Recommend garage for: Volvo timing belt replacement
 

Can someone recommend a good and decently priced garage for replacing the timing belt on a 2003 Volvo XC70.

The garage my GF normally uses won't accept customer supplied parts, so they will nolonger get her business. They quoted $900 total, $450 being parts so I'm assuming 4-5 hours labour.

The timing belt kit (belt, idler pulley, tensioner) is only $150 online, even the full kit with the water pump is only $230, from FCP which many Volvo people buy from.

This should only take 3 hours labour. I'd do it myself like other repairs on her car, yet I don't have the time.

Found a post that recommend Kon's, so she's going to stop there this week and see what he says.

My family/friends use to go to Kon for all our volvo needs, however the last few years he's lost all our business. His relative took over, and i would say the workmanship has dropped. Replaced my dad's radiator, when it was nothing to do with it, forgetting to replace a belt, and failing to secure my intake resulting in my car just dying in a middle of a left turn when it completely popped out. So go, but make sure you know what's happening first.

check out Clark Hill Motors in Coquitlam - they do a tonne of european makes/modesls

Thanks, I was just about to ask if anyone has experience with Kon's. Where do you go now?

I contacted Bill & Water in Burnabuy, and they wanted a little over $500 to replace the timing belt, yet another $200 to do the water pump at the same time. The water pump is supposed to be good for 2 timing belts, so I'd rather not replace it, since she's not keeping this car another 10 years.

My GF contacted Kon's and was frustrated trying to understand the person she spoke with. She was quoted $400, which seems right ($150 for parts, 3 hrs labour, don't replace water pump) and close to what B&W quoted ($520) - so we're going to try Kon's and get them to provide a written quote of exactly what's being replaced.

Don't go to Kon.

I went to high school across the street from his shop many moons ago when he ran the shop. Yes, it was a good shop. My teacher had taken his Volvo's to him for 10+ years but stopped. And yes, IfUCare is correct. Kon sold the business to a relative and the shop went to shit.

Avoid like the plague.

This is my GF's txt after dropping off the car at Kon's:

LOL, BTW I think I've mentioned before she teaches sex ed :woot2:

Arg, didn't see this till this morning.

We've read the negative comments on other forums too, yet the good comments seem to out weight the bad, even recently, so we decided to try Kon's. Its important maintenance, yet fairly easy and common to a lot of models that share the same engine, and it'll be obvious right away if its done wrong.

I'm going to pull the cover and double check everything this weekend to ensure a new pulley and tensioner went in.

It's a long way to drive, but I know a couple good places in Abbotsford when you need work in the future. Valley Eurotec handles everything from Jags to Lamborghinis. Or you can try Arvids on Garden street. Ask for John. He's a good mechanic and an honest dude, which is kind of a rare combo in this industry.

Ed Schram.

Scandia motors in Maple Ridge. All they do are Volvo's. That's the only person I take my Volvo's to.

I don't have a single bad thing to say about them, easy to talk to and they don't bull shit you and they'll try and find you the cheapest price on a part.

Ask Ootmar for a quote.
They took care of me, it wasn't cheap but it was good.

if you richmond, 5 and cambie, cimbria auto, ask for barry, volvo mechanic, he is good. he did everything on my S60r

Picked up the car from Kon's, and I'm not sure what to think. Are we sure Kon sold it? cause the guy I met seemed to know a lot about the history of the shop...

He gave back all the old parts, showed where the water pump was leaking, and I talked with him about some of the other issues she's having with the car. Seems like a stand up guy. I'm going to check his work tomorrow, if its good I have no problem going back.

Came out to $100 cheaper than the next lowest quote after discounting the labour a bit from the original quote.

Gold Wrench Automotives handles all my mechanical needs for my Volvo and/or BMW.

As mentioned. Volvo spcialty shops are:

Scandia in maple ridge
Ed Schrams in surrey
Automotion in North Vancouver?

x2 all they work on are volvo's. one of my good friends is a 4th year apprentice there. they do good work

How long ago was this ?

I last saw him him in July and he said he had no intentions of retiring for at least another 5 years.

He helped me pass aircare for another 2 years with a cracked exhaust manifold , shot cat and missing muffler :fuckyea:

Is he missing a front tooth? That's the guy I spoke to.

He has all his teeth ( kinda nasty though )

60 years old, about 5 foot 5, skinny, always wearing a ball cap, always has a cordless phone on him.

I know his nephew was working for him at the time, mid 30's, maybe he took over ??

That describes him, maybe his teeth were just so nasty it looked like he was missing a tooth.

Well that's good news for me know he is still around because I need to take my truck in sooner than later for work.

I think you will be happy with the work he did for you.