DO NOT use Rave Imports in Salem, MA for your repairs.
They are careless, arrogant, DO NOT LISTEN or COMPREHEND what you are telling them and Dave, the owner, believes that Volvo has their own O2 sensor factory somewhere and they make their own O2 sensors which are superior to Bosch.
I brought them my car to address a check engine light related to my REAR O2 sensor. This happened AFTER I hit an animal on the highway. I thought the worst, that I damaged the harness.
So I brought it a mechanic near Nahant, and approved their recommendation to change the rear O2 sensor. They installed a Bosch replacement. When the check engine light came back, rather than deal with them again, I asked around, VolvoDrummer recommended Rave, so I brought it to Rave.
I explained every thing that had happened up to that point, and asked them to double-check the previous mechanic's work.
They checked the harness, and it was fine. they told me that the front O2 sensor was the issue, and it being faulty was causing the codes to the rear.
They also told me that its best to change the O2 sensors in matching pairs, so I bought a new FRONT sensor from FCP and had them install it. Mind you, the recommended VOLVO OEM, but I was willing to roll the dice with a reputable brand like Bosch, since they invented the damn thing.
While swapping out the front sensor, they noticed that the catalyst inside the IPD cat was broken and rattling around. They recommended a new CAT, but since it was IPD, I would have to do the whole downpipe. I told them I would address that later.
I picked up the car, drove it to dinner, and when I left dinner, the light came back on.
So a few mornings later, I brought it back to them, and lo and behold, it was the same code I brought it in with. It had nothing to do with the front sensor. And yet, Dave insisted it did, since both O2 sensors were now Bosch, and Bosch apparently makes crap O2 sensors.
I told him that I was told that Bosch makes the OEM sensor for Volvo, and he insisted that Volvo makes their own. I decided it wasn't worth arguing. Ryan, meanwhile, suggested I go deal with the loose cat, since that could be causing the rear O2 to mis-read. Good idea, I'll go do that.
So I brought it to Lou's custom exhaust in Waltham to have them remove the cat and replace it with a straight pipe, and add an O2 sensor spacer. I figured if the problem was indeed the cat, this would get me by until I could order a new pipe from IPD. The guys at Lou's put it up on the lift, and 5 minutes later, the guy was handing me my keys, laughing.
"There's nothing wrong with your cat", he tells me. "The rear O2 sensor was loose. I tightened it up, and its fine."
So by now, I'm completely frustrated with Rave. The ONE thing I asked them to do- check the previous mechanic's work- they clearly didn't do.
So I drove it down to MB auto, and fortunately, Mike actually LISTENED to me, and the first thing out of his mouth is "you have the wrong O2 sensor. I've seen this before."
Apparently, the search engines that most online parts places use returns the wrong part number for the rear O2 sensor. Instead of Bosch 16488, it returns 16446. IPD is the only site I've seen so far that gets it right.
So, Mike loans me an O2 sensor, code clears, stays cleared, and I'm on my way. FCP sends me a replacement sensor, which I had the great guys at ReVolv put in for me, and now, I'm all set.
I wouldn't even be writing this except for my experience with Dave from Rave just now, on the phone.
I finally called to tell him what the problem was, and how they missed the wrong sensor. Had I not specifically asked him to check the previous shop's work, I wouldn't have a pot to piss in. But I did. And they didn't. Instead, they tried to sell me the more expensive OEM sensors. Dave spent the entire call blaming my choice of Bosch over VOlvo, and refused to accept that he missed some low hanging fruit, diagnostically.
I mentioned the loose O2 sensor, the cat not being broken, and the wrong part number, and his canned, repeated, disingenuous response was "I'm sorry you feel that way". No Dave, not feelings, FACTS. "I have no way of knowing that, since you didn't bring it back to me. For all I know, you could have put a drywall screw into your cat to secure it." I offered to send him pictures, as well as the email from FCP apologizing for the part number mixup, and he blew it off, saying "It doesn't matter, I'm not refunding any money. I have no way of knowing what you're saying is true. You didn't bring it back to me to make it right."
And why would I? You had it twice, and couldn't fix it. How many times do I need to bring it to you before you get it right, especially when you are already primed to believe the problem is the BRAND of O2 sensor?
This is where it gets REALLY weird. "Have you ever seen HOUSE MD?" he asked. "It usually takes him a few times, he doesn't get it right the first time."
Oh, ok, so you're comparing yourself to a TV doctor? Riiiight...
At that point, he put me on hold, and then when he picked up, told me he doesn't want to talk to me anymore, I wasted enough of his time.
I wasted HIS time? What about MY time, and MY money? $148 in labor, plus $100+ for a front O2 that I probably didn't need? Plus the time away from work I spent driving back and forth to Salem?
Ironically, I was only asking for a partial refund, a mere $74. They charged me $148 to diagnose and replace the front sensor, when it was the rear all along. Since I have a new front sensor, I didn't think it fair to ask them to eat the whole cost, just the time they spent diagnosing, or rather, misdiagnosing the problem.
He again repeated his argument that it was SOLELY my fault for using aftermarket sensors. Had I replaced both sensors with Volvo OEM, it would have fixed the problem.
Yes, that is technically true. It is also technically true that, had I replaced the entire exhaust with a factory exhaust, the problem would also be fixed. Hell, if I traded the car in for a BMW, the problem would be fixed as well. But the point is not just to throw parts at a problem until it goes away. The challenge is to actually diagnose the problem. But for Dave, all this was because I was "being cheap" (his words) and didn't want to spend the money on Volvo OEM.
So essentially, Dave just wanted to be a parts changer.
And I told him as much (and by now, I was so annoyed that I told him he was being an arrogant douche. A lapse of character on my part, admittedly). He's very proud of his 30 years in the business. As such, I would expect him to know how to actually listen to the customer, and not blow him off because you think you know better. He countered that I don't tell my doctor what to prescribe me, but that's a false analogy. A better analogy would be this:
If I injured myself overseas, and out of desperation, had to be treated by a 3rd world doc, you bet your ASS I would go to a US doc upon my return and ask him to doublecheck the previous doc's work. And if he missed something the other doc did wrong, and I was then crippled, you bet your ass he would be guilty of malpractice.
Dave just doesn't want to take responsibility for the problem that he missed. Again, had he checked the rear O2, he might have discovered that a) it was loose and b) it wasn't the right Bosch part number.
Other things that happened to my car while it was there:
1) knee-height dent in my driver front fender, above the wheel. the kind of dent caused by someone leaning into the engine bay. Dave says I cant prove it was them. Dave obviously doesn't appreciate how I know every inch of my R.
2) missing vacuum hose clamps. As I was detailing my engine, I discovered that, of all the vacuum line clamps they disconnected to remove my airbox and snabb to get at the harness, they only put 2 back on. I was missing a few, and found a few jammed in and around the intake manifold.
3) My TCV was laying loose on top of the transmission. I had it previously mounted to the airbox.
4) the OEM airbox mounting "washers" were missing. the bolts were clamping down directly on the rubber grommets.
Of course, Dave insisted that he has no way of knowing who did all that, since I took it to Revolv after him. I told him that I fixed all that stuff myself while I was detailing my engine, and he told me "that's not my fault then."
I've been in a customer-facing role for 10 years, working for the MOST demanding people I can think of: Hedge Funds and Investment bankers. And if they came to me with as compelling of a case as I did with Dave, even if I was fairly confident that they were wrong, I would STILL credit some time to them, just to keep the business and make sure they came back. Especially if the amount they were asking was less than 10% of what they'd given me so far. But since Dave is incapable of that, now, you all get to read about him.
OK, rant over. Bottom line: Dave may be a great Volvo tech for people who drive regular Volvos and Camrys. His prices are reasonable and they are generally quick.
But IMHO, he doesn't know how to treat people who are passionate and anal about their caRs. Use him at your own risk.