Where do you post warnings about predatory Volvo shops ? I'm in Charlottesville, Virginia. The word needs to be circulated so that others don't fall victim to this Volvo shop in Charlottesville. Long timers in the area are aware of their "business" practices. New car owners talk about their experiences there. But long time Volvo owners who maintain loyalty to their Volvos confirmed my experience with these predators.

 

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I would urge caution before spraying negative comments about a shop. If they decide to sue you for defamation, you could end up emptying your savings defending yourself.

Just move on.

 

yep, I agree with Tony - too much negative energy here. Everyone who's ever owned a car has their share of bad stories and good. Most the bad are from unexpected costs or difficult diagnoses not an intent to defraud. Best to post up those shops (both dealer and indy's) where you've had a good experience versus suggesting a bad case is systemic. Personally I do some DIY (not as much as I used to), I have a favorite indy and a preferred local dealer (3 are within 25 miles of me). After all, you can also talk to a service manager and the regional support office for ongoing issues.

 

Just be aware that one problem with this is that people who use the shop have no idea what the car actually needs nor what it got. If you can't fix your own car, you have some difficulty judging them. That said, the purpose of yelp is exactly what you describe, and Angies list also. They say bbb doesn't work, but who knows. I was a bit surprised by your unwillingness to name them in your post.

 

I have real concerns with the term "predatory". From what I see, the vehicle owner goes into a shop (they didn't take him/her there against their will) and then has some sort of a bad outcome. We know nothing else of the story.

From my experience, this type of complaint comes from a customer who doesn't want to hear what it takes to properly repair the vehicle and then flies off the handle. While I'm not saying that this is the case here, I just can't see that much negative energy put to good use.

 

What do you mean PCV system can clogged up, transmission fluid needs to be changed every 60k, timing belt/tensioner/waterpump needs to be change every 70-105k, strut/shocks wears out, coolant needs to be changed every 30k, oil level need to be checked every time you stop for fuel??

 

Look at Yelp for Charlottesville Volvo shops. Their history is there. That's funny that poster is giving legal advice about what constitutes defamation.
To the issue, (please stick to the issue at hand) the owner of the Volvo is a 3rd generation motor sports competitor. Racers normally rely on a pit crew. Passenger car owners rely on the honest expertise of the business. In this case the owner identified the issue and asked for an honest repair. When they failed miserably by overfilling engine oil level, doing body damage to the Volvo and causing further damage to engine components the car was sent far away to a trust repair shop on a flatbed where it was correctly repaired. I got it back with a beautiful, neat clean job, and a big bill as result of damage done in Charlottesville, Virginia. Send me your name and phone number. I'll name the shop for you. But as mentioned in the first sentence. Yelp says it all. Check out the man from Ivy. He hit the bolt on the head.

 

Like I said, most complaints are due to unexpected costs/repairs. That is usually do to the common practice for dealers to do a full inspection beyond what the requested service is - ie you go in for an oil change and the inspection reveals your brakes are down to the rivets. Does that mean they are scamming you? Issues like overfilling the oil which damaged other parts ( ie blew out a seal? ) is something where you'd need to work a restitution process - including regional factory support, BBB, small claims court etc. My personal story is my VW CC with 49K died on the road. Had it towed to the dealer assuming my alternator/voltage regulator failed (it did). When I picked up the car and started to drive home, the oil pressure light came on but went back off 2x. Car went back to the dealer - on the assumption the tech nicked the sensor wire when working on the alternator. All checked out ok but they finally reproduced the fault during a test drive with the diagnostics attached. Wound up dropping the pan to find filings in the pick up. After a discussion with the head of the service dept, they went to VW Americas and they agreed to drop in a new long block under warranty. Point here is I started by assuming a tech did a bad job when in fact it was coincidental to the alternator failure. It didn't occur to me that I should have assume a tech who's paid by the hour put those filings in my engine...

 

Yep it does help with the background in motor sports racing, that I also have a license to practice law. Know your options.

 

Again, in this instance the problem was identified before it went to the shop. This situation did not start with a check list from a dealer. The shop didn't do the correct fix.
The failure to repair resulted in further damage to the engine when the Volvo left their shop, higher unnecessary costs and a very unhappy customer with experience to share in the community. The owner, me, knows the exact age and mileage on the parts in this Volvo with 400,000 miles on it. You don't get 400,000 on an original engine through lack of maintenance my friends. Really . . .

 

There are many, many, awful shops out there, a combo of incompetence and fraud; probably the fast majority of them. I have been in all facets of the automotive field since 1971, starting at a Philips66, including some 35 years as a licensed dealer. I dread taking a car I care about to a shop so I try to do it myself as much as possible which is not always feasible. Most people have no idea how much they get taken by shops: from unnecessary repairs (most common) to work billed for but never completed, it runs the gamut. The prices charged are outrageous, basically what the buyer will tolerate. Things that are wear items are the easiest to cheat on as the hapless driver has no clue what is wear and what is acceptable. The industry is ultra corrupt! Most people trust their mechanic, many have been fleeced for years but don't know it... Do it yourself! With the internet today, and cheap tools and on line parts, anyone can save thousands and not get raped by the shops!

 

I would recommend that this post be deleted since it is not productive and no purpose is served.

 

Really? No purpose served?

This is a forum for DIY types and enthusiasts, and they should be aware of all the bad business practices out there unless of course you don't want to shed any light on rip offs and scams!

May be you'd care to have a discussion on the merits rather than shut off debate you find contrary to your interests.

 

Fine. Unless the other party comes here to answer the debate, it means nothing.

As it stands, it is only a one-sided discussion and highly negative. Best wishes.