http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576 i recently had some work done on my car at dave's auto and it was the biggest mistake i have ever made. not only did my car break less than two days after i picked it up, when i asked him about getting my money back he said &quot;we fixed what we thought was wrong and assumed it would be fine, i can't see through steel sweetie.&quot; i can't believe he spoke to someone like that. i may be eighteen years old, and i may be a young girl, but i still deserve to be treated in a respectful manner. when i asked about the price he simply said &quot;well, it's not like you paid for it anyways&quot; because my friends father helped me with the bill until i could afford to pay him back. this man is the typical sleezy automachanic that you would expect in the begining of a bad horror film. i've never, in my life heard someone speak in such a condecending manner; especially to someone who paid for work that wasn't done right. i highly suggest that if you work hard for your money and want to be treated the way a paying customer should, you stay as far away from that place as possible. i recently had some work done on my car at dave's auto and it was the biggest mistake i have ever made. not only did my car break less than two days after i picked it up, when i asked him about getting my money back he said &quot;we fixed what we thought was wrong and assumed it would be fine, i can't see through steel sweetie.&quot; i can't believe he spoke to someone like that. i may be eighteen years old, and i may be a young girl, but i still deserve to be treated in a respectful manner. when i asked about the price he simply said &quot;well, it's not like you paid for it anyways&quot; because my friends father helped me with the bill until i could afford to pay him back. this man is the typical sleezy automachanic that you would expect in the begining of a bad horror film. i've never, in my life heard someone speak in such a condecending manner; especially to someone who paid for work that wasn't done right. i highly suggest that if you work hard for your money and want to be treated the way a paying customer should, you stay as far away from that place as possible. en-us Stay down girl!!! http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_156886 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_156886 Stay down girl!!! That's why I don't even like to get my oil changed by myself.&nbsp; They're always telling me I need things replaced and fixed when I know everything is fine.&nbsp; I'm not totally ignorant about cars-- I'll ask when I need something fixed.&nbsp; And I can replace most things by myself.&nbsp; http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157021 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157021 That's why I don't even like to get my oil changed by myself.&nbsp; They're always telling me I need things replaced and fixed when I know everything is fine.&nbsp; I'm not totally ignorant about cars-- I'll ask when I need something fixed.&nbsp; And I can replace most things by myself.&nbsp; Ok now that I know where NOT to go, who is a good mechanic in town?&nbsp; Is there such a thing? :) http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157102 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157102 Ok now that I know where NOT to go, who is a good mechanic in town?&nbsp; Is there such a thing? :) <p> </p> <p>I can understand how you are enraged with phrases like that being thrown your way.</p> <p>Thanks for the heads up about this place. </p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157112 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157112 <p> </p> <p>I can understand how you are enraged with phrases like that being thrown your way.</p> <p>Thanks for the heads up about this place. </p> I've had a few bad experiences with mechanics too.&nbsp; Last few times I've had auto work done I've used MARS (Mountain Auto) on South St.&nbsp; It's been over a year since I needed anything done to my cars, so I assume they're still there.&nbsp; My experience with them is that they are nice people, reasonable, stood by their work&nbsp;and treated me with respect. YMMV http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157142 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157142 I've had a few bad experiences with mechanics too.&nbsp; Last few times I've had auto work done I've used MARS (Mountain Auto) on South St.&nbsp; It's been over a year since I needed anything done to my cars, so I assume they're still there.&nbsp; My experience with them is that they are nice people, reasonable, stood by their work&nbsp;and treated me with respect. YMMV <em>I have found the best thing to do is buy a book on your car at the auto parts store.  It has pictures and instructions and I've done a lot of work on cars myself this way.  My husband says give me a hammer and a butter knife and I think I can do anything.  But....I've always had pretty good luck.  Now that the cars are newer, there isn't a whole lot anyone can do with their own car, if they don't know much about mechanics.  It's a freaking conspiracy.  I've never had luck with a mechanic.  I can change the oil.  The plugs seem to be hidden away under the engine somewhere.  Everything is so tight under there, you have remove parts just to get to the bad part.  You just about have to know someone personally to get good service.</em> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157146 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157146 <em>I have found the best thing to do is buy a book on your car at the auto parts store.  It has pictures and instructions and I've done a lot of work on cars myself this way.  My husband says give me a hammer and a butter knife and I think I can do anything.  But....I've always had pretty good luck.  Now that the cars are newer, there isn't a whole lot anyone can do with their own car, if they don't know much about mechanics.  It's a freaking conspiracy.  I've never had luck with a mechanic.  I can change the oil.  The plugs seem to be hidden away under the engine somewhere.  Everything is so tight under there, you have remove parts just to get to the bad part.  You just about have to know someone personally to get good service.</em> My problem is that modern cars pretty much require a computer these days to fix anything but the most simple things.&nbsp; If you don't have the $10,000 piece of equipment to plug into your cars computer chip so it can tell you where to look you could spend almost that trying to figure out what's wrong in the first place!&nbsp; ;)&nbsp; Heck most cars don't even have a distributor cap anymore. I miss my old '77 Trans Am.&nbsp; That was easy to work on even if I did spend almost as much time fixing it as driving it. :) http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157166 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157166 My problem is that modern cars pretty much require a computer these days to fix anything but the most simple things.&nbsp; If you don't have the $10,000 piece of equipment to plug into your cars computer chip so it can tell you where to look you could spend almost that trying to figure out what's wrong in the first place!&nbsp; ;)&nbsp; Heck most cars don't even have a distributor cap anymore. I miss my old '77 Trans Am.&nbsp; That was easy to work on even if I did spend almost as much time fixing it as driving it. :) I've also had many bad experiences with automotive shops,particularly when going in as a single female.You know that you're going to get taken,it's just a question of how much.I can wholeheartily recomend PROTECH on west J st.&nbsp;in town though,we've been going there for a couple of years with multiple vehicles and have always been very happy.On the occasions that they have found more work that could be done,they have mentioned it and left it up to us with no pressure at all.Once they even corrected a slight problem for no charge.Finally,a place that I trust! http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157215 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157215 I've also had many bad experiences with automotive shops,particularly when going in as a single female.You know that you're going to get taken,it's just a question of how much.I can wholeheartily recomend PROTECH on west J st.&nbsp;in town though,we've been going there for a couple of years with multiple vehicles and have always been very happy.On the occasions that they have found more work that could be done,they have mentioned it and left it up to us with no pressure at all.Once they even corrected a slight problem for no charge.Finally,a place that I trust! I've used Protech before too.&nbsp; I liked them, but the&nbsp;last few times I needed work done, they were&nbsp;so busy, so I opted for the other place.&nbsp; There are a couple of mechanics in town I'd NEVER use.&nbsp; Protech and Mountain Auto are both good choices. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157232 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157232 I've used Protech before too.&nbsp; I liked them, but the&nbsp;last few times I needed work done, they were&nbsp;so busy, so I opted for the other place.&nbsp; There are a couple of mechanics in town I'd NEVER use.&nbsp; Protech and Mountain Auto are both good choices. <p><strong><font size="3">Taking a car to a local mechanic in this town is like going to Vegas, you usually come out the looser. At least that has been my experience. Daves been a rip off for years. The work he has done for me was crap and expensive. I suggest that if you take your car to Dave's that you test drive it before you give him any money. Most old timers that i have talked to have very little good to say about protech, They are famous for recommending repairs that don't need repairing.You have to be careful. Anyway that's my two cents.</font></strong></p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157240 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157240 <p><strong><font size="3">Taking a car to a local mechanic in this town is like going to Vegas, you usually come out the looser. At least that has been my experience. Daves been a rip off for years. The work he has done for me was crap and expensive. I suggest that if you take your car to Dave's that you test drive it before you give him any money. Most old timers that i have talked to have very little good to say about protech, They are famous for recommending repairs that don't need repairing.You have to be careful. Anyway that's my two cents.</font></strong></p> Hmmm,will look out for that,but the only times&nbsp;they've ever recomended additional work with us it was phrased as&quot;If you ever get around to it,it could use...&quot;.Given the age of vehicle,milage and the way I drive it,I feel they were being fair.Of course they could have just recognized us as the really cheap folks that we are and known that it wouldn't happen.Went to Daves a few years back when we were &quot;mechanic shopping &quot;and was rather appauled at him,worried about the quality of work and had a bad feeling about the whole thing.Bigdog-help-that creature is weirding me out and that's not a dog!!! http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157365 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157365 Hmmm,will look out for that,but the only times&nbsp;they've ever recomended additional work with us it was phrased as&quot;If you ever get around to it,it could use...&quot;.Given the age of vehicle,milage and the way I drive it,I feel they were being fair.Of course they could have just recognized us as the really cheap folks that we are and known that it wouldn't happen.Went to Daves a few years back when we were &quot;mechanic shopping &quot;and was rather appauled at him,worried about the quality of work and had a bad feeling about the whole thing.Bigdog-help-that creature is weirding me out and that's not a dog!!! <em>LOL, Ginger, that's what I say...about the dog.  It looks more like this wierd hairless cat we have.  It wierds me out too.</em> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157369 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157369 <em>LOL, Ginger, that's what I say...about the dog.  It looks more like this wierd hairless cat we have.  It wierds me out too.</em> <p><strong><font size="3">Ginger if your grease monkey does good work then that's all that matters. Don't care how good or bad a mechanic is you will always have customers that will have different experiences. In the twenty years that I have lived here I have heard many horror stories with several mechanics. You mechanic happens to be to be one of them. I  myself don't trust any mechanic. I have a friend that does work out of his garage that does all my simple stuff but when it comes to something major I usually take it to the dealership. Ginger I feel that picture best represents the real me. ruff....ruff.... </font></strong></p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157417 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157417 <p><strong><font size="3">Ginger if your grease monkey does good work then that's all that matters. Don't care how good or bad a mechanic is you will always have customers that will have different experiences. In the twenty years that I have lived here I have heard many horror stories with several mechanics. You mechanic happens to be to be one of them. I  myself don't trust any mechanic. I have a friend that does work out of his garage that does all my simple stuff but when it comes to something major I usually take it to the dealership. Ginger I feel that picture best represents the real me. ruff....ruff.... </font></strong></p> Ken Schaffner is a good local, honest mechanic.  I believe he works out of his home though.  Scotts Auto has fixed my vehicle numerous times and I'm very happy with thier work.  That is too bad about Dave's Auto and how you were spoken to.  I am a young woman myself and have received similar treatment from numerous businesses here in town.  My favorite is when store owners think i'm going to steal something because I'm young and I carry a large purse.  I make a very good living and definetely would never steal anything!  I always try to spend my money IN TOWN to support the small businesses.  When I am treated badly it makes me really want to take my business OUT OF TOWN.  Sad.  Hopefully the small business owners in town realize that they need to start treating thier customers better or i'm going to be counting the days until we get a Walmart. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157452 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157452 Ken Schaffner is a good local, honest mechanic.  I believe he works out of his home though.  Scotts Auto has fixed my vehicle numerous times and I'm very happy with thier work.  That is too bad about Dave's Auto and how you were spoken to.  I am a young woman myself and have received similar treatment from numerous businesses here in town.  My favorite is when store owners think i'm going to steal something because I'm young and I carry a large purse.  I make a very good living and definetely would never steal anything!  I always try to spend my money IN TOWN to support the small businesses.  When I am treated badly it makes me really want to take my business OUT OF TOWN.  Sad.  Hopefully the small business owners in town realize that they need to start treating thier customers better or i'm going to be counting the days until we get a Walmart. Thank you WAWA.  For two days now I have been trying to think of his name to tell people.  I knew it was Ken and started with a S but that was all I could come up with.  Yes, is very good and honest.  He used to work out of a shop I think off of South street.  It was many years ago, but he was good.  I can't remember the exact problem, but he had quoted me a price with parts and labor.  There was an unforeseen problem, something else broke while he was taking apart my car to fix the problem.  The extra part was already broken and it so happen to completely broke or something like that.  Plus the price he quoted me on the known broken part was higher than they quoted him.  Anyhow, he did the extra work without charging me and he ate the extra price of the part himself because that is not what he quoted me.  I told everyone about him.  Word of mouth goes a long way.  I hope I had brought more business and I hope I still can.  He is really good and he doesn't treat women like they are stupid.  http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157467 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157467 Thank you WAWA.  For two days now I have been trying to think of his name to tell people.  I knew it was Ken and started with a S but that was all I could come up with.  Yes, is very good and honest.  He used to work out of a shop I think off of South street.  It was many years ago, but he was good.  I can't remember the exact problem, but he had quoted me a price with parts and labor.  There was an unforeseen problem, something else broke while he was taking apart my car to fix the problem.  The extra part was already broken and it so happen to completely broke or something like that.  Plus the price he quoted me on the known broken part was higher than they quoted him.  Anyhow, he did the extra work without charging me and he ate the extra price of the part himself because that is not what he quoted me.  I told everyone about him.  Word of mouth goes a long way.  I hope I had brought more business and I hope I still can.  He is really good and he doesn't treat women like they are stupid.  <p>Colitas: You're welcome.&nbsp; Whenever&nbsp;anyone mentions they&nbsp;need a mechanic....... I think of Ken.&nbsp; Good honest people are hard to come by.</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157513 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157513 <p>Colitas: You're welcome.&nbsp; Whenever&nbsp;anyone mentions they&nbsp;need a mechanic....... I think of Ken.&nbsp; Good honest people are hard to come by.</p> <p>O.k.,now I'm concerned for Olivia if THAT is what you feel represents the real you,Bigdog.Especially since it isn't really big or a dog!Maybe it's just a temporary identity crisis and you will grow up and grow some uh-hair.</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157596 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157596 <p>O.k.,now I'm concerned for Olivia if THAT is what you feel represents the real you,Bigdog.Especially since it isn't really big or a dog!Maybe it's just a temporary identity crisis and you will grow up and grow some uh-hair.</p> <strong><font size="3">Ginger&nbsp;no need to worry about Olivia's safety. You see Olivia is PMS-ing and that's why I feel&nbsp;this way. Its me you should be concerned about ....ruff........ruff.......&nbsp;</font></strong> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157614 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157614 <strong><font size="3">Ginger&nbsp;no need to worry about Olivia's safety. You see Olivia is PMS-ing and that's why I feel&nbsp;this way. Its me you should be concerned about ....ruff........ruff.......&nbsp;</font></strong> Oh,now I get it!This is what you've been reduced to!In that case you both have my sympathies.And I&nbsp;must recommend a good doghouse to retreat to for those weeks,something with enough room for a fridge,t.v.,computer(of course).I'm sure that you would both enjoy the break.Oh,and cause you're a nice guy,you could take the kids with you! http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157632 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_157632 Oh,now I get it!This is what you've been reduced to!In that case you both have my sympathies.And I&nbsp;must recommend a good doghouse to retreat to for those weeks,something with enough room for a fridge,t.v.,computer(of course).I'm sure that you would both enjoy the break.Oh,and cause you're a nice guy,you could take the kids with you! <p>Just to add to this old thread in case someone is needing a mechanic.</p> <p>I&nbsp;had to use Mountain Auto on South Street again yesterday when my car was stalling.&nbsp; I&nbsp;dealt with a different mechanic there... named Burt.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I think they may have changed ownership (not sure).&nbsp; There are two mechanics there now named Burt and Ken who have&nbsp;a long list of credentials and&nbsp;many&nbsp;years of experience according to their flyer.</p> <p>Anyway.... Burt was great.&nbsp; He treated me with respect and kindness, which is something as a single woman I rarely see in repair people.&nbsp; He had to replace a hose and clean out some gunk and&nbsp;he replaced some screws that&nbsp;had come off and was causing my&nbsp;engine to do a weird rattle thing. &nbsp; He showed me the old parts and where it was goopy...explained what he was going to do.&nbsp; He got my car running better than I ever remember it running.&nbsp;&nbsp; The cost was fair (actually cheaper than I'd thought it would be).&nbsp; I was very impressed.</p> <p>Overall, I&nbsp;am incredibly pleased with the outcome.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I&nbsp;would whole-heartedly recommend Mountain Auto to anyone who is looking for good mechanics at reasonable prices. 822-3237</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_324817 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_324817 <p>Just to add to this old thread in case someone is needing a mechanic.</p> <p>I&nbsp;had to use Mountain Auto on South Street again yesterday when my car was stalling.&nbsp; I&nbsp;dealt with a different mechanic there... named Burt.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I think they may have changed ownership (not sure).&nbsp; There are two mechanics there now named Burt and Ken who have&nbsp;a long list of credentials and&nbsp;many&nbsp;years of experience according to their flyer.</p> <p>Anyway.... Burt was great.&nbsp; He treated me with respect and kindness, which is something as a single woman I rarely see in repair people.&nbsp; He had to replace a hose and clean out some gunk and&nbsp;he replaced some screws that&nbsp;had come off and was causing my&nbsp;engine to do a weird rattle thing. &nbsp; He showed me the old parts and where it was goopy...explained what he was going to do.&nbsp; He got my car running better than I ever remember it running.&nbsp;&nbsp; The cost was fair (actually cheaper than I'd thought it would be).&nbsp; I was very impressed.</p> <p>Overall, I&nbsp;am incredibly pleased with the outcome.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I&nbsp;would whole-heartedly recommend Mountain Auto to anyone who is looking for good mechanics at reasonable prices. 822-3237</p> <p>Does anyone have any experience with the car repair shop on Tehachapi Blvd. across the street from the Apple Shed? I too always have the feeling that I am being &quot;ripped off&quot; but not knowing the difference between a Johnson Rod&nbsp; and a spark plug ;-) I would appreciate any feedback from those of you that are &quot;in the know&quot;-- by the way the Johnson Rod crack was meant to be humorous-I know what a Johnson Rod is!!&nbsp; LMAO!!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_324888 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_324888 <p>Does anyone have any experience with the car repair shop on Tehachapi Blvd. across the street from the Apple Shed? I too always have the feeling that I am being &quot;ripped off&quot; but not knowing the difference between a Johnson Rod&nbsp; and a spark plug ;-) I would appreciate any feedback from those of you that are &quot;in the know&quot;-- by the way the Johnson Rod crack was meant to be humorous-I know what a Johnson Rod is!!&nbsp; LMAO!!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ruby, I haven't dealt with them... but I have gone to the one across from Kohnen's&nbsp;once...&nbsp; I&nbsp;prefer to take my business elsewhere.&nbsp; Good Luck :)</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_324929 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_324929 <p>Ruby, I haven't dealt with them... but I have gone to the one across from Kohnen's&nbsp;once...&nbsp; I&nbsp;prefer to take my business elsewhere.&nbsp; Good Luck :)</p> <p>We use Ken Shofner at <strong>Shofner Automotive </strong>- 20577 South Street... 822-0758   He's always done a good job for us and we like his dog!!  lol</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_325350 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_325350 <p>We use Ken Shofner at <strong>Shofner Automotive </strong>- 20577 South Street... 822-0758   He's always done a good job for us and we like his dog!!  lol</p> <p>protech has always treated me well also....my boyfriend uses MARS and likes them very well also...can't say much for the other places in town though</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_325361 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_325361 <p>protech has always treated me well also....my boyfriend uses MARS and likes them very well also...can't say much for the other places in town though</p> <p>J&amp;H is the best place in town. They are always great, which explains why you have to wait sometimes.</p> <p>And yeah, the poster's experience with Dave on South St. doesn't surprise me at all, even if he didn't call me sweetie...</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_325392 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/sescott/16576/#c_325392 <p>J&amp;H is the best place in town. They are always great, which explains why you have to wait sometimes.</p> <p>And yeah, the poster's experience with Dave on South St. doesn't surprise me at all, even if he didn't call me sweetie...</p>