About me:
-I always shop around for the best price
-I am very paranoid of mechanics
-I always google and research every little thing I am told by a mechanic before I authorize repairs.
I changed jobs in May of 2014, so I wanted to find a new mechanic close to my job. After a quick search I located Electro Tech, and there is where I met Tom. I had a 2004 Saturn Ion. For those of you not aware, the Ion series had a boatload of problems with many of its components, mainly due to poor manufacturing decisions on the part of GM.
In February of 2014 I began having issues with my wiper transmission/linkage. I went to two separate mechanics who both told me that it couldn't be fixed and had to be replaced. Being short of cash at that time, I said "screw it" and just didn't get the replacement done. That June, I went into Tom for an unrelated minor repair. (D/C Outlet wasn't working). He explained that the charger I was using was cheap and that it had fried the circuits. He fixed it no problem, and even gave me a D/C charger he had laying around for free. While I was there I asked about the wiper transmission, explaining what the other two mechanics had told me.
Later that day I get a call, and lo and behold he tells me it's fixed. I was blown away. When I went into pick it up I asked him flat out "Do you think those other mechanics were lying to me or was it simply incompetence?". He explained to me that many auto technicians have a very basic understanding of vehicle components, and if the basic tests/repairs they are trained to do don't work, they jump very quickly to replacement. He told me that on the other hand, he has a greater understanding of the inner workings of each part, and that allows him better knowledge with which to do repairs.
Zoom ahead to May of this year. My brakes are squealing and my car is running loud. Turns out my brakes/rotors are shot and there is a giant hole in my exhaust system. Tom ends up doing a brake/rotor replacement, a full exhaust system replacement, and an engine belt replacement(I had *never* done this, 120,000 miles at the time) for under $1,000. Where I'm from, that's a pretty damn reasonable price for that list. When I get in to pick it up he shows me the exhaust system so I can see the hole and understand why I needed a replacement instead of a repair. I drive out, and the car is running like a dream again!
Just two months later, I drove through a construction zone with a *very* highly elevated manhole. I hit it driving over, and it shreds my O2 sensors, punches a hole in the new exhaust system, and destroys my catalytic converter. Just really bad luck on my part. Tom gives me the pricing for everything. While reasonable, it's more than I'm willing to spend on a decade old vehicle, and I end up buying a new Toyota Camry. With the maintenance included, I unfortunately won't be seeing Tom for a couple of years!
To sum up: (Sorry this ran long!)
-Tom is incredibly knowledgeable. It's obvious that his electrical engineering degree gives him a greater understanding of cars than your run-of-the-mill auto mechanic.
-Tom is a great communicator. As someone with no knowledge of vehicles, he always explains things very well so that I understand exactly what is wrong, and how he's going to fix it.
-Prices are very reasonable. Every single time Tom has given me repair details and a quote, I have googled it against fair repair costs in NJ, and his number has always been lower.
-Tom has always been honest with me. Right from the start he understood that I was trying to prolong the life of an old vehicle, and he explained that he would do his absolute best to keep repair costs down so that it was still worth it for me to keep the car. Whenever he tells me something along the lines of "I'm going to do X to diagnose/fix it, it will take between 1-2 hours" he has almost always been at the lower end of that estimated range.
-I can't speak to other reviewers experience, but seeing his current Yelp ratings literally compelled me to create an account just to review him.
-While I'll be stuck going to Toyota's mechanics for the next couple of years, as soon as I'm able to I'm sure I'll be taking my car straight back to him. read more