Basch Acura
Service
4202 E. McDowell Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85008
NEW! Basch Acura and Dali Racing open a new shop in San
Diego, CA! Click here
for details.
[Editor's
Note: Mark and Jane Basch run an independent shop (not affiliated with Acura) specializing in Acuras and the
NSX in particular. Mark himself works almost exclusively on NSXs and is
generally regarded as one of the best NSX mechanics in the country. He regularly
helps NSX owners (and their not-as-experienced mechanics) who call from all over
the country.
Many owners have literally flown him from coast to coast (and even to other
countries) to do major work on
their cars, install superchargers, etc. One such on-site job is pictured at
left. Mark has done more Comptech supercharger installs than anyone outside of
Comptech themselves.]
[Sam Ahdoot - 2001/1/11] I would like
to commend Mark Basch at Basch Acura Service for the exceptional service and
support he provides to his customers. A while back I decided to install a
supercharger on my nsx and Comptech recomended Mark for both his professional
expertise and friendliness. The install went great and Mark finished what I
beleive was his 20th or so supercharger install in about one day. He came out to
me which was great and even helpd tidy up a few other things. I was amazed with
how well he knew the nsx. It looked like he could have done it blindfolded.
Weeks later a sqeek developed and when mark was in town (L.A.) he tried to find
the problem. It was a minor problem with with a part and he fixed it no problem.
This made me confidant in my investment to feel in good hands. I had asked him
about the 9lb kit and he told me that he has one and would let me know about the
reliability. Months later we installed that upgrade and it has been great. Mark
also sudgested some other upgrades for issues I had brought up like exhaust,
suspension exc. the upgrades did everything he said they would. He and his crew
really know the products. An experiance at Basch Acura Service will leave with
more hp, better service, and a new friend.
[BZA - 2000/8/9] There's 4 places here in Phoenix that could service an NSX,
2 dealers and 2 independents. All the members of the Phoenix NSX Club have
abandoned the other 3 and now go to Basch for their non-warranty work (I used to
be one of those only-the-dealer-touches-my-NSX people). Thanks Mark!
[JCR - 2000/8/9]
An Unsolicited Mark Basch Story. Mark wouldn't want me to tell you this story, but I'm going to do it anyway
because it's too good not to share with the rest of you. Here it is.
I do most of my own work, having been a mechanic in an earlier life. I
removed the engine and transaxle from my 91 NSX to replace the timing belt,
water pump, clutch, cooling system hoses, install headers, etc. and had the
parts scattered around my garage for a few months while doing this in my spare
time. I was thinking about putting in short gears and the 4.23 ring and pinion,
and after consulting with Mark I decided it would be worthwhile to have him do
it since he is quite familiar with these things and I am not. So I dragged my
transaxle over to Mark's shop where he installed the short gears and R&P. A
few days later I stopped by and picked it up and took it home. Nothing
remarkable so far, right?
M.B. Story Number 1: When I picked up the transaxle Mark offered to stop by
my place and help me attach it to the engine. He was concerned that I might bend
the input shaft if I got klutzy putting it on, as the transaxle can be a bit
clumsy for one person to work with. So, the next weekend Mark and Jane stopped
by my house for a few minutes and Mark helped attach the transaxle to the
engine, gave it his blessing, and moved on to work other good deeds for the
remainder of the day. I thought this was an especially nice thing for him to do.
99% of all repair shops wouldn't do this, and might even resent a customer who
does most of his own work and only uses them for special things. But not Mark.
He wanted to make sure that everything turned out okay. If there was a chance
that I might screw things up he wanted to make sure I didn't do it. Is that
nice, or what?
M.B. Story Number 2: I put the engine and transaxle in the car, hooked up
everything, and cranked up the engine. Everything ran fine, but the transaxle
started making this weird whirring noise. I got out my ancient mechanical
stethoscope and it sounded to me like the main shaft bearing was noisy. I
emailed Mark and told him about it and he responded with a message telling me to
drive by his shop so he could listen to it. He's done a bunch of these and never
had any problems with parts or workmanship, so he's very concerned about it. So
a few days later I stopped by and Mark gets out his snazzy electrically
amplified stethoscope and listens to the transaxle and says "Well, it's the
driver's side mainshaft bearing. Never seen anything happen like this before.
Leave the car and I'll take it out and fix it." I was really surprised by
this, as 99.99% of the repair shops would have told me to take the car home,
remove the transaxle myself, and bring it back in for them to take apart. But
not Mark. I asked him if he was sure he wanted to R&R the transaxle, and his
response was "Instead of us talking about how nice the new gears are and
how it makes your car more enjoyable to drive, we're standing here talking about
how this thing howls and makes noise. This isn't the kind of result you or I
wanted. I want you to be happy, and it isn't your fault that the transaxle
mainshaft is howling. I don't know what could have caused this but I'll take it
apart, find out, and fix it."
Needless to say I was stunned by this. Mark knows I do most of my own work
and would probably not be as good a customer as the other NSX club members might
be. But he didn't care. He felt there was only one way to handle something like
this, and this was it. So I left my car there for a few days, Mark pulled the
transaxle, found the noisy bearing and the defective gear that had a chunk come
out of it that probably caused the whole thing, replaced ALL the gears and ALL
the bearings, and put the transaxle back in the car. And he did it for no
charge. Didn't even charge me for transaxle oil. Not a dime. In fact, as long as
the transaxle was out he replaced the stock flywheel with a Dali Lightweight
Flywheel, and only charged me the same price for the flywheel I would have paid
if I had ordered it from Mark Johnson. He didn't charge me any labor for
installing the flywheel. I was dazzled by this whole deal.
Mark Basch went so far above and beyond the call of duty that I am convinced
he is an alien from another planet. I still think about this from time to time
and smile about the whole experience. Since this happened I have become a friend
of Marks and have found him to be an exceptionally skilled mechanic and
honorable businessman. I encourage anyone to use him.
So, if anyone outside of Phoenix thinks you're going to get Mark and Jane
Basch to move somewhere else you'll have to fight 20-30 members of the Phoenix
NSX club to get to them. You'd be better off to quit your job, sell your house,
pack your stuff, and move to Phoenix. We have a great NSX Club (in my opinion
this is almost entirely due to the unselfish and outstanding efforts of Bill
Zachar) and the best NSX repair shop in the western hemisphere.
End of unsolicited testimonial. Sorry if I embarrassed you, Mark.
[ACH - 2000/8/10] I must chime in here and say Mark Basch is an ultra-cool
guy in my book as well. Like many NSX owners, I'm very picky about who does work
on my NSX. Sure, many shops can get the job done, but no one I know is as honest
and as caring about the satisfaction of his customers as Mark. I was so
impressed by his work and attitude last year when he came up to Boston for my
supercharger install, that I promised myself if I ever need any major work done
I'd rather send my car out east to west for him to work on. Sure enough, I
bought another NSX 2 months ago and the car is currently sitting at Basch Acura
for all the performance goodies. Last I heard, he stayed at his shop past 9pm,
way beyond his regular duties, trying to get my car finished up. Not to mention
last Sunday, out of his own weekend break trying to prepare the parts for
install before my car even arrives. Where do you find service like this in your
area, unless you're lucky to live around Phoenix?
[JH - 2000/8/10] I too have been the benefactor of Mark Basch's superior
service. After having some service completed on my car a few months ago, I was
not pleased with the result. The work was done in Sacramento and Mark was more
than willing to offer his advice and assistance. He didn't do the work but took
loads of time to correspond and troubleshoot. I am not sure how much better it
can get: service from a person who has not even seen me or my car. Thanks Mark!
[PDA - 2000/8/11] I have enjoyed reading all of your comments about Mark and
Jane. I have known Mark for 10 years, and Jane for nearly as long. I first
learned about Mark when he was the service manager at Bell Acura. I had just
purchased my first Acura, a 90 Legend Coupe, and I was standing in the customer
lounge reading testimonial letters about the dealership, nearly all of which
were about the service department and Mark Basch. People enjoyed coming to the
service deparment of a car dealership. And had good things to say about getting
their car serviced. Imagine that! When I got a postcard saying he had opened his
own shop, I think I was probably one of the first people through the door. I
have owned 5 Acura's through the years, and I have come to the conclusion that
if Mark can't service my car, I won't buy it. I guess that makes me an Acura
devotee, but it is mainly due to Mark. He and Jane know how I feel about them
because I have told them many times how much I appreciate the service they
provide. I think Mark and Jane find this outpouring a bit embarrassing, but they
deserve all the praise they are getting. For those of you from out of town who
don't know Mark and Jane personally, I hope you will forgive those of us who do
know them for gushing a bit. Jane was giving me a ride from their shop to the
hospital one day. I asked her how she met Mark. Guess what? She was one of his
customers too! He bailed her out of a weekend jam,on his own time, without pay,
if I remember correctly. I guess Jane recognized a good thing when she saw it
too. I think everyone who has crossed Mark's path has been touched in some way
by his kindness, his expertise, his attention to detail, his desire to get the
job done right the first time, and his genuine concern for his customers and
their cars. Mark is the best. That is all there is to it.
Those of you who haven't been to Basch Acura Service will surely not know
about another important member of the team who hasn't been mentioned yet --
Dinah, Mark and Jane's springer spaniel. Dinah greets everyone who comes to the
shop with a tail wag and friendly paw to say hello. She adds just that special
touch that I know lots of us appreciate very much. There is a very touching
story about Dinah and her special qualities that I won't go into here. Next time
you are in the shop, look at the plaques on the wall, and maybe if Jane has
time, she will tell you the story about Dinah and Esther. You will never forget
it.
I hope Mark and Jane will not mind reading yet another story about how they
have touched the lives of one of their old customers. I wanted to share this
with the list.
From: "Javier Denison" <jtdenison@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 11:11:18 -0600
Well it has been a couple months now and have not gotten around to posting
anything. I had the dreaded snapring problem. It broke and Gillman Acura pretty
much tried to rob me at their service department. After a few emails and a great
deal of help from Mark Johnson and Mark Basch I shipped my car to Pheonix to
have the tranny rebuilt with short gears. The level of service and hospitality
we received there was unprecedented. I have not stopped talking about the
experience we had there. Mark goes way beyond the call of duty. We left Phoenix
early on a Saturday morning and headed back to Houston. We took the back roads
and went through Big Bend park. What a drive, 1600 miles and arrived back in
Houston @ 7pm Monday. We pushed the car pretty good, almost no night driving. I
just can't say enough about Mark and his group. I will drive back to Phoenix for
any major service. I also just installed the Alpine MP3 changer last night with
the NSXPRIME article, it's great especially for the money. Thanks for everything
Mark !!
