The one thing about car culture that saddens me most is the realization that, to many people, cars represent not freedom or joy or fascination, but pain. I’ve met far too many people for whom cars are a genuine burden; something breaks, they take it in to a shop, and some greasy person across the counter hands them an exorbitant bill that they have no choice but to pay. It’s a feeling of helplessness, and it has ruined cars for many, many people. It’s for this reason that good, trustworthy mechanics are so important to me, for in some ways, they hold the keys to car culture. They can make it or break it.
I remember seeing this when I was growing up; my family was on a road trip from our house in Leavenworth, KS to a campsite in Colorado Springs, and somewhere around Hays, Kansas — basically the middle of nowhere — the thing left us stranded. All eight of us stood there on the side of I-70 waiting for AAA, who towed us into town.
There, a mechanic charged my dad $1000 for the fuel pump job; given that that was about 2006, that’s equivalent to $1600 in today’s money! And that had to come out of the pocket of a Lieutenant Colonel who was the only breadwinner in a family of eight. My dad did a good job of making it seem like it wasn’t a huge deal, as the camping trip was absolutely epic, but that’s a lot of scratch!
But my dad couldn’t turn a wrench to save his life. An incredibly resourceful and smart army officer? Sure. But a mechanic he was not. In fact, I’d venture so far as to say my mom — who was usually the one taking our cars to the shop — was maybe the better mechanic of the two. But neither of them were in a position to push back on that $1000 bill. And that sucks.
So many people experience that feeling of helplessness and dread when their car breaks down; it’s something I’ve never felt before because I have the most trustworthy mechanic of them all: myself. But some folks avoid that terrible feeling without having to do the dirty work, because they have “a guy” (so to speak). They’ve got a trustworthy shop that will walk them through what broke and what needs to be done to fix it.
Do you have a trustworthy mechanic? How did you find them, and what is it that they do to make you feel that they’re trustworthy?
Top graphic image: depositphotos.com
I tell them up front I’m aware of problems ‘X,Y, Z’ and no need to try to sell me on the repairs because I’m comfortable doing my own wrenching until a lift is required.
The body language in response tells me everything I need to know after that. If I ever own another German vehicle, I know exactly what mechanic I’ll bring it to.
Got my first car in 1966 when I passed my drivers license test. Since then I’ve driven a LOT of crappy oddball cars and probably got the crappy oddball quality service that I deserved 🙂
Today, the Chevrolet Volt goes only to the dealer where it was purchased and the dealer service department has been first rate. Never an issue, though the car does have only 74k miles with only one minor recall repair and one repair not covered. The Colorado Extended cab has been through a series of repair shops since the first guy (who had been great for many years on many vehicles) was killed in a motorcycle accident. Now I go to a shop that was recommended by an old friend and I get great service and advice on how to keep it on the road – 144k miles now.
My Jeep’s first mechanic was the guy my parents had trusted with all of their vehicles. I’m not sure how they found him, other than his shop being close to the house; plus, in such a small area, his reputation was very well known. He did great work at a reasonable price, and was also willing to admit when something was beyond the capabilities of his shop (Quadratrac, for example). Since I’ve moved out of that area, I’ve bounced from one dealership to another; my current dealership seems to have quite a few good, trustworthy mechanics (although one of their best retired earlier this year). Even with an older Jeep, they’ll provide me with a diagnosis along with the severity of the problem, often erring on the side of “let’s see if it throws that code again” versus just replacing everything that could be at fault. They’re also very open about where they’re buying parts, and if they make a not quite exact substitution (the thermostat, for instance) they’ll tell me about it and document it on the invoice. The customer-facing side seems to have a high turnover, and I do occasionally have to convince a new batch of service advisors that it’s worth their time to perform diagnostics because I’ll pay their shop for repairs. I could probably find somewhere cheaper, but I trust this place with my vehicles.
Those that sponsor car club events and HPDE’s and have done so for an extended period of time tend to be of high quality and honesty. Given that they’re putting themselves out there among enthusiasts, they also have a lot to lose if they create a negative experience. Along those lines, I’d take word-of-mouth and car club / enthusiast community recommendations and engagement over anything else. There are also underground techs that work ONLY on word-of-mouth. If you can find one of them, you’d be in good shape, too.
“Of course I know him. He’s me.”
I haven’t heard that name in a long, long, time.
When I first started looking for a repair shop here, I noticed that one place kept coming up as the winner of the local weekly paper’s annual “Best Of” lists. So I took one of my cars there … and what do you know, they were right. Faster (and cheaper!) oil changes than the Jiffy Lube by my house, thorough and reasonably-priced work (which they stand behind) and a lack of upsell pressure. Been going there for 20+ years now, and it’s the one I send all my friends to as well.
When I was young I always went to a family friend, because that’s what we did. For better or worse.
When I moved away for work, I asked around for who my co-workers go to for inspections and tire jobs. A few different people recommended the one shop, and I formed a rapport with them after a year or two of taking vehicles to them.
By then I also had everything I needed to do most of my own work myself, but I try to throw them a bone now and then and give them work when it would be most convenient for me (and labor $$ isn’t too much for the job.) I will probably give them both of my AT vehicles this summer/fall for trans fluid change. Doing AT fluid sucks, often requires ECU communication to really do it right.
I had a Jeep that had a rusted out spring perch. Somehow I found the part online and bought it. I needed someone to cut out the old and weld in the new. ( I can’t weld to save my life ) I drove by this small shop that worked mostly on jeeps and heavy duty trucks. I stopped in, guy was cool as hell, got me in that day and finished it that day and only charged me about 150$ for labor. Been going to him for everything ever since. Charges a very respectable fee for all my repairs.
I tried to do most of the maintenance on my own car, despite having no idea what I was doing (and relying on youtube / forums / etc). Over time I’ve become more confident tackling more jobs on my own.
But I don’t have the equipment to mount and balance tires, and I have no interest in buying it. When my car needed tires I got quotes from a few different shops. Because I’m a cheapskate, I also found a good price on tires online and called around to find a shop willing to mount and balance them for me.
Exactly one shop did not include a TPMS kit in their quote. I asked them about it, and they said “Yeah, that kit is just a set of rubber gaskets. You have steel wheels. We’re in the midwest where everything rusts. The odds are decent that we’d do more harm than good by touching the TPMS sensors – it’s too easy to break a sensor while trying to get it loose. If they’re not leaking, don’t touch them.” I figured the one shop that was discouraging me from handing them more money was probably honest.
I’ve gone back to them since – both for tires and for a couple of repairs. Every time they are unfailingly honest, straightforward, and genuinely want to do what’s best for my car (even when that’s not what is best for their bottom line). The only downside is that their shop is always buried in work and it can take a couple weeks to get an appointment.
Oh, and part of the reason I called that shop in the first place? Their back lot had a rotating collection of interesting cars that were obviously the mechanics’ personal projects. Everything from a Porsche 914 to a clapped-out 1st-gen Tundra that was obviously being used as an engine donor for a different project.
My mechanic is a shiftless, border line incompetent, moron, and the worst part is I do all my own work.
Sounds like we go to the same shop. Their coffee is terrible too.
Mine as well. He has to look up everything he is doing on YouTube first, to even know where to begin on some repairs. He has no certifications, no professional experience, and he swears like a drunk sailor when things don’t go correctly, but hey, he’s cheap!
Well of course I know him. He’s me. For things I can’t do, namely dyno tuning and machine shop work, I found people via word of mouth within the community. It helps that I worked in the industry as well.
I became one.
A trustworthy mechanic/technician is going to show you a failed part with it still attached to your vehicle (or point out where it was removed from), be transparent and accurate with their name-brand parts and labor times and overall estimate, and warranty their work for at least a year.
Bonus if the shop pays the techs hourly rather than flag hours, so then they’re not rushing or stressing about making time.
If they have to pull up Identifix and/or YouTube on every car they’re diagnosing before doing an initial diagnostic on their own, be very wary.
In college, I had a Ford Focus (first or second year of production, before the figured out how to make them). That thing broke down so frequently, and so hard… I had to replace the fuel pump 3X before the recall was issued. I paid $5K-ish for it to take it home, then did that again and more in repairs over the next 2-3 years. It was an absolutely awful car. I vowed, upon graduation and getting a job that paid enough to buy cars, I would get a car that would either never break down (doesn’t exist) or could be fixed with paperclips and bubblegum. Enter air cooled VWs, and I became the reliable wrench. I’ve evolved and grown since VWs, touring nearly every manufacturer out there, and now I own a Mazda rotary, a built Jeep, and a high end German luxury muscle car without fear of repair bills. That last one came to me with some leftover Carmax warranty, so I used it to revisit the repair shop world after a nearly 20 year hiatus. It was stupid expensive (I maxed out the warranty), and I don’t think either shop actually managed to fix much to boot…
I used to have one that decided to jerked me around and said they could not give me an estimate, just come here and get the work done. 25 years of business lost due to one employee.
I now use a mechanic within sight of my house. Honest estimates, good work, quick, and has no problem working on a 27 year old car.
“has no problem working on a 27 year old car”
Why wouldn’t they work on a 27 yo car? Rust?
No rust. Some shops just don’t like working on a car where you have to think or diagnose it. Not has diag computer tell you what is wrong it it and how to fix it.
Too bad. That’s peak car to a lot of wrenching folks.
I honestly hate wrenching. I don’t have the patience to do it right. I used to keep a truck on the road myself. At some point I factored in the cost of my time and realized, let someone else do it. Plus I don’t have alll the tools to make it happen.
In my experience unless you’re a fortune 500 CEO that math is sketchy. Things like an oil change take even a novice with basic tools maybe a half hour with setup and cleanup which is less time than driving to Jiffylube and back. No time saved and you end up paying an extra $50-150 with no idea what they did under there.
There’s also the chance of the shop charging you for new parts and excess labor to rep!ave those parts when your old ones were just fine. Did your leaky, squealy PS pump really need to be replaced for $600 or did it just need a $2 seal, 15 minutes of labor and a bottle of fluid?
Of course you could be correct too. The math is heavily influenced by things like rust, previous botched DIY jobs, experience, workspace availability, tools,complexity, etc. There are many cases when a shop is indeed the best option even for an experienced, well equipped DIYer. But I think a lot of folks grossly overestimate the dollar value of their free time as a flex.
I can’t get under my car without a lift or pit. I don’t trust ramps. Plus clean up includes disposal of the oil. Buying the right parts for non oil changes, the tools, etc.
In the end is it a choice. I choose to let a good shop do it.
As for I look at what my job would pay, time with family, and other things I need to do. There are only so many hours in a day.
You do you.
I told this story in my Reader’s Rides feature, but I still love it. When I moved to Virginia Beach with my 1968 Olds, I saw an article in the paper about a local mechanic who specializes in classic Oldsmobiles. That’s how I met Ray Hauser of Hauser automotive, an aging drag racer who started his career working at an Oldsmobile dealership before going out on his own.
His drag racing car was also a ’68 Olds, and owning a classic Olds was an automatic friendship. He had encyclopedic knowledge of everything Oldsmobile and tons of parts. I was a customer until his retirement, and he just passed away last year. Now I take my Olds to his best friend’s shop. It’s a long drive, but worth it.
There used to be an old shop down the street that had lots of old iron in and out of it, I stopped in and bought some tires from the old guy and got to talking to him. I know enough to do most anything on my cars myself, but there are those times when convenience outweighs dollars saved. I felt that shop out on a few things that I knew the hours on and gave him a shot on an old scout after he seemed fair and honest on the stuff that was a known thing. He did not do any work without a number up front and called halfway through if or when things changed from a while we are in there standpoint. I wish they were still around sometimes. they had enough younger techs in the basic maintenance bays to be able to work on newer stuff if need be.
I think the really hard part is understanding the differences between back then and now and once you do some things yourself, you really struggle with understanding how a shop justifies 500 to swap out pads and rotors on a sealed bearing disc brake set up in the rear. literally no more than 100 in parts and your own labor, it takes less than an hour start to finish, but the books with magically fictitious numbers are the excuse from every service writer.
Nowadays it’s easy, with online ratings, and subreddits. I have also used my local Better Business Bureau website. But even then it all comes down to word of mouth — what others tell me about the place.
For example, one of the better BMW shops in town used to be….a Canadian Tire store. One of the techs there was active in the local BMW scene, and would simply NOT screw people over. He later left to start his own shop, and took a lot of his customers with him.
That said, the shop we currently use is withing walking distance of the house, and had been in the neighbourhood since we moved there. They seem to actually give a damn about doing things right, and being honest — like their reputation in the community matters.
For anything huge (Sienna head gasket replacement, for example) we would likely go to a shop much further away, but co-owned by a friend. Matt’s thoroughly decent, and very principled. The shop’s online reviews bear that out.
Still searching. I had one 25-30 years ago but he retired.
I found it’s not so much about finding a trustworthy mechanic as it is weeding through all the shitty/dishonest ones.
I take my CRV to Honda as much (after I’ve done all I can do) as possible because:
Oof, you just reminded me of when I worked at a Canadian Tire. I was mostly in lawn/garden but also would fill in at the Parts counter since I knew my way around a car/shop and could be relied on to give customers what they asked for (and provide at least a little bit of useful diagnostic advice). We were lucky that the service advisors at our shop were honest and helpful, and that we had at least one or two good techs in the shop that could actually diagnose an issue instead of just mindlessly throwing expensive parts at a problem. The horror stories I’ve seen and heard from other Canadian Tire locations make my skin crawl, though.
Ya my last straw with them was a broken spring was rattling (broken piece stuck in the bottom rattling over bumps) and they tried to blame the noise on my recent brake job (that I completed/did myself) saying parts were loose (they weren’t). Clowns.
the one time i couldnt service my car myself (nonresponsive accelerator pedal, middle of summer, side work out the door, no time for diag), i called the two big BMW independents in my area. I like to think i have a good working relationship with both shops, given that they both send me work when it suits us (diesel bmw services).
One shop was booked out for three weeks, one shop said ‘we’ll move some things around, bring it by’ and took it that day and gave me a loaner. two months they had my car while they did diag and trial and error, weekly calls to discuss what they inspected, what they found, what they tried, why they tried it, why it didnt work, what they were planning on trying next
finally after 7 or 8 weeks, they called me, said it was fixed, what the problem ended up being, and how they fixed it. pictures, descriptions, conversation, straight forward, no nonsense
My local SCCA group was where I found the mechanic I go to when the cars need something I can’t do. He charges a super fair labor rate for our area, does great work. He also is a master at car set up, my NA Miata drives way better after I let him do the alignment/corner balance. Unless it requires dealer specific tools, like the forward sensing camera calibration our old CX9 needed, it goes to him
In recent years? My town’s subreddit. That’s how I found the best, nicest, and cheapest Japanese specialty mechanic in town. We accidentally became an Infiniti family – 2008 QX56 for my wife, 2012 G37X for me – and this guy came up repeatedly in several threads. Turns out he can work so cheap because his wife parlayed her nursing career into a six-figure administrative job, so she’s the breadwinner. He only charges what her needs to in order to pay the rent and keep the lights on at his shop – for him, at this point, it’s a hobby that pays for himself.
That’s also why he’s totally cool with giving you a price for labor alone if you bring your own parts, and he will even throw in random little bonuses from time to time. Last time I had my G in his shop, before he turned me loose, he even broke out the 3M headlight polish and cleared up my cloudy headlight covers for me, just because they bugged him. Hell of a guy.
Once again I find my life myself strangely mirroring David’s. My dad’s- who was an amazing diplomat and but not very mechanically inclined. His way of “fixing the lawnmower” was to smash it with a shovel and buy a new one. My mom’s father was a mechanic during and after WWII and a blacksmith prior to that, so I learned a lot of simple but impactful things from him, and my mom always found top notch shops to get our cars repaired when needed- which was rare because they always bought dependable cars.
While my cars are mostly dependable, I do love to modify them, and there are some jobs I can’t do myself. In the suburb where I live in Beijing, there are a surprising number of garages that build and modify race cars, so I usually go to one them, even for things like oil change. As I want to have good relationships with all of the different shops, I try to rotate my visits.
One of the shops is owned by a race car driver, his son was in my kindergarten class years ago and we’ve been friends since. Next door to his shop is a more personal. I met the owners at a track day and hang out with the guys who work there occasionally at car shows and meet ups as well. That shop is clean and sterile where it needs to be, well sorted and organized and filled with everything from GTRs, M3 and even a Shelby Cobra was there last year. Best thing is that they also don’t mind if I use their lifts on slow days or wrench along with them when working on my car.
In the US it’s a little different. My aging E85 has had a lot of the typical BMW issues and for the ones that I can’t fix myself, I just went to the shop that was closest to my house so I could walk there and back. That shop is small, dark, and disorganized, but in the parking lot are all kids of cars, collector, obscure, daily driver… they are not afraid of a challenge, do fair work and stand by their job. The other place I go to in the when I am back home is a shop that has been working on imports for more than 30 years. The main mechanic loves to share the work he does on his own cars- engineering swapping an ex-police car was the last one I heard from him.
I feel that through getting to know the people who will work on your car is the best way. If I get a strange feeling or something is off, I won’t go back. Also, I know my car inside and out, and will notice if something is a miss or not done right. Thank my mom and grandpa for that.
As for my BMW, my fix for the error trifecta was to take the dashboard out and dismantle the lights for the ABS. No warning lights, no problem!
I found my first when in college. I slowed down for a toll booth in Houston and my 1993 Grand Am stalled out. Bad torque converter. I don’t know how I found the place but the dude was great and given my background I could do the parts plus labor math GM prescribed for the repair and he hit it exactly. I had no ability to do it myself back then, but knew what it took. It gave me confidence he was honest.
Second one was after I went over my handle bars on a bike ride. Fractured my neck/back in multiple places. I could barely move. Then my 97 XJ starter went out. I ordered the part and called them to ask the cost of turning two bolts and doing it for me. They asked how I knew it was the starter and I had to tell them because when I asked my wife to crawl under it and hit it with a hammer it worked again. But she’s an attorney and had her limitations on patience, I could hear them laugh over the phone.
Being a Lotus owner, there are not a lot of Lotus qualified mechanics so the community often zeroes in on who knows how to work on the cars and who doesn’t.
On a related note, I run very long “supply lines” for my cars simply because I tend to stick with shops that I trust even if they are far away. My Lotus shop is technically in the Bay Area even though I live in LA. And the mechanic I use for more serious jobs around SoCal is 40 miles away because he once messed up and admitted fault instead of trying to deflect. I appreciated that and I think because I stuck with him, I now get preferential treatment from him. Trust goes both ways.