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I’m in Love with my Auto Mechanic
Recently, the wood veneer covering my gear shift started cracking and the mechanic checked into the price of the repair. He was almost embarrassed to tell me that the part alone, called a gear shift selector, would cost $350. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. So the mechanic took the time to comb through auto sites to find something cheaper. His shop mostly services the neighborhood and I often pass it while walking the dog. We all wave hello.
9 Wrenches by Johanna Inman
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I’m very fond of mine as well. He’s kept my old car on the road. Drives me to work and picks me up. And looks for less expensive parts for me. He’s one more reason I keep putting off buying a new car. Makes a single girl feel a little more secure in the big city.
As an added bonus, mine also happens to be cute.
I think they must have the good looking gene. Mine is movie star handsome. He treats everyone, including a really grumpy elderly women one day, with equanimity, thoughtfulness and just the right amount of flirting if appropriate.
Wow. It’s almost worth having a car that needs repair.
Oh, I am so much the same! My guy is right down the street and he is the BEST! So kind, helpful and accommodating. I too frequently see him when walking the dogs and we wave etc. He is right at the top of my list of ‘people most important to my sense of security and well-being.’
I’m very encouraged to hear about your devoted auto mechanics. It goes against the stereotype of someone wanting to rip you off. My experience has been just the opposite.
I had a great mechanic when I lived on the other side of the country. He once welded together a part for my car himself when the part from the dealer was outrageously priced. After I moved 1900 miles away and had my first car problem, my new mechanic (whom I didn’t like as much) told me that after a truly great mechanic works on an older car, the engine is as individual as a painting from one of the great masters. He said that my car’s engine was a da Vinci. It never ran as well I moved, and I ended up selling it about a year and a half later.
It makes me think of my dentist, who is also a sculptor. He’s considered one of the greats by his dental colleagues throughout L.A. I’m glad to have some of his artistry in my mouth.
So one of the things that makes me most nervous about my upcoming move is finding a new mechanic. I’ve been taking my clunkers to the same shop for about seven years, and they’re just great.
How great? That when I took the current clunker in for its final oil change before the Long Drive, they gave me a bottle of wine for congratulations on the new job.