A few years ago, my doctor was retiring, and I was bereft. Who did I go to for advice? Darcie, the woman who cuts my hair and is a long-time area resident. She suggested Dr. Carl Postighone as a replacement, and I've been very happy with the choice ever since. So, when I was thinking about changing mechanics (I still believe in the basic honesty and integrity of the guy I had been going to, but the last repairs I had done cost me a ton of money. When I mentioned it to a co-worker more versed in automotive/mechanical matters than I could ever hope to be, he said, "You got rooked. There's no way what you had done should have cost you as much as it did," which affirmed my own negative instincts about the experience)...yeah, I approached Darcie.
She mentioned Valley Automotive, and owner Guy Armenti. More than mentioned it; she was very enthusiastic. She said Guy was a skilled mechanic who charged a fair price. Additionally, he was a good guy who was as helpful as he was skilled. So, I wrote the number down, filed it away for future reference, and went about my business.
Last week, my tire went flat. Twenty years ago, when it went flat, I was in my then-girlfriend's city of Philadelphia, in good physical shape, in love, a little buzzed on Vicodin. I changed the tire without the slightest difficulty. Twenty years later? Well, it's 20 years later--- I'm not quite in shape, I'm not in love, I don't take Vicodin (or any other euphoria inducing drugs), and...I'm 20 years older. Within just a few minutes, I was a helpless, sweating mess, mumbling to myself as I attempted to see if I even had a jack, much less a spare tire. Thankfully, 2 Good Samaritans, Anthony and his wife (I unfortunately didn't get her name), helped me out, even though they were pressed for time with a baby sitter at home. We got the jack under the car, got the car raised, got the lug-nuts off, and found that the tire had rusted to the rim. We kicked at the tire without effect; it wasn't coming off. Thankfully, another Good Samaritan, whose name I also unfortunately neglected to get, suggested we take a shopping cart and slam it against the tire. Any uninvolved bystander observing this might have thought we were nuts, assaulting the tire with a shopping cart, but it worked. I got the flat off, I got the donut tire on, and I drove carefully home (the donut resembled a Tinkertoy more than it did a tire) after thanking my benefactors. (I'd like to thank again...even if they never read this...the 3 Good Samaritans who proved a real life saver to me. I would've been in some deep shite if they hadn't come along. Despite a tendency toward nihilism, I have to admit there are some very nice people out there.)
It was late Sunday afternoon and no one answered the phone at Valley Automotive when I called, which I expected. I slept uneasily that night. Yeah, it was only a tire, but in my head I had flashbacks to my last experience with a mechanic, and I could hear the cash register ringing up steadily in my nightmares. Plus...what if it took a lot of time? What if he had to order another tire? I had to go back to work in 2 days. Me being me, I envisioned the worst case scenario I could.
The next day, I called at 7:30, and spoke to a William. He asked if I lived nearby. When I answered in the affirmative, he told me to come over now. As I pulled up, I had a sinking sensation as I observed the number of vehicles parked outside. But William, who was very friendly and helpful, came over, checked my flat tire, and said he would examine it and fix it if it could be fixed. If it couldn't be, he'd order a new tire. I mentioned that I was going to have to be going back to work soon, envisioning how the donut probably wasn't going to hold up on the long commute, or on Hoboken's pot-holed, age-old streets, but William replied, "It'll be ready today, one way or another." I drove home feeling as if an immense weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
A few hours later, I called, expecting to be told, "Call back in a few more hours; we're busy." Instead, I was told to come right in, everything was done. William changed the tire, checked out my other tires to make sure they had enough air, and even made sure that the valve stems on the tires had valve caps. Could I pay with a check? Yes. When I offered him a tip, William declined.
In a small office at the other end of the shop, Ryan rang me up, told me what I owed. I had been bracing myself for something exorbitant, but was so astonished at the low amount he told me, that I had to ask him to repeat himself. Nope, I hadn't heard wrong. I wrote out the check with pleasure.
I'm hesitant to write a glowing review based on one visit alone, but these guys did really good work, they did it fast, they all seem like efficient, down-to-earth guys, and they charged a really fair price.
Thanks, Darcie, for another spot-on recommendation, and thanks to the guys at Valley Automotive; you've restored my faith in quality service! read more
