D & K MECHANICS EXTRAORDINAIRE

Staying in good physical condition seems to come naturally for some people, but most of us need to work at it through exercise, a healthy diet, regular medical checkups, and treatment when necessary.

The same can be said about cars. They need a certain amount of exercise to stay in condition, the right kind of fuel, regular checkups and at times engine repair or body work.

For help in keeping our cars healthy over the past 20 years Anita and I have relied primarily on D & K Auto, which is on Bellaire just west of the entrance to I-71. The D stands for Doug and the K for Ken, owners of the place. Had they not been recommended by an acquaintance who knows a great deal about cars, we would not have given their unpretentious establishment a second glance. Doug and Ken aren’t concerned about appearances, but they are concerned about exceptional performance in automotive work. I don’t think they care whether they are working on a brand new car or an older car that has seen better days. Every car gets high quality work at a reasonable price.

We should point out that Doug and Ken prefer to work on American cars. They will work on foreign made cars, however, only if they have the right equipment to repair them. Doug told us that some foreign cars require parts that low budget repair shops like D & K do not carry. They tell owners of foreign cars where they can go to get the right equipment and the right service.

Finding a place to park in the D & K lot is sometimes a challenge. Clients who drop off their cars before the shop opens at 8:OO AM drop their keys with some identification through a slot in the entrance door. Those who arrive later are greeted by a three-legged cat that inspects them from her perch on Ken’s desk. Ken calls her Peggy, which he shortened from Peg-Leg, the name he originally gave her but changed when he considered the name might hurt her feelings. When we were in the shop recently, Ken took out a box of individually wrapped cat delights and lovingly asked, “What would you like this morning, Peggy? Shrimp? Does that sound good?” When Peggy seemed to agree, he unwrapped the container, stirred the contents and placed it on what appeared to be Peggy’s dining quarters, a box near Ken’s desk.

Peggy entered the D & K partnership a year or so ago when Doug, Ken, or Tony, the third member of the shop team, found her with her leg caught in a mousetrap. They extricated her and took her to a vet, who had to amputate part of the leg.

In addition to Peggy’s dining area in the tiny office adjacent to the repair area are several pieces of greasy equipment, discarded engine parts alongside boxes of shiny new parts, yellowed photos scotch-taped to shelves that hold auto part books, a coffee maker, electronic equipment, and on the highest shelf a scraggly little Christmas tree that seems to be waiting for its once-a-year dusting and decorating.

Doug, Ken, and Tony are not only expert mechanics; they are totally honest mechanics who take deep pride in their work. Early in our acquaintance with them the antenna on a Chevy that had outlived the warranty needed to be replaced. After the shock of the dealer’s cost we went to D & K, who replaced the antenna with a used one at less than half the dealer’s estimate.

On another occasion the D & K team thought it best to try a conservative approach to a problem with the ten-year-old car we were driving rather than go for a more expensive repair. When we took out the checkbook Ken said, “Drive it for a week. If you don’t have a problem by then, the repair worked. You can pay us then.” It worked and we paid at quite a saving.

The last time we visited the shop Ken told us that he, Doug and Tony find they can’t do what they once did when they were all young. That might be true, but what their business reflects is valuable experience and the pride they have earned by giving excellent service for more than twenty years.

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