Those of you who follow my posts over the years know I have a tendency to be a smart shopper, especially when it comes to getting work done. Like when I replaced my clutch for $605 with non-Honda branded OEM parts and labor.
Now for those of you who live in North Jersey and don't know Paul, allow me to introduce him to you. This is a guy who spent 10 years as a Honda/Acura mechanic at various dealerships. He works on his own out of his house and garage in Clifton. Last week, I noticed a clunk coming from the rear going over bumps and potholes. I took the car to a local service station and had them put it on the lift to see what was happening. I already had a hunch I needed stabilizer bar links in the rear anyway. Turns out, the bracket that the stabilizer link attaches to on the right side (top) was torn. That's right, the metal sheared completely apart. Should have taken a picture with my smartphone, but I didn't think of it at the time.
So I went to Park Avenue Acura in Maywood, got the bracket (which I had to order a day ahead of time since no dealer stocks it) along with new stabilizer links, and went to Paul's. He put the rear of the car up on 2 jacks, took off the wheels, replaced the torn bracket and the stabilizer links on both sides, put the wheels back on, lowered the car, replaced the 117,000 mile old spark plugs which I already had with me, took out and cleaned the (clogged) PCV valve, reset the lower spoiler on the driver's side as it was coming off, and in the interim, showed me where various clips and fasteners had previously broken were sloppily glued back together by the clowns that previously worked on the car. The whole job took about 2 hours.
Now when I asked how much do I owe him, he said $50! Needless to say, my jaw dropped to the floor, went to the ATM, and gave him $60.
He can also do the valve adjustment for $250 including gaskets, and the timing belt water pump job for around $580 including OEM parts. He recommends the AISIN kit as it's all the OEM parts with the original manufacturer's name on it, like the LUK clutch kit.
Now I don't impress easily, but Paul impressed the heck out of me with his knowledge of our cars and would trust him with anything else I need done from here on.
Here's his number, 201-562-8576. Call him, I guarantee you won't be sorry!
:thumbsup::thumbsup:
.
.
.
Now for those of you who live in North Jersey and don't know Paul, allow me to introduce him to you. This is a guy who spent 10 years as a Honda/Acura mechanic at various dealerships. He works on his own out of his house and garage in Clifton. Last week, I noticed a clunk coming from the rear going over bumps and potholes. I took the car to a local service station and had them put it on the lift to see what was happening. I already had a hunch I needed stabilizer bar links in the rear anyway. Turns out, the bracket that the stabilizer link attaches to on the right side (top) was torn. That's right, the metal sheared completely apart. Should have taken a picture with my smartphone, but I didn't think of it at the time.
So I went to Park Avenue Acura in Maywood, got the bracket (which I had to order a day ahead of time since no dealer stocks it) along with new stabilizer links, and went to Paul's. He put the rear of the car up on 2 jacks, took off the wheels, replaced the torn bracket and the stabilizer links on both sides, put the wheels back on, lowered the car, replaced the 117,000 mile old spark plugs which I already had with me, took out and cleaned the (clogged) PCV valve, reset the lower spoiler on the driver's side as it was coming off, and in the interim, showed me where various clips and fasteners had previously broken were sloppily glued back together by the clowns that previously worked on the car. The whole job took about 2 hours.
Now when I asked how much do I owe him, he said $50! Needless to say, my jaw dropped to the floor, went to the ATM, and gave him $60.
He can also do the valve adjustment for $250 including gaskets, and the timing belt water pump job for around $580 including OEM parts. He recommends the AISIN kit as it's all the OEM parts with the original manufacturer's name on it, like the LUK clutch kit.
Now I don't impress easily, but Paul impressed the heck out of me with his knowledge of our cars and would trust him with anything else I need done from here on.
Here's his number, 201-562-8576. Call him, I guarantee you won't be sorry!
:thumbsup::thumbsup:
.
.
.