Listers:
This question is for those of you on the list who DON'T do your own serious
mechanical work. OK, that should narrow it down to me and about 3 other
lurkers out there.
When you take your TR6 to the mechanic with one of those typical laundry
lists of minor things to do, how long does he keep the car? I am confused
about this. I have had 2 Porsches (I still have one) and have them serviced
at an independent shop. I drop the car off with a list, discuss it with the
owner, set a pickup date, and get the car back a few days later for a long
list or that day for a short one. I have worked with 2 independent British
car repair shops in my local area (Miami). Both are essentially one guy with
a helper. The first did mediocre work, but the second does excellent work.
Unfortunately, each routinely keeps the car for 4-6 weeks no matter how short
the list.
The pattern is like this: I drop off the car and we discuss the list. It
usually amounts to about 1-2 days of actual work with a few easy-to-obtain
parts. Nothing at all happens for about a week. Then I begin to call every
other day. The mechanic keeps me abreast of the progress, in which he is
looking over the car for a few minutes each day and ordering parts. I
usually make a few decisions regarding the details of the repairs. Now we
are at about 2 or 2.5 weeks. Then the mechanic seems to ignore the car for a
while because he has a pressing matter with someone else's vehicle. That
takes a week or so. Then I start to call every day, and get a lot of
promises. Now we are at about 3.5 weeks. Then he begins to work on the car
a little more consistently and actually finishes his work. However, we
usually need some minor body or upholstery work, and he hasn't scheduled that
yet, so there are a few days before that shop can take the car. Now we are
over 4 weeks. Then that shop is pretty busy, so 3 hours of body work takes a
week. Now we are at 5 weeks. Then the car needs some adjustments when it
gets back to the mechanical shop, so we are at 6 weeks. Well, you get the
idea.
OK, I know this sounds like a rant and the obvious answer is to do the work
myself. I would like to, but my marital relationship doesn't allow me to
take my minimal free time away from my wife and 2 kids. In other words, my
wife is happy to have me own and drive a TR6, but not to disappear into the
garage for hours at a time. And my mechanical skills aren't great, so I
would have a steep learning curve and cause lots more trouble than I solved
for a while.
The question is, is this situation the norm for independent vintage British
car service? In Miami, there are very few shops from which to choose, and
this mechanic is honest, very reasonably priced, and does excellent work. Is
this just symptomatic of the artisan-based, cottage industry which is LBC
repair? Or can you guys get prompt service on your cars (beyond an oil
change or something)? Frankly, I have owned the car since May, but it has
been in the shop for 4 months out of the 6 I have owned it for relatively
minor restoration and repair matters. I'm ready to drive it!
Thanks for reading. Even if I don't get any responses, I feel better just
having written the email.
Michael Samuels
SamuelsMA@aol.com
'70 TR6 PI--A great driving car, if I remember right...
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