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In praise of local mechanics.

I don't think I mentioned it here, but last weekend, The Beater's transaxle began having problems with the torque converter OD lockup; when cruising up to a stop with a warmed-up drivetrain, the lockup would not disengage - a common problem with older 4-banger Chevys. The fix is to replace the lockup solenoid, a job that requires about 3 hours to do properly.

Knowing this, I paid a local transmission shop a visit. 'Hals' is a small, local outfit that has a reputation for honesty and professional work. Knowing what the problem was already gave me an opportunity to see just how honest they were.

They had 3 options:

  1. Peddle some BS about the car needing a complete, new transaxle at a cost of over 00.

  1. Simply pull the solenoid electrical connector pigtail to disable the unit, and send me on my way none the wiser, after charging me 'just a couple hundred dollars'. (Very typical from what I've heard; this can be done without problems on Chevy 3-sp. autos, but this will have disastrous results on the

4-sp. automatic. Most customers have no idea what was actually done until much later when they spot a 'loose connector' under the hood and plug it back in, thinking it came loose all by itself.)

  1. Drain and split the case, install a new solenoid, then reassemble using new gaskets, filters and fluids. Road test, collect money and thank the customer for the business.

Well, I'm happy to report that they chose option #3. I was so happy that I not only paid the $340 bill in cash, but bought the entire 3-guy shop crew lunch. They could not believe the generosity, but for me, it was well worth the effort.

I constantly bitch about the loathsome quality of modern-day mechanics who don't care about anything other than the almighty dollar. I've known about Hal's for about 15 years, and really haven't needed their services until this week.

Most transmission shops practice outright thievery, but this outfit is different. I believe that small, independent shops who depend on word-of-mouth advertising for their continued existence are worth seeking out, when the time comes for professional service. And I am here now to thank all of those mechanics who treat customers like human beings. I will be back, and I don't mind spreading some of that free word-of-mouth advertising.

-JD

Reply to
JD Adams
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** I agree whole-heartedly, JD. A good mechanic is like gold, these days. ** Except twice as hard to find.

We have a shop nearby who only specializes in alignments - nothing else. It takes 3+ weeks just to get an appointment, and they are worth the wait.

Lesser shops complain that business is bad because so many home mechanics do it themself. They don't seem to realize that we MUST do most of it ourself these days, because we're tired of being lied to about the diagnosis, then overcharged on the parts and labor. I'd much rather let a professional do the work, and when I find one who does the job right without ripping me off, treating me like an idiot or damaging my car in the process, I'll gladly give them the business.

Good customer service doesn't mean kissing the customer's ass. It involves honesty regarding the diagnosis of the problem, charging a reasonable fee while earning a reasonable profit from the job, and treating the customer with respect. Too many shops have lost sight of the fundamentals.

-JD

________________________________________________________ | | | 1998 Laser Red GT RAMFM Member Since 1997 | | M-5400-A Suspension http:/207.13.104.8/users/jdadams || Subframe Connectors & Seat Bracing, Strut Tower Brace || 4-point K-frame Brace, Tremec T-45 & OEM 3.27:1 Gears ||________________________________________________________|

Reply to
JD Adams

I agree whole-heartedly, JD. A good mechanic is like gold, these days. Except twice as hard to find.

I recently had a local dealership tell me I needed new upper & lower ball joints and new rack & pinion for my '95 Explorer. Would run me over $1600 to repair. I told them that I frankly didn't think the entire vehicle was worth $1600, much less those few parts. But since it's my daily driver, I had to get it fixed. So, at the advice of a friend, I went to a small shop in the next town over, that specialized in CV joints and the like. They checked it all out, verified the ball joint issue, but couldn't see a problem with the rack & pinion. Told me they could fix it that afternoon, if I wanted to wait. Total bill was right around $600, parts and labor included. They didn't jack me on the parts (I'd been checking prices previously), and they charged me three hours labor. I asked them what a rack and pinion would have run me, and they said about $300 installed. I still need an alignment, but I'm still way under the dealership quote. While I was there, I saw them do CV joint replacements on 3 cars, and each under an hour. There's something to be said for specialization, I think.

I will probably continue to use the dealership for my warranty work on my Bullitt, but not much else. They didn't lie to me, like others have done in the past, but with their labor rates and parts costs, they're not really very competitive. And as for the other shop, I'll be back to see them whenever I have a need, and I'll be handing out their cards to anyone who asks.

Reply to
RayS

That's exactly it, I learned that I had to do repairs myself when I got ripped off by a bicycle shop as a kid. You think cars repairs are a rip.... Then that was followed up by getting ripped off by electronics repair. This all happened when I was still a kid. I've done practically everything myself since. The last time I took my car to a shop for something I might have been able to do was the pinon seal on the mustang. I called around for quotes and the ford dealership gave me one that made it not worth doing it myself and kludging the special tools. One of the other shops I called, the guy started insulting me, 'how do you know that's what's wrong' etc etc. Cause I crawled under there dumbass... :)

I tell people they are being ripped off and they should just do it themselves. Guy I work with, dealership was telling him he had to have a new catalyst because that's where the O2 sensor was... friggin car is a '95. It has one O2 sensor in the manifold like most if not all pre-obd2 cars. I dunno what he did. Car didn't need a cataylst. He's throwing away so much money on that car getting ripped off, doesn't want to learn how to fix things himself.

Reply to
Brent P

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