How To Find An Honest Mechanic In Los Angeles
February 11, 2010
Muscle cars, though still popular, are not what they were when I was a teen in the early 1970′s. That is when I first began racing them. I was only 15 and was behind the wheel of a monster Ford Torino four speed 8 cylinder with Headman headers and dual exhaust. Gas was cheaper than candy. I was hell on wheels, so I thought.
Sunday was race day, and every weekday and Saturdays, those of us who raced spent most of the time tweaking our engines, when we weren’t playing a lousy version of “House Of The Rising Sun” in our garage with our very bad bands. I would head outside my hometown of Hattiesburg, Ms and race that Torino down the quarter-mile track at Hub City Raceway. I’ll never forget their radio ads with the announcer yelling “Sunday, Sunday, Sundayyyyyyyyyyyy!”, with each Sunday getting louder and louder.
Never did a race go by that the conversation did not turn to “Who was the best mechanic in town”. Since that time, I sold or wrecked and/or rebuilt about seven other race cars, probably my fastest being white Pontiac Tras-Am with a 454 cubic inch engine in it. It was the second year they came out and Pontiac only made them in that color. I collected trophies and bet I had hundreds hidden in my closet. I could not showcase them as it was my secret from my parents.
The days of my teens seems like a thousand years ago. But as much as things change, some remain the same. One is finding an honest and capable mechanic, not easy in L.A. or any city for that matter. I found him last week. It was like a miracle when my clutch broke.
I drove 3000 miles in this economy car with no problems and the moment I entered L.A. County, all hell broke loose. When the clutch goes out on a four speed, you know why cell phones were invented, and you hope and pray you are not on or crossing a major street.
It was towed to a man of whom I’d never heard, named Vladimir Morsach, a Russian Immigrant who had learned American cars while here. And learned them well. He knew exactly what the problem was and quoted me $200 cheaper than the mechanic on the other side of town, in Woodland Hills where the car stood for several hours.
Vlad called the next day and the car was ready.
I went to Vlad’s, drove the car around the parking lot, and it drove fine. I still had my out of state checks as I’d just moved from Arkansas, and since there had been some unauthorized charges on my Mastercard, I had canceled it and could not use it. He had to take my word that the check was good. Vlad had no problem with that. I was astounded.
So ironically, the best mechanic, at least my choice, in America, is not even a native-born American. But don’t let that fool you. He fixed it as professionally and courteously as anyone with which you could hope to deal.
Vlad also said, “If there was anything else wrong with the car, he would let me know before fixing it. I thought “Uh oh…what is coming next”, based on my experience with so many mechanics with which I’d worked in the past. He called me again to let me know it was only the clutch. Now that is honesty, and certainly worth driving a few miles (or in my case having it towed, to get it fixed better, cheaper, and from a very nice person, Vladimir Morsach). I am so glad Vlad chose America as his new homeland. So are a lot of happy car owners, I can guarantee that.
Note: Vlad’s shop is at 18440 Vanowen Ave, Reseda, Ca in the Valley. His phone is 818-719-8610. He’s great to talk to also. Sounds like I’m gushing, I know, but have never had such a positive experience with an auto mechanic.
In the process of writing this piece, some news came to me about Vlad that I found interesting so decided to add it as a footnote. he is a mechanical engineer, went to the one of the best University’s in Russia and had many years of experience working with cars from every continent. Vlad is not in good terms with languages, so he feels, but I understood him very well. But he believes he can’t learn English and states that he’d better do what he knows best and it is repairing cars, remodeling, and more… For him, it is NOT just about cars, it is about his passion, but mostly: his honesty and integrity. He guarantees his work for one year and if your car is NOT working properly and has same problem he will repair it for free.
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