Hello All,

Just for background, I sent a 93 Wagon out to my daughter in Ca in her senior year at college as she needed transportation. Got the car in Fl, shaped it up (I have two pages of notes covering the work I did) and sent it by transport in October 2005.

Got a call from my 22 yr old daughter earlier today. Seems like she brought her car to the usual shop where she has her oil changed: Say Ray's in Palo Alto which was recommended by someone on the board. Today, they indicated the radiator is leaking and rear pads are needed, estimating the radiator replacement at $450 and rear pads at $170. They also indicated that their labor rate was $110.

They also commented that the rear pinion seal is leaking, that she needed a right front tire replaced, the OD light is out, and other items.

For that kind of money, I'm contemplating a trip to Ca. I have a decent used radiator on the shelf, pads are $40 and I can top up the differential if the pinion is leaking. While I'm there, I can service the flame trap which is never done by "Volvo Shops" looking for a main seal job. I can Tire Rack some tires too if I can find a local installer.

Is there any one out there that can either help me with this long distance project, or convince me that I shouldn't book a flights for Dec 9 to 12th.

Just a concerned Dad,

Marty Wolfson
--
93, 244 141k, 93 244 - 235K (Injured awaiting repair), 93 245 - 172K, 99 v-70 - 112K

I brought my Brick to Say Ray's a few weeks ago for the first time based on reviews on the Cartalk website and I found them to be very honest and thorough with their assessment and work on the car. However, the parts and labor were certainly expensive which is par for the course in my experience considering the cost of living and doing business in the SF bay area. Ray's for instance is far cheaper than the Volvo stealership down the street in Los Altos that charges nearly $200 for labor and grossly overprices their service parts but Ray's is still expensive compared to almost anywhere else in the country. As a possible alternative there are a good number of other reputable indie shops near Berkley and in the Easy Bay that may be cheaper due to higher competition and relatively lower business costs.

A trip to go see your daughter sounds like a good idea but it will be a world of pain without a garage and tools and remember that your time and effort are also worth something. Good luck with the cost benefit analysis and if you are in a bind I may be able to help you out (I live in Palo Alto) although I do not have a garage or a floor jack.

Mike

I would go out there also.

I lived in Orange County out there shortly after college. You need to have a translator to understand when "California people" talk about cars (Brickboard people excluded...). I would hear people say "I'm going to wash my car". To me that means 3-4 hours detailing my car. Out there it means taking it to a car wash place. "I did some work on my car" translates into "I took it to Iffy Lube". Repair shops out there put the fear of god into people to make money, and charge dearly for it. Remember, they have to pay for all of that expensive real estate and taxes somehow, PLUS make a living!

I would ship all of the needed parts to her address and book a flight. You can get all of your chemicals and fluids out there, as you usually can't ship them. They have all of the usual parts stores out there for the misc. stuff you might need that you might have forgotten.

The pinion seal was something that was defective from the factory. I don't know why Volvo didn't get it right, but I haven't seen a 240 from about 1988 to 1993 that didn't show signs of gear oil having been slung all over the bottom of the car, EVEN when new.

Good luck, and have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Hi Marty,
My vote is go visit your daughter, sure you can also find a good shop as well but one on one with her helping and learning is beyond price. I got my daughter to help fixing the wife's Volvo doing brakes etc. and where she is living in a flat one of the guys there was struggling with a brake job and she said get out of the way and let me do it, had it fixed in 30 minutes and all and sundry were amazed as she is a petite little girl not at all the type you would expect to be wrenching on cars.
My thought about Say Ray's is they sound really greedy, sadly lots of auto shops take people for suckers, I know when I was buying an AMG Merc recently the shop I took it to for a pre-buy check over to get the diagnostic computer run commented the rad was leaking and should be replaced. They said they could do it for some huge figure. When I checked as I picked up the car & report there was a small weep around where a hose clamp went on as the clamp was a little loose, which I tightened and took it back to the seller and bought the car. Go see your little car, as another lister commented ship the parts and take some quality time.
Cheers,
Checkpoint Charlie

I am hesitant to volunteer to take this on completely, for several reasons, but if you need a place to work, jackstands, tools, etc., and maybe an extra set of hands, I may be able to help. I am in Elk Grove CA, which is about 2 hours from Mtn View, I think.

I have to break away to college sometime this month to put a clutch cable in my 21 year old daughter's '91 245, so I feel your pain.

For two-three people, we should be able to knock out radiator/pads/flame trap in less than 2 hrs, leaving you the rest of the day to tour with your daughter.

GO WEST YOUNG MAN, GO WEST.
Make this a holiday visit to remember and
spend the $$ to visit your daughter, instead
of making "ray's" account larger.

Happy Holidays....
joseph in
New Mexico

Take the trip, fix the car and enjoy some one on one time with your daughter..I did the same thing last year when my daughter's car broke down in Ashland OR... I am in Denver CO. Make it a fun trip, Kris

Ship the supplies, pack the tools, book the flight, enjoy the visit and the satisfaction that the job was done correctly.
Marlin

Wish I were there - but I'm in CT.

Hopefully someone will chime in with a reasonable shop in her area, or maybe a helpful brickboarder driveway mechanic.

When a good friend moved from CT to PA, I asked here for some recommends for shops - one recommended shop turned out to be in walking distance and very decent. As much as I can understand how tempting it would be to have a good excuse to fly to CA to work on a brick and see your daughter, over the long term she definitely would be well off to have a good local service person.
--
Sven: '89 245 NA, 951 ECU, expanded air dam, forward belly pan reaches oem belly pan, open-front airbox, E-fan, 205/65-15 at 50 psi, IPD sways, no a/c-p/s belt, E-Codes, amber front corner reflectors, quad horns, tach, small clock. Wifemobile '89 245