Mr. Roger has been on-site at this location for 52 years; long before this station was even a Chevron. (I think it was a Gulf station back in the day). However, even though I grew up in Gentilly, I was not a regular customer of this station as I lived on the "south side" of Gentilly in Edgewood Park; but I digress.
Quite recently, I found out that my dad, who still lives in Gentilly, is a regular customer here. I decided to patronize Roger's last week, for no other reason that my feelings of nostalgia. Gas prices are a little higher than most, but this station is the northern most station on Franklin Avenue and convenient for the locals. Furthermore, the owner (Mr. Roger) is on-site every day. Aside from fuel, Roger's has a full time Mechanic (Jerry) on-site with a 2 bay garage and an extra lift outside.
I have never had any mechanic work performed here and I have no idea what Jerry's certifications are; however, I would probably limit my services to oil changes, filter changes, brake jobs, belt changes or tire repairs. And speaking of tire repairs, on Saturday (12/9/17), I noticed my low air pressure light came on when I started my car. Since I had just aired them up the previous week, I knew it was a nail, screw or puncture and not simply the cold weather. Low and behold, there was a screw in my tire. Ugh! I aired it up and drove straight to Roger's. It was already after 4 PM and Jerry was not there. However, Mr. Roger, who definitely knows his way around a car, told me he would repair it using a patch/plug, also known as a mushroom plug.
A patch/plug, also known as a mushroom plug, is a tire repair that is made from the inside of the tire similar to a traditional patch. It consists of a vulcanized rubber patch with a plug affixed to it. The inside of the tire is cleaned, buffed & cemented, and the plug is then pulled through from the inside until the patch seals the inside of the tire. Then the plug is cut even with the tread. This method completely fills the path the nail or screw took and prevents moisture reaching the steel belts and/or cords which would cause them to rust or deteriorate. Furthermore, where the patch/plug or mushroom plug meets the road, it it also strengthens the tread.
In my opinion, a tire plug should only be used to make a repair when no other means of a proper repair are possible, as any repair attempted without removing the tire from the wheel is not a good idea because if you don't inspect the inside inside of the tire for damage, you are taking the risk of driving on a repaired tire that has been structurally weakened.
The repair was done in a timely manner and Mr. Roger engaged me in conversation during the entire repair process. He's a very nice man and is running an honest business. I look forward to coming back real soon. read more