I can remember the first "fast car" I ever had. It was a Ford Torino with a 390 cubic inch engine. It had headers, was an 8 cylinder, and gas was around seventy eight cents per gallon.
On Sundays, I would head outside my hometown of Hattiesburg, Ms and race that Torino down the quarter-mile track at Hub City Raceway. I'll never forget their radio ads with the announcer yelling "Sunday, Sunday, Sundayyyyyyyyyyyy!". The announcer made it so exciting, even non-car-fanatics came out to see what it was all about.It was just plain loud with way too much beer.
Never did a race go by that the conversation did not turn to "Who was the best mechanic in town". Since that time, I sold or wrecked and/or rebuilt about seven other race cars, probably my fastest being white Pontiac Tras-Am with a 454 cubic inch engine in it. It was the second year they came out and Pontiac only made them in that color. I collected trophies and bet I had hundreds hidden in my closet. I could not showcase them as it was my secret from my parents.
The days of my teens seems like a thousand years ago. But as much as things change, some remain the same. One is finding an honest and capable mechanic, not easy in L.A. or any city for that matter. I found him last week. It was like a miracle when my clutch broke.
I had just bought a nice used four cylinder sedan, drove it across the country, and right when I entered L.A. county I smelled smoke, and, noticed the clutch slipping. I knew from my younger days, "this might be a good thing.
AAA was there within ten minutes and towed it to a man of whom I'd never heard, named Vladimir Morsach, a Russian Immigrant who had learned American cars while here. He was recommended by a mutual friend. He knew exactly what the problem was and quoted me $200 cheaper than the mechanic on the other side of town, in a far away part of the San Fernando Valley, Woodland Hills.
To my surprise, a call came from Vladimir the very next day and he said, "You may pick up your car. It's fine."
I went to pick it up. I still had my out of state checks as I'd just moved from Arkansas, and since there had been some unauthorized charges on my Mastercard, I had canceled it and could not use it. He had to take my word that the check was good. He did.
I have been to numerous mechanics both here and other places,and my vote for mechanic, at least my choice, in America, is not even a native-born named Vlad. But don't let that fool you. He fixed it as professionally and courteously as anyone with which you could hope to deal.
In addition, he said, if there was anything else wrong with the car, he would let me know before fixing it. I thought "Uh oh...what is coming next", based on my experience with so many mechanics with which I'd worked in the past. He called me again to let me know it was only the clutch. Now that is honesty, and certainly worth driving a few miles (or in my case having it towed, to get it fixed better, cheaper, and from a very nice person, Vladimir Morsach). Welcome to America, Vlad! We are very glad you are here!
Note: Vlad's shop is at 18440 Vanowen Ave, Reseda, Ca in the Valley. His phone is 818-719-8610. He's great to talk to also. Sounds like I'm gushing, I know, but have never had such a positive experience with an auto mechanic.
I discovered something interesting about Vlad while writing this article, from a mutual friend who uses him for all her vehicles and has for years. he is a mechanical engineer, went to the one of the best University's in Russia and had many years of experience working with cars (European or American..). For me, Vlad's English is very easy to understand and he understood me perfectly; and, I do not speak Russian. But he believes he can't learn English and states that he'd better do what he knows best and it is repairing cars, remodeling, and more... For him, it is NOT just about cars, it is about his passion, but mostly: his honesty and integrity. He guarantees his work for one year and if your car is NOT working properly and has same problem he will repair it for free.
The Internet's top cartoonist and Intenet entrepreneur and former race car driver Rick London highly recommends Vladimir Morsach for any auto repair in Los Angeles. Click here to see the huge variety of Rick London's cartoons
