Swedish Auto A & B

I took my Saab 9 – 3 convertible to 2 other mechanics before going here, and was told that there was an «unknown electrical problem» in the trunk and that they «couldn’t find» the leak in the windshield washer system. Raphael not only diagnosed both of these problems correctly (he literally fixed the «electrical problem» in about 15 minutes right in front of me), but he fixed both of these long-​term problems quickly and inexpensively. On top of that, I had forgotten to tell him about a couple of items that needed to be addressed when I dropped it off, so he found them for me and called me and told me about them anyway. I also had to rent a car for 2 days to be able to leave it there as well, and they were very attentive to that situation, checked out parts availability ahead of time, and had my car in front and ready right when I needed to pick it up in between meetings.
It was obvious that Raphael really knows his stuff when it comes to Saabs, and that has not been an easy thing for me to find. I couldn’t be happier — my Saab drives like new now, and I get a clean system check every time I start it up for the first time in over 2 years. So sure, you could go somewhere cheaper, but this place is definitely well worth what they charge if you own (and love driving) a Saab.

I brought my Saab at this shop after the light indicating that the alternator had stopped working turned ON.
The only thing I asked him (the owner, I think) to do was to check if in fact the alternator was not charging the battery, or if instead it was the indicator light being faulty.
He asked me to leave the car for about an hour because he was busy working on other cars. Called me back in fact about an hour later telling me that the alternator was not charging, and proposing to replace it. I came back there to tell him I did not want to replace it, and that instead I wanted to sell the car as is.
I asked him for the price of that quick check (I presume, 5 minutes of work?). The mechanic told me that it took him one full hour to only check that the battery was not charging so he charged me 100 $. I tried to insist I didn’t believe it took one full hour, in vain.
Overall, I was very unhappy after this visit.

I read the reviews, and agree with the reviewer about bad cars and bad complaints. But for a twist, my 9 – 5 is a bad car that I’ve had endless problems with it. And its not at all unusual to bring it in for one problem and have my regular mechanic find another too. So while on vacation in SD and looking for a place to address the latest problem it was a pleasure to limp it over and have Rafael get me back and running quickly and fairly. I don’t know what more you can ask for besides skill and honesty. I took his card so that the next time I’m silly enough to take my bucket of bolts so far from home I know where to go.

After over 10 years of faithfully coming back to this place, I’ve finally had enough and given up. There service has gone down hill over the years and I decided to find another Saab mechanic… And they rock!

Great service and very friendly people. They did a break flush and even found a new Saab emblem for the hood!

Extreme reviews of «amazing» and «horrible»… but the horrible reviews were because the people had bad cars and bad luck… can’t blame the mechanic. These mechanics are so good they are nerdy and actually get irritated with people who don’t maintain their vehicles properly (remember the mechanic on Seinfeld who took Jerry’s car away?). The best!

Raphael always does a great job. Great work, fair prices. They also get a great deal of business from dealerships and other shops as they are considered the best in San Diego esp. for Saabs. If you don’t get it there early you can expect it will take a couple of days; but it is worth it knowing the job will be done right.

Raphael knows his Saab. He is passionate about it. I accidentally entered the saab club and didn’t know much about it. My car gave a bad MPG ratio. I got a quote from another nice shop that stated my 9 – 3 needs a new cassette. They may have been right but it was costly and deserved a second opinion. Existing cassette was only 10 months old and installed at a Santa Monica authorized Saab shop, so it was not «Made im China». Raphael fixed the problem (a sensor and something else) and I saved $$. I didn’t need to install new expensive cassette ($ 500). Do not expect bells and whistles or the 4 seasons customer service. It is a nice, professional mechanic shop and the place where you gradually build a relationship of trust and respect. Raphael is very knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the cars and I enjoy learning a new thing every now and then:)

I came to this shop after a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego and my check engine light was one. Being from out of town and a young girl I was worried about getting ripped off. Rafael did a great job and was quick. The final cost was less then I was quoted. Overall a good experience and my Saab is running better!

Got shafted by Assured Mechanic so tried this place out as my poor Volvo was sick. They had the car fixed by noon and charged me less than the other place! I’m very happy, I’ll definitely use these guys again. Thanks guys!

RUN! I’ve been taking my car here off and on for several years. I brought my car in with a problem and described it the best i could.
When i got a call about what they found, it didn’t seem related at all to the problem i described, but he’s the expert and I took his word for it. Radiator leak and motor mount. After that work was performed, 2 days and $ 1000 later, he was ready to test drive it. After the test drive he found the original problem i brought it in for, transmission!
The level of service you receive from this shop is equivalent to a box of rocks. You constantly have to call for an update even though Raphael says he’ll call you back. If you call because you never hear from him, he gives you an attitude for ANYTHING you have to say. I’d understand if he had my car for a couple days, but he had it for over 2 weeks! Needless to say, he put my old radiator back in because i told him i couldn’t afford all this work, without telling me it’s probably not a good idea… $ 2100 for the motor mount, un-​doing radiator work and replacing transmission.
1 week later my radiator failed! Thank goodness for Mike from Swedish Auto Tech in La Mesa. Not only did he repair my radiator for $ 470 instead of $ 700 Raphael would have charged, I had my car back in 1 day. The experience is night and day and worth the extra miles to get there!

In a nutshell: seems like ok work, but really REALLY awful service. I’ve been to this shop a few times and each time I walk away with a bad feeling about some part of the interaction. My advice is that if you’re a Volvo enthusiast take your car elsewhere, if you just want basic maintenance and don’t care about the quality, brand/​type of parts they’re putting in, don’t ask any questions, and don’t mind having your car in the shop for a few extra days then this place is totally fine.
Pros from them: they replaced a busted heater hose and it still works
Cons from them: keep car a day or more over the estimated time, don’t call with estimate BEFORE doing the work, don’t call to let you know your car won’t be ready until late, put cheap parts in after requested specific higher-​end ones, really rude.
I felt totally bullied after they put the wrong parts in and I questioned them about it, I think they were expecting to be able to easily take advantage of a young female customer but when I actually knew what I wanted and asked why the lower end parts prices were ~40% over retail they were really rude. I couldn’t even finish a sentence with Raphael, he kept interrupting me and raising his voice when I said I was dissatisfied because they didn’t communicate with me (they said they’d call with an estimate BEFORE doing the work and didn’t, said they’d put the requested brand of parts in and didn’t, said my car would be ready at a certain time and it wasn’t and didn’t call until it was too late to make other arrangements). Basically a total failure for parts and service, ok labor. I brought my Volvo 240 here multiple times before switching to another shop — the reviews from Saab owners seem somewhat better so maybe they just aren’t that well versed in Volvos?

I have been taking my Saabs to Swedish Auto A&B since 1995. They are straight forward, reasonably priced and expert Saab mechanics. I can’t remember ever taking a car back a second time for the same issue. There was a bump in the road a couple of years ago, when one of then two owners, became seriously ill– repairs waited a very long time.
My car is returned clean, little things I did not notice are attended to. I have been advised several times that I am capable of doing the repair myself and they have sold me the part (s). I am probably more mechanically inclined than most people.
If you need someone to hold your hand and make you feel good, this is not the shop for you. All business. They close early so be prepared to be there on time.
These guys KNOW SAAB and perform better than any dealership I have used.

Raphael knows SAAB!!! He repaired my car, charged me HALF THE PRICE OF THE DEALERSHIP quoted service and it was quick!
Great communication with customer and no «surprises» when the bill came due.
I recommend this shop to anyone! I just wish he worked on my other car :-)

I have used this shop a bunch for my daughters 01 S60. For the most part, they do a great job for the price charged. Raphael the owner is a good guy, but not Mr Personality, so if you need someone that is Mr Smiles, try the dealership. I just had them do the timing belt and brake service on my 06 V70R. Saved a bunch compared to the dealership, but it did take two days, rather than one at the dealer. Make your appt on a Tuesday or Wed and all should go well with these guys.

This is a honest shop that charges a fair price for a job well done.
I own a general repair shop in Portland, OR. Recently i had a customer who relocated to San Diego. Upon arrival they got the run around from both Jiffy Lube and the local dealer regarding their vehicle. A vendor of mine referred me to Rafael, in short order he got my customers car repaired. He does honest work at a fair price… he took care of the problem for one-​tenth of what the dealer wanted to charge.
I would recommend Rafael and Auto AB to anyone who wants quality work done for a fair price from a facility that believes in honesty and works with integrity.

honest guys know what they’re doing
they even negotiated with the after market warranty company on my volvo s40 and got them to pay for half the bill.
car runs great now. advantec told me it was gonna be 2200 for a head gasket replacement, these guys were like no its just a sealant leak and one or two other things. 700 bucks, i only paid like 350. did an oil change for me also since all my oil had leaked out.
this place is legit. if you have a volvo defitinitely take it here.

Have a Volvo that had been making noise (something was loose) and I brought it to Swedish to have it checked out. They figured out and took care of it. Also replaced some bulbs that a Union 76 station wanted to charge me $ 60 to do.
It did take a day + to get it fixed which creates a logisitic challenge to get to/​fro there and work, etc… but their small yard looked pretty full and so I guess you let them keep your car a little longer because they don’t have a ton of staff. The flip-​side is the prices are reasonable and Rafael (the guy I worked with) was a straight shooter and did not try and gauge me. Hard to find good mechanics these days and I loathe the dealer service departments where your rep probably couldn’t tell you the difference between a fuel filter and a air filter. They do know how to say that 60K service will cost $ 649.99.

Great mechanics who know what they’re doing. I’ve always found that independent shops tend to do a better job with auto repairs than dealerships.
I dropped my car off on a Wednesday with a list of things that I wanted to get checked out and things that I definitely needed fixed. I promptly got a quote for everything that I had mentioned, and didn’t feel pressured into getting any of the stuff done. I saved the minor things for later, and they were able to get the major repairs done by the next morning.

Very knowledgable people on staff on Swdish cars! I took my Volvo to an unmentioned auto servicing when my check engine light came on and after 3 days and $ 600 of troubleshooting they still could not fix the light.
I took it to these guys and within 2 hrs they figured it out and fixed my issue.