Posted for quelonzia

[athelind]

Anyone know of a good mechanic in the San Jose area who doesn't charge an arm and a leg?

quelonzia has a 1998 Nissan Altima that has a lot of miles on it, and we need it to hold together for another year or two. It's gone from routine maintenance to not-so-routine repairs, and the Nissan Dealer repair shop we've been taking it to is sucking us dry. A few months back, we got a new alternator and a bunch of other work done. Yesterday, she had the manifold gasket replaced, and now they tell us the water pump is going.

(Funny, she wasn't getting high readings on the temperature gauge before she brought it in yesterday...)

Dealers are infamous for charging huge amounts on service. By my experience, an independent shop won't charge nearly as much -- and if we can find a good one with good word of mouth, they'll probably do a much better job.

Comments

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

posted enquiry in JACK forum there's a few car nuts there....

[archteryx.livejournal.com]

I would not put it above dealers to commit fraud on an old car in order to try and sell you a new one under pressure. While few go to the extremes that the dealer in National Lampoon's Vacation went to (crush the old car!) I'd be extremely suspicious.

[araquan.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Technically, if I remember the scene properly, the Griswolds had already selected (and presumably financed) the new car- Clark (Chevy Chase) was just there to pick it up as it was to be a BTO model, not taken from dealer stock. But things went... wrong. }:>

[collie13.livejournal.com]

You're in the San Jose area?! Whoa, I hadn't realized -- cool, me too! ;)

I successfully maintained my '85 Pontiac Fiero for many years by taking it to the Pep Boys on Stevens Creek. While the car is now pretty much defunct [see Valentine's Day one year ago (true story) for explanation], the Pep Boys appears to still be going strong. Good luck! ;)

More info:
Pep Boys Supercenter
3780 Stevens Creek Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95117
408.246.8090

[azhreia.livejournal.com]

while I can't help with the mechanic, I offer my sympathy.

I took my car(s) for a while to the mechanic across the road from the university. it was within walking distance, and (initially important for our 4WD) it was an LPG specialist.

for probably 2 years I had my car(s) serviced there regularly, and was totally happy with the results. Then one day I took my car in and noticed the owner, who formerly did or supervised the doing of the repairs, dressed in business suit and shirt instead of overalls. Seems he'd taken up one of those mortgage brokering things, and was doing that instead of working on the cars. However, his new chief mechanic was "a really good guy" and would look after my car for me.

Cut to me coming back at the end of the day to a $500 bill (for a _service_ ?) and the news that my car needed at least $2800 spent on it *urgently* to bring it up to a roadworthy condition. The head was cracked, they said. The shockers were shot. the tyres needed replacing. and on, and on and on the list of urgent repairs went.

I was shocked and upset. they wanted me to book it in the following week to have the head replaced, at a cost of not less than $1800. I said I had to take it home and talk to my other half about it. They warned me not to drive it too far or I risked damaging it permanently. Luckily my mother rang not long after I got home and I was talking to her about it and she suggested I take it to _her_ mechanic, a friend of the family I'd known since I was about 7 or so. His verdict ? other than the tyres (which really did need replacing), there was absolutely no evidence for any of the other repairs needing to be performed. And the hundred-and-something dollars they'd charged me to "clean and adjust" the idle control motor was outrageous (it can't be cleaned, and it takes less than 5 minutes to adjust with a screwdriver). In short, I'd been ripped off by them, and they were looking to rip me off some more.

So, two and 3/4 years and many many thousands of kilometres later, I _still_ haven't had the head replaced, and there's still no evidence that it needs it. Nor have I had the shockers replaced (although they are now starting to show some wear). The brakes (which the first mob "repaired") have had to be replaced. The alternator (which they replaced) has had to be replaced again because the one they replaced it with was faulty.

The moral of the story is never to believe the mechanic who has vested interests in performing expensive repairs, which may not be needed. And when you do find a good mechanic, treat him (or her) well and hang on to him. They're worth their weight in gold.

[thoughtsdriftby.livejournal.com]

A quick check, see:
If there's no seepage past the seals.
If you can't wobble the shaft. Watch the shaft, some a fan clutch can add some wobble to the fan
If the pump bearings aren't making an unusual noise.
If the car doesn't run somewhat hotter than usual.

Then there's no need to change the water pump.

There is a method of listening to bearings with an ultrasonic pickup (Ultraprobe(tm) is one of the better units) and using the information for preventative maintenance, however I haven't heard of a shop using one.