new member in los angeles - desperately needing help please!!

[Roger P]

Jon,

I own a 1982 245 and have lived in the LA area for over twenty years. I'll pass along contact info for two shops that may be able to work on your car.

Swedish Car Clinic in Harbor City. The service manager was Don Weihs, 310-326-9895. Visited them and talked about having them change the timing belt. Don said Peter that worked there at the time knew how to do it and had the D24 tool set. Did not actually use this shop so I don't have an experience good or bad that can be related.

The timing belt change was actually done in Perris, Ca. at Swedish Speed 951-657-7788 by a mechanic named Mark. They also had the D24 tool set and were working on another diesel when I took my car there for the timing belt change about two years ago. The engine has performed well since then, and I have confidence in his work.

Use to have work done in Long Beach but that shop decided to stop working on Volvos and then recommended the Swedish Car Clinic.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Roger

[jonwaltermoceyhanton]

Originally Posted by Roger P

Jon,

I own a 1982 245 and have lived in the LA area for over twenty years. I'll pass along contact info for two shops that may be able to work on your car.

Swedish Car Clinic in Harbor City. The service manager was Don Weihs, 310-326-9895. Visited them and talked about having them change the timing belt. Don said Peter that worked there at the time knew how to do it and had the D24 tool set. Did not actually use this shop so I don't have an experience good or bad that can be related.

The timing belt change was actually done in Perris, Ca. at Swedish Speed 951-657-7788 by a mechanic named Mark. They also had the D24 tool set and were working on another diesel when I took my car there for the timing belt change about two years ago. The engine has performed well since then, and I have confidence in his work.

Use to have work done in Long Beach but that shop decided to stop working on Volvos and then recommended the Swedish Car Clinic.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Roger

roger
thank you so much for this very helpful comment and the great recommendations
i will definitely reach out to them and see if they can help me
i really appreciate you sharing these contacts
hopefully i can find someone who can help me with my car

[jonwaltermoceyhanton]

Originally Posted by jonwaltermoceyhanton

roger
thank you so much for this very helpful comment and the great recommendations
i will definitely reach out to them and see if they can help me
i really appreciate you sharing these contacts
hopefully i can find someone who can help me with my car

roger

thank you again for the suggestions
unfortunately peter at the swedish car clinic in long beach no longer has the tools available to work on my car
he suggested another spot in fjords of sweden in bellflower and the owner there named art also does not have the ability to work on the diesels
and it would appear that swedish speed in perris may no longer be in business as their number is disconnected

i am unfortunately at a bit of a loss as i dont have anymore leads on shops that can help me get my car back up and running

i am desperately hoping that someone here might miraculously see my posts here and have a suggestion of someone that can help in the los angeles area

fingers crossed

[v8volvo]

Don't make any rash decisions yet, give it a little time.

The group of folks willing/capable to work on these is small but the right people are out there. Southern CA is a dense area and there will be someone who can help you not far away, just plan on doing a little more leg work, and figure on starting a good relationship with whoever you do find, make it worth their time to do everything right for you.

How far are you willing to travel for work on this collectible, classic car you are seeking to get back on the road? FYI: of the folks out there who own these cars and don't perform the maintenance themselves, it is common to travel a significant distance to have upkeep/repairs done by an expert. Tom Bryant in Maine sees cars brought to him from many states away. In comparable/similar cases of other types classic vehicles requiring the attention of a "guru", this kind of thing is also commonly seen.

What I'm saying is that you can definitely keep your car and get it in tip-top shape but it might mean using someone a couple of hours away.

Have you contacted Josh / Yoshifab in San Diego? He has done several D24T builds.

How about member adamdrives on this forum, now residing somewhere in CA, I believe San Jose?

Forum member 745 TurboGreasel doesn't post here as often as he used to but is experienced with these engines and no doubt could help with the work if he could be persuaded to. He is near Watsonville.

Cast the net a little wider, and you have options.

[Roger P]

Jon,

I am sorry to hear that you were not able to contact anyone that could help you out. Let's keep trying though.

Looked up Swedish Speed in Perris, CA on the internet and it appears that the name has changed to Champion Automotive. It's operating out of the same address and using the phone number provided in my last posting so its puzzling why you could not get through.

Oh, I took my car to Art at Fjords for years to do non engine work and had the engine work done at Werstat West in Long Beach. Werkstat had recommended Swedish Car Clinic when they declined to work on it any longer.

I would try to contact the shop in Perris again. I may take a drive out there or call myself to find out if they are still open, it appears so from there posting on the internet under Champion.

Roger