Well, just about everything in our marvelous new neighborhood is convenient, but in this case I am talking about the mechanic. We finally went and met them properly yesterday, by having our brake pads replaced.
We ran a few errands yesterday, the principal of which was to go to Auto Zone to get prices for brake pads (balatas de frenos) for the Explorer. I felt confident that the mechanics were honest men, but the most car work we have had done here is an oil change, and we wanted to have a good idea of what parts should cost. The least expensive brake pads were $249.99 a pair. Auto Zone even printed out a slip for us with the prices of all the available brands for us to take with us, which I thought was pretty cool.
When we got home, we parked in the street in front of our house and walked the few doors down to the mechanic's shop. I walked up to the mechanic who went spider chasing for me and said, "Por favor, chequar mis frenos."
He looked dumbstruck, which was funny but understandable. Let's face it. My last attempt to communicate with him was not one of my shining moments, and he probably had no idea I could actually speak coherently. For my part, I was pretty proud I didn't have to look up a single word. Not even brakes.
He took a second to recover by verifying what I said, "¿Frenos?"
"Si. Frenos."
He gestured to another mechanic in the garage, giving him a look like "Well, you heard her. Go." So we went outside, and the mechanic started asking us questions: Have we checked our brake fluid? Are all the lines good? He took the keys, popped the hood, and started to check all of these things for himself. I realized I was going to have to get more specific, which was a little of a problem.
I can say listen, but not hear, noise, or sound. I can say front, but not rear. So I ended up doing the same thing I did when I went to the mechanic in the US, I pointed at the rear wheel and made squeaking noises. So dignified.
The mechanic immediately understood me, and he went to work. Here is the best part: we went into our house and went about our regular business. No waiting around. No trying to figure out how to drop off the car. Just go inside. How fabulous!
It wasn't very long before the mechanic was ringing the bell. We both went outside to see what was up. He had both wheels and rotors off. The rotors were a touch grooved. (Note to Dad: Those brake pads must've had the smallest tattlers ever, because we didn't drive very long on them after they started making noise. Maybe ten miles total. I swear. I wasn't being irresponsible.) The rotors had to be turned.
I thought here it comes. Here is the big price. I know the absolute cheapest I've been able to get a rotor turned for in the US is $50. I asked him how much. He hesitantly replied $120 per rotor (about $9USD). He also said the labor per wheel was going to be $100 (about $7.50USD). When I asked him how much the brake pads were going to cost, he said he would have to call to get a price. Then he pulled a few pesos out of his pocket and walked down to the pay phone on the corner. Life here still surprises me.
He came back and told us that the brake pads would be $350 for both pairs – much less than the $500 from Auto Zone. We asked him to please get the parts and do the work. He needed the money for the parts and the rotors up front. We gave him $590 and – drum roll please – went back into our house.
It seemed like I barely had time to get a cold drink and sit down at my desk before he was ringing the doorbell again. The rotors were already turned and he had the brake pads. He wanted us to see the quality of work on the rotors – which I have to say was some of the best I have ever seen – and see that the brake pads were indeed the correct ones and brand new. After we approved the parts he went back to work and we went back inside.
The mechanic works really fast. I had just got settled at my desk and back to work when the doorbell rang again. He was done. He told us the balance we owed was $200 for labor, plus whatever tip we felt was appropriate. We gave him $250, bringing the total for the repairs to $840 (about $63USD).
Every day we find new reasons to love where we live, and convenience continues to be at the top of the list. Being able to go inside my own house to wait for my car to be repaired was one of the most luxurious experiences I have ever had. These guys worked so fast that waiting would not have been a huge inconvenience by any means (the whole thing took maybe an hour). Still, being home is great.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jennifer - Oh No!Has the new little red streak gotten dents already? That's terrible. I haven't had the courage to ask them if they know anyone yet, but the consensus among my car friends seems to be that everyone good has gone out of business. Maybe you can discover the next great dent guy
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|200.92.82.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s santiagoGo figure! It all began with a terrifed LADY from Texas afraid of one almost small SPIDER.
Gotta Love it....Mazatlan.
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferAlmost small?!? It was nightmare inducing huge! And, yeah, those guys are heroes all around.
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|189.174.180.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s bstoryThe starter motor on our van died a couple of years ago. I called our mechanic & asked him for the phone number of a tow truck. He wanted to know why I needed a tow truck. I explained that the starter motor died & we needed to have the van towed to his shop to be repaired. He said we didn't need a tow truck & that he would be by our casa soon. Twenty minutes later he shows up on his motor scooter, crawled under the van & removed the starter. He then informed me that he had to go get some parts & would be right back. Said he needed 250 pesos for parts. Gave him the dineros, expecting him to return in 2 or 3 hours. He was back in 30 minutes! After about 30 minutes more the starter was back in place & the van was starting with no probemlas.
Total cost 450 pesos.....Only in Mazatlan!!!!
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferThat's right, Bob. Only in Mazatlan. I love it here. Good to know that people who don't live next door to a mechanic can get the same kind of service
Maybe you can post your guy's info here in case anyone else needs him?
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|Registered |m-d-Y H:i:s zoesteroneI went back and read one of your old blogs about the spider and I tell ya, Jennifer, I can't get that thing out of my mind! Give me a snake, a scorpion, a cockroach, but a large hairy spider that can jump and travel freaks me out! I dream about the darned thing although I haven't yet seen one spider in my house yet. I even googled tropical spiders to see what it might have been. I think I will start looking around for a "spider hunter" for that time my husband might not be home. ha!
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jenniferA spider hunter is really a must, but really, the big ugly things aren't all that common. I do highly recommend having your property sprayed regularly, though.
Google "rabid wolf spider". I am not positive that's what is was, but some of the pictures look dead on. I didn't do an extensive search though. I couldn't stand looking at picture after picture of creepy crawlies.
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