Every time I take my car to Don Allen Servicenter (that's right, it's not "service center," but rather "servicenter"), in the Franconia section of Alexandria, I am more impressed than the last time. And I realize there might be a better place to put this than my real estate and appraiser blog, but this is a good place to start.
A bit of history ...
Don Allen specializes in working on Mercedes. I drive a Subaru Forester. It makes little sense that we got paired up, but a couple of years ago, in my work as an appraiser, I ended up doing an inspection of the commercial space that includes his garage. And the saying that first impressions count rings true here, because he made a big one. I could tell during our meeting that he took a lot of pride in his work.
I decided to research Washington Consumer Checkbook's mechanic issue, and lo and behold, he was among the most respected mechanics in the area. So ... the next time my car needed work, I took it to him. And the next time, and the next time...
Fast forward to yesterday:
On my way to a black-tie event, I had a tire blow out on the GW Parkway in Alexandria, right at the airport. Worse, I didn't have a lug wrench. I lent it to somebody and never got it back. Luckily, I broke down only a couple of miles from my house in Old Town; so, I was able to call a friend who could bring me one (she took this photo).
I was able to proceed to the event. This morning, I visited Don's garage and told him the story of changing a tire up on the lawn of Reagan Airport. I had also feared my brakes were failing and wanted him to look at them.
Don is not a tire guy, but he was able to order another tire (of the same brand). Moreover, after spending some more time with the car, he was able to determine the original tire was fixable. And the brakes? They were "perfect," he told me.
So, my total bill was about $30 for checking everything out. He could have charged me for the new tire he had delivered, and he could have replaced my breaks.
His philosophy, though, is one I try to mimic: give people what they need, and only what they need, right now. There's plenty of time to fix breaks and buy new tires later... He just plain solves problems--whether he sells anything or not!
Thank you, Don.
And if you need a place to take your Mercedes Benz for service, and you live in Fairfax, Arlington, or Alexandria City, you should give Don a call. Likewise, if you don't have some other brand (like my Subaru), and you want to deal with the best and most honest mechanic in Northern Virginia, you should also give Don a call.
And hey, if you want an appraisal, or if you want to buy or sell a house, then you should give ME a call :-) ... or visit my site: www.appraisalsguaranteed.com
Thanks for stopping by and reading...
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