A tale of two cars: the Beast, and then, the Beauty…read more
If you read my Yelps, I've been extolling the virtues of Jack's Auto Discount Service, the repair shop around the corner on Hart Street, for at least two years. Jack has been taking care of my vintage Saturn since then and doing it expertly and very reasonably. He is a master, a great guy, has two fine sons who work with him, and his wife Jasmine in the office is a pleasure to meet, too. It is not an easy thing to find a reliable, honest auto mechanic. This is the fellow.
So here comes the tale of the Beast, and the Beauty. The Beast was a 2010 Subaru Forester that had been beaten up and cared for with all the care and love that the Germans used when they moved into Oradour sur Glane in 1944. (Check out THAT historical reference). For a car with 44,000 miles on it, it had been banged up, messed up, and hurt. It came into my possession, delivered cross-country by one of the finest women's basketball players in Michigan state history who guided it through sleet, snow, and frigidity, and I needed to bring it back to pristine shape. I asked Jack, "Who can do this for me, reasonably?" And he said that he was just about to open a body shop, and why didn't I bring it to him?
Whoa. Happy camper here.
That's what i did. When i got possession of it, I brought it in, and he did the estimate. I helped out by ordering one of the parts myself -- a replacement door panel -- from Minnesota, and having it shipped in. Saved a bunch of money, which made Jack happy, his sons happy, and me happy. And then, I put the car into their hands. Two and a half weeks later, it was done.
The Beauty. I mean, the thing gleams. Crystal clean on the inside too, which had also been trashed. Stains removed that I thought would take hyrdrochloric acid to remove. There was body work in multiple places. Plus, the whole car was repainted to perfect. When I got the car to them, I literally had to tape the rear bumper into place so it wouldn't flap. Now? This is a glorious vehicle.
Pictures, pictures, pictures. I'll add them as soon as I can. And a price that would make your jaw fall happily open if I told you. Let's simply say it was the lowest estimate I got, anywhere.
If you have body work? Get it to them, quickly. Because I predict this is going to be the busiest body shop in town.