1.17.2012

Sure, I'll take a business card

In that past, I've written about going to the car mechanic. Whether it's needing a repair or getting regular maintenance, it's always an adventure in some way, shape, or form. So you can imagine my excitement this morning as I headed out to get a tire fixed. You see, three months ago I was getting a regular oil change when a mechanic found a leak in our tire and then proceeded to patch it up. He said the patch would last "through the life of the tire." Well, the tire has at least 10,000 more miles on it and is now leaking. Much to Jess' dismay, I have resorted to using a bike pump to fill it up (I very much dislike paying for air. 75 cents for 10 or 15 PSIs? What's up with that, right? Okay, it's semi-pathetic, I know.).

Anyhow, we are soon to take a road trip, and even though I know the bike pump would get us to our destination, pumping up the tire would probably take up about 1/2 of our trip, so I bit the bullet and took it in. Before I went back to our old put-a-patch-on-the-tire-that-lasts-only-three-months mechanic, I did a little research on the internet and found a place that was rated 5 out of 5 stars. I was excited that such a place existed since the mechanics closest to our home were rated 1.5 stars and our old mechanic (who was a dealership mechanic) rated 4 stars.

Once we arrived at the 5 out of 5 stars mechanic, we went right in (at 9:37am), our car was looked at, the problem found and fixed (10:17am). Come to find out, the old mechanic did not patch up the tire, he just plugged up the tire from the outside without putting a patch on the reverse side. And he charged more than what the good mechanic charged for putting on a real patch. I was so happy with the service that took less than an hour, the fair pricing, and the respect I received from the mechanics, I took a business card! Since when have you taken a business card from a mechanic? I can't imagine what a 1.5 star mechanic would have done, fill the crack in with bubble gum?

I called Jess to tell him the good news. "I'm surprised," he responded, "I thought you were calling to ask if we should buy 2 new tires or 4 new tires." From the sound of his response, you can tell we've dealt with nerdy mechanics before. But this time, I think, I just think, we've found a good one.

4 comments:

Chap said...

Woohoo!! I'm so happy for you. I love to find good mechanics. Their price is almost above rubies!

Chap said...

Woohoo!! I'm so happy for you. I love to find good mechanics. Their price is almost above rubies!

Natalie said...

That's exciting! Which place is it? We always had great luck at Allbrand Auto in Kensington.

jo said...

You have struck gold! What you've found is oh-so-rare. I'm glad your tire is now properly patched. Having been present during one "bike pump" fix (and I admire your frugality, truly) I'm glad that ritual is no more. :)