I commute all the way to Pete's Gear Shop from Stockton to have him work on my cars. I first met Pete when we were having problems with the transmission on my wife's '69 Mustang Coupe. I asked Peter about the transmission and I was very impressed. Not a lot impresses me because I repair airplanes for my job, but I was impressed with Pete from day 1.
For my job, I have to be in a position where I'm dead honest with my customers. Pete is the same way. He's dead honest in opinion and evaluation. Whether or not you like what you hear is a different story, but he'll tell it to you straight. The next time I was in, Pete helped with the rear end on a '64 Galaxy we had restored. Everything was better afterwards. Since that time, I've had no problem calling him up and asking him to do things beyond the transmission and rear end jobs that he does as a general rule. People talk, word gets passed on, and people hear about things through word-of-mouth. That's how it is with Pete. Everybody I've talked to that's been there has recommended him to others because they know they're not going to look bad.
In my business, I have to be cautious who I recommend for repair work because it's a reflection on my judgement. I am not in the least hesitant about sending people to Pete's. For general maintenance, you can't ask for more than a dependable estimate and honesty. Again, I come all the way out from Stockton to have him service my cars, and I will wait weeks to take my car into Pete's if I have to. He's gone out of his way for me.
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