Independent Volvo Saab & Jeep

I have a Jeep 2005 Cherokee that has been going through some issues lately. I chose to take it to Independent Volvo Saab & Jeep for a few reasons. First, it has Jeep in the name and I wanted a mechanic that knows Jeeps. Second, I’ve read through the reviews on Unilocal, and found that most of them were very positive… not to mention that one review had the exact same problem with their Jeep that I’ve been having. And 3^rd reason, I took it to another mechanic who DIDN’T specialize in Jeeps, and I feel like they messed my car up even more. My Jeep has been having some strange intermittent grinding «squeeking/​squeeling» noises that sound like they’re coming from the rear and then working their way up the drive shaft. I thought possibly rear diff, u joints, break pads, etc. I took it to Mike and he explained that he needed to hear the noise for him to diagnose fix my Jeep. I understood that because I too am a mechanic, I am a paramedic and know that in order to treat a patient, I physically need to see signs and symptoms before I can just give medications. Well, Mike and his crew were able to find some other things that may or may not have been the root of the grinding noise. They fixed a serpentine belt tensioner with a bad internal spring, which was causing my engine to rattle at idle, they diagnosed and fixed parking brake shoes, which had no brake shoe material left on the backing metal parts & the hardware was rusted and siezed. This made sense to me because I lived in PB for 3 years, and have seen what the ocean salt/​fog that rolls in and out every evening did to all of our metal belongings. They also found a leaking hose from the radiator and replaced the oil pressure sender. Mike was very honest, easy to talk with, and kept me informed of everything he did before he did it. He must have called me 3 or 4 times to explain what was going with my Jeep, and he asked permission every time to perform the repairs. I even had some other problems that I talked with him about that he looked into/​fixed without even charging me. Since I’ve had my Jeep back, which has only been about 3 hours, I have not heard the noise, and it feels like my car runs much smoother. Mike told me that if the noise comes back to just drive it into his lot and grab him and he’ll come out and hop into my car and drive around with me. He says he just «needs to hear it» to be able to figure out what it is. I respect him saying that and feel like he is not just another mechanic out there that pulls stuff apart and then charges you for something that wasn’t even wrong. It’s hard to find a mechanic that you genuinely feel 100% comfortable leaving your car with. I trust Mike and his crew, and will continue to take my Jeep to them for as long as I have it.

I have to do an update as it has been proven to me time & time again that Mike runs his business with such a high level of integrity and honesty I want anyone who is looking for a great Volvo mechanic to know this is the place to go. Since my last review my car“s been given the death sentence by 2 different other places — since Mike is not around the corner from me I used to go other places for oil chgs — one time I was given a full size sheet of paper with a list of all the things wrong to later find out it was only a minimal repair — $ 200ish — needed once Mike assessed it as opposed to the page full of why my car was croaking lol! If you love your Volvo as much as I do and want to continue to enjoy one of the safest cars on the road while keeping it well maintained it’s good to get support for that by going to Independent ;)

Mike is my hero. He is my auto detective. He has a systematic way of tracking car trouble, and he does not stop until he finds the culprit. He gives straight answers and never dodges. He does not even understand bullshit. Sometimes he may take a while to find the problem, which can seem annoying, but he gets to the bottom of the issue, and the wait is always worthwhile. His prices are always fair, and more than reasonable.
I have a twenty year old Volvo, and it rides like a dream thanks to Mike’s careful attention I will be able to keep it for the foreseeable future.
Thank you, Mike.

If you have a Volvo and are still look around for a great shop to take it, this is the place. Mike is very knowledgeable, professional and a great guy you can trust. Always meticulous and passionate with his work. Clearly explains the details of the issue and works with you. This is our second used Volvo; we would not have bought another one without knowing about this shop.

First Saab shop in SD that didn’t gouge me. In fact, I know that Mike worked more hours than he billed me for in working on my issue. He talked through the issue in great detail (which I like, but some might not), and I never felt bullied or talked down to. He also collaborated with me on finding the best solution for me (i.e. not replacing everything.) I will definitely go back if I have any other issues.

I highly recommend Mike at Independent Volvo SAAB & Jeep. Mike is knowledgeable, honest, and sincere. He takes time to explain what is wrong with your car and even shows you the parts that need to be replaced. He is a one man shop so some repairs take a little longer but the quality cannot be beat. I had an engine replaced and was back on the road soon enough. Excellent quality. Good prices.
It is June 2015, I have had more routine repairs such as oil changes and even brake work since my last post. The quality of work and personal service remains outstanding. I will continue to visit him for all my Volvo XC90 repairs. Highly recommend,

Great shop! I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee ’02. It was making a grinding noise when I turn the wheel at slow speeds. Mike looked at it, proposed a solution and had it back to me the same day. Mike is very knowledgeable about Jeeps and a very nice guy. He took the time to walk through the issues with me. I will definitely go back to him if I have any future work to be done on my Jeep.

I’ve been taking my Saab 9 – 3 here for a couple years now. Anyone who owns a Saab knows how hard it is to find a place to work on these cars and to do it right. Mike is a good guy making an honest living. Never once have I been pressured with up sales or any unnecessary nonsense. The prices have always been fair if not less expensive in my experience. I am going to continue to take my car here for any needed maintenance.

Stay away, Stay away, Stay away.
I took my 2004 Saab to these guys as it had a battery drain. Dropped the car off with them at the time they told me in the morning (had to wait for them… they were late, apparently slept through his alarm clock). They called me a few hours later telling me to come and get the car. When I turned up they said they couldn’t find anything wrong and charged me $ 110 for the privilege.
Over subsequent weekends I researched the problem myself with the help of online Saab forums. Discovered I have a parasitic battery drain and today discovered it is my radio amp. First thing I learned when I started my research is that a car that is turned off should not draw more than 50mA (milli amps). When I measured my battery it was drawing 340mA. Bam, immediately know I have an electrical issue!!! Surely the first thing they would’ve done (recognizing I took it to them complaining of battery drain) is measure the battery current… right??? If they know what they’re doing they’d have known 340mA is excessive.
Really disappointed in the service and overall experience of this place.

Just had a minor repair done here. And by minor I mean, it was just a headlight bulb that burned out. These guys were awesome! They were very polite, and quick to replace it even without an appointment. And surprisingly affordable compared to other places and especially more affordable than any other minor maintenance I have had done at the Volvo dealership. They also gave me a heads up on some preventative maintenance that I may want to get in the near future, but they did so without even a hint of pressure to do it right then. Kudos for not trying to upsell me, but rather just try and do some education without trying to corner me.
Overall, I was very impressed.

We have a Volvo XC90 and got the dreaded «check engine» light before a trip to AZ. That same day, on very short notice, these guys diagnosed the problem, ordered the parts, made the repair, test drove it and had us rolling within a few hours at a very competitive rate. Having taken our XC90 to at least 5 volvo repair shops/​dealers over the years, I can say that these guys are better than most. If you want to be pampered with free coffee/​water etc., wait in line and pay top dollar then go to a dealer. If you want no-​nonsense, no-​frills, seasoned professionals at a reasonable rate, try these guys.
note, not much in walking distance of this place so either bring a good book or arrange for a ride

I learned the hard way – this shop has the weakest warranty labor guarantee in town. As a result, I will never bring my car back here – and I strongly suggest everyone reading this avoid this shop for the same reason. Life is just too short for repair shops that treat their customers like crap.
Independent will only replace a part under warranty (without charging you labor) within a *3 month* timeframe. The warranty on parts is typically 1 year or 12,000 miles – and both Swedish Auto AB and Swedish Auto Specialists locally (along with every LA Saab shop I have been to) will replace a faulty part under warranty *without additional labor charge* within the same time frame. It’s frankly just good business as your customers should not be liable within a reasonable timeframe for a faulty replacement part. Not at Independent. Honestly that might not even be legal in CA from what I understood after some research – I will be in touch with the BBB to check.
We took our Saab in with a faulty water pump. I eventually realized frustratingly that the car was still slowly leaking coolant. We called in concerned, but they said sometimes after a water pump repair you need to top off — so we let it go. The leak continued so we took the car back in what wound up being 4 months later (outside of their ridiculous 3 month policy – something they clung to). They replaced a thermostat at the 4 month point – wasted money. After struggling with the leak for many more months I finally took the car back to Independent and insisted they find out why the car was still leaking. After a battle, they finally agreed to replace the water pump under warranty but insisted, insisted, insisted I pay AGAIN for the labor.
The nature of a water pump problem is that it can be a slow leak. You might not know you have to refill your coolant for awhile. So a 3 month labor warranty is pretty much total BS for something like this. That’s not even mentioning that they misdiagnosed the problem the second time costing me more money on a part I didn’t need.
I let them know in clear terms I’d be reporting my unhappiness here, at the BBB, and with Google reviews but they were to focused on collecting more labor money from me to care.
I have taken my Saab to a lot of shops because I travel around a bit. Most of these guys are really cool. I’ve never seen anything like the service I received here – they are far more concerned about collecting even small amounts of money than to keep customers happy. Do yourself a favor and stick with Swedish Auto AB or Swedish Auto Specialists in town or make the trip to Right Solution or Swedecar in LA.

Attention Saab Owners: A Great Saab Mechanic!!!
I’ve been taking my 2005 Saab here since I moved to San Diego a few years ago. These guys really prize keeping long-​term relationships with their customers. They have consistently given great friendly service at a fair price. They’ll often fix minor nuisance items (ex. just needing to glue down a loose cosmetic piece) for free. On larger repairs (including an unexpected time my car wouldn’t start and I had it towed to them) they’ve always made my car drive like new and explain exactly what was wrong and what they did. I’ll happily be continuing to return here for my car repair needs. If your Saab needs repair, come here and they’ll take care of you.

Needed headlight fixed while out of town on business. Pulled in and fixed in 10 minutes. Thank you Unilocal

I know that the only way this shop has received positive reviews is in the event that they’ve received freebies and or/​are related to the owner.
I brought my daughter’s Saab to Independent a year or so ago because of the logistics at the time. The car was stalling, and it was being driven in San Diego. Only familiar with North County businesses but unable to drive the distance, I sought a Saab mechanic via directory assistance. No one had warned me of the business philosophy of Independent Volvo, Jeep, and Saab. I left the car at the location because Independent was closed, but the business owner next door was kind enough to walk me through how I should leave the keys and a letter, and my daughter could be in touch with the owner at their first availability. I believe that the problem was resolved. and it was not until a year later that the business’s attitude took a severe downturn. A few weeks ago, again the car had driving issues, so again, because of logistics, my daughter had it towed to Independent. Several days later, Independent diagnosed the car needing a fuel pump. Three days after that diagnosis, the car again died. Hundreds of dollars to again tow to Independent, believing that the pump they replaced was faulty, the car was then diagnosed with a dead battery… which apparently was never diagnosed from the beginning. And Independent charges several hundreds of dollars for a battery!!! I’ve been advised by professional mechanics that hundreds of dollars is obscene. Then, before the car could leave the shop, «you’re car is not drivable because the radiator broke in half»!!! Seriously? How could professionals have «diagnosed» it at all if there was a dead battery? My daughter was held hostage to pay in full on each newly discovered (however, supposedly previously diagnosed) issues. I just feel that these crooks thought that they could screw with a young girl. Horrific! Hopefully this true and accurate review will help others avoid this situation.

I have a 10 year old Jeep Cherokee with just under 100k. I love it and would like to keep it for a bunch more years. I’d like to be able to hand it off to my daughter when she begins driving. I have taken very good care of it, but I most certainly did «use» it as any Jeep owner should.
For about a year, I’ve contemplated bringing it to one good solid Jeep mechanic for all issues and stop going to Jiffy Lube and Sears for this car’s needs. I live near Independent and thought I’d give them a try.
At the end of the summer… during our road trip to Santa Barbara… my Jeep began making this HORRIBLE grinding sound from the rear wheels. It didn’t occur when the car was cold and did not occur driving straight, but warm up that car and start taking turns and the grinding noise transferring through the chassis was SCARY. I drove all the way home from Santa Barbara with this sound… luckily it is mostly straight highway driving!
The next day I brought it in before 8 am as Mike suggested. I was the first customer there and in fact was waiting for him before he himself arrived. I explained the problem and left him the car. I did not hear back from him for hours… in fact, I didn’t hear back at all… I had to call them… three times to be exact, just to find out that they couldn’t get the car to make the noise and therefore he had no diagnosis for me. I was a bit perturbed at that lack of communication. I told them it needed to be warm and on curves to hear the sound. So around 5 or so, I go over there and take my car for a ride to see if I can get it to make the grinding sound. I took it around and within about 15 minutes, I got it to grind and then felt like I had wasted an entire day leaving it with Independent. I just went home.
The following day, I had lunch plans with friends in Rancho Bernardo, about a half hour from where I live. By the time I returned, the car was making all the horrible sounds it had been making. Almost exactly at that time I got a call from Mike’s co-​worker asking about my Jeep and the problem. I explained to him that I was quite annoyed that I had left the car with them so long, never hearing from them about anything and quite easily making the noise on my own. He more or less apologized for the delay, but since they could’t get it to grind, they had no way of diagnosing it. As he continued to explain, I started to feel like I understood our communication gap.
I decided to bring it to them one more time since it was really grinding at that time. Mike got in the car with me and quickly heard the sound and knew where to investigate. I was now starting to really trust this guy. He was not about hooking me as a customer, but about honestly dealing with the specific problem.
So, I leave the car, feeling like he would find out exactly what was wrong. Later that day, after he had the car on the stands and opened up the differential, he was able to see that some of the gear box was deteriorated and chunks of metal were «grinding» in the rear dif. I went over and asked to see the problem. Sure enough I saw exactly what they were talking about and they explained exactly what was needed.
It took a few days for me to get through this whole process, but in retrospect, I am very glad that I gave them the second shot. Their honestly, integrity and skill were excellent. Sure it cost me $ 1200 to get it fixed and I didn’t shop around at all, but I believe that I got a fair deal and excellent service.
I would recommend to them that they «up» their communication attempts a bit more, but I would also recommend to you, potential customer, that you will find a lot of integrity in this shop.
So, yes, Mike and Independent Jeep is now my go-​to shop for the rest of my Jeep’s life.

We have to echo the sentiments of the positive reviewers. Mike has worked on our family cars for over four years.
Just one example: Three separate trips to the dealer, and they could not diagnose a pesky issue. Mike found it right away, the only problem was his team could not fix it. Back to the dealer, but armed with the right diagnosis, got it replaced for free. What? The dealer (the experts?!) were not able to diagnose an issue so prevalent in the specific make/​model that there was a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer and a 10 year warranty on the defective part?! After three separate trips? Seriously?
Unlike dealer, Mike and staff do not try and up-​sell «preventative maintenance». Dealer gave us a laundry list of issues to get repaired immediately on our car or consider buying another car. How convenient, a «nice selection is available just right over here». Repairs totaled more than current blue book.
Took the list to Mike for a second opinion and surprise, 40% of the items did not need to be replaced, or we opted to replace later when they actually stopped working. Mike also takes the time to explain what symptoms to expect when the part truly began to fail.
Note: this is a small shop, so make your own «shuttle» arrangements ahead of time and schedule an appointment, the call to confirm day before. Loyal customers mean they can get busy, and backlogged.
Mike typically charges 40% less than the dealer and will often fix nuisance items such as bad taillights for free.

Straight shooter, fair price.
I felt immediately like I could trust Mike, and he stuck to his word throughout a major service and major brake work.
I won’t waste your time with the details, if you want them message me — but I am particular about to whom I give my business… and I’ve found a new mechanic.

Why didn’t I discover this place before?
I brought in my ’06 Volvo for its 60K maintenance service and spent 60% less than I would have at the dealer. AND, it turns out my brakes are in much better shape than what the dealer had me believing. Will definitely be coming here instead.

I’m giving this auto shop the benefit of the doubt and giving it 4 stars based on service. I haven’t gotten my Jeep back yet, but hopefully after the work is done, I’ll give it an extra star– it’s difficult to find a good mechanic!
I’ve read good online reviews of them, and I spoke with the owner Mike this morning and he seemed like an honest and competent guy. Pretty young to be the owner, but sounds like he’s been there a while. Like a lot of mechanics, he’s a car enthusiast as well and rebuilds cars on the side and seems to have a passion for older model Mustangs. It was funny when I asked him if he had any opinions on Smartcars, a candidate for my next auto; heh heh, wasn’t too surprised that he basically shrugged them off– not the type of vehicle to appeal to a classic model car guy.
Anyhoo, he estimated an hour’s labor, and $ 180 for a rebuilt starter for my 1994 G Cherokee. I found some starters online going for $ 130 – 150, I think a $ 50 markup is ok for an auto shop. Total = $ 275.
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My Jeep runs great, the starter’s on a 1-​yr warranty, and Mike had the guys fix my driver side visor and left brake light for free! 5 stars! Yay, just in time for an LA trip this wkend!