Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

I absolutely will not name any shops because I value the integrity of our little Delica-group and take into account that mechanics and office clerks are human and humans can make mistakes from time to time.

I'm not sure if there is any benefit to this post, other than to make Delica-owners more aware of the service they are receiving.

With that said, I've seen some odds things recently.

These are random owner's that I've come across in the past few months that have asked me or I have seen with my own eyes their issues with service at reputable Delica-specific shops.

Owner (A) takes Delica in to shop (Y) for sub-$100 job. Shop (Y) tells the owner that they need over $2,000 worth of work for certain mechanical parts that are either worn out or damaged. I see owner's Delica and it is plain as day obvious that those parts are either brand new or have been replaced in the past few months. Shop (Y) - misleading

Owner (C) takes Delica in to shop (X) for sub-$400 job. Shop (X) tells the owner that they do not need the sub-$400 job because said problem is not a problem. Instead the shop recommends to fix a potential problem over $1,500 worth of work. I see owner's Delica after the shop completes their work on the recommendation. Original problem that owner went in for turned out to be a major mechanical issue that caused them more grief and a roadside tow less than two weeks after the shop did their work. The 'recommended' work that the shop performed was in fact just routing maintenance that was already done by the previous owner and was clearly labeled on the fan shroud. Shop (X) - ignoring one issue and working on another that was completed by another shop prior.

I have a list of issues similar to the one's above. More than 12 individual one's to be exact over the past summer this year.

This really bothers me because the shops mentioned have excellent standing in the Delica/Pajero community.

As I said above, I will not name them because mistakes, misdiagnosing and errors happen. My opinion is that the owners were being misled, but I am a backyard mechanic therefore my opinion is really just an observation.

Just would like to advise owners that are having work done to visually view the before and after and ask the why questions.

As an owner, you are paying for a service/parts and it is your right to view the work that will be completed on your vehicle. Prior to and after.

I feel that all issues, problems, wonderful things, upgrades, anything Delica-related should be openly shared and accepted on this forum.

This is a site built, maintained and loved by Delica owners for Delica owners which is why I felt the need to post this.

Simple head's up.

X2

listen up, he is very wise in the ways JDM :)

For the record I agree with some of what Jesse has to say about shops based only on what I have read on here or heard from other members but I don`t have first hand experience.
Not to sound like the Devil's advocate but if you were take your vehicle for some work ( I know you are a backyard mechanic so you do most repairs yourself ) where would your #1 choice be? If you answer this you are not pointing the finger at the "bad shops" but are aknowledging a good shop and therefore the community can benifit from your recommendation.

What about setting up a garage rating board similar to the dealer/importer rating board? I think most people have found that board helpful and with the properly level of moderating it could be a valuable resource.

Love all the input jesse !!

However, most people are taking the vans to these shops not knowing how things work. Also not knowing if a part has been changed correctly or not having been changed at all........basically they would not know what to ask or what to look for.


I think it would be much more useful for the majority to get specific with parts.......shops......names......etc.

I know this would turn really ugly!!!! It is usually a better process to contact the shops first and see if they can rectify the situation.
If they are even aware that there is a situation.

I hate dealing with mechanic shops. The majority deserve the bad rep that auto repair shops have ,in my opinion. My wife has magically gone through 2 water pumps on her Mazda protege And that is from the Mazda dealer hosing her for $1000 tune-ups ! (before i came along that is ) The last one was when i first met her and it was driving just fine.


Basically i think you could do a full time business just being a rep for people who need work done .......there you go ! your new full time job, making sure we are not getting hosed when we take our vehicles in. You could do a before and after inspection for us for a nominal fee.

Well said IMO.

I don't think having a shop rating would work well on this board because of the small community it is along with the personal relationships people have with the shops.

Really, my post is pretty generic. Just ask what you can and look to see if the work in question is being done.

In retrospect, maybe a sticky of things that an average person can aquire and ask their shop to be a bit more plugged into the service process ?

Mistakes happen.

What a shop does after a mistake is recognized is what makes a good shop or a bad shop.

I think the ratings board is a good idea..........

We have an area where we can say lovely things about who does what to our little darling deli's.....

I have also left a message or two when it's gone very pear shaped............

I think it important to know who can be trusted to do a good job...............

There are no excuses sometimes..............

A Kudos board to a job or service well done would work and serve the purpose. If you see 10 posts about the good service a shop provided then you have a good chance that you will get that same good service. If you don't see the shop you are looking ats name on the post, well maybe it is time for a little research for dropping the keys in the slot.

I find that when you go to a shop and you mention the fact that you heard from someone that has used that shop that they provide good service, then usually that service is good anyway. It is a vibe you create.

If there are hardcore rip off artists out there soaking the good Delica owners out there I do not believe that they should be protected by the need to be politically correct. However I do belive that it is the customers responsibilty to seek out the corrective action for poor service, unless you are out of line with your request I have found that 8 out 10 shops would accomodate.

My two cents......thanks for starting this one!

x2 on what Ronin39 said:

Not to sound like the Devil's advocate but if you were take your vehicle for some work ( I know you are a backyard mechanic so you do most repairs yourself ) where would your #1 choice be?

Appreciate the reasons not to point fingers, but I'm sure a lot of people would be very interested in hearing who, if anyone, you could endorse.

Whether or not you feel you can answer that, thanks for the initial post.

As far as mechanic ratings go...
A) The information is pretty much available in existing threads; it could certainly be cleaned up though, and I'm sure a consolidated thread or section with links to existing threads would be of use...
B) Jfarsang is talking about "reputable Delica-specific shops"; these shops are reputable due to the existing forum, plus word of mouth. Seems unlikely to me that a more structured rating system would have produced a different result.

I do have a preference.

I refer everyone I know to Mardy (Amazing Auto Imports) both as potential owners, for service and for parts.

Mardy may not be as efficient as a multi-person/mechanic shop, but that is easily shadowed by his 100% honest and trustworthy business ethics.

I've been around in this JDM/Delica-esk era long enough to notice little things both good and bad.

With Mardy it's all good. If there was three or four Mardy copies working together, I believe they would be able to service 99% of Delica's around the lower mainland/island area.

If we are talking mechanic shops and not parts suppliers then I would have to say CVI is as good and honest as they come. Butch and Edwin are both very knowledgable and helpful. As somebody already said, it is how a shop recovers from their faults that seperates them. No one is perfect, but they make an effort to be as close as they can. My 2 thumbs up for CVI!

I also have to agree about CVI. I really like Edwins Tshirt. It says "Quality depends on me"