Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo Mechanic, repair, ripoff, diagnostic, lies, bad quote, tried to sell wrong repair, thiefs Fresno, California

I'm writing to report about the malpractices going on at Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo.  They will misdiagnose your car and tell you you need a repair worth thousands, when you very likely don't.

I own a 2001 Volvo V70 XC.  Purchased in September of 2009 with 95,000 miles.  I brought the car to Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo for an oil change in January 2010 with 98,000 miles.  Within a week or two of the oil change, the car developed a steady oil leak, pooling in the driveway.  I did my own investigation, and it appeared to be coming from the Turbo, on the back of the motor.  I hoped maybe it had something to do with the oil change, so I returned the car to Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo for an inspection.  They charged me a diagnostic fee, I think somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 (I'm writing this 8 months later so that might be a little off).  They came back and said I need a Upper Cam Seal, a Rear Main Seal, and a Timing Belt, at a grand total of $3,300!!!!

Now as it turns out, the Timing Belt is a Volvo recommended 105,000 mile service per the manual.  So why Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo recommended this to me 7,000 miles early is beyond me.  Scratching that off the list would have brought the total to $2,100.

I took the car less than a mile away to a specialty repair shop called (((competitor's name redacted))).  I paid them another diagnostic fee for a second opinion because I just didn't believe the engine seals on a modern car would go out around 100,000 miles, especially a car that cost nearly $40,000 new.  When they called me back they said, and I quote "You're not going to believe where the leak is coming from...it was your oil cap!"  And the thing was, they were 100% correct.  They replaced the oil cap...a $15 part from Napa, and it has not leaked a drop in the 8 months since!

Of course I felt silly thinking it was the Turbo, but the cap is on top of the motor directly above the turbo which is behind the engine.  I figure the car had been sitting on a dealer lot for awhile before I bought it, and perhaps the oil cap seal dried out.  When I got my first oil change at Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo, it probably just tore the seal when they removed it.  But to reiterate Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo wanted to charge me $3,300 for a leaky $15 Oil Cap!!!

If you take your car there, and you question any expensive repair they tell you, I highly recommend you take your car to (((redacted))) Repair, less than a mile away, and have them tell you what is really wrong. 

And on a side note...I did finally have the timing belt done...by (((competitor's name redacted)))... and it cost $905 WITH a new Water Pump and Belt Tensioner.  $350 less than Fresno Lincoln Mercury Volvo wanted for the same job.