New option in San Jose: TLS Auto Service

[bngl3rt]

Many of you know from online and in person that I am a big fan of Jim Russell at Cologne Auto Body in Belmont and that remains true. However Jim is very busy and only able to take one NSX at a time, and it's about 30 minutes one way to get to him from my south bay home.

So I have been taking my NSX to Dan Nguyen at TLS Auto Service. He is an attentive and meticulous tech, obsessed not only with fixing whatever problem you were having but also making sure the car "feels" right when you get it back - amazing how many shops miss that. He has done minor services on my NSX and major services on other cars owned by my friends and family, and we have all been thrilled with the result (and the price). I would have no problem bringing my car to him for a clutch or even an engine swap.

Always good to have options so I wanted to share this one with the Prime community!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tls-auto-service-toyota-lexus-scion-san-jose

 

[solidol]

Thanks for sharing. Seems like he's Toyota guy though. I like how clean the shop is.

 

[bngl3rt]

Thanks for sharing. Seems like he's Toyota guy though. I like how clean the shop is.

He is an all Japanese car guy. Recently did some stuff for a friend with a Subaru. He doesn't advertise that he works on non-Toyotas but he will

 

[B2FiNiTY]

It's a bit far for me but thanks for the share. I'll keep it in mind.

 

[REDNSXT]

Good to know......thanks Ben!

 

[BATMANs]

Nice, I'll check it out (my regular family mechanic is too booked and has some step bumps and driveways for a NSX with a difflow diffuser not to catch/snag.

 

[94lude]

Thanks, Ben

I just called for clutch replacement. Quote was more than fair, but he'll only work with factor parts, which unfortunately mandates that I have to get the silly expensive 3K clutch + flywheel. I was opting for the Science of Speed 275, which Hilltop said they can.

That said, Ben explained exactly why he prefers factory parts and I appreciate his honesty and simple approach (OEM is best). I may likely go to him for maintenance, etc since he's only 10 minutes away from my house.

 

[bngl3rt]

Thanks, Ben

I just called for clutch replacement. Quote was more than fair, but he'll only work with factor parts, which unfortunately mandates that I have to get the silly expensive 3K clutch + flywheel. I was opting for the Science of Speed 275, which Hilltop said they can.

That said, Ben explained exactly why he prefers factory parts and I appreciate his honesty and simple approach (OEM is best). I may likely go to him for maintenance, etc since he's only 10 minutes away from my house.

I'm Ben. The guy at TLS is Dan. :wink:

His attitude towards aftermarket parts changes when you show up in person with the car and parts in hand. I can go with you...

- - - Updated - - -

Also I know I am a dead horse on this topic but use Jim Russell at Cologne Auto before you use Hilltop... if you dig through my threads you can see why I feel that way, don't really want to type it again :smile:

I probably just derailed my own thread, whoops

 

[94lude]

Lol.. Thanks, Ben.

Will let you know once I'm ready to take my clutch replacement to DAN

 

[bngl3rt]

Just another plug for Dan - brought in the car for an oil flush, leak down and compression test, and he also found a loose spark plug and a missing rear caliper bolt. My car idles and drives much smoother now after just one day in his shop. Highly recommended.

 

[Dhalsim]

Just another plug for Dan - brought in the car for an oil flush, leak down and compression test, and he also found a loose spark plug and a missing rear caliper bolt. My car idles and drives much smoother now after just one day in his shop. Highly recommended.

Coolant flush? How was the leak down and compression test? All good?

 

[bngl3rt]

Nope, oil flush - run some oil with a special chemical in it to clean out the motor in it between changes.

Compression good, leak down a little concerning at 15-20%.

 

[solidol]

Nope, oil flush - run some oil with a special chemical in it to clean out the motor in it between changes.

Yeah that I would never do.

 

[bngl3rt]

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produ...nd-protectants/engine-and-transmission-flush/

 

[B2FiNiTY]

I've used a similar product on a crx I had before and it seemed to clean the engine well because prior to that, the engine oil would get dirty really quick but afterwards, oil seemed to stay cleaner longer. Other than that though, couldn't tell any good/bad from it.

 

[solidol]

My take on any cleaning like this is that to clean it must contain some aggressive chemicals. And I don't want that to touch my rubber seals. Since I don't know what amsoil puts in it I'd rather not risk to find out negative effect on rubber. That's if any.
It's one of those things I guess.. I prefer to change oil more often. Just my .2 cents