What if your car is still in Warranty?

Professional Repair can perform the routine services required to maintain your factory warranty, reset your service light, and stamp your service records. All of our work is performed to factory standards using first quality materials.

What about our Technical Expertise?

Our continuing commitment to technical proficiency is shown by our purchase of computer based diagnostic equipment specific to the newer Volvo products. This diagnostic equipment represents an investment of over $6,000 per store for the hardware alone. Operating software from Volvo is by annual subscription. It costs nearly $7,000 per store, per year! This service information system is known as VIDA and is the same system used by Volvo dealers (details at https://www.volvotechinfo.com/index.cfm?event=info.subscriptions.pricing.pricingAioc).

Each store also subscribes to VDA (Volvo Diagnostic Application) and WSDA (Web Software Download Application), which are also required to service any 1999 or newer model Volvo fully. Each of these represent additional charges per store, per year.

Without these costly programs a shop CANNOT fully diagnose and service 1999 or newer model Volvos. Obviously, only a shop that has a strong client base in Volvos can afford to even consider this type of investment. This is an example of how committed we are to continuing to offer the best Technical Service possible!

Non-Volvo cars...

We have also invested in a number of generic diagnostic tools and information systems to service most other cars.   While we can't offer the depth of heavy repairs that we do on Volvos we still can perform 80-85% of routine services and light repairs on most makes of cars and trucks.

I am out of warranty now.  Is it necessary to continue to perform all my services the way I needed to do to maintain my factory warranty eligibility?

Warranty eligibility was only one of the reasons for performing any brand of vehicle's recommended preventative maintenance services on your car. The biggest reason was, and will remain to be, to make your investment in your vehicle last as long as possible. Even if you do not plan to keep your car through its complete life span, following the service schedule will help uphold its maximum resale value.

If you have an extended warranty policy most companies require that you continue to follow the factory schedule!

The older your car gets the more important regular checkups become, just like the older we get the more important the care of ourselves through proper diet and exercise becomes. You can get by with skipping meals, workouts, etc.  much easier when you are 25 years old than you can when you are 45 years old. The same is true with keeping up with your car services. The most important service is a regular oil and filter change, using a high quality oil filter (not a cheap off-brand) and high quality oil every three months or 3,000-3,500 miles.  Most quickie oil change facilities use the cheapest oil and filters available.  They also do not have the expertise to notice potential other problems your car may have which could cause you to have a breakdown.

What should I budget to keep my older Volvo (or other car) in top shape and well protected?

Having specialized in Volvo for over 21 years, we are frequently asked this.  Repeated analysis of our long-term customer files shows that over a three year or 75,000 mile period you can expect to spend approximately $1,800-$2,400 per year or $150-$200 per month. This is far cheaper than new car payments!  The expenses, of course, do occur evenly. There are months were nothing is spent and others where large amounts are spent. This figure includes maintenance, repairs, and tires but does not include taxes, tag, or insurance expense. Of the latter three, these go down over time, which is another incentive for keeping your older model Volvo (or any other make for that matter) running well for as long as possible.

Speaking of insurance, if you are making the investment to keep your car long term you should also consider the amount you insure the car for. We have many customers with over a quarter of a million miles whose cars are still reliable, safe transportation. However, most insurers will assign a very low value to these cars because of their mileage. As a result, after a small accident, often one where the car is still drivable, the insurance companies will want to total the car and give you a small sum that would barely cover one years maintenance costs, much less the true replacement value for your car. Therefore, we suggest that you protect your investment by establishing a fixed value for your car of 2-3 times what your insurance company would normally say your car is worth. The extra premium for insuring your car, for say $6,000 vs. $2,000, will be very small and will protect your investment in keeping the car well maintained. Talk to your insurance agent about this. If your insurer does not offer a fixed value policy then we suggest you shop for a different carrier!