David Gervais is back in the automotive repair business on Signal Mountain, this time as his own boss at Performance Automotive and Repair.
Photo by Jennifer BardonerAfter a brief detour off the mountain, mechanic David Gervais is revving up his business presence once again at his new Performance Automotive and Repair on Taft Highway.
“I’ve had a lot of customers say, ‘I’m glad you’re back on the mountain,'” he said. “I have a lot of neat little customers. That’s what actually brought me back up here.”
Gervais previously worked at JMK automotive shop at the front of the mountain. When the garage closed and the property changed owners, he worked out of the three-bay garage at his house near Missionary Ridge.
“I kept a lot of my customers,” he said. “I actually had people look me up on the Internet to see where I was. I’ve been servicing Signal Mountain for about five years now.”
He opened his dedicated, one-man shop around the first of August, after 22 years as a mechanic.
MONKEY WRENCH-FREE MAINTENANCEDavid Gervais works to “have your car performing like new,” but he said alignments aren’t as necessary to that as drivers may think.”It’s the biggest waste of money,” he said. “People think they need to align their wheels every time they get their tires changed. That isn’t the case.”He also recommends opting for purchasing a used low-mileage engine in cases when the original fails instead of rebuilding it.”Why would you spend $4,000 for me to build a motor when you can buy one with 30,000 miles for $1,000,” he asked, adding that while he has the ability to rebuild engines for customers, he doesn’t.Oil changes are the best way to save money on your car in the long run, according to him. Gervais recommends getting them every 3,000 to 3,500 miles – no matter what the car manufacturer says – even in cases when that makes it longer than the other standard of three months.”Oil changes are the life of your car,” said Gervais.To keep your transmission in shifting shape, he recommends servicing it every 25,000 miles.- Jennifer Bardoner
“I probably couldn’t even begin to count that high,” he said of the number of vehicles he’s worked on in that amount of time.
Although Gervais offers perks like free diagnostic testing when his repair services are used, roadside assistance and pickup and delivery services on the mountain, he said the real recipe for his success is honesty.
“Most people that know me from up here will tell you, I’d rather help them save a dollar,” he said. “In the end they’ll always come back.”
Those who have been coming back to Gervais own all types of cars. From BMW to Chevrolet, Gervais said he works on them all. The only things he doesn’t do are alignments and motor swaps.
Like most people in the business, Gervais has “always loved cars.” Before such work was his livelihood, it was his hobby, starting at age 15 when he bought a 1975 Honda SuperSport.
“It ran but it didn’t run good,” he said. “I stripped it to pieces and rebuilt it. They turned the garage into my bedroom. I did it right there.”
Performance Automotive and Repair is at 3814 Taft Highway and can be reached at 243-3323 or online here.