Trustworthy Mech in SoCal?

[thrown_hammer]

Having just moved in and living out of boxes I really don't have time to get the Targa sorted out. Bec is sick of sitting at home with no car to drive. I have decided to see about having a mechanic at least get the car road worthy so she isn't stuck all day. Who is good and reasonable? I don't have a ton of money to throw at it.

[Rick964]

Hergsheimer in Lake Forest or Vision Motorsports in Laguna Hills have great reputations. Andial in Santa Ana but I have heard they they closed their service shop and are now just a parts house, don't know if that is true or not.

[thrown_hammer]

Okay, I will check.

The car just has some oil leaks (hopefully minor) and a couple electrical gremlins. I have a heat exchanger to replace as well.

[RNajarian]

Give TRE in North Hollywood a call. Fair Price for quality work. They know 911s. Get it done right the first time.

[mattr_914]

Yep, andial closed its doors. Porsche Motorsports took the building over.

My car is at Hergesheimer right now. Mark (owner) is a good guy, and they do quality work. Make sure to call ahead at 949.458.7223. They're in Lake Forest.

[Quicksilver]

For general maintenance my favorite in OC is Scott's Independent (714-634-2027), which is off of State College across from Anaheim Stadium. They are really an aircooled shop. Very good and reasonably priced. Scott also runs Performance Aire, which is about the best Porsche air conditioning shop around.

Hergesheimer is good with a little more focus on racy stuff. Vision is really a race shop.

[Carrera3.5L]

Originally posted by mattr_914
Yep, andial closed its doors.

Not exactly true. As an FYI, Andial still builds motors and performs transaxles rebuilds in addition to selling parts. They have 2 hoists at their new facility in Fountain Valley.

Vision is really a race shop. [/QUOTE]

Somewhat misleading statement. Vision is actually a full service shop that will do anything from a simple oil change to full race car preparation. Granted, they do specialize in the later water-cooled normally aspirated & turbo motors now but still perform maintenance & modifications for quite a few air-cooled customers. They aren't cheap however, their rate is $95/hour which I imagine is much more than what you would find in Indiana. Another drawback is that they are usually really busy, so you would have to be patient with trying to get your car in there. Some have it, some don't.

I like to do my own maintenance, but use Vision when I don't have the time or proper tools. My car is certainly no race car. I think quite a few of the Pelican South Orange County guys use Hergesheimers, but I don't have any experience with them other than Laura seems to be real nice and has sent some goodies for our fun runs in the past.

Shawn, if you are still interested in Vision (although in this particular instance they may not be the best choice) call me and I will introduce you to Dwain, the owner and a good friend of mine. We both worked at Andial together many moons ago and talk on an almost daily basis.

Ralph

[mattr_914]

Really? I thought they were just doing parts in Fountain Valley. Good to know.

How long ago did you work at Andial?

[platas]

Every one else BUT MOTORMEISTER! Stay AWAY

[B D]

Chris at Newport Motorsports
(949)642-5810

or TRE if you don't mind the drive

[Carrera3.5L]

Originally posted by mattr_914
Really? I thought they were just doing parts in Fountain Valley. Good to know.

How long ago did you work at Andial?

Dieter will be doing the motor & transmission rebuilds himself. It's just something for him to putter around with, it's not the intent of the business anymore nor do I believe that they will ever announce this service. I don't know if this is supposed to be common knowledge or not but it's the truth. They still have all of their mills & lathes set-up, although they will sell some of them to interested parties.

I worked at Andial from 1988-1993.

IMO, and nothing against TRE, but I certainly don't see the need to drive all the way to North Hollywood with the quality of some of the shops available to you that are mere minutes away in Orange County. To each his own I guess.

Ralph

[Don Plumley]

When I lived in OC, I used Hergesheimers for stuff I didn't/couldn't do. Reasonably convenient from where you are in Tustin. Closer to Irvine, Haus of Performance (next to Airport) is a good shop.

[thrown_hammer]

Thanks guys. I will follow up on these leads and probably call a couple of you for more specifics.

[lateapex911]

I'm jealous! (Ex of Newport Beach).

You can't spit in OC or LA and not hit a Porsche shop, LOL. And some of them are very good.

[JP911]

Another vote for Hergesheimers. Great work and nice people. I found their prices to be competitive.

[450knotOffice]

I recommend Hergesheimer. I've used them for a couple of years and, while somewhat pricey, they are very good. Their main mechanic, Jim, knows his stuff and has his own early 70's air cooled 911 daily driver (and I mean daily driver).

Laura and Mark Hergesheimer own the place. If you call them, tell them Scott Romanos said Hi.

[Joe Bob]

Hergesheimer....hmm, how to say this.....not really high on MY list. I've had some issues with them on a 914/6 that they "finished" and the finish was not what I would consider done.....I haven't heard any horror stories like Motor Scheister but....my experience was less than satisfactory.

TRE in No Hollywood would be a better choice but a longer drive.

[intheshop]

Econo Motors in Costa Mesa is a very good shop. It is now run by Chris -- the former owner operator of Newport Mortorsport. He really knows the early 911s. The shop has been there for 30 years doing mostly German cars. But they know Porsches very well.
http://www.economotors.com/

[450knotOffice]

thrown_hammer,

I failed to mention that one of our very own Pelicans, Paul Kaas (pkaaso), is an excellent mechanic and will not steer you wrong. He has worked on my car a few times and does excellent work. He is owner/operator of his own shop, called Barnhoorn/Kaas. You should stop by and say hi to him (or PM him).

Here's his website: http://www.bkmercedesbmw.com/

You can see him this weekend during our Big Bear run, btw. We're meeting at his place first.

[kycarguy 935]

Gary at Factory Werks of Huntington Beach is another good place to go. Gary is very honest and knows his stuff. 714.373.4828 www.factorywerks.com

I was an outside sales rep. in the area from Long Beach to San Clemente until late 2000 and know of most of the shops in those areas.

Scott's Ind. that was mentioned earlier was known as a really good shop. Devito's in Orange was pretty good also. 714.997.0667

Tre is one of the best but a little far from Tustin.

OCR use to have alot of tech sessions and was great. You may want to check that out too.