Scanwest Autosport

Don't Believe the Hype

by bigglasses at Citysearch

Scanwest has a loyal following of Saab owners. I was initially one of them. But over several years and several thousands of dollars, I came to see their method. They know these cars, and they use that against their customers. They are all about the upsell. Sometimes you do want a mechanic who notices a problem that you weren't aware of. But Scanwest says things that are untrue. Example:

Me: "I need a headlight bulb."

Scanwest: "Okay. You should replace that cracked glass cover, too."

Me: "How much is that?"

Scanwest: "$175. You'll go through a lot of bulbs if you don't replace it."

I didn't replace it. And three years later, not a single bulb more needed.

Sometimes they do work that "needed to be done" without asking permission. That's illegal:

Me: "Why is my bill $300 higher than the quote?"

Scanwest: "We replaced the tensioner when when we replaced your timing chain."

Me: "Why did you do that? I didn't authorize that.

Scanwest: It needs to be done when you change the chain."

Me: "But I didn't authorize that.

Nobody called me to ask. It's not on the estimate."

Scanwest: "It's only three hundred dollars."

Yeah, right. And against state law. If they do work without asking, they should eat it. Not their customers.

If you go there, sit in the waiting area. Listen to the phone calls. You will hear what I heard. Upsell, upsell, upsell. All day long. Not solving problems for customers, but finding ways to get more cash out of them.

• Pros: Technical skill is solid
• Cons: Not trustworthy

Excellent independant SAAB shop

by tangotraveller at Citysearch

I get my SAAB worked on at this shop, and have found them to be accurate and on top of the needed maintenance and repair. If you have a SAAB in the Seattle area, definitely check these guys out. At one point my transmission failed, and the owner, Rob, was clearly torn between taking a vacation the next week that he had planned with his wife, or tearing into my transmission to see why it had failed. We decided to install a rebuilt unit so that he could have his vacation. They have loaner cars which are older SAABs for the reasonable price of $10, but be sure to schedule in advance if you want a loaner. Oil changes are done anytime, just drop by.

• Pros: Independant, high technical knowledge and very into SAABs
• Cons: Loaners not always available