[}{arlequin]

I like a shop that lets me wonder around inside. I know, danger, insurance, things falling on my head etc, etc, but I don't buy it.

When you get to a shop like that, you usually tell them what's going to get done/worked on/fixed. Together with the type of car you bring, a normal individual should be able to tell whether you are the kind of person who knows his way around tools and car parts or whether you will trip over an air hose, spray Brakleen in your eyes, and flap your arms wildly until you drop a car from a lift.

While I can see how *constantly* looking over someone's shoulder can be annoying and slow down the work, I do want to observe how something is done/removed/fixed. I am interested in it and I would like to learn too. This really applies to jobs that don't take longer than one day, but even if I had a rebuild done, I'd love to drop in everyday and observe the handling of different steps. Even better if I was able to help out too.

The shops that accomodate this behavior, by nature, will be staffed w/ understanding enthusiasts, that hopefully remember how they were when they were in my position. Those shops are never "too big" literally and figuratively.

I love and respect Andial's work, and I hope I can have them build me some Stuttgart rocket someday, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to hang out back on their shop floor while they work on my car. (Maybe I'm wrong about Andial-- that would be awesome) Which is why places like TRE, JWW, and many others like them appeal to me. I don't like a feeling that a conglomerate worked on my car. I like the security of knowing that a "human being" tightened my bleeder screws (it's me anyway, but if it weren't that's what I'd want.)