Honest Mechanics - rant

[Gevaltech]

Any recommendation for the north Toronto/Thornhill/Richmond Hill area of the GTA?

[hightech]

well.. for toyota/lexus i go here:

T-Lex
7605 Woodbine Ave, Unit #7
Markham ON
L3R 5V3
(905)415-3384

the owner is Basil. used to work @ DVN Toyota. so he's a certified toyota mech.
Pretty good + honest mech. he also services other cars as well like honda etc.

Pretty good guy. when he finds something is wrong he usuallie shows me where and what the problem is and explains it to me.

he's got 2 ppl helping him there.

it's a bit pricey tho. i think he charges $70/hr +/- or something like that. but u know he'll get the job done right

he normally asks whether i want to use aftermarket or oe parts before doing anything as well

I too recommend Basil. I take my 2002 Camry LE V6 for service and his prices are about 1/2 of what the dealerships charge. He is patent, thorough, and knows what he is doing. He tell you what needs to be done and what does not. I just got my brakes done there this weekend and he told me that I could still use the brakes for a good 6 months if I wanted to and just needed cleaning.

He is the only guy who will be taking care of my car.

[iExcel]

Any good mechanics in Oakville area? There are a bunch on Speers but not sure which one is good and honest. Any one?

[Little Johny]

I think car owners have the right to ask for old parts.

If the dealership changed your brake pads and you found they were only 50% gone, then I do not think the dealer can get away with that.

Make sure you mention to the service manager or the poor guy who makes the work order understands that you need to see the old parts.

Not every dealership is bad.They are expensive but sometimes it worths every penny------just some times.

[radeonboy]

Dealers will do anything to get you to pay big bucks for things they "want" you to do. Not a "need" to do them.

Bottom line is most dealers suck and take advantage of most people they can. Them being dishonest = big bucks!

[ronnroz]

I know this thread is about honest mechanics, but I want to share my bad experience with you about this dishonest crooks.
ITAL MOTORS on Caledonia & Lawrence in North York

beware of this guy SAM

I recently had an accident, and the front of my Honda CR-V was badly damaged. I got referred to Sam by a friend of mine so I had my car towed to his workshop. I told him I had to pay from my pocket for the damage and he said ok you shop around and let me know. So I did, it needed the front fixed and inside air bags and seatbelts as well. I called a few places and found almost the same amount everywhere, including Sam, for the whole fix, which included everything. So I decided to go with Ital Motors and was told it should be fixed in two weeks.
Every week I called and got updates from him, and I never rushed him. I was told when I get my car back, it would be as if brand new, and no one will be able to tell there has been any accident. So I patiently waited, despite the fact that I was commuting, very inconveniently, from north york to markham, by train and bus.. After 5 weeks, he says come and pick up the car. I go there one saturday morning, feeling excited.

My Honda looked really nice from outside but when I peeked inside of the car, I was hit by a big hammer. Seatbelt and car seats are not fixed. I charged Sam.. he said, no that was not in the deal.. I was only responsible to fix the outside, we got into this verbal argument, and he threatened me, go get your lawyer and etc.... You all can imagine my shock. It was a verbal agreement and there's nothing written down, and I very well remember we discussed airbags & seatbelt, and now he completely denied that. Just those airbags and seatbelt would cost me extra $1500 and the whole deal was for $5000.00. Elsewhere I found for the same price, including the airbags and seat belts. Not only that, when I showed it to another mechanic, he said under the hood, the job was not done properly either. The frame was not properly fixed.

Now I am left with that extra expenses because I trusted that guy. Those crooks. How do they live with themselves???

SO BEWARE OF ITAL MOTORS!!