where is the section listing recommended repair shops by region? One poster said it had been moved to General Discussions, but it’s not there.

The shop lists are in the Sticky threads at the top of the Regional Forums.

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78 W116 300SD 'Desert Rose' new as of 01/26/2014
79 W116 300SD 'Stormcloud' RIP 04/11/2022

Where you at doofus?

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Jim

/\ /\. This. 🤪

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1981 240D Four on the floor, Orient Red over Parchment, bought with 154,000 but it's a daily driver and up to 180,000 miles, mostly original paint and all original interior.

I save a ton of money with my mobile mechanic. But find a good one. My guy is just a generalist, he works on all cars, but he's very good. Can't do everything and when he gets to something that is above what he can do he lets me know. They're about 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of taking it to a shop.

Does your guy have a business license , tax number , liability insurance and , in some states , mechanic license?

Long Island, NY (Nassau county)

I found the post/s, they were in “Regional Forums”

Who cares?

When you go to shop at Walmart, do you ask them if they have a tax number? Do you ask if they are licensed? When you eat at a restaurant, do you ask about their tax number? No. What he does, is his business. I can't control the world.

That said, regarding liability insurance, I don't know. That's a good question in case he's fixing something small but breaks something big. But he can fix most anything. He has inadvertently broke something once (or twice) as all mechanics eventually do but he's fixed it.

You better care. If he is operating without insurance, causes your car to catch fire and takes your house with it, your insurance might not cover your losses. Ask your agent if acts caused by an uninsured mobile mechanic are covered by your home owners insurance.

Does he have a helper? If so and said helper gets hurt, you make be held liable same as if you hired an unlicensed home improvement contractor whose helper gets hurt.


Businesses are required to post their tax collection certificate in a public place to show they are authorized to collect taxes.

Would you want to see the license of a doctor / lawyer / accountant / roofer ?

Does he list tax _separately_ on the receipt? If he is collecting tax without a tax collection certificate / not submitting it to the state, he is ripping you off. If he isn't collecting tax, you can be assured he is a non licensed / insured business.

Would you buy a car from a car flipper who is selling " his uncles car " ?

Garage keepers liability covers large losses / if he crashes your car into someone while test driving it not that he broke a $ 100 part. Ask your car insurance agent if your policy will pay others losses if an uninsured mobile mechanic crashes your car. Do you really want to be held personally liable for damages he caused?

How about if he does something that causes a total loss of your car? Are you going to take him to court to recover damages that he might not have the assets to cover?

To quote your prior post. " They're about 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of taking it to a shop. " There is too much of a price gap between a fixed shop and the mobile guy for him to be an actual business. But hey, this is the diesel list after all.

Like I said, with respect to liability insurance, that is important in case of some once-in-a-millenium strange blue moon that something weird happens. Would my homeowner's insurance cover my house if he caught it on fire? Would they cover it if an asteroid from outer space hit it? Who knows? He works on the car in the driveway 20 feet from the house. It's a diesel. How many diesels do you know that have caught on fire by a mechanic who was working on them? Answer: Probably zero. You're worried about things that could happen, but then again, it's just as likely that I'm going to win $1 billion in the next lottery.

My guy is not collecting sales tax.

With respect to a business license.....who cares? What is his business license going to do for me? Nothing. If you have enough money to be picky to see who has a license or not, take your car to a regular shop and be done. Of course you're paying 4x more than I am. But make sure they have a license hanging up on the wall. After all, you're paying to see it! And you're paying for their building rent. And the manager's salary. And their utility bills.

For me, I just need my car fixed. He's been my mechanic for probably 7 years now. He's better than most of the mechanics who I used to go to in shops and he comes to me. I can sit in the comfort of my home. Enjoy sitting in the hard chairs in a waiting room. You paid for them!

get it to scotty kilmer he is one of the best vets around.

NNNNOOOOOoooo. Scotty is an absolute hack telling those with minimal skills what they want to hear. ( All shops are evil, never buy a newer car , you can fix anything with tape. )

He claims to be an " Emmy Award-Winning Car Care Expert " but if you search

https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=scotty+kilmer&submit=Search&field_celebrity_details_field_display_name=&field_show_details_field_nominee_show_nr_title=&field_show_details_field_network=All&field_show_details_field_production_company=All&field_nominations_year%5Bmin%5D=&field_nominations_year%5Bmax%5D=&field_nominations_year_op=%3E%3D&field_nominations_year%5Bvalue%5D=1949-01-01&field_nominations_year_1%5Bmin%5D=&field_nominations_year_1%5Bmax%5D=&field_nominations_year_1_op=%3C%3D&field_nominations_year_1%5Bvalue%5D=2019-01-01&field_award_category=All

Nothing turns up. From what I recall this " award " was when he was on a local TV show in the 90's and the show won some sort of minor award. ( Think Wayne's World . )

Here is a thread you should read. Pay attention to my very detailed posts there. https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/398615-brake-rotor-mystery.html


Have a look at these two vids and justify how Scotty is one of the best vets around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPJ64sTa7KI
The Worst Luxury Car (Mercedes Benz)

While the link to the 2nd vid is dead, he had a vid about using a compression fitting on a brake line. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dImGdAWPzoI ) He showed the package and it said " not for use on automotive braking systems " right on the front. This isn't an oops mistake, it is a sign of being an experienced hack .

But wait, the internet if forever, be sure to read the entire story and try to defend him.

https://jalopnik.com/this-emmy-award-winning-youtube-mechanic-is-full-of-shi-1696524549

Scotty trashed this one Mercedes Benz, I think an S550 nonetheless! He goes on about "yeah it's a really smooth car, and it's really quiet, and it drives great .....but the struts are $1,000 each".

ALERT THE MEDIA!! Mercedes Benz's are not cheap cars. Who knew? And the S550 is a 5,000 pound car that moves like a Porsche! So yes, if you want a top of the line car, you're going to pay for it!

Take a look at Scotty's videos. He lives like a total yahoo. His house is a mess. His garage is a mess. He's a SLOB. He's likes "CHEAP". He's HAPPY in a CHEAP car. If the car wobbles and has noises as you drive, he doesn't even notice them. The fact that if you wreck and have no legs left in a small are of no concern to him; the big thing is you got better MPG.

If you have enough personal skill to establish. A shade tree or mobile mechanic does decent work. Most jobs on almost all cars are run of the mill. Paying a lot more guarantees you nothing. Except a much thinner wallet.

If they are flying partially or totally under the radar Is at their risk. I know of one good mechanic. That decided to work for himself. The shop rate where he worked was perhaps 130.00 an hour. He charges about ten dollars more per hour than he would have got paid from his employer. Plus he gets the markup on parts.

He seems to be both doing well and is perhaps even happier. He also seems pretty honest and does not charge all the nickel and dime add ons most shops are doing today. Except they are not pocket change anymore.

I repair almost all my own things. On some jobs as I age I may use him.