Arizona - Tucson - The Revolvestore

[Big Will]

I made one phone call to these guys and can definitely say I could never recommend them.

I called up and the guy who answered (Mike) was friendly and after explaining that I would like to get a rough estimate of how much it would cost to install a set of TME springs and a pair of Manual AWD front axles, he put me on the phone with Andy, one of their techs.

I explained to Andy that I have a '98 V70 AWD with a manual transmission and he immediately cut me off and said, "no such thing." To which I replied that indeed there is and that I had converted my car to a manual as if it came from the factory that way as they did in the rest of the world (just not the U.S.) This got him angry and he began to rant about how he's not going to mess around installing axles that won't fit on the car. I then said, well at the moment it has automatic axles in it that technically aren't for the car so I'm just asking you to install the axles that are supposed to be there. He refused and then ranted at me for even considering installing TME lowering springs saying I would ruin my angle gear and that he had installed all that "IPD crap" over the years and, "why the hell would you want to put lowering springs on an AWD - that's not the point of the car." etc.

I politely said he was very misinformed and he reiterated that he had plenty of work and wouldn't waste his time on my car.

All I can say is that he was a complete jerk and if that's how they treat potential customers I hope they go bankrupt.

[javamarshall]

I was the service manager for an independent Volvo-only shop for 3.5 years and got to know Andy well. He simply would not have responded in the manner that you mentioned without some sort of provocation- so I wonder what you said and how you said it for him to react in any way like this.

It sounds like he was trying to educate you- lowering the front end on an all-wheel drive will indeed cause stress on the angle drive and if you asked any Volvo independent shop, they'd be silly to do it for you without without a disclaimer that any/all reprocussions are not their responsibility. It would also be near impossible to provide any sort of accurate estimate since AWD manual models do not exist in this country (until the S60R). What you're doing should be done in your own garage or a shop that specializes in performace and customization and would be willing to take the risk (and charge a lot more) to modify your Volvo.

Myself and my family have also been using IPD for 25+ years. I have personally converted 2x 850 turbos into manuals (one being a T-5R) and performed many other modifications.

That being said, many customers that came into the shop with ideas about what they found on IPD or Swedespeed or others were often very difficult to work with. Enough knowledge with little expertise to be very dangerous!

Andy and Revolvestore provide top quality service and parts. I'd recommend them to family, friends, and anyone else with a Volvo!