April 04, 2006 | Mechanical
I noticed it while I was sitting in traffic, at a stop light. The overwhelming smell of exhaust. Man! People really should take better care of their cars!
Oh wait.
It's happening at every stop light.
It's MY car.
My biggest fear was that I'd bring her in and they'd call me and say, "We can't find anything wrong with her!" So when I called to check on Miss V the Beetle yesterday afternoon, I was thrilled when the mechanic had an explanation. Something involving a secondary air pump coming loose and in the process ripping a hose. I was a little less thrilled that she wouldn't be ready until today (they had to order a part), but the fact that I would get her back without the icky exhaust problem made up for the extra day.
This is the third or fourth time I've taken her to this repair shop, and I'm really happy with their service. They explain what was fixed and tell me how much the parts and labor were. They're knowledgable, friendly, fast (in most cases), and the price is always right. I'm never taking her to the dealrship for repairs again. Yay for nice local mechanics!
On a totally unrelated note, this is my 400th post using Movable Type. Woo! Maybe someday I'll figure out how many there were before I implemented MT.
Very nice site, my first visit and I will surely come back again. To comment on the comment from K. In my experience I have used a smaller hometown dealer that has taken very good care of my vehicles. I have also found that dealer work is usually very good workmanship. However, this opinion is coming from someone who has lived in a college town for a while and there are plenty of slimey mechanics who will try to squeeze as much money out of you as they can. Once you find a mechanic you trust and like, always stay with them!
(this little photograph here is stunning. congratulations.)
I don't know what I'm going to do when we move. If I can't find anyone local, I may go back over to this guy, even if it is a bit of a drive!
One cannot beat a good local mechanic. Dealers are almost always overpriced and marginal in their workmanship. I'm still looking for a good one myself. Until then, here's hoping I don't need any work done.