Los Angeles mechanic

C

Caliphotog

Owner of DelicusMaximus
After 3+ months of Delica ownership including test drives LA - SFO and LA - Oceanside with zero issues, my first Oil & filter change is done. Belts adjusted, Radiator coolant topped off. Rotella 6 makes a difference!! My neighbor saw Delicusmaximus and told me about a nearby auto shop that has a couple of Delicas for repair. I immediately went there and met owner Alex who was meeting with an early pioneer Delica owner with a busted engine. Alex was service mechanic for local Mazda dealer for 20 years and was familiar with Delicas, growing up in El Salvador. Counting me, he has six Delica and three Toyota Hi-Ace owners as clients. BTW ordered oil filter on Fitinparts, paid, then was told over a week later that vendor did not have filter...called local Mitsubishi Dealer and had 2 filters 3-days later - no shipping Yup LA has everything!! Now, to go vote and try keeping it that way
 

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Alex just changed my oil this week...going back for tire rotation and check idle on Delicusmaximus, the gorgeous Chamonix that I bought from Kellyn last August. Since I dropped this post and pics of Why Pay More Auto, Alex is servicing many more Delicas. The other day he had three...so I had to reschedule :(. Beginning to think I should ask for commission :) :). anyway, Connorblanco - welcome to the hood - Highland Park here!!!
 
Spoke to Alex on the phone and I'm headed in this Wednesday, but he was pretty adamant that I should have no expectation on timing. Obviously timelines are subjective, but my Deli is my only whip. Why would he stress that so heavily? Does he kinda just bounce from project to project? I'm only going in for a compression diagnostic, but he had me worried about more intense repairs.
 
Just deleted my A/C system (dual condenser) and dropped the parts at Why Pay More since it seems some of y'all head in there often. Should you ever pinch a line or lose a bolt, it's all there!
 
dshin16 said:
Yes they are. I just picked mine up with a fresh D4BF installed last week.
He is quite busy though.
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Yeah I got ahold of Alex about an hour after I replied to the thread. My bad. He said he had 5 Delicas in shop, so I’m totally comfortable waiting a week to bring it in. I feel it would be difficult finding someone else with comparable experience. Thanks!
 
Is this the guy off Fletcher? If so, I’m within walking distance so I’ve seen some Delica’s I’m thinking of ‘parting out’ lol funny not funny.

should anyone like me to swing by and check on their Delica, lmk.
 
Alex at Why Pay More off Fletcher did my front shocks, egr delete, timing check (after I did the whole job myself), and fuel filter replacement. He’s done full D4BF installs and even work on some Hiaces.

Knowledgeable and reasonable guy, but when I went to him a year and a half ago, he had Delicas lined up around the block. Even when he had guys who actually showed up to work, he was the only one who knew his way around our Dinosaurs.

Ask how many Delicas he has on the waitlist, timeframe for job and add a couple weeks, and PROVIDE A WRITTEN LIST of tasks (he can’t keep track of individual Delicas it seems).

There’s another shop about two miles away I think, but you have to look at the mechanic map for the name.

Good luck!
 
Alex has been my go to since last May. He does a good job and charges ok prices, but yeah the timeline thing for him sucks. It’s so frustrating for him to tell me to drop it off, then call back a week later and he hasn’t even looked at it. Then he looks at it and it needs a part that won’t ship for a week or two.

I’m reluctantly going to try to find a new mechanic, and will keep you updated.

I like Alex! But he doesn’t have the time.
 
I feel your frustration. I brought mine in there for an inspection after purchase just to make sure nothing major was wrong. 3 months and about a hundred phone calls later I practically had to forcibly extract it - just about lost my cool. No oil leak when I went in, and now there's a drip I can't easily locate. Did glow plugs, heater block, and valve cover replacement which wasn't leaking but apparently had a minor crack. Now there is a significant drip and it's not the half moon. I'm reluctant to bring it back there even though that's when the leak started, and probably won't unless I can't find anyone else to fix her or have an emergency. I'm trying out Mike at JDM Auto Specialists in Van Nuys in a few weeks - came recommended from a friend of friend who has a Delica and goes there for basic maintenance. He's not a diesel shop but said owners have nothing but great things to say. If anyone knows of other folks in the LA area I'd be grateful. And I totally agree. Alex is a nice guy and I think he means well, but we're not on the same wavelength. Also, if anyone knows a good fabricator I'm looking to get a front tire mount, rear hitch, and surfboard rack on the side of my JB470. Cheers.
 
After more than a dozen attempts, I finally got hold of Alex by calling him from my Skype number instead of my mobile number. I didn't think that would make a difference, but it was the only time he picked up. I am going to drop my 95 L400 to Alex next week to install fuel injector 3, which he quoted would 2 hours of labor at $125/hr. He also said he could do this right away because it's easy. Fingers crossed.
Alex is cheaper than the only other mechanic I've found in the area - Auto & Diesel Service in Organge, owned by Fernando and his daughter Vanessa. They charge $200/hr. They're nice and installed my radiator, but they haven't been responsive to my calls. Vanessa says she'll call back to confirm an appointment, but flakes. She's done this twice in the last month. I wish there was a 3rd option in the area.
 
Porkcutletfritter said:
Alex has been my go to since last May. He does a good job and charges ok prices, but yeah the timeline thing for him sucks. It’s so frustrating for him to tell me to drop it off, then call back a week later and he hasn’t even looked at it. Then he looks at it and it needs a part that won’t ship for a week or two.

I’m reluctantly going to try to find a new mechanic, and will keep you updated.

I like Alex! But he doesn’t have the time.
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Same with Auto & Diesel. I like them, but not responsive. I'll be on the lookout for any of your findings.
Auto & Diesel Service
 
Liz-CJ7 said:
After more than a dozen attempts, I finally got hold of Alex by calling him from my Skype number instead of my mobile number. I didn't think that would make a difference, but it was the only time he picked up. I am going to drop my 95 L400 to Alex next week to install fuel injector 3, which he quoted would 2 hours of labor at $125/hr. He also said he could do this right away because it's easy. Fingers crossed.
Alex is cheaper than the only other mechanic I've found in the area - Auto & Diesel Service in Organge, owned by Fernando and his daughter Vanessa. They charge $200/hr. They're nice and installed my radiator, but they haven't been responsive to my calls. Vanessa says she'll call back to confirm an appointment, but flakes. She's done this twice in the last month. I wish there was a 3rd option in the area.
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Let us know how it goes. I’m considering a second attempt but am a little hesitant because of my first experience. I have all the parts so if he really does turn yours around that fast and quote you up front I’d be keen to try again. Thanks!
 
Liz-CJ7 said:
After more than a dozen attempts, I finally got hold of Alex by calling him from my Skype number instead of my mobile number. I didn't think that would make a difference, but it was the only time he picked up. I am going to drop my 95 L400 to Alex next week to install fuel injector 3, which he quoted would 2 hours of labor at $125/hr. He also said he could do this right away because it's easy. Fingers crossed.
Alex is cheaper than the only other mechanic I've found in the area - Auto & Diesel Service in Organge, owned by Fernando and his daughter Vanessa. They charge $200/hr. They're nice and installed my radiator, but they haven't been responsive to my calls. Vanessa says she'll call back to confirm an appointment, but flakes. She's done this twice in the last month. I wish there was a 3rd option in the area
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Any updates on how it went? And anyone know a good 4x4 specialist in Los Angeles? Hubs appear to be locked, but lock light won't go on, and front wheels don't spin. I realized the front wasn't engaging when I almost got stuck in some deeper snow this weekend at Mt. Baldy.
 
Update. I took my JB470 to World Famous 4x4 in Glendale this Spring when I realized the 4x4 wasn't actually engaging while ski camping up at Mount Baldy (almost got stuck in a snowbank). Henrik and his crew were awesome. They sourced a new vacuum actuator for the front, but the front still didn't engage, so then they dug into the transfer case, got creative, found parts in Canada, and got me back on the open road with 4x4 capacity. Very reasonable price and turn around time. They are doing a few other servicing bits in a few weeks. They will be my go to shop for my rig. Cannot say enough good things about them. As Henrik told me when I dropped it off, "we can fix anything." I believe it and would recommend checking them out if you're looking for a reliable Delica mechanic in LA!
 
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