Best. Mechanic. Ever.
Posted: February 11, 2008 6:56 pm
This is one of those "Just when you thought all people stunk" kind of stories.
I moved into my neighborhood a couple of years ago and asked a friend of mine who had lived there for some time if there was a good mechanic in the area. (When your car has 260,000 miles on it, you know it's going to need some loving.) he told me about a guy two blocks away that was always very fair and helpful, so when it became time for the first oil change, I went to see him. In these past two years I've seen him several times with various ailments as well as typical stuff, and he has always been awesome, and here are just a few examples of why:
1) Last summer when driving my car, I hear a loud bang followed by my car still running but sounding like a go-cart. I pull over to find that the dohickey (love my technical jargon?) that runs from the spark plug to...where, to wherever it goes, had popped out of the engine block. Fearing the worst, I limp it home and bring it in the next day, telling him what happened. he tells me he'll take a look and to stop back at the end of the day. i do, ready to figure out to sell a kidney just to pay for it all. He tells me "Whovere last changed your plugs didn't screw the dohickey (he used the actual term I'm sure) in tight enough. It was only a matter of time." Total cost: $0
2) I felt like both the brakes and clutch were getting ready to go and had been checking with him to see how much it would be. Finally, two months ago I bring it in and tell him I think it's time. Clutch felt soft and the brakes were starting to squeak. he tells me to come back at the end of the day, and I do, trying to figure out that if I pay rent a week late, I should have enough in my account to cover the job. He tells me "The clutch is fine, still grabs up high, and the brakes are good for another 10,000 miles." Total cost: $0
3) A month ago, while scraping my car out of a block of ice, I managed to knock off the little windshield washer fluid nozzle. I stop in, he tells me he needs to order it, come back in a few days. Well a few days turns into a few weeks, life gets in the way, and in the meantime, I start having problems with my power lock. (My car's got a safety feature that you can't lock the driver siide door and then shut it from the outside, you must do it with the key, so now I can't lock my car. Not good where I live.) So I drop it off this morning, tell him what's up. He tells me to come back at the end of the day, and I do, not sure how much it'll cost. He tells me "it must have been the cold with the lock, but I oiled it up, works fine." I say great, but what about the windshield washer thingy. He tells me "Ah, that part only cost me two bucks. Don't worry about it." Total cost: $0
I'm pretty sure he won't read this, but I just wanted to share that in this day and age when everyone seems to have a horror story about service people and getting ripped off and having to go to national chains where you get cold impersonal service, it's nice to know there are still people out there doing the right thing.
I moved into my neighborhood a couple of years ago and asked a friend of mine who had lived there for some time if there was a good mechanic in the area. (When your car has 260,000 miles on it, you know it's going to need some loving.) he told me about a guy two blocks away that was always very fair and helpful, so when it became time for the first oil change, I went to see him. In these past two years I've seen him several times with various ailments as well as typical stuff, and he has always been awesome, and here are just a few examples of why:
1) Last summer when driving my car, I hear a loud bang followed by my car still running but sounding like a go-cart. I pull over to find that the dohickey (love my technical jargon?) that runs from the spark plug to...where, to wherever it goes, had popped out of the engine block. Fearing the worst, I limp it home and bring it in the next day, telling him what happened. he tells me he'll take a look and to stop back at the end of the day. i do, ready to figure out to sell a kidney just to pay for it all. He tells me "Whovere last changed your plugs didn't screw the dohickey (he used the actual term I'm sure) in tight enough. It was only a matter of time." Total cost: $0
2) I felt like both the brakes and clutch were getting ready to go and had been checking with him to see how much it would be. Finally, two months ago I bring it in and tell him I think it's time. Clutch felt soft and the brakes were starting to squeak. he tells me to come back at the end of the day, and I do, trying to figure out that if I pay rent a week late, I should have enough in my account to cover the job. He tells me "The clutch is fine, still grabs up high, and the brakes are good for another 10,000 miles." Total cost: $0
3) A month ago, while scraping my car out of a block of ice, I managed to knock off the little windshield washer fluid nozzle. I stop in, he tells me he needs to order it, come back in a few days. Well a few days turns into a few weeks, life gets in the way, and in the meantime, I start having problems with my power lock. (My car's got a safety feature that you can't lock the driver siide door and then shut it from the outside, you must do it with the key, so now I can't lock my car. Not good where I live.) So I drop it off this morning, tell him what's up. He tells me to come back at the end of the day, and I do, not sure how much it'll cost. He tells me "it must have been the cold with the lock, but I oiled it up, works fine." I say great, but what about the windshield washer thingy. He tells me "Ah, that part only cost me two bucks. Don't worry about it." Total cost: $0
I'm pretty sure he won't read this, but I just wanted to share that in this day and age when everyone seems to have a horror story about service people and getting ripped off and having to go to national chains where you get cold impersonal service, it's nice to know there are still people out there doing the right thing.
