San Mateo Ind. Volvo Service

Phil has been taking care of my two Volvos for over two years now, and I am very happy with the service he provides. I trust him 100% to do the right work at the right price.

I found Phil through Unilocal when I was wanting to have a vehicle inspection on a potential car I ended up buying. He was very thorough and inspected all aspects of the car, from testing the engine to the window openers and gave me a breakdown of what the car needed. I bought the car and had him work on the repairs. I highly recommend him for anyone needing a Volvo mechanic.

When moving to a new area there 3 critical finds — a fabulous hairstylist, a halfway decent dry cleaner and perhaps most importantly… an outstanding mechanic! Before going to Phil, I went to an extremely crabby mechanic (rhymes with ‘mo thomsons’) and was literally quoted upwards of $ 5,000 for about 11 different items. After receiving this shocking news, I opted to borrow a family member’s car for a few months while I weighed out my options. Then, understandably reluctant, I took my car into Phil.
From the outset, I experienced nothing but top notch service. When I walked in, I was greeted with a smile, a cappuccino and a loaner car (doesn’t get much better than that). Not only was there a quick turnaround time, but Phil made me a comprehensive list of priorities in order of importance. He indicated that the other mechanic’s quote had been flat out false, not to mention unbelievably exorbitant (ie I would have been taken for a ride). Phil’s quote was a stark contrast to the previous one and I walked away that day spending only about $ 500 for new front brakes.
I have been going to San Mateo Independent Volvo for almost a year now. Phil is consistently honest and professional, always answers the phone, provides detailed explanations as well as very reasonably priced services. Plus, he is just plain delightful to do business with! Go see Phil… you will NOT regret it!!!

Phil is a master mechanic and very honest. Fair pricing, too. You can feel good about taking your car here.

Phil is just fabulous. I trust him to take care of me and my car for the long term– not to make a quick buck. He saved me at least $ 800 and took care of a minor issue for free!
Details: After I washed my car I was having an issue with the alarm going off randomly. I had pulled out some fuses and those had kind of worked to stop it. The dealership quoted me at least $ 100 to figure out what was wrong and said it would likely cost at least $ 800 as I should replace the alarm system.
Phil took a look and offered his thoughts for free! He suggested a «watch and wait» approach where we thought the water had just settled into the engine somewhere wrong, and we should wait to see if the problem persisted before doing anything. He even fixed a fuse I hadn’t put back in properly. In the end, the watch and wait worked, the water evaporated and the alarm problem stopped. I saved $ 800 vs going to the dealership to fix a nonexistent issue. Thanks Phil!

Finding a good Volvo mechanic is one of the most important and hardest things that you can do…
However I got extremely lucky when I came across Phil. He is incredibly courteous open and friendly. He explained everything thoroughly and walked me through the issues that my car was suffering from. He took care of even minor details that I didn’t even tell him about but somehow he knew were a problem.
I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that he’s around and can take care of my car whenever I need it. Today was definitely a very good day!

I recently moved to San Mateo area from the Monterey Peninsula and was so happy to find Phil at San Mateo Independent Volvo Service. I consider my Volvo one of my family members — she has over 200K miles. Phil is knowledgeable, personable and always available for a major service or just to change a bulb.

Phil has taken care of my 2004 S60 since last year. He has taken such good care of the the vehicle that now he also maintains the 2000 V70 XC that I bought from him. Always a pro, the facility is well maintained, which reflects his attention to detail when working on my Volvos. Even troubleshot a front headlamp issue recently, found it was only an fuse and charged me nothing for the effort, (it all took about 5 minutes of his time). This would have been a 1 hour minimum labor charge @ the Volvo dealership. Phil is about as good as it gets when it comes to vehicle mechanics, I will continue to trust my vehicles to his hands.

Phil is terrific — he has maintained and repaired my family’s cars for over 20 years! He is efficient, honest and incredibly knowledgable & his pricing is very fair. I always trust my car to Phil’s care and he’s never let me down.

The best experience I’ve had at a specialist shop. I was welcomed by Phil, the owner and specialist mechanic right away as my 1986 Volvo 240 had broken down on the road and I needed a mechanical repair. He diagnosed the problem within seconds and also showed me what other repair shops in the past had done wrong to my car. He had my car running better than it ever had the next day at a very reasonable price. He then made a list of additional repairs he suggested but did not pressure me to get them fixed at the time and to come back in on my own terms. I highly recommend if your Volvo needs work.

My last review was jan 2009. its now july 2013 and I’m still using Phil at Volvo Service because he is honest, fast, generous and all around GOOD GUY. now i have an xc90 and it has a fancy computer that gets upset if you leave the gas cap loose or some such nonsense. so i call him up — check light is on — and he says — come in now. 20 mins later the problem is fixed and he switched out two dead light bulbs at the same time. NO CHARGE. By the way, he was actually really busy today with several cars in the garage, and made me feel like a valued customer nonetheless. Thanks Phil!

Phil is spectacular.
We got screwed at the volvo dealership in Burlingame. The service at the dealership is pathetic. Rich, the guy that runs the service department is a lier, and only intent is to profit. The MF was going to retain our car for 1 week and charge us twice of what Phil had quoted us. Brought the cat to Phil and he was able to fix it without replacing any parts (powder graphite on a stuck key tumbler).
Trust him 100%
Great follow through and very responsive.
Best mechanic I have met.
The volvo dealership in burlingame SUCKS. Do not take your car there under ANY circumstance.

San Mateo Independent Volvo is a a special kind of auto shop. Phil is dedicated not only to providing the best Volvo-​specific care that you can find anywhere at any price, but to doing so at incredibly reasonable rates and with the upmost respect and courtesy for his customers. He is not just a talented automotive technician, he’s an honest man of old-​fashioned integrity. I trust Phil and since I began bringing my cars to him, I feel more secure and confident on the road. He’s no-​nonsense when it comes to vehicle safety, respect, and professionalism — but has a sense of humor, too, which can be a welcome thing when dealing with crazy car troubles.
I have been bringing my cars to Phil for six or seven years, and I have never received better or more reliable service anywhere. I know more about my vehicles than I did before, because he is informative and concise in his explanations about what needs doing, and why. There are no frills here, and he’s not looking to «sell you» on anything: this is honest and efficient results-​oriented car-​care at its best. Your safety and the continued health of your vehicle are his primary concerns, with your comfort and satisfaction of the process coming in close second.
I like doing business with a person who I can look in the eyes and get a straight answer from, whether it is bad news on a system or great news on a simple tune-​up, and that’s what I found here. I worked with dealerships and the «two-​buck-​chuck» garages for a while, and was frustrated in that divide: I couldn’t trust the cheaper guys to know what they were doing, and I couldn’t trust the dealerships to not lie to my face to get to my wallet. I was recommended to Phil by a woman in a Burlingame parking lot, when I saw that she was driving an older-​model Volvo with an engine that sounded brand new: I asked where she had her work done, and she gave me Phil’s card. This was the best thing to ever happen to my cars!

Not only is Phil honest, punctual and to the point, he has free loaner cars, something the competition does not. I have used Phil for my volvo for years, and so has the rest of my family members. Phil gets you in and out in and with a fair price at that. The quality of his work and consistency shows. I guarantee that you will be pleased with the work that Phil does on your car. Don’t waste your time or money at the dealerships.

It is always nerve-​wracking trying to find a decent mechanic. I just had my car serviced at Putnam and noticed a stuttering when driving on the freeway and pressing on the gas. I was also told by the dealer that my brakes needed to be replaced so I decided to do some research and get some estimates to compare. I contacted Phil to see what he would charge for brake replacement and to take a look at the stuttering problem. He was extremely accommodating on the phone and told me to drop the car off so he could take a look at it. He called me to tell me that my breaks would last until my next scheduled service and that the stuttering was caused by a loose spark plug (I just had all the plugs replaced by the dealer). He fixed this and did not charge me! I was really impressed by his honesty and great service. I know if I had taken my car back to the dealer, they would have probably charged me and convinced me to get the brakes done sooner than necessary. I haven’t met Phil in person yet (all of this took place via drop box methods since I wasn’t able to take my car in during the day) but look forward to meeting him at my next scheduled car service. It will be a pleasure doing business with him!

As I mentioned previously, I’ve been bring my cars to Phil since 1998. Recently, I’ve had a need to bring my 2002 S60 T5 in for some service, including for an oil leak. During my scheduled time, Phil raised my car on the lift so that he could get better view of the undercarriage of the car. He removed the protecting tray that exposed the engine, and continued to diligently inspect the engine for the source. After wiping and cleaning the engine completely, letting it run for a while, and then driving it around, he was unable to locate the leak, as the oil had stopped flowing. Phil called and had me pick my car up, so that I could drive it around for a few more days in the hopes that the leak would show itself.
Days later I brought the car back, and back up on the rack it went. Once again, there was no sign of the leak, as there was no external oil to be found!
Phil could have easily gone with a guess as to what the issue could have been, and replaced the most common cause of such leaks (as the dealer would have done), but instead he took his time and really tried to find the source of the problem. I appreciate this kind of honesty, effort and diligence! This kind of service and attention will keep me coming back, as well as writing positive reviews!
Thanks Phil!

Phil runs his business with supreme integrity. I bought a used 1998 Volvo last week and took it to Phil for him to look it over. He found almost $ 4000 in immediate repairs that needed to be fixed and I only paid $ 5000 for the car the day before at Toyota of Sunnyvale. Shame on the Toyota dealership, thank heavens for Phil. I returned the car for a full refund the next day. Phil did not charge me a dime for anything he did to diagnose the car either. You just don’t find mechanics like this anymore. Trustworthy and honest. I highly recommend San Mateo Independent Volvo to anyone.

Great service at San Mateo Independent Volvo Service. I was very impressed with Phil’s personal service and the trustworthy aura that he projects. He thoroughly explained each aspect of the service that he did on my car, checked and rechecked my estimate, and got the work done quickly. He spoke about the various aspects of the my 60k mile service to convince me that he’s familiar with newer Volvos, and also had some good recommendations to keep me on the road. He also drove me from his shop to downtown San Mateo so that I could catch the Caltrain to work — he had to take my car for a test drive anyway, but I thought this was a nice extra service. He runs the shop by himself, but manages to quickly and efficiently finish his work.
I paid about $ 450 for a 60k mile service (including new spark plugs), new rear wiper, and a thorough checkup. He kept the parts that he replaced and showed them all to me when I picked my car up – he also pointed out that Putnam Volvo probably hadn’t actually been replacing the cabin air filter on my previous visits (it was filthy!). Just another reason to find a good independent shop and stop paying the dealers for regular services.
Definitely consider Phil. I’m sure I’ll continue to use him for my scheduled maintenance and whatever else comes up.

Oddly my review seemed to have disappeared for awhile, but I just wanted to say again that I am extremely happy with San Mateo Independent Volvo and will be there again this week! Thanks, Phil. I’ve re-​posted my earlier review below:
I went to San Mateo Independent Volvo based on the recommendations here on Unilocal,and was very happy I found this shop near where I live. My car is just coming out of its warranty, so I was concerned the dealer would start overcharging me for sub-​par service. I am relieved that I can stop worrying about finding a mechanic, as I will be sending my business to Phil Constantino at San Mateo Independent Volvo Service for as long as I own my car.
His shop is immaculate, and was immediately set at ease by the way he keeps and maintains his shop. He took pains to explain to me in detail the work he was planning on doing, and was able to get me an appointment for the morning after I called.
Phil charges very reasonable rates, and clearly knows exactly what he is doing. My check engine light turned out to be a major leak in my fuel system, which he explained to me was covered under warranty and didn’t charge me a cent for clearing the codes after his initial inexpensive diagnostic. He also fixed my broken door lock, and charged me less for a full synthetic oil change and minor maintenance (22,500 mile) than I would’ve paid at the dealer for joe-​average 10W-​30. He even cuts new customers a deal for their first visit. You might be able to find a cheaper alternative for Volvo service on the Peninsula, but considering the quality of work and peace of mind I had entrusting my car to Phil, I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
I took a bunch of his business cards with me as I intend to spread the word about his great shop to my co-​workers. Five stars to Phil and San Mateo Independent Volvo!

I have a very old Volvo and was pleased to learn he trained on these old ones from the 70’s. The reason he gets 4 out of 5 stars is because he did something I thought only «typical» (meaning not great) mechanics do which felt a little betraying since he comes off as a cool guy who will treat me better than most of the shyster mechanics out there.
My car needed multiple items repaired. The estimate was about a thousand bucks. After having the car for a few days he said he found out that one of the parts didn’t need fixing so I would save about $ 300. However when I went to pick the car up my bill was for $ 1000. When I asked what was the deal he said he went ahead and «cleaned the throttle body» and other stuff because it was still going to come out to less than the estimate. So instead of saving some dough, he thought he could tack on more repairs without prior approval.
To his credit, when I complained he offered to discount the bill a bit. That’s really what keeps this from being a 3 star rating. But it was not a cool move on his part to begin with.