Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mechanic

Mechanic inspects brakes. Inspection breaks the brakes. Who pays?

compartment — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:54:28 -0800

My girlfriend brought her car in to fix an overheating problem. While there, the mechanic did a safety inspection. In doing so, the brakes, which may have had trouble coming, broke. Should she pay to repair? Photo inside. Here's what I know happened. The car is an older Kia Sportage, somewhere between '00 and '02 I think.

Car is brought in last Friday to fix a problem with recurrent overheating.

Thermostat is replaced, car goes home the next day.

Car overheats again. It goes back to the shop.

The problem was the thermostat housing. It is a plastic part that had previously cracked/fractured, and someone (not the shop, they say) tried to JB-weld it back together.

Mechanic orders a new thermostat housing; it will be in on Friday.

In the meantime they do a safety inspection.

The drum is removed from one of the drum brakes, and the brake lining falls on the ground.

Now they are quoting $319 ($219 labor, $100 parts) to fix the brakes.

What I think happened:

While taking things apart for inspection, the tech hit the drum with a hammer, breaking a weak adhesive bond between the brake pad/lining and the surface it was attached to. This is the photo they sent me after disassembly. Here's a schematic of the thing that broke. The lining came off the shoe.

The mechanic says the car needs to be towed out if it's not fixed. My girlfriend doesn't know what to do, and I'm acting as the go-between. After some back-and-forth, the mechanic says he would come back with some lower numbers tomorrow.

The car was braking fine before she brought it in. But if a hammer whack was enough to pop loose the brake bad, it may not have been securely affixed to begin with. What's fair?

Mechanics: how do they work?

phunniemee — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 06:55:01 -0800

[Chicago Filter] My car needs new brakes, like, a year ago. (Seriously.) I need to find a good (reasonably priced, will get the job done) mechanic in Chicago because the Toyota dealership wants payment in first born children. I come from one of those fix-it-yourself-or-take-it-to-the-dealership families, and have literally never been to a mechanic before. You can't walk a block in this city without running into a shop, so I feel kind of silly asking this, but I honestly have no idea what I'm doing.

Anyway, Toyota wants $1000 to replace the brakes and another like $650 or something to flush the brake lines, and as my car is a 1997, I feel it no longer requires the TLC a dealership would offer. Any old place will do, as long as they'll do it right and for less money.

Recommendations? Vehicle is a Rav4 if that matters. I live on the lower west side, but will go anywhere you people tell me to.

Thanks!

Fast track me to townie status: Massachusetts North Shore Edition

amelioration — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:15:34 -0800

I am moving to Newburyport, MA in two weeks. Please help me land smoothly with recommendations for hairstylists, dog care, preferred ISPs, and anything else that pops to mind. After a long and arduous job hunt, I landed something great in the North Shore area outside of Boston. I've secured an adorable apartment in Newburyport, have movers booked, and am starting to think about all of the smaller details of living there. I've lived in the same town for the last 10 years, and one thing I've really loved is knowing who to go to for anything I needed. Please help me land on my feet by contributing your recommendations for:

- Hairstylists - I have very thick, cowlick-laden white girl hair; I like a hairstylist who really listens and has mad execution skills, because sometimes I like really precise, crazy cuts. I do not care one whit about their skill with color, because I don't ever color my hair.

- Dog care - vets, day care, grooming, and boarding places. My current spot is great, as it has almost all of those services in the same place. I've used a local non-profit for 95% of Poodle's vet care, as it's incredibly cheap for annual vaccinations - if something like that exists in the area, I'd love to know about it.

- ISPs - who's the favorite/best deal in the area? I've been with Comcast for years (due to lack of alternatives) and hate them with the fire of a million suns.

- Auto mechanics - I've got a Toyota. It's in good shape, but this is one of those things I like to be prepared for ahead of time.

- Specialty grocery stores - I like to cook and bake and can, where do I go for the best cheese, bread, and your less common spices? Where's the best farmers' market? International grocery store?

- Bars and restaurants - I went to Salt when I was interviewing, and it was exactly the kind of place I like. What other great cocktail bars are around? What's the best comfy dive bar to sit in and play Scrabble? Best place to get a burger?

- Anything else you think is worth recommending! Some stuff I'll be happy to go into Boston for (especially the hairstylist), other stuff I'm hoping to find within walking distance of home or work.

Recommend me a mechanic in Vancouver East?

concreteforest — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:36:53 -0800

I'm looking for a good mechanic around Mount Pleasant or East Vancouver. I have a 1999 toyota corolla and honestly, it's getting to the point where I know something important is going to go. I took a look and someone did ask this question but back in 2008. I was hoping for a more recent recommendation than that.

Estimate my car repair cost (TPMS sensor-related)

JannaK — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:10:34 -0800

I broke a part of my car's tire valve (the TPMS sensor, maybe?), dropped my car off at the tire shop and realized I have no idea how much this will set me back. Does anyone have an idea what these repairs might run me? (Apologies in advance for my complete lack of correct car part terminology!)

My tire pressure light came on last week (likely due to cooler temps), and I finally went out tonight to top off my tires with the free air from my gas station. The first three filled fine, and the fourth did as well, but when I pulled the air pump thing off the fourth tire and went to screw the cap back on, something happened, the cap flew off the car, and the tire immediately started spewing air and going flat. The cap had a small piece of metal stuck in it (which I believe might be my TPMS sensor, thank you Google) and I wasn't able to screw that back on the valve.

I was able to fill the tire a bit more and stole a valve cap from another tire, which stayed on the valve but wasn't a super tight fit. But this at least allowed me to get my car to the tire shop without going flat.

As it's the evening, they need to keep my car overnight, and I left without asking how much a repair like this might run me. Finances are a little tight right now, as it's the holidays, so I'm just trying to get an idea if this is a quick fix or if I'm going to be shelling out a good chunk of change tomorrow. Any amateur (or pro!) mechanics want to give me their best guess?

It's a 2010 Mazda 3, and I'm in Baltimore with my car at a Firestone shop, if that helps.

Is $600 for this car repair within the range of plausibility?

lollusc — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:02:53 -0800

My mechanic says the leak from my car looks like it is because a wash plug between the gear box and engine block needs replacing. He says it's not a simple job because he'll have to remove the gearbox. He is quoting me "at least" $600. (Bearing in mind that in this city mechanic labour alone is around $80-100 an hour) does that sound reasonable? My car continued its usual pattern of being fine for two or three years and then breaking down (leaking water, overheating) the minute my mother comes to visit from overseas. (Seriously, every visit she makes has involved us waiting on the side of the road for roadside assist, and the car never breaks down in between visits.)

The rest of the extended family is arriving on Saturday. Most have never visited Australia before, and I need a car for taking them sightseeing. All the mechanics I called (10+) were booked out until new year, except this guy, who I've never used before, and who gets very mixed reviews online. Some love, some hate. Hiring a car for the whole visit is going to cost around $500, so unless his prices are $500 more than other mechanics, it's worth using him, I guess. But I still want an idea, for future reference, of whether he is ripping me off. He seems nice, and unlike my usual mechanic he is within walking distance of my house, so if it's not a rip-off, I might use him again in future. But to be honest, I was pretty shocked at the $600+ quote.

Finding a mechanic for an old car in a new city (Toronto)

cacofonie — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:43:27 -0800

How can I find a trustworthy mechanic in a new city (Toronto) without breaking the bank? I have a 2005 Pontiac wave and just moved to Toronto.

I brought my car in to Canadian Tire put in the winter tires and the guy calls me and tells me my brakes need adjusting (100$), my oil needs changing (45$) and, worst of all, I'm leaking coolant ($$$$).

Where/how can I find a trustworthy mechanic?

Should I find a Dealership that **used** to sell pontiacs?

I'm totally clueless about this kind of stuff, and basically the only thing I know is NOT to go to Canadian Tire!

Help assuage my concerns about my little old car!

schmoo — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:19:58 -0800

Please help me determine what happened to my car recently - was it the battery, the alternator, or something else? A week ago I was driving to work and everything was fine as normal. I had been driving for about five minutes with the heaters, radio, lights etc on.

Suddenly, with no warning (no gradual loss of power, no warning lights) the car lost power totally and utterly. Everything went off, and I couldn't even put the hazard lights on. Attempts to restart the car were unsuccessful, and the radio and lights etc didn't work either.

My husband arranged for it to be towed to a local garage, but not our normal one.

The garage said that the problem was the battery. We had noticed previously that there was quite a bit of corrosion on top of the terminals - what looked like set frothy green stuff - but we'd stupidly neglected to get it checked. My husband thinks that the garage explained that the corrosion was making the battery unable to connect to whatever it connects to (as you can tell, I am incredibly clueless about cars, as is my husband!), and this was what caused the breakdown. They fitted a brand new battery and since having this fitted the car has run fine.

However I am concerned because everyone I have told has said that it sounds much more like the alternator dying than the battery, and people have said that batteries just don't 'die' like that once you've got going - that if it was a battery problem you'd simply be unable to start the car. I am really worried that the garage have not fixed the actual problem, and that if it is a faulty alternator the same thing will happen again. I was lucky it happened when I was only travelling at about 10mph, coming up to some lights - I'm terrified it will happen again when I'm on the motorway or something.

My husband is reluctant to ring up the garage and clarify exactly what the problem was because they did it sort of as a favour because they know his dad. He is also happy to accept their explanation and not anyway near as concerned as I. If I need to we will take it to our local garage to be checked out, but we've already spent £300 on the car recently and I can't afford it unless it's absolutely necessary!

So, if you have any car expertise at all, please could you advise me - does it sound like the battery was the problem and I'm ok and worrying for nothing? Are people correct when they object that batteries never just die like mine did? Do you think it is actually the alternator and the garage fitting a new battery was totally wrong?

The car in question is a 12 year old Ford Fiesta, if it makes any difference.
Thanks in advance!

Saab Mechanic in Seattle?

Blue Jello Elf — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 07:47:37 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good Saab mechanic in Seattle? I have a Saab 9-2X and I was hoping to find a place to take it close to Capitol Hill (or at least a straightforward bus ride away from the hill or downtown). None of my friends own Saabs, so that route hasn't yielded any recommendations.. The car doesn't currently have any major problems, but I'm tired of driving all over town (and taking multiple buses back!) when something does come up.

Help me figure out why my car is making horrible sounds?

Loto — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:05:15 -0800

I am worried about the sounds emanating from my car. Could it be an alignment issue? Before I take my baby (a 2006 Saturn Ion with manual transmission) to the mechanic I was hoping to see if I could get some idea as to the problem. A few weeks ago the car started to make more noise on the road. The noise seems unrelated to shifting or the RPM and it varies based on the direction I'm turning (left gets louder, right gets quieter). Breaking also kills the noise almost completely. There is also vibration which did not used to be present. However, the car still drives straight and doesn't pull one way or the other.

I'll be taking it to a mechanic towards the end of the week but before I do that I was hoping to get some idea of what is going on. I'm not terribly mechanically inclined but I dislike not knowing what is wrong with my primary mode of transportation. Any thoughts?

1994 nissan rough idle and loss of power, whats up? Details inside

couchdive — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:14:31 -0800

Having idle/loss of power problems with a 1994 Nissan Sentra. Whats your diagnosis? Changed Distributor cap/rotor - no change

Changed fuel filter - it was pretty plugged - black sooty looking fuel came out of old filter. Car works for 1 day, woo hoo, and then starts with the same again.

Change out fuel filter again thinking maybe I got a rusty gas tank (Old filter is fine, nice clean fuel inside) - no change

Today, I am going to change the spark-plugs.

Other things:

Exhaust smells slightly rich perhaps, exhaust seems typical

I added injector cleaner crap awhile back (after the problem) and have run engine much since

No engine code

If the spark-plugs don't work. What do you think it might be?

Legit? Or crappy mechanic?

el_yucateco — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:34:18 -0800

Should I be responsible for auto mechanic snapping my wheel studs? So I took my vehicle in for inspection. They called me a few hours later to say "one of the wheel lugs is really tight, the mechanic wants to try to force it off but it may snap the stud. They said the last people who worked on it must have put em back on too tight. They asked if they should proceed, and I didnt really have anything else to say but yes. So of course, they snapped the stud.

I didnt really care too much at this point. They said it needed new rotors and brakepads, so I picked up my car and found some good parts and brought it back yesterday for them to do the work.

They call me this morning, saying once again they're having trouble getting off a lugnut, and ask if they should proceed. I remind them that they had this SAME problem the last time when they broke a stud, and they said the last one was due to overtightening... so why is this one overtightened by your own people? To this, he responds that sometimes they just get tight and stick, and then when you try to break em off sometimes the stud breaks. It was 7:30am, I really had no other choice so said whatever, do it.

So I call them back after lunch today, expecting to be able to pick up my car. Seems the other stud also broke, and they weren't able to find replacements at their normal source and so were getting new ones from the dealer.

I'm startin to get pissed at this garage. This all started because I bought a Groupon for a car inspection... stupid I know. I felt like that first lug may have just been trying to squeeze some labor $$'s out of me. Now this, after I source my own parts and bring it back in for work, and they're breaking more studs and charging me for it. Not only that, I have no idea what the "dealer price" for these parts will be, but probably more than I was initially quoted.

So this is looking to cost me at least an extra $50 on top of the inspection/brake/rotor work. I feel like its due to their incompetence, I've used De-Locker compound, propane torch, hammer, etc. to get a lug unstuck in the past and I've never broken one. I feel like this is a careless mech with an impact wrench trying to pad my bill by actively causing damage. Does the fact that they called and asked my permission to proceed in both cases mean I'm shit outta luck? At least I can still rip em apart on Google and Yelp, but I'd much rather just not pay for the damage and be able to leave happily.

Great thank you gift for mechanic/shop? Around 50 bucks?

Vaike — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:23:31 -0800

Great gift ideas that would delight a mechanics shop. Diesel repair in TN, if that matters. In the $50-75 range. The guys at Crick Enterprises just filled the freon in our AC, greased our 6 u-joints (twice), and honestly told us that we didn't need the work that we thought we did.

Since there wasn't anything really 'wrong', they didn't charge us.

They don't know us from Adam, and had no ulterior reason to be this generous. We were just travelers passing through, so even trying to get return business wasn't a reason.

Needless to say, a gift is in order. We don't know if they drink, so beer/good scotch might not be the best option. Since we are a bit out in the boonies, I'm not sure what we can access, and so an online purchase might be an option.

I don't want to do a gift card, but would love something either useful for the shop or something that just 'makes their day'.

Any ideas in the $50-75 range ?

Hybrid mechanic in NYC?

thejoshu — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:51:24 -0800

Searching for a hybrid mechanic in NYC. I asked this a few years ago, but I never found a satisfying answer, and I'm hoping someone has some new ideas. I'm just tired of going to the dealer and having an awful experience. I'm also tired of going to sketchy mechanics who look at my Prius and say "is that a hybrid?" Are there any alternatives? So many hybrids on the road; I must believe that someone has found the answer!

What do I need to know to improve

Scientist — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:03:50 -0800

If I wanted to make a paying hobby out of restoring and updating old bikes, what are some resources that would help me improve my skills, research the right bikes/components, and find the right places to buy them? In implementing some of the recommendations made in my last question, I came to the realization that I love working on bikes. There's something really satisfying about the process, about working on a machine that is simple enough to be comprehended, complex enough to be interesting, and which rewards a day's work with tangible, pleasing results. I really like everything about it -- doing maintenance and repairs on my bike and my fiance's is one of my favorite "chores".

I've been toying with the idea of turning this into a paying hobby of sorts. The idea would be to buy a couple of old bikes with nice frames but which need some TLC, and restore/update/modify them to make them into awesome all-purpose street bikes for commuting, bar-hopping, and all the other stuff that the fashionable young things of this city like to do with their two-wheeled steeds. Then when I was done I'd turn around and sell the bike to make back my costs plus a bit extra. I'm not looking to make this a full-time thing, just basically a hobby that happens to make a little bit of money in the bargain.

I think this would be a nice way to take my bike-mechanic skills to the next level. I'm not worried about being able to turn out bikes quickly or anything, I'm happy to learn as I go and take my time in order to get things done right. I do know how to do basic maintenance -- I can adjust a transmission and brake system, clean a chain, clean and repack a bottom bracket, true a wheel, etc. I have all my tools and I have a place to work. I know about Sheldon Brown's most excellent website (RIP), and I know that you can find tutorials on YouTube for just about any procedure you'd care to name. (Although if anybody has links to other good resources about how to build and maintain bikes, I would absolutely love to see that here.)

What I don't know is what I'm looking for. I know I like older road bikes, but I feel like I could be better at sorting the wheat from the chaff in the world of used bike purchasing. I'm mostly interested in road/touring/commuter bikes, rather than mountain bike, BMX, or cruiser styles. I know that a lugged frame is a sign of quality construction, that I like steel better than aluminum, and that serious rust is a deal-breaker. I don't really have a great concept of what brands are good/desirable, or what else to look for in selecting a serviceable frame that will form the foundation of a bike that somebody will eventually want to buy from me. I'd love to hear advice on this topic and/or get links to other forums or resources where I could research the subject. Also if anybody knows of some good frame-painting tutorials then I'm all ears (although I'm leaning toward keeping stock paint jobs and just cleaning up the frame or maybe giving it some protective laquer if it's missing significant paint.)

Also, I expect to be buying some components for these bikes. I'd be replacing worn-out saddles, upgrading old brake systems, modernizing and modifying transmissions, swapping out handlebars and tires, putting on racks, that sort of thing. The problem here is that I haven't the foggiest idea how to go about effectively shopping for that sort of stuff. I mean, I know roughly what style of components I'd be looking for, but I don't know anything about brands or models or where to go to get a good price. This is probably the area in which I am most deficient and would welcome any and all wisdom that you can provide on the subject.

Finally, any other relevant advice that you feel might be be of value is welcome. Thanks in advance to all of you for your gracious assistance. I will pop by periodically, as I'm sure there's plenty here that I'm not able to think of yet given my ignorance. I look forward to whatever edification you can provide.

Oh, and please understand that I do intend to first try out this advice on my own stable of bikes before I go and sell somebody some haphazardly cobbled-together monstrosity. I wouldn't sell somebody a bike that I wasn't totally confident about and willing to stand behind. Nobody deserves to ride a crappy bike.

Should my mother's mechanic have caught a failing fuel pump earlier?

aaronbeekay — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:56:32 -0800

Should my mother's mechanic have caught a failing fuel pump when he repaired a closely related relay? My mom has a 2002 Ford Focus wagon with 106xxx miles, which has recently had a few fuel pump issues.

Earlier this week, her car died on the road and refused to start again. After some troubleshooting on the side of the road, we got it towed to my mechanic, who passed it along to his "electrical guy". That guy dropped out the fuel tank and checked the fuel pump- he says it tested good. He then did some troubleshooting on the associated wiring and repaired bad wiring and a relay- the work order says "NO START REPAIRED WIRING, R/R CCDM RELAY".

Fast forward about four days. The car dies again, won't start again, in the same way. We have it towed to the same place, where the diagnosis comes back: fuel pump is dead. The quote for part and labor is just north of $500, which jives with an over-the-phone quote from another local shop.

Should the mechanic have caught the failing fuel pump when he investigated the first issue, since he dropped the fuel tank out and said he tested the pump? The referring mechanic, when asked, said "that sucks, it sounds like you had bad luck but that sort of stuff happens, and you don't want to just go replacing good parts". This sounds fishy to me, but I don't know how quickly this part fails or how common this problem is. (Should the pump have been replaced as a matter of course when he went in the first time?)

I trust the original mechanic - he came to us with great recommendations. And I don't have a reason to distrust the "electrical guy" - he gave my mom a few pages of troubleshooting flowchart from Alldata and explained things well, it sounds like. But I'm suspicious anyway. Any insight?

Avoiding Lemons in Columbus

Metasyntactic — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:13:10 -0800

[OhioMechanicFilter] I'm driving to Columbus (and maybe Akron) tomorrow to try to buy a car, since I can't find my dream car in Pittsburgh. Before I buy used, I want to have a mechanic go over it, since I don't know enough to spot problems on my own. Any recommendations of who I should go to?

How to become a mechanic? With SA?

MrFish — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:11:25 -0800

How does a person become a mechanic, ideally, and is this line of work compatible with social anxiety? I have a friend; a class setting or lots of people around seriously wears her out mentally/emotionally and her difficulties make her feel inadequate. She's intensely nervous of being called on or speaking in front of others. Starts thinking negatively about herself. Things go poorly and she can barely stand to be there, really. This in turn depresses her badly and ruins her motivation in class and her motivation to keep attending.

This same person is quite competent outside such settings. Intelligent, no-BS, reads up, makes an effort to do things right.

So, we kind of bounced career ideas around trying to find a 'path of least resistance' -- a job that didn't require working with many people. Among the ideas: auto mechanic.

Does this make sense? If so, what's a good way to get into this line of work? Apprenticeship? Self-study and an expendable vehicle? Are vocational training classes differently structured than normal classes?

Trusted reviews of Doctor and Mechanics.. Not Angie's List

radsqd — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:16:03 -0800

Do you have a go to place for getting trusted reviews for service related occupations like doctors, dentists and mechanics? Angie's list is paid, free is preferable

A tradesman's life for me?

SampleSize — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:36:21 -0800

I'm starting to think I'd like to learn a trade, but I don't know which. I have no experience and have been a graphics guy (half corporate, half freelance) since graduating college with a BA in psychology (I'm 37 now). I really like the idea of making something, of being able to fix things, of having a skill that is useful in its own right, and of not sitting in front of a computer all day. I'm willing to go to school and/or apprentice, but I'd like to have the possibility of making decent money (>$60k) after doing it for a 2-3 years. I've browsed a bit on the Occupational Outlook Handbook and pulled out a couple that looked interesting:

Medical Equipment Repair: Seems to have very good prospects and the possibility of making good money, but I don't think it's really a skill I could use outside of repairing medical equipment.

Small Engine Repair: Unfortunately, doesn't seem like you can make much money, but I find the idea of being able to fix real, useful stuff very exciting.

I'd love some first-hand suggestions and thoughts. I'm just starting to poke around, so I'm open to anything.

Is it a good idea to use Groupon, Scoopon or other 'deal of the day' websites to organize car maintenance and servicing?

UltraFleece — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:22:58 -0800

Is it a good idea to use Groupon, Scoopon or other 'deal of the day' websites to organize car maintenance and servicing? Although my car runs well, it is twelve years old with 190,000kms and will almost certainly require more maintenance than it used to. Due to financial considerations I've used these coupon sites twice this year for scheduled servicing and maintenance (not actual repairs). Each service was at a different mechanic offering these deals, and each charged me about $40 extra for things like oil, wiper blades, coolant, etc. (These potential extra charges were in the fine print, I've checked against other invoices and they are reasonable prices, and I'm happy to pay this. To be clear, I'm not asking how to change my own oil, etc. Those are just examples.)

So I'd like to know if it's a bad idea to use one time 'deal of the day' websites to buy coupons for heavily discounted (eg. 50%-90% off) regular car servicing. Are they well known scams, do they deliberately cut corners? Do mechanics check the log book and see that I have a history of 'mechanic shopping' and then do a second rate job? Is it ill advised to go to a different mechanic each time, because then the mechanic can't build up a 'relationship' with the car?

From software to a trade in as little time as possible

blockhead — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:11:01 -0800

Career change filter: Is it possible for an experienced professional in a (mostly) unrelated field to fast-track the apprenticeship portion of trades training? I'm very ready for a career change. I've got a BS in Computer Science and 10 years in the software industry. This was a huge mistake and I'm now (finally) prepared to accept a substantial pay cut to do something I like better. I believe I'd prefer a trade.

I loved my brief post-high school job working on diesel engines so I'm thinking about being a heavy equipment mechanic or something similar (suggestions?). I'm wondering if a full 4 year, near-minimum-wage apprenticeship is always necessary or if, with plenty of prior work experience and an education, albeit not directly related, I could complete the training faster.

The reason behind the question is pay. I am willing to take a cut of about 50% for the right job but it looks like apprentices make even less than that... Also, I'm in Canada. BC right now but moving is an option. General advice is very much appreciated. Advice specific to my locale would be tremendous. Thanks in advance, Metafilter.

Finding a good motorcycle or scooter mechanic in Arizona?

MeatyBean — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:42:47 -0800

Finding a good motorcycle or scooter mechanic in Arizona? Web directory with customer reviews? I'm looking for a reliable scooter mechanic in Arizona around the Phoenix/Glendale area. I can travel further out than that if I have to.

Not sure where to go, can someone recommend a mechanic shop? Maybe there exists a directory for motorcycle riders to post up their experiences of various bike shops?

It's Okay, Vibey... Just Show Me Where the Bad Man Hurt You...

julthumbscrew — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:06:27 -0800

I just had to replace my car's entire powertrain. What could've happened? How do I prevent it from happening AGAIN? Late last year, I bought an AskMe-favorite Pontiac Vibe (2005, automatic, base model). Before I purchased it, I did the typical due diligence: I purchased a CarFax report and had an independent mechanic give it a thorough exam. However, within the past two months, I've had to replace its engine (bad valve seals) and have the transmission rebuilt (the torque converter as well as a bunch of other stuff blew after a sudden massive transmission fluid leak). These problems were totally legit (each one was confirmed by multiple mechanics). My questions for you, HiveMind:

- What in hell could the car's previous owner have done to the thing to make an entire Toyota-manufactured powertrain fail within a year? Or does this just occasionally HAPPEN?
- Is there anything I should be doing to prevent any similar problems in the future? Anything else a mechanic should check out? The entire situation seems so profoundly fishy that I'm wondering if something horrible happened to the car which just didn't happen to show up on the CarFax.

Possibly-relevant info: the car was a repo which somehow made its way into the hands of a local used car dealer. A friggin' AWFUL user car dealer, apparently...

Best Toyota mechanic in Seattle?

friendlyjuan — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:06:54 -0800

Answer me these questions three: Do you live in Seattle, do you have a Toyota and do you have a mechanic that you absolutely love? Hook a brother up then! I just moved to Seattle a few months ago and it's time to make some overdue repairs to my '97 Toyota Corolla. I know that it needs some suspension work, a little electrical work and some preventative maintenance. This car needs to last me for a long time yet, so I need to find a mechanic that I can trust to help me keep the sucker running without breaking the bank. That's where you (hopefully) come in. Who knows of a great mechanic that specializes in working on Toyotas in Seattle? I live in Magnolia and would prefer something close, but can obviously travel elsewhere.

Using Car Talk's website, I found High Road Automotive in Ballard. They got great reviews on Car Talk so I'm tempted to go with them, but thought that I would query the hivemind first just to see if anyone had a suggestion of someplace better. Bay's Automotive also got good reviews on Car Talk, so that's an option as well. There are some other suggestions, but those seem to have the best reviews, based on my admittedly cursory research. I'm all ears if anyone has any other suggestions.

Thanks in advance!