Introducing Myself

[ProudVolvoOwner]

Greetings All,

Just taking a moment to introduce myself as I have just joined your community.

Now in my 40s, I have only ever driven Volvos my entire life, starting with the 240DL that I bought when first obtaining my driver's license to the Volvo s60 that I currently drive around. These vehicles have always treated me well, and my current s60 is going strong at almost 80k miles (I try to take care of it, even strictly using LiquiMoly oil).

I used to have all my work done by the mechanic who sold me my Volvos. He was a very knowledgable man who used to work for Volvo and, no matter what issue came up -- whether it was normal wear and tear, a malfunctioning part or damage done my own misuse -- he always knew how to get to the bottom of how to fix it. Although he was 30 years older than me, we struck up a valuable friendship.

Unfortunately, last year my friend got sick and passed away. It was tragic and, first and foremost, I lost a good friend. With his passing, I also lost a reliable and trustworthy mechanic.

I live in the greater Los Angeles area and have lately been utilizing my local Volvo dealer for repairs and check ups (so far just replacing my battery, taking it in for my 70k mile check up, etc.). As you can imagine, the dealership is getting expensive.

While I'm not the most innately mechanics-oriented person, I try to get by fixing what I can on my own. For instance, I recently deduced from my rear passeneger door not locking and its window also not opening that it was an electronics malfunction and I fixed the issue simply by replacing a blown fuse. It was a minor victory.

I look forward to being a part of this community here and sharing information with you all on how we can keep our Volvos running smoothly, though I defer to those of you with more knowledge and experience.

That said, if anyone is aware of a decent, trustworthy and reasonable mechanic who operates in Los Angeles and is willing to share their contact information, don't hesitate to send me a PM as I am certainly in the market to find someone like that.

Many thanks in advance and see you around here,

ProudVolvoOwner

[abscate]

Welcome!

A good independent mechanic has become essential to cost effectively owning an older car of any make

Dealers have reoriented them selves to money grabbing service of brakes, struts, and service interval fluid changes and have no interest in their brand 3 or even 2 generations removed.

Tech pay at the dealers is horrible, so they get the young kids starting out.

LA is a big place. Maybe search for a vintage Volvo club nearby and ask around there?

[matthew1]

Welcome, PVO. It's nice to have you here. I'm sorry about the passing of your friend. I lost a friend five years ago, an electrician who helped me gratis with any work I did to my house.

I agree with abscate -- find a club and/or keep an eye out here on MVS for LA locals who might hands-on help you do the work. Feel free to post in the S60 forum that you live in LA and are looking for help/meetup. Put LA in the subject line to catch more fish.