I have been going to this neighborhood shop for years, discovering them via online reviews. If you're in a rush, take a minute to review the section "The Industry Standards for Proper Tire Repair"...it could save your life and those of your loved ones...
"Greetings, Pilgrim, your search has ended..."
After the owners of our original shop (R & M on Hempstead Turnpike): Richie Smith and family...closed their doors and relocated to Florida....I went looking for someone as honest and reliable as Richie & crew...and found what I was looking for at
MAJESTIC Service Station @ 371 Hempstead Avenue in West Hempstead.
A "simple" flat tire repair is the reason for today's post. Two days ago, the R/R tire on our 2010 Hyundai Veracruz picked up a nail. Knowing how busy Majestic is, I figured I'd save their time and experience to help other customers with more complex repairs...So, I walked to a nearby tire outlet store. I asked the counterman how they repair tires. I inquired:
"Do you use the patch/plug combination?"
"No. we just use a plug'
With that, I pulled the plug and called Adam. He graciously agreed to take my "simple" repair. A greater challenge would be finding a place to park our cars on Adam's lot.
[Majestic doesn't wa$te money on adverti$ing : )))) ]
FYI-I drafted a letter to the corporate HQ of the tire outlet and will be asking them to consider the information I'll be including...
The Industry Standards for Proper Tire Repair
After several years as an automotive technician for Avis Rent-a-Car, I wrote a memo to our senior management stating that their lack of training their auto techs was costing the company time and money. I was invited to World Headquarter to present my ideas...and, subsequently, given the opportunity to create a company-wide training and support program for almost 100 locations around the country.
One of my first tasks was to look for industry standards, especially for commonly-performed repairs like tire repair.
Using the new internet, I located a national trade organization based in Washington, DC then known as the Rubber Manufacturers Association. They are now called the
They provided me with a shop wall chart that explained how to do a proper repair and I distributed them to all shops along with an accompanying video.
Here's the heart of it that explains HOW it's to be done, WHERE and WHY...
"A plug by itself is not an acceptable repair..."
MAJESTIC...from Classic to Classy...
Source: Bing.com
Source: Bing.com
Post Repairs....
This post is about my admiration for Adam, Aidan, Zak when he visits from Florida and other shop techs. That said, I'm adding these personal comments based on my 77 years of getting to know people and nearly 50 years of fixing things, much of these years under and over automobiles...with side trips to noisy clothes dryers and other destinations...
"Come to kindly terms with your Ass for it bears you."
--VW Guru John Muir
Here's the introduction to his cult classic. I still have my original VW bible...grease prints and all the memories...
"Fixing things, I am beginning to believe, is a form of daily activism. A statement. A reclamation of power."
1972 Ad
[from the article] "I am not going to end up on the side of a remote Montana highway pulling the diesel engine out of this wagon. But I understand the major systems. I know how to pull the engine codes and find out what’s going on. I know how to look under the hood, under the body, how to find and change the tire. That’s what John Muir advocated for—a fix-it mentality. His widow said John used to get postcards from readers, and one man wrote to say:
"First I fixed my car, then I fixed my washing machine, and now I’m building a house." [end quote]
As I read this line, I immediately thought of my friend Steve. In our youth we traveled the country together in our respective VW's (his Beetle and my '65 Microbus)...looking for perfect waves...As part of our friendship, Steve shared his love for fixing things, including "playing with cars" as he called it. This started me on my CAReer path...covered in other stops along the road (i.e., posts). Oh...and Steve wanted to live out in Eastern Long Island...but on a NYC school teacher's salary the real estate costs were prohibiting...So, he built his own house...and in EAST HAMPTON...
THE END...
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