Ontario Mechanics
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 5:44 pm
When I moved here last year I had a HELL of a time finding someone that I could trust fiddling around on the van since I no longer had a place to do it. If this gets moved to another forum then so be it but I figured it would be helpful for any of us traveling around Ontario or for new folks moving here! Whether it's some rinky shop or a dealer, I found that people were either excited to work on it or wanted nothing to do with it. So, how about a dealer review and generally helpful folks thread for Ontario? Insurance help would fall under this category as well, as we know it's a touch tricky.
I just picked my van up from RightDrive, Right Drive? whichever, in Toronto. They were only supposed to have it overnight but due to a couple of mislabeled parts it turned into a Thursday to Wednesday job
. Thankfully they actually provided me with a free of charge loaner car the entire time! The work so far seems good, a couple things were done that I'm not sure were strictly necessary, but at least now they're new. I had all my fluids (except ATF) changed and flushed as well as new filters all around, new primer pump, glow plugs, thermostat, valve cover gasket, front sway bar and tie rod bushings, and a manual glow plug switch since I cannot always plug it in overnight in the winter. Total cost was about $1700. Majority of that was parts. Service was excellent, the service manager does his best to help you out, he does try and up-sell things but hey, that's his job. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. I've dealt with Craig from Bonsai Rides as well, also very helpful, especially when it comes to pointing you in the right direction for insurance. There is also a mechanic named Clint at the Crappy Tire in Uxbridge, he's worked on my van a few times, a friend of the family and not your typical crap tire service mechanic at all, just in case anyone ever gets stuck there!
Anyways, I hope this helps someone in the future! If you have an import in Ontario and have had good dealings with a shop, let everyone know! What if we get stranded in the same town one day?!
I just picked my van up from RightDrive, Right Drive? whichever, in Toronto. They were only supposed to have it overnight but due to a couple of mislabeled parts it turned into a Thursday to Wednesday job
. Thankfully they actually provided me with a free of charge loaner car the entire time! The work so far seems good, a couple things were done that I'm not sure were strictly necessary, but at least now they're new. I had all my fluids (except ATF) changed and flushed as well as new filters all around, new primer pump, glow plugs, thermostat, valve cover gasket, front sway bar and tie rod bushings, and a manual glow plug switch since I cannot always plug it in overnight in the winter. Total cost was about $1700. Majority of that was parts. Service was excellent, the service manager does his best to help you out, he does try and up-sell things but hey, that's his job. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. I've dealt with Craig from Bonsai Rides as well, also very helpful, especially when it comes to pointing you in the right direction for insurance. There is also a mechanic named Clint at the Crappy Tire in Uxbridge, he's worked on my van a few times, a friend of the family and not your typical crap tire service mechanic at all, just in case anyone ever gets stuck there!Anyways, I hope this helps someone in the future! If you have an import in Ontario and have had good dealings with a shop, let everyone know! What if we get stranded in the same town one day?!