled up and was now spilling out.» Huh? 3000 miles of driving and this? No way. Who was I to say… so I left their shop. I took it for a spin and came back to show them the oil leaking down the strut body. They took the car in… Normally, I get friendly with mechanics and they let me into the shop area to check things out. That is the normal things that happened here, too… except this time. This time the car went back in to the shop. It was lifted, the wheel removed, and then I was brought in to take a look. did I mention that I had swiped my finger on the strut to confirm the wetness before I walked back in the door? Now the strut was, can you believe it, dry. Well, I made some accusations, Shelly got very angry, and I was told that I was not to be trusted. They put the car back together, she took me for a very «spirited» drive throughout the neighborhood, they put the car back on the rack… no leak. I was dumbfounded. So, I left, with no intention of ever going back. I was embarrassed and I was confused. So I drove home… back to Columbus. Two hours of driving.
This is long winded, but here is the point… Did you wonder how I new about the strut cost? That’s because when I got home after the long drive, the strut was leaking. I knew it!!! I said, «forget it» I ordered a new strut and installed it myself. I paid $ 120 from an on-​line retailer for the exact same strut that Shelly had charged me $ 250. I installed it myself. I told you I was a mechanic. My issue is I do not have the time to do this anymore.
So, what did I learn from this exchange. 1. I paid double what the parts cost was supposed to be for the struts AND the end links. 2. The «squeak» was the suspension bushings on the sway bar (haven’t squeaked since) 3. I paid for unnecessary repairs to the tune of $ 2k. (they didn’t charge me for the 2 cans of silicone fluid). 4. I can still manage to find time to work on my cars if necessary.
They may have been in business for a long time, but it does not make them very friendly or, in this case, very trust worthy. There are several reports here of people being charged and then seemingly «strong armed» by Shelly for the money. I am not sure what happened with this «family business», but be wary. I am sure that they may have a loyal «fan base», if you are new customer you might be treated as fresh meat and be capitalized on for that.

I brought my Saab 9.3 to this shop after another shop performed a horrific faulty repair on my vehicle. Shelly and everyone else I interacted with here were incredibly helpful throughout the process of working with the other shop toward a resolution and repairing the damage (along with re-​repairing the original issue). Not only were they competent, patient, and kind, each person I spoke with took the time to explain clearly what the car needed and why instead of treating me like an outsider, and I feel like they’ve gone above and beyond what was expected to get my car on the road.

I have visited s and j automotive for a couple of times and my experiences were not the best.
Once I visited their shop for an occasional start up issue, they immediately told me to replace the battery or alternator without even taking a look at my car. They also told me they would first replace the battery as the alternator was more expensive to replaced. I was shocked that they wouldn’t even check if the parts were bad or not before trying to replace them.
Another time after having my car inspected at their place, the car suddenly lost power and checked engine light were on on my way back home from their shop. I opened the hood and removed the engine cover. Throttle body hose was disconnected. The furrule was very loose and apparently someone forgot to tighten it. I checked the engine next morning and find another hose disconnected.
They also suggest you to do things that are not necessary. Once they even admitted the previous work was unnecessary. The price is on the high side while the work is on the slow side. It might take as long as 5 days to get the diagnostic report after the work is done.
I have heard good things about this shop from multiple sources in the past. It seems it used to be a good place. Not sure what happened but I really think they need a lot of improvement to regain their reputation.

When I got into an accident on the way to this place to get a Saab electrical issue checked out, they came out to the scene and acted nice like they were going to help me out. They said they’d look at the car and let me know how bad the damage really was, and so I used a AAA tow to move my car there. Days went by, no word. Thanksgiving passed, no word, despite my calls and messages. Ok, it’s the holidays, I can let that slide.
Then the week after I finally get time (and a car) to go over and find out what’s going on with my car. They say now they aren’t going to bother to check the transmission and it’s probably just totaled. So my time’s wasted.
When I call a day later to find out when is a good time to have my car towed (as they blocked it in with several other cars), no one answers my calls or returns my messages. I go over there the following day to find my car was broken in to, my subwoofer and amplifier was stolen because they were too lazy to move the car inside, and now all of a sudden they start blowing up my phone telling me I have to move it because it will «attract criminals.» Well, maybe you should have MOVED THE CAR inside!
And when I merely inquired if the stolen items was something the shop would cover under THEIR insurance, or if I had to call my insurance company, the people (Anna and later Shelly) were defensive and played a blame game with me saying they only let my car be there as a favor (?!?). And then they got mad — acting as if I demanded them to pay for my stolen items, even though in truth it is completely their fault!
Even as I’m out of town, instead of just moving the car inside for a couple days until I return, they instead opt to leave it where it sits. And they continue to harass me even though they wouldn’t return any of my calls for the first two weeks.
I am extremely disappointed with how these people turned out. Jack, the father, seems nice and friendly, but everyone else is a know-​it-​all, two-​faced person. On top of that, their experience with Saabs is definitely NOT the best. When looking at another Saab, they quoted me $ 1300 on something another Saab mechanic at North Atlanta Import Svcs offered to do for $ 250! When I asked about the discrepancy, he said «anyone who knows Saabs knows how to get it done quickly without having to take out the whole transmission!»
Thanks for wasting my time, my tow, and letting my stuff get stolen because you were too lazy to ROLL a car inside! You are MECHANICS! That’s your job! And if you don’t want to do the work, don’t tell someone you will do it!
AVOID.

I have a 2004 9 – 3 convertible and needed to have my first bow hydraulic cylinder replaced. Anyone who has a hydraulic convertible top knows how expensive this can be, especially because there are typically seven cylinders that will eventually have to be replaced. I did some research and found a company online Top Hydraulics — who rebuilds hydraulic cylinders for around 200.00 each. I was quoted just under $ 1000 from Sovereign Motors for one new hydraulic cylinder from the dealership costing around $ 630 and the remaining $ 369.99 would be labor charges. They have been in business for 20 plus years and never heard of hydraulic cylinders being rebuilt. On a friend’s recommendation I called Shelly at S & J Automotive and told her what I needed and she suggested I come by there, let them have a look at it, she also told me there was a company who rebuilds convertible top hydraulic cylinders for a fraction of the cost. Her telling me that information alone gave me a good insight as to what kind of person she was — informed and forthright. All in all I paid $ 427.00. Parts — Top Hydraulics rebuilt first bow cylinder plus shipping $ 217 and $ 210 in labor with S & J Automotive, which included taking the cylinder off and putting the top back up (in case it rained), installing the new cylinder & adding hydraulic fluid. I saved almost $ 600 because of Shelly’s honesty & knowledge. There’s a reason they have so many customers. probably because they’ve earned it by doing good business.
Kimberly McClure
Atlanta, GA

Honest, friendly, and prompt. What else could you possibly expect from a car repair shop? Seriously, this is the only place I takes my car when I have issues. They are simply the best! Best Saab shop in ATL.

S&J is a great place to take my SAAB 9 – 5 Aero. S&J does good work, is fast, and the prices are reasonable. There are not a lot of SAAB technicians in town, so when you find one stick with him or her. A couple of times S&J was not convenient for an acute repair. I’ve been disappointed with the results from others who do not understand the marvel of Swedish engineering. I am sticking with S&J.

I took my car in for it’s yearly laundry list of repairs. Spoke with Shelly first then Theresa (her Mother). I was told that they do not «throw repairs or parts» at cars to generate extra cost, but they do keep some costs hidden from you until it is too late.
Theresa (Mom) mentioned that a repair would cost me $ 150 (parts and installation), but when I got the bill from Shelly and spoke with her… the amount had risen to $ 250. She said the reason was that they had to pull codes which was an extra $ 50 and the time to do that was an extra $ 50, hence the additional $ 100 charge. I was never made aware of this code pull charge and think that $ 100 is not a fair amount which I vocalized to Shelly. She in turn, did not want to hear any of my thoughts and displayed this stone face glare. Told me that there was nothing I could do and pretty much had to pay the charge or else. .which I did as to not have my car held hostage. She also said that if I ever bring my car back in to them, that I have to specifically say, do not pull the codes or there will be an additional $ 100 (estimated) charge… cover off on anything they speak of doing. Assume nothing.
One more thing… I was talking with Shelly about replacing another part on my car and in mid sentence she ran off to another part of the parking lot and did not return to finish our discussion. Still have not spoke to her on the potential for spending more of my money.
Overall, Shelly and Theresa do not communicate with each other. Shelly is not upfront on costs. She is very friendly in the beginning, but that is only a cover which erodes quickly. Overall, do not take your car here. They also continue to say «use 93 octane» gas which may or not be true and useful, but I heard you the first time.

In 2004, I acquired a 1986 Saab 900, and I guarantee you that the car would have been sent to the junk yard a long time ago if it weren’t for these guys. This family owned company is called the Saab Specialist for good reason. They drive Saabs, only repair Saabs and have been in the business for nearly 30 years.
They are honest, up front and will explain repairs and problems in as much depth as you need to feel comfortable. They aren’t going to make you replace or repair something on your car unless it really has to been done. In fact, I’ve had them tell me in a few situations when I was afraid I was going to have to replace some major hardware, that a fix could be done by just replacing a small part of the mechanism. A shady or less experience establishment might have made an unnecessary push for more expensive or extensive repairs.
If something doesn’t need to be repaired immediately, but will become a problem in the future, they will give you a heads up so you can be prepared. This has been especially helpful for me with a 22 year old car that is naturally going to have some periodic major issues as things wear down. It gives you a chance to make sure you have a reserve of money for the repairs and makes it *slightly* less stressful when it actually happens. :-)
The Baxter family (owners) and their employees take a genuine interest in their customers and get to know you. They have done a good job with making the customer waiting area comfortable and clean. They offer rides to Marta if you drop your car off for repairs and before the drought, they would even give my car a quick exterior wash just to be nice.
If you have Saab and you live in Atlanta, take it here. If you don’t have a Saab, I pity you, but would I seriously suggest finding and building a relationship with a reputable repair shop that specializes in you car’s make. It can make a world of difference for you piece of mind and your pocket book.