Svensson Automotive

this review is 2 years old, (only just written my first Unilocal review). svensson’s: shelled out $ 3000+ for a head gasket. took it back a month later with radiator leaks. got another $ 700 bill with note «may have blown head gasket» — which was off course correct. at the best (most charitable) the 2^nd bill was outrageously over the top. if he’d just said «throw the car away» at least it would have been straight talk. that kind of undoes an awful lot of warm, fuzzy, «it’ll be $ 20 bucks aw shucks» experiences doesn’t it!

I have been taking my SAAB here for a couple years now. BJ is always friendly and professional. He explains what needs to be fixed and if you ask he will make a list of fixes from most urgent to things that can be taken care of later. He tries to help the customer understand exactly what he wants to do and why. The best thing about these guys is that my car runs like new every time i drive away. i have had tons of things done and never had to take it back or god forbid to another shop. Getting it done right the first time is a great business model and i recommend them to any car owner who is interested in getting informative, quick and friendly service. Would rate them 5 stars PLUS.

DARREL W. WROTE: If you are going to charge like you are the best you better be the best. If you specialize in certain cars, you should know them inside & out. These guys are neither! Huge waste of time and money.
MY RESPONSE: How ’bout some specifics, Darrel. What happened? When all reviews except yours are glowing, it begs the question of what everyone else sees that you don’t. There’s also the possibility of your unreasonableness, like the Amazon reviewer who gives a product one star simply because it didn’t work when it came out of the box. Every single manufacturer of any and all products sometimes makes a dud, right off the assembly line. But if the seller and manufacturer are willing to replace it, then it’s the replaced one, which works, that should be reviewed and getting however many stars, not the exceptional one that just happened to be bad out of the box. If you, Darrel, would provide some specifics, then at least we’d be able to see whether or not you’re like one of those unreasonable Amazon reviewers (which I suspect you are).
Now, here’s my review of Svensson — really, BJ Pal, its owner/​manager — and it dates back some 14 years…
I was working in Berkeley at NOLO​.COM; and I bought a Volvo 240 (from their last version period: ’86 thru ’93) from a private party in Pleasanton. Driving back to Berkeley, blue smoke wafted from the engine compartment when I was sitting at a stoplight.
Having driven past Svensson every single day on the way to/​from work; and having even stopped-​by there to look at whatever 240s BJ might have for sale before I finally bought the one from Pleasanton, I thought of BJ first when I saw the blue smoke. It wasn’t a lot of smoke, mind you, but it concerned me.
BJ wasn’t the least bit upset that I bought a Volvo elsewhere; and he was sensitive to my smoke concern and dropped everything and took a car out of one of his service bays and put mine in it and looked at the problem on the spot.
Turned-​out it was minor. Apparently there’s an inexpensive little valve of some kind near the back of the engine that sometimes gets clogged, and when it does it sometimes causes enough oil pressure that it can blow this little rubber plug thingy out of the back of the top of the engine, and thereby blow oil all over the firewall. Some of the oil then dripped down onto the exhaust pipe, and also the top of the back of the engine, and burned a little, and caused the smoke.
BJ replaced the valve and the little rubber back-​of-​engine plug thingy, right then and there; and when I asked him how much he wanted, he said, «oh… I dunno… it only took ten minutes. just gimmee twenty bucks.»
I was so stunned by it all that I had to steady myself… literally.
He also pointed-​out a few minor things that I should probably have someone look at, whenever I got a chance… and he didn’t even assume it would be him. The only thing he didn’t do was clean-​up the oil blown all over the firewall; but I did that myself with four big cans of carb cleaner at home, later. I ended-​up taking the car to a different mechanic, but not because BJ wouldn’t have been best. Rather, it was because by then I was leaving NOLO, and was moving closer to where I now am in Napa. If I had stayed in Berkeley, though — or anywhere even remotely close to it – you can bet that BJ would have become my mechanic.
My memory of BJ’s honesty and integrity, though, is long. So, now, 14 years later, when we’re looking for another car, guess who I went to see first? And guess who’s got a car sitting on his lot right this very minute that I’m thinking we’re gonna’ buy this very week? No, really… guess. [grin]
I’ve actually been to both Svensson locations… not only the one in Berkeley where BJ’s at, and for which I’m writing this review, but also the one in Lafayette, where BJ’s wife works, and which is managed by Larry Nelson. The car in which we’re interested was initially at Larry’s location, so I went there to see it first, and met him, too. Both Larry and BJ are straight shooters; and Larry didn’t (though he will, obviously, now) know it, but I asked his neighbors — including a direct competitor two doors down (which, by the way, has a beautiful golden retriever, who loves to be petted, snoozing, most days, on a rug in its front office) — what is Svensson’s business reputation. Everyone said good things; no one said they’d ever heard a customer grumble or gripe about Svensson. In my considerable travels, in life, I’ve found that neighboring businesses usually always know when any of their neighbors is a rip-​off. Both Svensson’s locations’ neighbors think well of them.
Neither location has any complaints with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), either (not that that actually means anything, I’ve learned; turns-​out the BBB is something of a rip-​off, itself; but now I digress. sorry). Their reviews here, at Unilocal,are also good.
So, draw your own conclusions, but five stars from at least me!

If you are going to charge like you are the best you better be the best. If you specialize in certain cars, you should know them inside&out. These guys are neither!
Huge waste of time and money.

Really a little strange that this place doesn’t have more reviews on Unilocal; it was sure bustling and busy and had a very well-​worn and local feeling to it. A yard full of swedish cars…
I took a chance and went there with my new-​to-​me ancient beautiful Saab 900. There was a worrying clunk coming from the front suspension. BJ got me in right away even though his shop was quite busy as I expressed concern that I was worried about my wheel falling off (this actually is rather crazily common on old Saabs!)
He is a personable and friendly guy who just feels like he’s part of the solution rather than the problem. He let me know that all I needed was a rather inexpensive shock bushing repair, that there was no urgency, and that my wheel would definitely not fall off. He is totally okay with me bringing in my own parts. There was no up-​selling, and nothing sketchy about this place… I will definitely be back when the Saab needs some more love.

I took my 97 Volvo to Svensson Volvo a few months back for black smoke that was coming out of the tailpipe (turned to be bad 02 sensors). BJ, the head mechanic, runs a tight ship. He knows his stuff. He’s very personable, but gets straight to thepoint. He was able to tell what was wrong with it, and fix it. The labor was a little more than I am used to, but you get what you pay for and what you pay for is quality work.
I recently took it my car back for my ABS/​TRACS system. BJ pointed that my upper engine torque mount needed to be replaced.
And two yesterday, I noticed smoke and a smell coming from under my hood. BJ looked and saw that the engine oil cap was the wrong one…(probably from the LAST place that i took it… Note: if you have a Volvo, take it to a VOLVO specialist. Most other places don’t know how to properly care for Volvos).
I HIGHLY recommend this shop.
–Derric

So Far I am Loving this set of Mechanics & the Nice man who runs the place … My car an old Saab 900s runs better & Better each time they lay wrenches to it. I have none of the issues that I had with Saab Replay…
(where they kept the car for 3 days longer than initially stated)