Swedish Automotive

I took my Volvo to West Seattle Auto after reading reviews on Swedish Automotive. Too many bad reviews. However, when West Seattle Auto called me at work to say they don’t service Volvos, I took the easy way and moved my car 4 blocks to these guys. I went in with a ‘check engine’ light on. No symptoms in the car. When Todd called with his report ($ 1100+ estimate), which included flushing the transmission fluid for $ 300, oil change for another $ 100 and replacing ignition wires, coils and spark plugs, I told them not to do any work, I was going to get comparisons. (The estimate I got from another shop was almost 30% lower.) I was charged $ 120 for the diagnostic (reduced to $ 60 when I complained). I picked the car up that night. The owner, Dave, told me he personally topped off the antifreeze. I wondered why, since I asked them not to perform any work. The first time I drove it, from West Seattle to downtown (15 miles, at most) the engine started smoking and overheating. I pulled it over three times so it could cool down enough to get it home. I wonder… Bad feeling from this place.

I wish I could give them less than 1 star. We live in West Seattle and would prefer to take our cars all the way to Greenwood rather than bring them here. Estimates always have work added on that is not needed and overpriced. This morning I had to come in to get a new battery and I have been sitting here for over an hour and they seem to be inconvenienced by me asking about my car. This is a 2 minute job and the battery is already paid for!

I have given this place multiple tries since my move to Seattle 2.5 years ago — it is within walking distance to my house, so I was trying to make it work… What I have to say echoes the same issues as the negative reviews about Swedish on this site and on Google reviews. They are way overpriced for sure. The biggest issue is that I no longer feel like I can trust them to advise me on my car in a way that is in my best interest. I have been keeping a ratty looking ’04 subaru wagon running since I bought it in ’07. I have had decent, honest mechanics in both Vermont and Minneapolis, where I have lived with the car prior to my move to Seattle.
The vibe I get is that they try to sell me on repairs rather than advise me based on the age of the car and work I have had done with them previously — i.e. how much $ should I realistically sink into this car, which has a resale value of probably $ 1500 at best… I have sunk thousands into the car via Swedish since my move to Seattle, and the overall feeling of mistrust that I have has finally taken hold. It’s as if every time I take the car in, there is no recollection of the work I have already have done, and my sense is that they are mostly interested in selling repairs rather than being a good fiduciary (i.e. act in my best interest) advisor on the car. I am done with Swedish for good, despite the convenience of the location and the $ 25 loaners. I totally feel taken advantage of by them.

I can’t say enough about this place. It is almost too cool to even exist.
The best, most courteous, efficient, truly caring, and quality car mechanic in Seattle. Not only will they be 100% transparent about the pros/​cons + cost of different fixes (pre-​emptively so you can decide before they do the work,) but their first concern is always to do what is best and SAFEST for their customers. I have always felt that my and my son’s safety were the #1 priority at Swedish Automotive, and every time I go back, they legitimately care about how we are doing, how their work is performing in the vehicle, and how they can do better.
Last time I came in, I was expecting a loaner car for a few days, but a couple loaners hadn’t returned on schedule, so they didn’t have one to give me. Instead, they offered to stay after hours to work on my car, and drive my son and I to the park, while they expedited the work. They called to give me updates, let me choose how much work they did quoting the pricing upfront first, so I could decide if it was in my budget, and then picked us up at the park around our schedule, being sensitive to the wayward whims of a toddler.
Dave. the owner, is always a joy to speak with. He remembers all our previous conversations and all past work on my car without me having to tell him, and has been very generous on numerous occasions to diagnose issues and do minor repairs on the fly, at very reasonable rates.
As a single mother, I can’t tell you how valuable it is to have a business in this community that is truly looking out for the greater good. I feel that this business is based on an ethical foundation that puts the quality of their work and customer safety first, and you can’t put a price on that.
I will never bring my car anywhere else. They stand by all the work that they do, as well as its maintenance, and if they feel they could have done better, they will often right any wrongs for a discount or include it in the original price. I have also been humbled by their bills, so I get that, but I have a car I know is 100% reliable in keeping me and my child safe, and the clear conscience that provides, as well as investing my money in a business I truly feel is enriching our community and raising the bar of customer service for mechanics everywhere, is worth every penny and more.

These guys are great! I take my Volvo to Swedish Automotive for all its service and maintenance needs. Keep up the great work!

Well, its been on my mind for a while, about writing out a public review. I’ve been using Swedish for almost 2 years now, I agree with others about the place being pricey but I loved the quality of work they did until my recent experience. Jeremy was a pleasure to interact with, sad to see he’s no longer at Swedish. This time I started interacting with Bill and to be honest it was a substandard experience. The car had been giving random stalling issues (mostly at stop signs and traffic lights) for more than a month. During my first visit Bill claimed that the mechanic was for certain he found out the root of it, replacing the fuel pump relay and the heater core (1300 $), I thought fine let’s do it. The very next day after their claimed repair, I noticed the stalling again. Went back and this time they weren’t even able to reproduce the stalling. So what was the original fix for (costing me 1300 $)?? Dave’s a very respectable guy and he was able to find a faulty ignition switch issue, unfortunately even that didn’t fix the issue. One of the things which caused an indignation was a statement from Bill, saying I was trying to use their loaner Car while they didn’t see any issues whatsoever in my car. Well, if that’s the case then I wouldn’t have been throwing in thousands of Dollars year after year since 2013. Now I am stuck with a stalling car and 1800 $ lighter. For now I am renting out a car, all in all a bad experience.

This is an update from my 2÷6÷15 review.
My first experience with Swedish Automotive started off on the wrong foot because the day I brought my car in happened to be one of their busiest, most under-​staffed Fridays. I received multiple verbal apologies, which was nice, but I still knew that within a few days I would have to face a couple thousand dollar bill. I wasn’t convinced and was still quite hesitant, especially after receiving «update calls» that the mechanics weren’t able to fix the problem, so they needed to spend more time on it (aka $ 110/​hour) to fix it.
I can honestly say that I’ve never cried on the phone with a mechanic. The prices they were reading to me were literally bringing tears to my eyes. I’m a college graduate trying to be financially independent from my parents, and the thought of spending 2 months of paychecks on one mechanic visit made me extremely upset.
I’m probably not alone on this: it’s frustrating that after getting an initial estimate, it goes up by a couple hundred each time you talk to the mechanic. The sticker shock from the initial estimate was bad enough. I was told that there might be some overlap in labor price, which was the one thing I was actually looking forward to. By the time I picked up my car the following Friday, my bill had gone down a significant amount, I wasn’t charged for the $ 30 rental car, and I was given two gift certificates to use on future visits. Todd was extremely grateful of how patient I was the previous Friday (having to wait in the lobby to receive my estimate), and it truly showed. A couple weeks later, I received a note in the mail with another gift certificate for future visits. I also received a phone call following up to make sure my car didn’t have any problems!
Those unique customer service efforts definitely play a part in a business’ success. If you’re like Swedish Automotive and your services are more expensive than most, customer service MUST be top notch to be successful. They have entirely won me over. In my original review I mentioned finding another mechanic, but now I don’t think that will be necessary. Thanks for your high quality work and for being a Saab-​lover just like me!

Look, the guys here are friendly and informative, and the premises and facilities are clean and modern. They did a thorough job inspecting my car, and returned it clean inside and out. But holy #$@!, are they EXPENSIVE! I received a quote in excess of $ 1500 for my Volvo — including $ 75 for changing a lightbulb. I obtained subsequent quotes from All Vovo (spelled correctly) and Larry’s Volvo — for around 50% of that, including just $ 3 for changing the bulb. I would recommend getting other quotes before committing to service from Swedish. I am sure they are fantastic mechanics, but their costs are exorbitant.

My friends asked me why I take my car to Swedish Automotive. I tell them because they have taken such good care of me and my car. As a Saab owner, I know I am in great hands with the good people of Swedish. They give top notch customer service (shout out to Todd!). Highly recommend them to anyone who has high standards for their maintenance needs!

I have been going to Swedish for repairs since first owning my 2007 Volvo convertible. Dave is the superstar — one of the most kind and professional persons with whom I have ever had the fortune to deal, in any business. He communicates promptly and thoroughly, and if and when delays occur (due to ordering parts), his driver transports me to and from work at a moment’s notice. I do not think their prices are exorbitant for the service and professionalism that you get in return. You tell me how many mechanics you can TRUST? I am thankful they are in West Seattle, and consider myself fortunate to be a customer in such good hands.

It is kind of sad, because the place looks so nice, and the employees are very helpful. But (and I have a big but), all the positive reviews are from men, aren’t they.
I took my Volvo here, and they quoted me double what two other shops quoted. I did get an oil change, but $ 100.00 for an oil change is just too much.
I think I am pretty smart, so I don’t expect to be treated differently because I a middle aged woman. This shop made me feel like they saw me coming. I had a man take my car in, and his quote was half. MMMM, just like the other shops.

My Mini Cooper loves coming to Swedish Automotive! They take excellent care of my little car, and they even throw in a complimentary wash and vacuum. Super-​friendly and helpful staff, and the mechanics are true experts. Prices are reasonable, too, considering the quality. So glad they’re in my neighborhood!

Took the family 97 Volvo S90 to Swedish for some TLC. Even though though they didn’t get things right the first time. When I contacted Jeremy and told him we were still having issues. He didn’t hesitate to take care of the issues and made every thing right in the end and they car is doing great. I would recommend Swedish Automotive to anyone looking for good quality people and fantastic customer service. I loved the loaner car service, especially the price!

[ T L; D R ]
Do yourself and your pocketbook a favor and look for another shop.
[ O v e r a l l E x p e r i e n c e ]
I started going to Swedish Automotive three years ago when I purchased my ’99 Saab 9 – 3 secondhand from the original owner. They had been using Swedish Automotive for the life of the car, and recommended them highly. From the beginning any repair costs quoted seemed outrageous, but I was under the impression that repairs for Saabs were always expensive and just accepted it.
My last experience was unfortunately the straw that broke the camel’s back. I left my Saab to have a leak in the trunk checked out. ($ 300 for the service, which included drying the carpets). I requested a loaner and was given an older Volvo. After a thirty minute drive home to Federal Way, the Check Engine light came on and the car started acting funny, not wanting to accelerate. I let it sit and called Swedish, who told me to try to bring the car back and they would give me another loaner. Halfway there on I-​5 the car’s engine completely blew. I called Swedish, who said they would send a tow truck. After sitting on I-​5 for about 45 minutes the truck came and took me back to Swedish. They did give me a nice Saab loaner which was in much better shape. I was pleasant and nice about the entire situation, and Dave (the owner) appologized. In all the issue with the loaner cost me about 2 ½ hours of my time.
Monday morning Dave called again to let me know they had done the repair (without quoting me the repair cost and asking if it was okay). Apparently the sunroof drain tube had come lose. (This repair ended up being close to $ 100. To stick a tube back in place. It was a simple enough fix that they didn’t feel the need to ask before doing it.) In my experience when a huge inconvenience has happened, the owner of a business will at least offer some form of compensation. I asked if there would be any discount because of the huge problem, and Dave told me no there would not. He didn’t give any reason or even appologize for not being willing to offer anything. He simply repeated the quote and asked me to come pickup my car. I was beyond floored. I have never had an issue with a business not being willing to work with a customer of three years. They didn’t even offer to comp the $ 20 for the loaner car, which I would have accepted at least as something.
To top it all off, the day after picking up my car it developed a new problem where the engine tries to die when idling. When I called to speak to Jeremy about the concern, my call was returned by Dave who flat out told me there was nothing they could offer as a possible problem over the phone and that I should bring it in. The cost for checking the problem? $ 100. I might be paranoid now, but I don’t any longer trust that they wouldn’t cause a new issue just to have the car brought in for diagnostic, which really saddens me.
[ S h o p I t s e l f ⁵⁄₅ ]
The new building is large and beautiful, and you can really see where some of the repair costs have gone. They have a solar panel on the roof of one of the buildings they are very proud of, but all I could think of is how they nickle and dimed their customers to afford the splurge.
[ M e c h a n i c s ⁴⁄₅ ]
I would like to say that one of the Techs, Jeremy, has always been nothing but helpful and wonderful. He has had the same make and model Saab as me and has always been willing to listen to problems and give an idea of what could be wrong. If he went to another shop, I would definitely see him there. It saddens me that I will no longer be able to seek his advice.
[ L o a n e r C a r s ¹⁄₅ ]
The option of a $ 20 loaner for the time of the repair is pretty staggering, but just over the time that I have been frequenting Swedish Automotive the quality has gone down hill. They now smell odd, have visable stains in carpet and upholstry, and often have parts breaking off the car. The last Volvo I tried actually made me uncomfortable to sit in with the weird staining (and then broke down completely, read above).
[ C o s t ¹⁄₅ ]
Outrageous. They are great with diagnostics, but I would get an estimate at another repair shop before handing over the big bucks. If I had done this a lot sooner, I would have been able to repair a lot more things in my car for the same amount.
[ R e p a i r ⁵⁄₅ ]
I will say that any repairs done stayed repaired, I have not had a similar issue pop up.
[ E D I T 8÷28÷14 ]
A short response to the owners comment on this post. I took my car to Scan West (you can also see my review for them through my Unilocal account). The problems were diagnosed, and an earlier repair which Swedish told me would require a completely rebuilt transmission at several thousand dollars all in cost me just over $ 1000. No transmission rebuild was necessary. I stand by my reviews both of Swedish Automotive and Scan West. I have since been taking my car only to Scan West with no problems.

They probably know more about Volvos than SAABs.

Swedish seems to be staffed by very competent mechanics, but this place is just off the charts expensive. We’re talking at least 3X what I got charged at a different shop. I also think they’re good at exploiting the lack of knowledge and interest that most people have in what goes on under the hood of their vehicles. They told me one of the issues with my car was a serious fire hazard. Another mechanic told me he’d never heard of a fire caused by this issue. Do your research and go somewhere else.

Took my new-​old car there last year. Every item on their (highly detailed) list of recommended repairs was $ 500+. What I couldn’t fix myself I had worked on elsewhere (reputably) for much, much cheaper.
Don’t get me wrong, these guys do great, by-​the-​book work, they’re just wicked expensive. Probably just the ticket if you have a newer car and/​or money isn’t an issue and/​or you’re in West Seattle and can’t drive your busted-​ass vehicle across town.

I recently took my Subaru Outback in for an issue that I knew would be tricky to diagnose and repair. The transmission shifted very hard from 3^rd to 4^th gear, but only when the car was cold — and even then for only the first two or three shifts after starting.
The team at Swedish Automotive was very diligent about finding the issue, repairing it, and testing and retesting to make sure it was completely fixed. It took a number of days since the car had to get cold overnight to test each time, but they were fanatical about making sure it was absolutely correct before declaring the car ready for me to get back.
Throughout it all, Dave was in constant communication, letting me know exactly what was going on. He also let me know other issues with the car that I should consider repairing, how much they would be, and whether I could put them off or not. There was no pressure to perform any of them and the prices quoted were reasonable and they stuck to them.
I wish the hours were a little more work friendly, but with the generous loaner car program ($ 20 gets you a car for the duration of the repair, which is a great deal on a multi-​day repair) and being located right on the 21 bus line, there are plenty of options to make it work.

I am just the customer these guys were looking for!
My XC90 broke down, just had it towed directly to the shop on a weekend, awaiting the return of the mechanics. Of course, the repairs would total $ 1500 or so. I didn’t have the time or flexibility to look at any other resolution of the problem, so I was glad that Swedish could order the part and do the repairs quickly.
Service, knowledge and experience was fine.

I take my Subaru Tribeca here, and have done for well over a year now. Always great service! The guys are professional, knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and always explain what needs to be done, what can wait, etc.
Somewhat expensive, which is relative of course. Good mechanics aren’t usually cheap. They are also really convenient (which the other two «local» Subaru dealers in Seattle are NOT) and most of all, I trust them with my vehicle. They also have a LOANER service available if you car needs to stay with them more than a few hours, which is really helpful to this single mom!