Lost my indie

[300sdToronto]

I'm in mourning here - my Indie, Janke Autotech here in Vernon, BC is closing down suddenly. He's a great mechanic with excellent skills on both old and newer MB's, Audis and the like.

I spoke to him today and in a relatively small town he simply can't make a go of it, especially during the winter months. For 3 years in a row the business has ended up losing money.

This is a real blow to me as there are some jobs I simply don't have the skills, tools or especially the time, to tackle on my own - things like suspension work, more complex brake work or wheel bearings for example. Kinda throws a cloud over Mercedes ownership for me.

[foolio]

Maybe a good time to stock up on some cheap tools? Hate to see a good Indy fail though.

[t walgamuth]

Sorry to hear that.

I'd be a sad puppy if my favorite went away!

[300sdToronto]

Yeah, it's the more complex jobs that have me worried. Especially around the 380SL. It needs a new torque converter seal in the tranny, a new rear crank seal in the engine, flex disk and front brake flex lines.

Brake lines and flex disk I can probably tackle OK - it's just a case of fighting rust more than anything else I imagine - but the engine and tranny seals have me scared.

The old SD just keeps on going and I can handle most routine jobs on her OK. Problem is she's a daily driver for me and as you well know, sometimes you just need something fixed right NOW

[Diesel911]

Maybe with out the Shop Rent to pay he will be able to earn enough by working on his own without the Shop.

[300sdToronto]

He's off to the oil patch in northern Alberta to make some real money ....