Auto Mechanic Recommendations

[Jumpy]

Can anyone reccomend a good, trustworthy mechanic in the Wyoming area? I got in my car today and started driving to work to find that my radiator sprung a leak and was spewing coolant all over my engine compartment.

I do as much as I can myself, but replacing a radiator is above my skill set. Also, I don't trust Wyoming Automotive anymore because they hosed me for "wiring harness" repair. They taped the wires running to my fuse box together and tried to charge me $275 for it.

[Cheesehead]

Can anyone reccomend a good, trustworthy mechanic in the Wyoming area? I got in my car today and started driving to work to find that my radiator sprung a leak and was spewing coolant all over my engine compartment.

I do as much as I can myself, but replacing a radiator is above my skill set. Also, I don't trust Wyoming Automotive anymore because they hosed me for "wiring harness" repair. They taped the wires running to my fuse box together and tried to charge me $275 for it.

What make of car?

Reason I ask is that I have used Spradlin off Kemper Rd. near Tri-County area; near Mosteller. They work on: Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, Mazdas. I have found that are a good alternative to the dealers. ASE certified.

[bobbiemcgee]

I would go to a radiator specialty shop. If the radiator has a plastic top, it will happen again.

[Jumpy]

What make of car?

Reason I ask is that I have used Spradlin off Kemper Rd. near Tri-County area; near Mosteller. They work on: Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, Mazdas. I have found that are a good alternative to the dealers. ASE certified.

Its a Jeep, but my wife drives a Honda, so if anything above my head comes up with her car, I'll keep it in mind. Thanks.

[Jumpy]

I would go to a radiator specialty shop. If the radiator has a plastic top, it will happen again.

As far as I can tell, its a fully aluminum unit.

[Smails]

I live in Wyoming and don't go to Wyoming auto repair..had a bad experience as well. In carthage there is a place called Valley or Village auto repair. The guy who runs the places' name is Preston. Good man, with a good rep. It's on vine and seymour I beleve. It used to be a shell station.

I think he does just about everything. Also, Withers in Hartwell on Vine does very good work but they can be pricey.

[Jumpy]

I live in Wyoming and don't go to Wyoming auto repair..had a bad experience as well. In carthage there is a place called Valley or Village auto repair. The guy who runs the places' name is Preston. Good man, with a good rep. It's on vine and seymour I beleve. It used to be a shell station.

I think he does just about everything. Also, Withers in Hartwell on Vine does very good work but they can be pricey.

I was hoping you'd weigh in. I'm glad you mentioned Withers. So far, they have given the lowest quoted estimate. $495 plus a free tow. The only problem is they can't get to it until Monday. I guess that's not so bad, though.

[Frambo]

Not in Wyoming, but fairly close. Donovan Tire in Pleasant Ridge. They are very fair and won't do unnecessary work....plus they are big Xavier fans.

[bobbiemcgee]

http://www.rjrradiator.com

[blobfan]

Not in Wyoming, but fairly close. Donovan Tire in Pleasant Ridge. They are very fair and won't do unnecessary work....plus they are big Xavier fans.

They do radiator work? So far I've only gone to them for tires and oil changes. Fastest oil change EVER!!! I'm rarely in the waiting area long enough to look around so I don't know if the decoration recently changed but last month I noticed a plaque about a former X player with the last name Donovan. I've been going there for years, completely unaware of the Xavier connection.

[Snipe]

Dan Brogan (http://www.insiderpages.com/b/15250754009/dan-brogan-brogan-tires-cincinnati) is a Xavier Man!

I have had good experiences with him. And he loves to talk Muskies. Can take care of just about anything and if not he will tell you where to go.

Not in Wyoming though.

[surfxu]

You might be surprised...it's really a repair job that is not that hard. I replaced my radiator for the same ailment about 4 months ago. Unscrew the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator. Unclamp a couple of hoses that carry the coolant (one on top and one at the bottom) and undo the the transmission fluid lines (that run trans fluid through a portion of the radiator). Should be a couple of bolts that hold everything in place on top of the radiator and unclip any wires and lift it out. Then reverse the process to put it all back together. Fill with fluid and when it reaches the top squeeze the top hose which will pump fluid back into the engine and repeat the filling and squeezing process untill no more air bubbles are obvious. Put on the cap, fill the overflow tank, run the car to normal operating temperature, let it cool and recheck all your fluid levels and you should be done.
I've got an Accord and it took a couple of hours to do and the radiator was about $100 at Autozone.

[Pablo's Brother]

Can anyone reccomend a good, trustworthy mechanic in the Wyoming area? I got in my car today and started driving to work to find that my radiator sprung a leak and was spewing coolant all over my engine compartment.

I do as much as I can myself, but replacing a radiator is above my skill set. Also, I don't trust Wyoming Automotive anymore because they hosed me for "wiring harness" repair. They taped the wires running to my fuse box together and tried to charge me $275 for it.


Santo's Auto Service Co: Import Car Specialist
1217 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45215-2123
(513) 761-7881

Fixes my car correctly everytime. Fair prices. Will tell you nothing is wrong instead of ripping you off. They have my highest endorsement (for what it is worth).

[Cheesehead]

You might be surprised...it's really a repair job that is not that hard. I replaced my radiator for the same ailment about 4 months ago. Unscrew the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator. Unclamp a couple of hoses that carry the coolant (one on top and one at the bottom) and undo the the transmission fluid lines (that run trans fluid through a portion of the radiator). Should be a couple of bolts that hold everything in place on top of the radiator and unclip any wires and lift it out. Then reverse the process to put it all back together. Fill with fluid and when it reaches the top squeeze the top hose which will pump fluid back into the engine and repeat the filling and squeezing process untill no more air bubbles are obvious. Put on the cap, fill the overflow tank, run the car to normal operating temperature, let it cool and recheck all your fluid levels and you should be done.
I've got an Accord and it took a couple of hours to do and the radiator was about $100 at Autozone.

Yeah, that sounds like a lot of work.

You had me until I read "it took a couple of hours".

[XU-PA]

Used to be a place named Schweitzer's Garage in Winton Place, not too far from Wyoming. The guy was one of those wiz-kids (not a kid now though) and could fix anything new, old, foreign, domestic, fair prices.
My dad took all his cars to him when we lived in Finneytown.

[blobfan]

Santo's Auto Service Co: Import Car Specialist
1217 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45215-2123
(513) 761-7881

Fixes my car correctly everytime. Fair prices. Will tell you nothing is wrong instead of ripping you off. They have my highest endorsement (for what it is worth).

I forgot about Santo's. They kept my Dad's old Chevy van running long past it's expected lifespan.

[Jumpy]

You might be surprised...it's really a repair job that is not that hard. I replaced my radiator for the same ailment about 4 months ago. Unscrew the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator. Unclamp a couple of hoses that carry the coolant (one on top and one at the bottom) and undo the the transmission fluid lines (that run trans fluid through a portion of the radiator). Should be a couple of bolts that hold everything in place on top of the radiator and unclip any wires and lift it out. Then reverse the process to put it all back together. Fill with fluid and when it reaches the top squeeze the top hose which will pump fluid back into the engine and repeat the filling and squeezing process untill no more air bubbles are obvious. Put on the cap, fill the overflow tank, run the car to normal operating temperature, let it cool and recheck all your fluid levels and you should be done.
I've got an Accord and it took a couple of hours to do and the radiator was about $100 at Autozone.

I wish it were that easy for me. The radiator is covered by a fan hood for the cooling fan. To get the fan hood out, I have to practically take apart the entire front end of the Jeep- including the bumper. I don't have the time for a job like that.

Thanks for everyone's responses. It's nice to have a list of trustworthy mechanics. I ended up taking it to the Withers pace that Smails mentioned. I should have it back on Monday.

[xu2006]

Alright, so we have a list of mechanics - what about a good collision repair place?

[Kahns Krazy]

I would give two different recommendations depending on the body work being done.

I had a great experience with Mike and Mike's body shop on Kellogg.
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=mike's+auto+body+cincinnati&fb=1&gl=us&hq=mike's+auto+body&hnear=Cincinnati,+OH&cid=2832396258760370791

I had a relatively minor front end accident in my old Honda Civic when it was still fairly new. I wasn't going to run it though my insurance. The shop that Honda East recommended quoted me nearly $2,000. Mike's asked me first if I was doing a claim or not. He then walked me through the parts that they would re-use to save costs and explained what they did and why he felt they could be re-used. He also gave me a cash discount. The whole job wound up being $900, and he did a great job.

The second one was on a much nicer car to start with. I had a car that had about $17,000 in damage. The work was done through an insurance claim at Eastside Body Shop on Beechmont near the Anderson Town Center. It took a long time, and a trip back to tweak some things after all the work was done, but the car came out looking better than it did before the wreck. Two years after I bought that car, I was able to sell it for more than 90% of what I paid for it, even with disclosing the wreck because the work was so well done. They do a lot of high end work out there, and they take a lot of pride in it.

[chico]

Mt. Washington Motors. Brian Hindersman's a Xavier grad and runs the place. Good guy and very fair. They're in Newtown - 271-4118.

[boozehound]

Mt. Washington Motors. Brian Hindersman's a Xavier grad and runs the place. Good guy and very fair. They're in Newtown - 271-4118.

I second Mt Washington motors for any kind of body work. I wish that they were a full-fledged mechanic because if they were I would deal with them for everything.

[murray87]

Mt. Healthy Auto Repair on Compton Road has always treated me fairly. 522-9555.