Say Ray

Say Ray may charge a premium for their services but it’s totally worth it. We’ve gone to them for several years now and they never upsell repairs and are very honest. Never had a problem with any repairs.
For instance, our trunk was stuck shut and several Volvo dealerships said it would cost in excess of 1000 $ to fix. We drove into Say Ray and they immediately knew that for our car, apparently locking the globe compartment locks the trunk — problem solved!

Every time I do business with them, I have an amazing experience. They treat us like they would their own family, which is SO very rare in this town: honest, fair, and compassionate.
Thanks to Say Ray, we have no problem with the idea of keeping our Volvo –which now has 123k miles– for as many years as possible. We love our car, we know that Say Ray will be there to take care of it, and we know that the repairs that our car needs will be done well, at a fair price, and with no hassle.
We have never had the same feeling of trust with [our Volvo dealership].
Also: in my experience, their technical skills cannot be beat. Three separate times, my family or I have had problems that our Volvo dealership (s) swore were extremely complex and neigh-​to-​unfixable. Either the dealer mechanics were boneheads and really had no idea what they were doing because it wasn’t explicit in a troubleshooting manual, or the dealer was being opportunistic, and trying to move us into a new car.
When we took our cars from the Dealer to Say Ray, things got fixed. Each problem was easily tracked down, and fixed quickly.
One time the problem turned out to be a transmission controller harness replacement, and any mechanic can tell you that this is a VERY hard bug to track down (as opposed to totaling our car). One time, it was a simple CPU reset (as opposed to the $ 600 to replace a window position switch the dealer quoted us).
Their prices are extremely fair, and the value of their customer service is beyond measure!
Fear not, Volvo dealers: we are still going to buy cars from you. After all, they are great machines. But the real reason we will still darken your doorstep is that we know, as soon as the warrantee doesn’t cover something, Say Ray has our back.

I am sorry to say I did not experience the type of service many others seemed to have gotten from Say Ray. I called them for brake work, based on the reviews I saw on Unilocal.
Let’s just say get things in writing before you go there.
Was given a quote for replacing front pads on my Volvo, so made an appt for 3 days later. Showed up, and the estimate was about 30% higher! Woman at front desk, as mentioned in other reviews, was pretty curt about it, made a snide comment like are you kidding we’d never do the work for that rate.
Later on she admitted to me she ‘was mistaken’ when she gave me the orig estimate on the phone — I guess some honesty on her part gets them 2 stars instead of 1. So I somewhat reluctantly say OK (for the higher amount) since I’m already there and have gone thru the trouble. Later get a call that I need the rotors replaced too. Asked for an estimate, the total is now more than what the Volvo dealers (two different dealers) quoted me for pads and rotors replacement, what?!
Sorry, long review, but I hate bait and switch tactics. Manager then acted like he was doing me a favor by saying they’ll ‘put everything back together’ and I won’t be charged if I don’t want to do the service.
I was hoping I could find a good honest place to bring my cars (I also have 2 other cars of types they service) but I won’t be going back.

Say Ray deserves to be so busy I can’t get an appointment. Yes, the front desk lady isn’t fluttery-​friendly but she’s fine, not mean. Maybe a little cranky, but her dog is nice:) And she grows on you.
As to the other complaint, Say Ray will do a picky evaluation of a car but that is what you want, when buying at least:) That was a very useful review for me because then I knew to ask them about which were priority items so that could go on the evaluation, too. It’s pretty easy to tell what is just being thorough and what matters. I’d rather they err on the more thorough side.
And for the person who was upset because they had to have an appointment for the car to be looked at and would have to pay the hourly rate for time spent — I’m guessing sometimes that happens, depending on what the issue is and possibly how busy they are. Today, for instance, they checked my alarm system, and another problem, on a drop-​by and for free. I’ll be back.

Went there for Volvo service. Very friendly. Reasonably priced. Fixed the brakes and a few other minor things on the same day. Delivered it when promised. Convenient location. I’ll come back.

Say Ray is an excellent shop for Volvo owners. I never take my S80 to a Volvo dealership because they rip me off like no other. However, Say Ray is privately owned and run by a thorough and respectful staff. I feel lucky that I found Say Ray and am always appreciative of their work and honesty. Highly recommended!

I’ve taken my Volvos to Say Ray for what must be 20 years. They have always been courteous and responsive to what needed to be done (and as the cars were older — didn’t need to be done) and at a fair price. As others have said, they will fix a light bulb with minimal cost –often on a dropin basis (and I have spent much more time and money when I did it at the dealer’s shop). I am switching from Volvo to other makes, and was pleased that Say Ray is now able to repair Toyotas and related vehicles as well as Volvos. Thanks for nearly 400,000 miles worth of repairs!

Came in needing some light replacements and they replaced them right away and sent me on my way. Super easy and much appreciated!

A buyer for my used Volvo Wagon brought it to Say Ray for an evaluation. This wagon is clean and in good condition, and I was asking under trade in value but Say Ray killed the deal with a laundry list of inconsequential, silly, and wrong maintenance issues.
Included were dirty brake fluid, dirty transmission fluid (changed within the prior year), ‘old looking’ timing belt and water pump (both changed as regular maintenance just 15,000 miles ago) worn belts, hoses, and clamps (Please!), dirty air filter (almost new), tire rotation needed (done two weeks ago). after market brake pads, O2 sensors may have issues down the road???, and other stuff relevant to any decent car with 120,000 miles on it. I was surprised he didn’t comment on the stinky air in the tires.
I was less than cordial when I confronted the ‘man at the desk’ for killing my deal with this nonsense. His response was «This is what we do.».
When I stated that I could come up with a similar list for any car on the street his response was. «I know.».
Summary:
Did they test for major issues like blown head gasket, bad transmission, or ‘smogability’…No!
He kills my deal, grabs a quick $ 135.00 from the buyer, and kills any chance for his shop to perform any of the future maintenance on this car. Duh!
If he was thinking straight he should have given the buyer a ‘go’ on this good looking, good running, low priced, used Volvo, and positioned himself as the go to guy for future maintenance.
The only winner under this scenario is probably Toyota.

Like others, I signed up Unilocal just to praise Say Ray. I got stuck on 280 on my way to work with what I thought was my battery but turned out to be (and what I had feared) my alternator. Towed my 2006 S40 to Say Ray and what can I say, it’s just felt right. Now there’s no fancy waiting room or anything like that but the staff is honest and straight to the point… both things I can value in a shop. I will definitely be taking my car here for services in the future. Only 4 stars because I haven’t gotten my car back yet (there’s only one alternator for my car in the US). Will be sure to up the star-​o-​meter once I can drive it around.

I was 100% correct. They called me by 9am on Monday to let me know the problem, the solution, and the cost. My car will be ready by noon, thus confirming that this is the best mechanic’s shop ever.

took my S70 in for analysis of the SRS warning light based on my regular mechanic’s recommendation. The place was busy and clearly does a good business.
They were friendly, professional and saw me right away. The prompt attention was a pleasant surprise given the number of cars in the shop. Pete was thorough in his anaylsis and honest in his recommendations. For this issue, he had nothing to gain as it will need to be addressed by a dealer (ugh) but still gave it his complete attention. I would trust this shop with my business, which is a rare thing to find these days.

The woman at the front desk is so mean and punitive in her attitude that I can no longer go there. It is bad enough to need expensive repairs without her being so curt and unhelpful. I’m not complaining about the mechanics.

Took my volvo 850 in to Say Ray for the first time, based on Unilocal reviews. Ratings were confirmed by my experience — these people are very honest and forthright. They advised me on the implications of an optional repair, and saved me $ 700 in the process.
Worth noting — when I pulled up to their shop in Palo Alto, I was struck by the scene. The garage is located on a quiet side street near Fry’s Electronics and has no business signage on the exterior of the building. They open for business on THEIR terms: Mon — Thu 7am — 4pm and Fri 7am — 1pm. Yet the place is very busy, and must get all of its volvo-​specific car maintenance business through word-​of-​mouth. Very impressive.

We’ve been a Say Ray customer for 20 years. EXCELLENT … EXCELLENT … EXCELLENT … EXCELLENT… EXCELLENT!!!

Good story to illustrate how great these guys are:
Based on Unilocalers reviews, I took my ’96 850 GLT in for some regular maintenance. Ray said the battery needed replacement. Huh? It was new as of 7 months ago! Went back to the place that sold me the battery. They said I needed a new alternator. Called up Ray to ask for a quote for a new alternator — they said bring it by for us to diagnose.
Stopped by two days later in the morning. Peter came out, hooked up the machine, revved the engine, went back into the shop, crimped the positive battery cables, machine read-​out looked better, off I went. Seems that the cable connection isn’t the best in my year of vehicle, which is why it wasn’t charging that well.
Comparison: Free versus $ 670. Hmmm…
I’ll be back.

I was in agreement with the other posters until this morning when I called to see if they can give me an estimate for some small knick knack issues with my Volvo. They told me they can’t even look at it without an appointment and that it will run me $ 120 at a minimal for the one hour shop time for them to see what work needs to be done. This without me even bringing my car in or they asking me any questions about what issues I have. This is not what I expected from Say Ray.
I really want continue to be a customer as I brought the same car in for a brake job a year ago. The brakes worked great and they saved me $ 70 over the dealership. But with this experience, I have to say that I will be taking my business elsewhere. I guess since their next open appointment was not for 2 weeks, they don’t need the business. That’s too bad…

Very prompt and good service on our Volvo and fair prices. Support this independent repair shop so the dealer doesn’t become our only option in Palo Alto.

My Mom has had a Volvo for years… and for many of those years she had the same Volvo. Growing up, I was the only kid on the block whose mother drove a 1966 Volvo. You know the ones that were curvy – not boxes like the ones now. My Mom and Dad drove it around Europe when they first got married and shipped it over here. My Mom literally drove the thing as her primary car (with brief stints of Volvo upgrades, but she always went back to the original) until the 90’s. Say Ray kept it runnung. When she got a new car, it was also a Volvo.
With that history – Say Ray has been servicing the family Volvos for as long as I remember. I am pretty positive my Mom never took her cars anywhere else. My Mom has now passed on a Volvo to me and I wouldn’t think of taking the car anywhere else. I can’t tell you how much I trust them.
The prices are fair. The advice good (and often for small things — free). The service is quick and helpful. Everyone is knowledgeable and genuinely nice.

I signed up for Unilocal so I could write this. While i can’t comment on their prices, I’ve really appreciated each of my Say Ray encounters thus far, and can vouch for them as friendly, sharp, and super-​knowledgeable servicepeople.
I went in there once with a broken side foglight, and Robert not only replaced the bulb in there for free, but also offered to help me put in a new fixture if I wanted to order the part online and bring it in.
They’ve also done a check engine diagnostic for me for free without ever making me feel pressured to get it fixed by them, and also gave me helpful suggestions on how to get my car started when my battery died in my garage.
Even Carlsen Volvo, the official dealer down the street, has happily recommended them to me. Other Volvo-​owning friends have also vouched for their fair prices. If I weren’t as price-​sensitive as I am right now, I’d gladly go to them for everything, given that they offer a great package overall.