When I first moved to town a few years ago, I didn't have a mechanic and asked my coworkers who I should go to if I have a problem. "Rick's," they answered almost unanimously. If you can judge a business's reputation by the volume of customers it has, Rick's ranks highly: It's a small shop, but the parking lot is always filled with vehicles awaiting maintenance. That's not to say they're overworked. In fact, the turnaround time here is often less than 24 hours. A few months ago, for example, I noticed an odd squeaking in my steering column. I feared the worst, but the mechanic explained the problem -- ball joints that needed lubrication -- and I went away with a non-squeaking car and a small bill. I'm certainly not a "car guy," so I could easily have been taken advantage of. However, I don't worry about that at Rick's.
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