An Honest Mechanic

10 January 2023, 01:07 PM

Steve Miller

An Honest Mechanic

Sharon's car is a 10 year old Mazda and has 130K miles. It's been bulletproof since we bought it but the transmission started shuddering violently between 1200 and 1500 RPM. Uh-oh - not good. I really don't want to put a new transmission in that car and I want a new car even less.

Asked around about mechanics as the local Mazda dealer is next to worthless - they don't answer the phone and the mailbox is full.

Everyone recommended Ray's and a look at reviews shows why - hundreds of reviews and 5 stars! That's unheard of for a car repair place, especially in North (by God!) Ridgeville, Ohio.

They did not disappoint. Told the guy what the problem was and he told me the problem was common with certain Ford models. He hadn't seen it on a Mazda but when I told him that the particular Mazda has a Ford engine/transmission in it (made in Hammamatsu and shared with the Ford C-Max) he nodded and said then it was likely all it needed was a transmission flush and refill. They've fixed a lot of them that way. I sure didn't didn't expect that!

And it worked!

Another 5 star review coming up!

10 January 2023, 01:23 PM

CHAS

Congratulations!!! That is great. Now I have to move to your neighborhood.

Ford owned a big chunk of Mazda and parts went back and forth.
I think Ford has sold all or most of its stock.

10 January 2023, 02:44 PM

RealPlayer

Now I’ll have to drive our Volvo to Ohio for a decent repair.

10 January 2023, 02:44 PM

big al

A good and honest mechanic is worth his weight in gold. I'm fortunate to have one in Wexford, PA (Herb Scott's) that I've dealt with since I moved to this area in 1983. The shop was originally run by Herb Scott, who was a well-known race car driver on local tracks. By the time I started patronizing the shop, it was being run by Herb's son. He's now retired and sold the shop to one of his mechanics.

The mention of the Ford-Mazda relationship reflected my Ford Focus. It had an engine/transmission that was shared by the sporty version of the Focus I owned and some Mazda sedans. It seemed pretty bullet-proof because that was the vehicle that I put 297,000 miles on. It probably could have gone further except for body rust that was going to be expensive to repair.

Big Al

--------------------------------
Money seems to buy the most happiness when you give it away.

Why does everything have to be so complicated, all in the name of convenience. -ShiroKuro

A lifetime of experience will change a person. If it doesn't, then you're already dead inside. -MarkJ

10 January 2023, 03:26 PM

Mikhailoh

Yep. We have one too. But they are pretty close to my age. Not sure what we will do when they pack it in.

10 January 2023, 04:08 PM

wtg

quote:
Originally posted by RealPlayer:
Now I’ll have to drive our Volvo to Ohio for a decent repair.

There's this really nice house on the lake that I hear will be available later this year...

11 January 2023, 11:37 PM

RealPlayer

quote:
Originally posted by wtg:
quote:
Originally posted by RealPlayer:
Now I’ll have to drive our Volvo to Ohio for a decent repair.

There's this really nice house on the lake that I hear will be available later this year...

I’ll have to see what kind of wine glasses are supplied before I commit.

12 January 2023, 11:25 AM

Steve Miller

quote:
Originally posted by RealPlayer:
quote:
Originally posted by wtg:
quote:
Originally posted by RealPlayer:
Now I’ll have to drive our Volvo to Ohio for a decent repair.

There's this really nice house on the lake that I hear will be available later this year...

I’ll have to see what kind of wine glasses are supplied before I commit.

ACH! The pressure is killing me!