When you don’t know a carburetor from a gas cap, you are at the mercy of whoever it is that works on your car. Many auto repair shops, especially those at the major dealerships, work on set fees and commissions, so it’s in their interest to find things wrong with your car, or things that might go wrong.
There is only one shop I trust implicitly when my car needs attention, and that’s Finley’s Service Center on Barracks Road. I have known Mark and his dad, Malcolm, who passed away not long ago, for over 30 years. Mark has worked on all my cars and has saved me a pile of money.
With Mark, I drop the car off and say, “Fix it!” and he does. His fees are always fair and reasonable, and he gets it done correctly the first time.
I own a Jeep Liberty with a 6-speed manual transmission, and I love it. It’s a blast to drive. With these cars, there’s usually only one thing can go wrong, and that’s an occasional clutch. They can wear out. Naturally, within a few months, my clutch bit the dust. I called Mark, he had it towed in and a few days later my car was as good as new and – check this – the final repair bill was less than his original guesstimate. How many times will that happen at a repair shop?
It’s refreshing to know that there are honest, reliable people out there doing auto repair. If you need such a person, call Mark at (434) 295-0395. His address is 2161 Barracks Rd, Charlottesville.