I don't regularly write reviews, even if I have a pretty good experience. I'll definitely say something if I have a horrible experience, but I tend to forget to share my thoughts on local businesses that do great work. But today I had another excellent reminder as to why it's so important to have a good mechanic.
The tl;dr version of this post is that if your car breaks down, you should definitely take your car to Travis at Your Choice Automotive near Lindenwood University. You can't help but like the guy, and he's honest, helpful and nice in a Paul Rudd kind of way.
Whenever something goes wrong with my car, the low grade panic sets in. I'm not mechanically-inclined, so I have to rely on someone else to not only know what's wrong, but be able to fix it. And since I'm not an expert, it can be nerve-wracking to try to figure out if I'm getting ripped off or not.
We all know the horror stories of mechanics fixing what didn't need to be fixed or charging exorbitant rates to the desperate and ignorant (e.g., me). It's easy to get taken advantage of and in the past I would stress about it.
Not anymore.
We started going to Your Choice Automotive for the $20 oil changes with tire rotation. Whenever we had car trouble, we brought it to Travis and he took care of it quickly and charged what seemed a reasonable rate.
Having a 2006 Subaru Outback and a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid, there's been an increasing amount of car trouble to deal with.
There was the time I took the Honda to a dealership and they diagnosed $6,000 worth of problems (and yeah, I know dealerships are the most expensive, but it was an emergency). I gave the dealer report to Travis and he walked me through which issues we needed to fix now (the slave cylinder) and which could wait. In the end, he got us back up and running the next day for around $320*, which
rates as the low-end of the average parts and labor cost.
Fast forward a few weeks later and I need my brakes changed. Easy, right? So, I tell Travis and he suggests I look for the brakes and rotors on my own to save money. And indeed, AutoZone saved me about $60 off Travis's parts quote. After we dropped it off, he had our car a day longer than expected because he had a family emergency and he gave us a $10 discount*, I guess because he felt bad. I can't say I've ever had a mechanic act so genuinely apologetic for a minor delay.
Now, both of these anecdotes are solid enough to give your business to Your Choice Automotive, but they aren't the reason I felt compelled to write this. It was only after I got off the phone with Travis this afternoon that I decided to share my experience with our local mechanic.
Two weeks ago our Subaru's "Check Engine" light suddenly began flashing and the engine spluttered. Somehow I made it home, but I called Travis on the way. He thought it was misfiring, whatever that means. So, we drop the car off and he replaces a coil and, I think, a spark plug. It sets us back a tidy sum of our vacation funds and, worse yet, it didn't fix the problem.
Oh crap, right?
We bring it back last Thursday night and we get a call from Travis on Friday. He's been investigating it for a while and has narrowed it down to an electrical problem and he needs to keep it until Monday. Fair enough.
Today (Monday), he tells me that it's either faulty wiring to the computer or (worst case scenario) the computer itself, which caused the coil to fail (if I'm remembering his explanation correctly). He replaces the wiring and drives it for a half hour. The problem is ostensibly solved, which we will find out for sure when we pick up the car tomorrow morning.
But what blows my mind about the whole encounter is that he tells me he's only charging us 80-something dollars* for all the time he spent investigating the problem and fixing it. What the hell is this dark magic? An honest mechanic who does nice things for his customers when the Car Gods crap on them? GTFOH!
You always hear about people who have a "good mechanic" and how rare that is. Well, if you're in the Belleville/O'Fallon/Fairview Heights area, then you need to do yourself a favor and contact Travis the next time your car breaks down. You can't do much better whether you're worried about your wallet or your peace of mind.
*The financial details given reflect my own experience and is in no way saying that Your Choice Automotive will give you a discount. I have no clue if he does this for other customers, so I do not want to misrepresent his pricing policies.
