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Story by Richard Parks, photos by Roger Rohrdanz
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Many people like the repair shops at the large auto dealerships, especially when their cars are new and the warranty still in force. Others prefer the smaller and more comfortable local garages in their communities, especially as their cars age and the warranties end. One such garage is T.C. Auto, in Huntington Beach. I found the owner, Mike Siddiq and his employees to be extremely friendly and ready to answer any of my questions. The office is small but very clean. If you prefer to wait, Mike and his charming wife, Peggy, will offer you coffee, cookies and a cake right from the bakery. There are 5 bookcases filled with interesting books that they call their lending library.
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There are magazines, newspapers and a TV for your use. The restroom is very clean and convenient. T.C. Auto has been in the area for 17 years, and their mechanics for almost as long. Mike and Peggy are very friendly, and encourage their customers to read and borrow from a most impressive library, or talk to them about current events or other topics. Before you know it the time passes quickly and your car is ready.
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The shop has 9 bays and hoists and 5 mechanics and they work very fast and efficiently. The garage is very clean. One mechanic does nothing except oil changes and constant cleaning of the premises. He also will pick you up, or drop you off at your home as you wait for your car. They are a full service garage and can repair domestic, foreign, vintage and classic cars. They have repair manuals for all vehicles on computer and can access your car’s warranty and repair history in seconds. They have the latest diagnostic tools to tell you what is the matter with your car instantly. They showed me the DRB III scanner (Chrysler cars), Vetronix Master Tech scanner (GM, Acura, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, Kia
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and Hyundai cars), Fluke 98, OCT Genysis Reprogram scanner (GM), NGS scanner (Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda), and VeDis scanner (European, Mitsubishi, and Nissan). Rick Blair, one of the master mechanics showed me how he plugged in the scanner and diagnosed the trouble in seconds. Then he went to the computer, ordered up the Hyundai list of suggested repairs for the age of my car, and gave me an estimate in almost no time at all. If you get there in the morning they can have the parts delivered and finish the job by that afternoon. Blair told me that 95% of all repair jobs are done within the same day.
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Mike and Peggy say that they only buy OEM parts. That stands for Original Equipment Manufacturers, and means that my Hyundai will only get Hyundai parts and no other generic brand. They have a huge parking lot and they don’t charge for storage unless a car has been abandoned. I saw cars come in and out at a fast pace, including hard to work on classics, sports cars and hot rods. “There are few surprises for us,” said Mike. The repair bill was quite reasonable, and as Mike told us, “there are few surprises” in store. What you see is what you get at local garages. Unlike the chains that guarantee you an oil change for $9.95, and then send you home with repairs that you did not go in for, the garages will always give you a fair and up front estimate. There are no gimmicks. If you don’t want to have your repairs done there, they will refer you to another repair shop of your choice. After I paid the bill and picked up my keys, I remained for a while and talked to Mike and Peggy, and found it hard to leave. They make it that easy and pleasant for the customer. T.C. Auto can be reached through [email protected]
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