Repair Shop Recommendations? (Seattle area)

[nessanater]

I just got a lovely 1985 4wd SR5 wagon that is in wonderful shape with 179k miles on it, but there are a few things it needs in the near future. I got a quote for some of these things from Firestone, but I feel like there must be a better shop out there, or maybe comparable and more reasonably priced. I'm also looking for a body shop to get some rust around the sunroof and minor little surface rust and dings in other places fixed as well. The repair list is:

New front tie rods
Replace valve cover gasket (leaking oil)
Get carburetor system checked out
Eventually replace axles
Transmission service (flush it out and refill I guess?)

Basically I'm just looking for a good place that is familiar with this car in the Seattle/Tukwila area. And as a sidenote to SynthDesign, I apologize for jumping on this car and getting it before you had a chance to look at it, but I loved it and it was perfect, so you'll just have to forgive me, you're still welcome to look at it, you just can't have it

Vanessa

[Petros]

welcome to the list!

looks like you have a nice ride there, great buy (post pictures!). Watch out for rip-offs, too many bad experiances with regular repair shops, that is why many of us do our own repairs. Many of the mechanics have never even seen a carburator, let alone know how to repair them.

Both synth and I can do these kind of repairs for you at much less than a repair shop, and both of us know this car very well. My schedule is pretty full right now so I not get to it for a month or so, but I can do all of these repairs for you in a single saturday. If synth is available I am sure he can help you out and he is closer to you than myself.

[deejay1272]

too many bad experiances with regular repair shops, that is why many of us do our own repairs.

A-men, brother. I used to be of the opinion that my '97 Civic was too complex for me to service on my own, but after learning a TON from the members on this list (and from the factory service manual - FSM --see top of page link), I have total confidence in my own abilities. I've discovered that many of my previous "fixes" weren't necessary at all! So be careful navigating the mechanic scene out there. These T4WDs are very simple and easy to learn on, so I encourage you to try a few thigns on your own, or connect up with Petros and/or Synth to get some first-hand exposure on how to service these little machines. You won't be disappointed.

BTW - welcome to the list. We'd love to see some photos of your new ride. (we all drooled over it when we spotted it on Craigslist a while back)

[dlb]

i notice in your profile info below your pic that it says stock except for a few things, including splash shield--does it have a custom metal skid plate instead?

[nessanater]

The front splash shield thing is from another car. The previous owner owned saw it at a salvage yard and picked it up, figuring it looked to be about the right size. It looks like it fits fine. It's regular plastic, but I guess it's shaped differently?

I'd love to learn how to work on this car myself. I've downloaded the service manual, but I'm not quite confident enough to actually start taking things apart yet. I think I would like to help when I do get some of the work done, so I can learn how it all goes together and what stuff is.

I'll post pictures soon. The interior is great, but in need of a thorough cleaning, so I'm going to do that first.

[dlb]

you can definitely learn to do a lot of work on this vehicle yourself. brakes, front end, fluid changes, misc. stuff like heater controls and stereos/speaker are all really straightforward and require minimal tools. once you have a few of those projects under your belt you might be more inclined to do some of the slightly more involved work, like carbs, timing belts, water pumps, etc. i started learning on this car about 3 years ago with virtually no experience and just did my first head gasket a few weeks ago so i'm sure anyone else can do it too.

[nessanater]

So I just decided to take it in to Lioe's Automotive on Beacon Hill in Seattle. They've always done a great job on other cars I've brought there, have really good prices, and are extremely honest. They are always super busy, which is a testament to their work, but is also I think the reason why they don't try to push a bunch of unnecessary repairs on you. They have enough actual problems to fix without inventing more.

They're doing the front tie rod ends (quoted half the price of Firestone), and the valve cover gasket. I'll let you know how it goes, and I'm looking forward to no more "clunk clunk clunk clunk clunk" when I turn. Next week I have to get the engine cleaned cause it's a mess after the ongoing oil leak from the valve cover. Then I hope to identify any other oil leaks.

[nessanater]

Lioe's is frickin awesome! I would recommend them to anyone in the Seattle area. They had a hard time finding the tie rod ends (their usual warehouse didn't have them), and called to let me know it would cost more than expected, but even after that, and getting the alve cover gasket done too, they were still cheaper than the quote I got from Firestone for just the tie rod ends replacement.

And to top it all off, when I picked my car up, the owner of the shop stopped me to tell me how much he loves these cars, that he has an '84 2wd one, and that he was one of these first mechanics for them when they came out. I think he used to work for Toyota, but I don't remember for sure. I told him about my transmission grinding a little as I go into 3rd, and he said he was familiar with that, and next time I get an oil change to remind them, and they'll put in a type that helps some.

They couldn't do the alignment, cause they're not set up for it, but I will definitely be going back anytime I need something done. Their shop is not the prettiest, and doesn't even have any parking, but they are amazing.