Diamond in the Engine

At first glance, the small one-man garage nestled quietly in a corner of Spring Valley doesn't seem that noteworthy. However, a closer look at the shop and the mechanic that runs it reveals a level of dedication rarely seen in an auto mechanic these days.

I stumbled across John Sadler's Auto Repair quite by accident. I was having a strange problem with my car idling excessively rough, preventing a successful smog test. I first took my car in to Firestone, who had provided me with minor repairs in the past. After a day's worth of diagnostics, I was informed that they would have to essentially replace my entire exhaust system - an estimated $2,300 repair bill, which "will get us closer to the problem" the mechanic told me.

A few weeks and a 401K loan later, I was just about ready to have my car serviced, when my alternator died. Since I wasn't able to drive it very far, I did a search on the internet for the absolute closest garage to me, which turned out to be Mr. Sadler's establishment.

I was greeted by a very cheerful John Sadler, who made sure I was as comfortable as possible. The waiting area was clean, refreshments were available, and the walls were littered with children's drawings; the doodles of kids that had handed their artwork over to John for display.

The best word to describe my experience there is: comfortable. His level of detail and the pride he took in his work made me extremely comfortable - which is a rare trait for a customer to have in an auto mechanic. He walked me through the process of the repair, showed me the oscilloscope readout the old alternator was providing, and talked to me about prevention of future problems. I was so impressed with his work and his commitment that I decided to have him provide a second opinion on my original problem.

When he got back to me, he provided me with a detailed outline of exactly what the problem was: a faulty gasket which was causing a vacuum leak at my fourth cylinder. Even better was that his estimate was less than half of what Firestone wanted to charge me... and they wouldn't have come close to touching the actual problem.

I suppose that describes John Sadler's Auto Repair in a nutshell: he doesn't just replace parts, he fixes problems. Not only that, but he gave me tips and a phone number to call to get a refund on the $85.00 I had spent at Firestone for diagnostics.

My car is running perfectly, I passed smog, my wallet gave me a great big hug, and best of all... I walked away from a major car repair without that little voice in my head suggesting I just got ripped off. Trust in an auto mechanic is something that is all but unheard of these days... so much the better that there are people like John Sadler out there; people that take pride in their work and joy in their customer's satisfaction.

John Sadler's Auto Repair is located at 609 Felicita Ave., Spring Valley, CA. Please call ahead to make an appointment: (619) 464-6088.