Oh my goodness. God is so good. All this time, we’ve thought that the alternator in our Passat needed fixing before we could sell it.
That’s at least a $500 repair, everyone. Ick.
I had the car towed to a new mechanic, one we’ve never tried but is right down the road from us. He got great reviews online, so I thought I’d give him a try, plus, Jesse’s been looking for our new “Fred” ever since we moved to Texas (if you don’t know who “Fred” is, he’s the lovable mechanic down the road from Biola who, by word of mouth, became the “go to” guy for college student car repairs. He always understood that we were on a shoe-string budget, even waived the service fee and just charged for parts at times. He would even pick up or drive a student back to campus if it’s what they needed. He said, “The Lord” had a mission for him, and that mission was all of us…wonderful, wonderful man).
I instantly liked this new guy, Lane. He remembered my call from a few days prior, remembered my name, and was extremely courteous and respectful.
Turns out, our alternator is FINE. F-I-N-E.
This guy could’ve charged us for a new alternator, because we were CONVINCED that’s what it was, since our battery wasn’t holding charge. He said that car had probably been sitting too long.
They did a couple other repairs and tests, so the total came to around $100, but still. A FAR CRY from what I had budgeted and was expecting.
I had also heard from our LAST mechanic that the valve cover near the spark plugs needed replacing, but Lane said, and, I quote, “Not to turn down work, but that’s not something that will go for years, and not something you need to fix for a potential buyer. It’s deep in the recesses of the car, and shouldn’t be replaced unless other work is getting done in there, otherwise it’s just a waste of your money for unnecessary labor”.
Again. He could’ve made a lot of money off of us. But he chose to be honest and upfront about it.
I think this guy just earned our business– for good!
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Christine says
NICE!!! Finding a good, trustworthy mechanic is now, after a couple tough experiences, near the top of my list (right up there with a church and doctor) when moving to a new place. Glad to know you found a good one so close by…and that the Passat is, i’m assuming, now running and saleable. 🙂