Redmond Werkshop - Redmond, WA

[belyle]

I took my '96 850 Turbo into the Redmond Werkshop for the PCV/flam trap replacement and cleaning yesterday. I went to the shop based on the recommendation of my manager, who has owned several Volvos and who is also Swedish.

I called about a week in advance to get an over the phone estimate of the job and to schedule the work. The first estimate that they gave me was about $450, including parts and labor. The shop called me back later in the day to tell me that they had forgotten some of the labor because removing the intake manifold was not included in their shop time for changing the flame trap. My revised over the phone estimate was about $550.

I dropped my car off at 7:10 AM, and they asked if they could have it "all day." I asked that it be done by 3:30 or so, because that's when I get off work and could come pick it up. They told me they would try. The employees were very friendly, chatty, and more than willing to talk with me about the procedure.

I didn't get back out to the shop until 4:50, and my car was still not done. They told me that they needed one more hose, and that they'd had to track it down and that's why my car was delayed. The final bill was about $590, which broke down to $150 parts and the remainder labor. I believe they charged me 4 hours labor for the entire job.

When I got my car back at around 5:15, they told me about a couple other things that needed attention, such as the brake pads and rear rotors. They were still friendly and willing to tell me all of what they did on the car. They replaced the flame trap, several hoses, and all of the clamps that they'd had to remove. They also replaced the intake manifold gasket, and cleaned up the burped-out oil that was on my valve cover. They did a full (visual) inspection of the car while it was on the lift.

Overall, I would rate the shop a 7/10. They were a bit pricey, but that's to be expected for a european car specialty shop. The cost creep was a bit annoying, but their revised estimate was less than 10% off of the final bill, which is pretty good. The staff was all very friendly, and I would use this shop again if I need to have some more major work done on my car.