I’ve never given my mechanic any real challenges, most of what he’s done was batteries, inspections and routine maintenance.
But once I had a family emergency- my mothers house burned down- and I had to take a 600 mile drive. So, of course, when I went to take the car out late afternoon the day before I was leaving, I had a dead battery. And a cracked windshield. And my inspection was overdue. Since I had a dead battery, I knew the car would need to be driven for a while before it could be inspected.
So I jump started the car and got it to Tony. Told him what I was going on, cars a mess , need to get to Mom, can you get it done tomorrow. I was resigned to leaving a day later. This was at around 4. His shop was very busy as it always is.
Tony dropped everything and took his pickup to get a windshield. Installed it Then drove my car 50 miles and cleared the inspection. Changed the battery. Stayed very late to do this. Called me first thing in the AM to tell me my car was ready so I could get to Mom.
I haven’t really had the chance to find out if he’s a good mechanic but he’s a good person.
That is great, Ann, and I had a guy like that too. I hope I find one for my new-ish car (it now has 60,000 miles).
I usually did not give my mechanic challenges. But if I was in a bind like Ann, I knew I could call him at any hour and he’d do what was needed to get me back on the road. After years of being his customer he gave me his personal cell number.
Once, when my car was brand new, I took it on some spirited 4x4 adventuring. It was only a 2001 Honda CR-V, a mini-SUV and not really meant for off-roading. It had no skid plates and with what I did, it could have used them. I’d punched a small hole in the rear differential case. Not good. The car was very new back then, under 25,000 miles. My mechanic said I could replace the part with a new Honda replacement part, or get one from a local Pick-N-Pull salvage yard, or he could weld a patch onto it — in turn the solution pricier, middle cost, and least expensive.
Over my car’s over 225,000 miles mechanic has often presented these choices, and his recommendations.
In this particular situation I took the least expensive option. It was also the one that made him the least amount of money. But he said it should hold for a long time. And, it held just fine for over 200,000 miles.
Trust — more valuable than gold.
Lou’s Automotive, in Mountain View CA. Trustworthy, dependable, competent. I have no affiliation with Lou Romanello other than being a happy customer for 10+ years.