TheSamba.com :: View topic - One Van Repair Shop in Seattle

Wed Mar 13, 2024 5:13 pm

I just came across One Van in the SoDo area of Seattle. Does anyone know anything about them? They're new to me but I don't get out much.

One Van is a small customer dedicated shop specializing in VW repair, restoration, and conversion.
A new shop concept based on two decades of experience.
25+ years specializing in Vanagon, Eurovan and Air-Cooled vans

https://www.onevanrepair.com

Thu Mar 14, 2024 1:55 am

I think Casey might weigh in?

Thu Mar 14, 2024 4:55 am

While it isn't a problem, my take away from his stated working model of keeping your Van at Your house until He has all of the parts and the time to fix it .......

Tells me he is a small operation, small shop, small lot, no place for vehicle storage.
Though I do think that he is either optimistic that he can order all of the parts that will be needed in one swoop ..... or he is ordering a lot of "maybe I'll need this" items. "It will be good to put in a new one anyway"

Do new rear axle bearings come with new bearing carriers too? You don't know the carrier is shot until it is in your hand.

Does he have a good parts department in house for these type of situations?

Thu Mar 14, 2024 8:09 am

I would hightly reccomend Yori @ Shoreline Auto Clinic 206.922.3651.

Thu Mar 14, 2024 9:00 am

djkeev wrote:
Tells me he is a small operation, small shop, small lot, no place for vehicle storage.

Vehicle storage is a challenge for these shops in a city. PeaceVans, about a mile away from this shop, has accumulated sizable shop and storage space but it's remarkable how close they pack the vans in their available space. Tight as sardines. Another Seattle shop ran into problems with the city when using public parking for storage of customer vans.

Regardless, it's good to see another shop available to work on Vanagons. It was a few years ago that PeaceVans said they were getting out of the vanagon maintenance business. They've since e-mailed (10/17/23) that they're servicing Vanagons again. Adding another service option may be good for Vanagon owners. Their advertised labor rate of $155/hr appears to be on the low side. I believe the last time I paid for service, 2020? 2021?, it was $185/hr.

Thu Mar 14, 2024 9:06 am

I know none of the players but think it’s cool to spread the word like this, Jim.

Wed Mar 05, 2025 1:15 pm

I didn't have a good experience there with a Subaru conversion. They might know their way around a Vanagon really well. They did a fine job on my brakes.
But for Subaru conversions I think there are way too many factors involved to get it right. I had to go to another shop to try and fix a lot of things they did wrong.

Thu Mar 06, 2025 10:58 am

I've had a lot of experience there - they have been my main "have to take it to a shop for this" kind of work for probably 5 years. I am not sure where the comment about storage came from, but he has had my van for decent periods of time while parts came in. He has some storage, but I am sure it is a hassle to move vans around.

He has worked on my Subaru swapped van - had thinks like valve cover gasket, replaced exhaust manifold, replaced my wiring harness (from PO swap) with one from Auto Ventures, some brake work, replaced steering rack, replaced clutch, and probably a few other things. He's done a good job, I felt was honest, and at a fair price.

It has overall been a pretty good experience with only a few bumps. He let me bring in some of my own parts to avoid the markup and has provided some guidance on how to do some things myself that I was a little nervous about.

While a small shop, I have found it is much quicker to schedule work. I had something done at Eions (who is great) but had to schedule is 5 months out. Except at the busies times, Case has usually had me in within a week and has always been responsive to emergencies.

I have asked him to do a couple things that he is unwilling to do but he is upfront and clear about this work.

My worst experience there was related to the wiring harness swap. The PO had a rat's nest of a wiring harness and other mechanics had flagged it as a problem. I had some gremlins and Casey said the harness was part of the problem. He sourced a harness from a salvage yard and sent it along with the ECU to Auto Ventures. Turns out the harness and the ECU weren't a perfect match which caused some delays and problems. The van was offline for about 5 months. When I got it back, there was a very high idle problem which OneVan kinda shrugged their shoulders.

Hope this helps

Thu Mar 06, 2025 12:00 pm

DeLvxe wrote: I am not sure where the comment about storage came from, but he has had my van for decent periods of time while parts came in.

I think Dave was referring to this statement on their website:

"One van solves this problem by keeping your van in your driveway until you have an accurate estimate in hand. Efficient turn-around times with drop-offs scheduled once all parts and materials arrive."

I stopped by last year but no one was home. There appeared to be plenty of room for parking customer vans in addition to what appeared to be a few project/parts vans. Regardless, it doesn't make sense to store customer vans that are weeks away from being touched (liability, work space, etc.) so it's a good expectation to set.

Thu Mar 06, 2025 6:24 pm

If I know the shop needs to order parts, I ask about availability and the lead time to get them. Customer-provided parts can be a liability for the shop unless agreed to in advance. Overall, I prefer to keep the van in OUR garage if there is a significant wait involved rather than being stored by the shop.