A quick response by the Montclair Fire Department enabled traffic to continue flowing safely after a landscape truck’s oil tank sprung a leak while crossing the intersection of Elm/Grove Streets and Bloomfield Avenue just after 8 a.m. this morning. An employee of the landscape company, who asked not to be named or photographed, said the truck had just been repaired the day before, and cost $1,000. He showed me the receipt.
Fortunately, no one was injured, nor overly inconvenienced by the vehicular mishap, but the incident is a reminder that a good mechanic is hard to find.
I’ll take this moment to give a shout out to my trusty mechanics, the Kindburg brothers at Glen Ridge Auto, who have bailed me out of some tight spots, and read me the last rights of a few cars in the 20 years I’ve frequented them.
Who do you use to make sure your autos keep running safely? Let’s hear your favorite car maintenance story?
We used to love McDonough on Bloomfield and North Willow. Great family and we trusted them. Sadly, they sold the business. Recently, after being trying several other mechanics and being unhappy, we found ALK Auto Service on Bloomfield Ave and Valley. Great guy and does great work.
You should try JQ on Broad near Watchung. Great mechanics, wonderful people, tell you what your options are and when you don’t need something done. We’ve been taking our cars there for 25 years
I use Maplecrest Lincoln – Ford on Springfield Ave in Union on the Msplewood boundry. Have been with them since 1986, and have never once been disappointed, either with the workmanship, nor the price.
For my wife’s Jeep, we use
DeCozen Chrysler-Dodge & Jeep, on Blmfd. Avenue in Verona, next to the Fire House. They are a little on the expensive side, but everything is always done perfect, and we have never had to return, to correct something that they didn’t get 100% on ther first try.
My “Show-Car” an older Cadillac goes to Royal Cadillac on Columbia Turnpike (South Orange Avenue’s Re-name for the same street in Florham Park.)
McDonough got all of our business for the four cars my family drove, Georgette, and they were the most honest and dependable mechanics I ever encountered. I now use the guy across the street, MAC Automotive and so far so good.
Foreign Aid on Bellevue (near Valley), for many years and many cars. Honest, reliable, fair.
HATS OFF TO CARL AND AL. Or Al and Carl.
Best story ends with “Now watch this!”
Several years ago my daughter and I took a long weekend to drove back home from Atlanta with a ‘vintage’ ski boat we had bought on ebay.
It was a long drive, made moreso by the rain from Virgina northwards.
I noticed a squeak coming from the trailer and brought the trailer with the boat still on it to GR Auto, asking them to make sure it was OK, as I needed to deliver it to Western MA.
I got a call an hour later from Al, who said I should drop in. As he later said those fateful words, he jacked up the right rear corner of the trailer.
And the entire wheel, hub etc fell off the trailer and wobbled out into the street, like a drunken sailor (been there, done that).
Apparently the rain was a good omen, as it kept the wheel cool, which minimized the chance of either a fire or high-speed collapse.
Quickly diagnosed, easily entertained the fellers who fixed it overnight. Though they are often swamped (MAKE AN APPT) they reward business with quality work. SHOP LOCA-MECH.