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Mechanics in Metro Detroit?

5K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  YoGeorge 
#1 ·
I need a mechanic as my 2000 Forester S is throwing a catalytic system problem. I'm guessing it's the cat but might be the o2, who knows. It would also be nice to have someone to go to. I recently moved to Detroit as a teacher, dealers are a bit rich for my means.

Really appreciate it. (or should I go to a muffler shop to patch on another one? if so, a suggestion would do wonders still.)

Acquired last year from someone in texas who had it meticulously cared for by the dealer and kept in a garage between trips to and from work. Looks practically new, bit of a time machine, had head gasket replaced back when back they was the leakage recall and everything.

I put this as a post in the who has a forester in michigan thread, hope that doesn't count as a repost. Cheers all.
 
#2 ·
Subaru Shop

The only dedicated Subaru private shop that I'm aware of in Michigan is located in Roseush, about 9 miles North of Mount Pleasant, MI. I believe that he repairs, rebuilds & sells Subaru's. The number there is: (989) 433-5862. I've spoken with him a time or two because I was thinking of buying a used Forester for my daughter. Rosebush would be a long distance from Detroit but he may have information on Detroit shops.
 
#7 ·
Hi there:

Detroit is home of the Big 3 so it has been generally harder to get good import car service in the area (and I have been driving foreign cars on and off since 1970 in the Detroit area).

I have pretty much used my dealer, Hodges Subaru, and they know me and treat me well. They are definitely the "cool" Subaru dealer in town, are Subaru only. Their parts guy used to hang on this page and gave great deals thru the mail and in person, but he moved on.

There are a couple independent shops--one is Swan Import Auto in St Clair Shores. They are a family operation that brings in non-rusted Volvos from down south and sells/services them, but they have branched into Subarus over the last 5 years or so. They have been in biz for a while so that is a good sign. I have stopped and looked at their used cars a couple times but not connected personally. I think they just opened a repair-only facility on E 9 mile but you should be able to Google them.

More of a midtown spot is Quality Foreign Car Repair in Berkley. A guy I worked with had some good experiences there some years ago but again I have no personal experience. Their online reviews look good on a quick look.

A wonderful mechanic that I used as long ago as 1975 is Perrino's Auto Repair on McNichols in Detroit. Last experience with him was in the mid-1990's when I was trying to get a new engine for my son's friend's airhead mom who blew up a Corolla engine. He was importing Japanese engines and gave a great price but the airhead mom did not get the car fixed. The neighborhood is now so bad that I would not go there, and I grew up within a few miles of the place and lived less than a mile away in the 70's. Not sure if he is still in biz. Couple brothers who used to be the svc department for an old Fiat dealer... Seems like they should have retired by now unless they have a son who took over but again, dangerous area (aka 48205, most dangerous zip in the USA, where I grew up).

Good luck finding what you need,
George
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the detailed note YoGeorge
I called Hodges but they were super rude on the phone and the mech kept saying it will be very very expensive without giving me anything else so I left it at that. I mean it's a 2000 and it's been maintained by the dealer until this year when we got it, and it is not showing much apart from the cat error, i'm not sure if I want to drop 1500 on a 17yr old car, esp since many report that the error comes back, and that for them the cat was fine emissions wise. Of course it would be nice if it was someone who had experience with the issue and could test the o2 sensors to make sense of it. Im only a few miles from 48205 though i'd be very surprised if an import shop survived here. Ill check swan import and maybe just end up with a muffler shop to put in a new front o2 since it seems ever so slightly sooty, reset and go from there and patch in a new cat or bolt on aftermarket if need be.
 
#9 ·
For all y'all in the future:
I was really pleased with Quality Foreign Car Service. Wayne knows what he is doing, and while is not the cheapest per hour, he will not try to sell you random parts and repairs. They are detail oriented and will make sure that the car stands up to their expectations before handing over it to you. They even found a missing bolt on an engine fastener (dealer forgot to put it on after HG is our guess) after noticing a squeak that we had not earlier and went hunting for it.

3282 Coolidge Hwy, Berkley, MI 48072
 
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