I would like to know if there are people out there that have had their Volvo (preferably an 1800) restored at Volvo Werks Inc. and if so, what kind of recommendation would you give for that company? Please include (if possible) pre and post restoration images (URL) of the project(s). If you are actually an employee (even owner) of that company, you are more than welcome to include your comments and details on projects completed as well.

If you have a question about the company please feel free to come to our shop. We are located at 351 N Autumn Street San Jose California our phone number is 408-292-9783 On Sunday the 1st of August we are having a sort of open house to show off a new auto we have just finished.

We are going to be at the shop from Noon till 4:00 PM Please feel free to come by and have a cup of coffee and look around.

Also at that time you can look at the Multitude of license both state and Federal that we have posted.

We have done hundreds of autos for people over the years, and we do have a few disgruntled clients, it goes with the territory, I am afraid.

I believe that one of OUR biggest problems is getting the work out on a strict time frame. We are working on that, however for years we have taken especial care in doing each restoration in a precise manner, which does not lend itself to quickness.

We have just hired on a few new people and with their help maybe we can speed things up a little bit. However we will not sacrifice quality with quickness, we would rather be blamed for being slow than for pushing out junk quickly.

We have had one other problem and that stems from the fact that we are a small shop (10 people), and as such we don’t answer the phone by the same person each time a call comes in. It is always who just happened to be by the phone. So sometimes conflicting answers were handed out, depending what the person was doing at that moment when the phone was answered. We have also worked that kink out, by bringing on two more people, one is a full time secretary, the other is a young man to handle customer relations. This solve, serves two purpose, we hope that no more conflicting messages will go out to people and second it keeps the people working in the shop, working in the shop.

Again if there are problems we are working at them to correct them and we hope if you are able, you will join us on Sunday the 1st of August at the shop (from Noon to 4:00 PM) for a look around.

Also for you who are having problems with engines that you ordered, we were experiencing two problems that caused big delays. We were having problems getting decent cores (B-20s especially )because we will not do overbores on engines. The second is the machine shop we use and have used for years has been very bogged down with work. We believe those two problems also have been solved. Please phone John for details at 408-292-9783

I contacted these guys and asked if they were licensed; they said no, they did not need one for restoration work. That is incorrect, they are repairing cars, and are required by California law to have a license to do any type of repairs.

If anybody has problems with this shop, report them to the BAR (Bureau of Auto Repairs) ASAP!!

https://www.dca.ca.gov/dca/secure/getcarcompl.htm

Contracted through eBay to have Volvo Werks rebuild an engine for me in April. The engine was to be delivered the first part of June. As of June 14th, the engine has not yet shipped. They have indicated numerous times that it was "almost done and should ship the next day or two". At this point, not tremendously impressed with their service - uncertain about their quality.

I recently had a very bad dealing with Volvo Werks inc (in San Jose, CA)

I purchased a rebuilt engine that was supposed to be delivered in 4 weeks. at 6 weeks it had still not been delivered. The Owner of Volvo Werks offered to pick up my car and install the engine at a reduced price. 5 working days was the estimated time. 10 working days later, I still had no car. Finally it was discovered that the driver that was bringing my car back to me quit while enroute, and my car was sitting on the trailer on the side of the freeway. I made the decision to retreive the car myself, and during the 300+ mile drive home, the car broke down 3 times- all due directly to the unprofessional quality of work performed.

I now have my car home, and the head work appears to be adiquate (they talked me into a head only), although there is an exhaust leak that was not there before (appears to just need a new gasket). According to the Owner (or one of the owners), I am to receive a full refund of all money paid to them and a check was supposedily in the mail Friday- but they have consistantly lied to me during this transaction- so ill believe it when i see it.

If i do receive the check- and it clears the bank... I'll update this post to let you know. Personally, I'd steer clear of them.

so did anyone out there have *any* luck w/volvo werks?

mlovell: did they refund your check?
trex: did you ever get your engine?

i'm also leaning towards staying away...just checking for any last minute saves.

any other bay area recommendations for significant body resto?

No, i have not received a refund... I was told a check was mailed on 7/9/04, which was obviously not true. then I was told i would receive a refund via PayPal on 7/19/04, which also didn't happen. Now i am being told They will cut me a check on 7/22/04 and overnight it to me. Ill keep you posted...

Thanks a lot for the info.
I got in touch with them myself, exchanged a few emails, and I have to admit that the answers that I got to my questions were somewhat vague, which inspired the original post. I asked them about a restoration proposal, itemized with the things they are going to do ... that was almost 3 weeks ago - have not heard a thing back, so I am dropping the idea of having my '68 1800S restored there.
Thanks again for sharing your experience.