Mike and His Mechanics

Just beyond the border of Mississippi and the final stretch along I-12 toward I-55 there’s a little town of Hammond, Louisiana. From what I could tell, it’s not much of place of action but it was at that point in the trip that a long than wanted stop found the first full day of driving seeking some assistance with the car because the engine light had displayed on the dashboard. The Camry was running and riding fine but the need was still there to find out what might affect the journey to the north.

I quickly found a local auto supply store whose attendant routed me to an AutoZone where they were able to do a diagnostic check. Almost in the snap of a finger, the woman identified the problem to be the “oxygen sensor before the catalytic converter”. I quickly made a silent inquiry to myself as to whether there may other oxygen sensors branching from the converter – maybe after, under, over? Of course, I had no idea so the question was never verbalized. It was a silly thought and a pointless idea but it momentarily distracted my attention from the immediate problem.

The lady was pleasant enough but her insistence that it be checked out further by a qualified mechanic to avoid other problems (such as poor gas mileage) gave a bit more concern as to where I could take the car since it was a Sunday afternoon. A Toyota dealership had been seen on the way about town but it wasn’t open for business and I began to wonder if the night was about to be spent where I didn’t want to dawdle. She suggested K-Mart automotive could handle the job. Wrong.

Hammond, LA, is quite small - about 18,000 people according to Rand McNally but the directions seemed vague and confusing. I couldn’t believe it but I ended up on a highway that took me to another highway, taking me around in circles because their were three different exits. Exasperated and a little touchy, I got back on a surface road and lo and behold! a local police car was idling in a parking lot. How joyful I was and much relieved that he was very friendly, probably noting a bit of "I don't know where I am" facial expression; the officer pointed me in the right direction, one turn and just a couple streets away.

Of course, K-Mart auto strictly does tired so there I was listening to my traveling companion, the owner of the Camry, going through another bout of panic.

Not to worry. Although I didn’t have the business card with me, and knowing his place of business would be closed on Sunday, I thought of Mike at ToyoDoc in my hometown just a short distance across from the St. Petersburg/Hernando Times building. But I quickly thought of his last name, O’Connor. A directory listing from 4-1-1 and a quick dial to his home number availed me the opportunity to leave a message with a simple summary of what I had been told at AutoZone.

By the end of the day, when the Boost Phone voicemail was retrieved, Mike said don’t worry about it, that the gas mileage might be affected but definitely nothing to be concerned about. He’d check it when we were back in town. It’s scheduled for an appointment this coming Thursday. What a relief it is to have such an excellent Doc to handle maintenance and repair servicing with an expertise that fixes what needs to be done rather than any other auto place that would most likely soak the wallet.

Mike and his mechanics are just shy of being saviors for all my automotive needs. Since moving from Chambord St to his recent location on Cortez Blvd some time ago he answered my inquiry as to how business was going. I thought with the economic situation things might be shy of business goals. Not so. He explained that, because word of mouth is the best means of advertising, he has no need to drum up business from any other source.

The motto of ToyoDoc: Proverbs 22... A good name is more desirable that great riches.
I say, great riches to the honest man.

A sincere thanks to Mike and his mechanics.

UPDATE

ToyoDoc quickly identified the problem as the catalytic converter, which is under factory warranty for 8 years/80,000 miles. Fortunately, there's no cost. Unfortunately, the Camry has to be taken to a Toyota dealership.