Mom and Dad frequently use a mechanic named Saul Flores, a small, one-man shop who does cheap work on their cars. Well, I'm driving a 1993 Nissan Sentra that has a laundry list of items that need to be attended to so that it'll last another year. I decided that it's be good to take it all the way to Spanish Fork for Saul to look at, diagnose, and fix as many problems as possible within a manageable price.
I made the effort to type up a list of things I wanted him to look at:
-- Radiator leaks (I put Stop Leak in twice now and it temporarily works just fine)
-- Right front tire makes clicking noise when turning
-- Two lights on my dash (battery and parking brake) come on and off randomly
-- Check engine belts for replacement
I dropped it off on Tuesday, Jan. 2 and said I'd leave it there until the next Monday (today, Jan. 8). When I dropped the car off, I gave him my phone and asked him to call me with his diagnosis, price for the work, and if there were any problems. I called him twice during the week to check up on the progress but he never answered. I asked Dad to stop by on Friday to check on things and Saul said he was going to work on it that afternoon.
I showed up today at 2pm to pick up my car. My car was parked outside, hood up, radiator cap off. No radiator had been changed. I went inside and asked what was up and he said he pressurized the system and didn't find any leaks (duh, I put in stop leak, but that will wear off again and I really just need a new radiator). So he didn't fix that.
What about the clicking when turning? He said he drove the car around in the parking lot but didn't hear the noise because he couldn't go fast enough in the small space. So I said, "Is it not the CV joint?" He got on his hands and knees, looked underneath, and said "Yes, it looks like it's broken. I can change that now if you want."
He didn't check the engine belts, didn't check the lights on my dash, and hadn't even looked at my car until the half hour before I got there. My car had been on his lot for 6 days.
Needless to say, I got my keys and left. He got none of my money, nor did he get my respect or trust. I'm glad he works out well for Mom and Dad, but he was a miserable failure for me.
7 comments:
I hate mechanics. We had one we liked in ID but have not found a good one here in IA yet. Good luck.
How annoying. Did he even apologize or anything? I would never go back to him.
Jess, if you still have no one to look at it, Adam and I really like Clegg Auto on Freedom blvd in Provo. We go there for everything and we send everyone we know there. So far, so good.
GOod luck!
I'm still holding out hope that someone in our family will become a mechanic or marry one. You'd have enough business just with our family alone! We've had a hard time finding a mechanic here in SL too. We've asked around and no one seems to know where to go. How can you really tell if the shop will be honest and not take you for a ride (especially if it's a woman bringing in the car)?
I just had one of the families I home teach recommend a good mechanic. This guy does the work out of his garage on Wednesdays - Saturdays and was a GM mechanic for 15 years at a dealership. The best part: he uses an email address and has already responded to a request.
I'll have him change my CV joint and see how things go there and then probably use him for the rest of the laundry list.
My brother-in-law owns a business where he goes to a persons house and fixes their car there at their house. Cool huh? He actually just bought or rented a building but he will still do house calls. I think it is such a smart thing. Wouldn't you love it if someone came to your house to fix your car? Of course, he charges more but, it might be worth it.
Before you get too hard on Saully, remember that he is just a one man show, and that while he can speak English he is not that fluent. I spend a good deal of time dropping by and working with him so that he understands all of what I want him to do. That is part of the job for me. I get dividends for that. He has never been fast, but he is honest and a good mechanic.
Remember, you had me call him before Christmas and arrange to have your car there right after Christmas. You never showed up or called him or me about that in anyway.
I know you needed some work done, but you were approaching it like you wanted an expensive mechanic instead of the immigrant Mexican that Saul is. And you should be aware that he is a Paul now, too. He has some problems, but I don't have to pay for them, and he doesn't ask me to.
It is hard from SLC for you to do what I do, but that is what you were trying. If you need me to do more about it, I would have done so, but you did not ask. Sorry. Hope you get things fixed without spending an arm and a leg.
Next time maybe. Dad Clark
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