Local Resources Help with Self-reliance Resolution 

Regina Hope Sinsky, SF Gate & SF Chronicle December 2010

"Do I need to call the boys over to do it for you?"

My dad asked this question as I attempted to build a soccer goal. I was 9 years old, and it did the trick. The thought of boys, or anyone for that matter, building my goal was enough to motivate me to do it myself.

Yet at the age of 29, I find myself calling upon "the boys" (and girls) to do things around my home I should be doing myself. I can't change a tire. I can't sew. I don't know how to start a garden. I can't repair my own bike. I can't fix my sink. Why bother when I can pay someone to take care of it?

But then I hear my father's voice - "Do I need to call the boys over to do it for you?" - and I cringe.

So my 2011 resolution is to become more self-reliant. Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities for folks like me to achieve this goal. The Bay Area is teeming with people who believe being self-sufficient is as good for the individual as it is for the community. This year, your resolutions can be tangible, and someone is there to help you achieve your goals. Here's a sampling of what I found.

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S.F. Auto Repair Center

After googling "carburetor," I discovered my car doesn't have one. But it does have four tires, and when one goes flat, I've had to find someone to fix it.

Until last week. Now I can do it myself, thanks to Gary Siegel at San Francisco Auto Repair Center. Siegel just took over operations and now offers basic car repair and maintenance classes.

"Just because a car is easy to drive doesn't mean you shouldn't learn to communicate with it," Siegel says. "Knowing basic car mechanics can help you fix things yourself or better convey to an expert what needs to be done."

We open the hood of a little red Dodge Neon, and Siegel explains each of the major parts and their functions.

Then he shows me how to check fluids properly (some require a warm engine, others a cool one), how to change lightbulbs, how to check tire pressure and how to change a tire in less time than it takes a tow truck to arrive. Fifteen minutes isn't NASCAR speed, but it's not too shabby for a beginner.

Call for class schedule.

Located on the corner of 18th and Florida streets, San Francisco Auto Repair Center brightens up the block with its graffiti-painted garage doors and signs advertising smog testing and service for hybrids. “We’re a very San Francisco company,” said manager Gary Siegel. The 33-year-old shop sits in a rapidly changing neighborhood on the border of the Mission and Potrero Hill.  According to Siegel, the area has changed “tremendously” in the 10 years he’s worked there, boasting new residential buildings, cafes, and shops.   “The neighborhood’s not Valencia Street, but it’s close behind,” he said, adding that he welcomed the change despite the parking problems it’s created.

San Francisco Auto Repair Center is one of the first companies recognized by the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Clean and Green program, which publishes a guide to local companies that reduce their use of toxic chemicals.  According to Siegel, his shop recycles everything it can, including used oil.  A mobile recycler regularly filters and purifies their antifreeze, which is re-used.  

Seigel said he helps his customers reduce their environmental footprints, through regular smog checks, changing their air filters and inflating their tires, practices that improve mileage efficiency.  The shop also encourages its customers with diesel-power vehicles to use biodiesel, clean-burning fuel made from plants, directing clients to Dogpatch Biofuels, a local biodiesel fueling station.  The repair shop is certified by California’s Gold Shield program for smog protection, meaning they’re held to a higher standard for smog inspection and repair.   “We help cars clean up the air,” said Siegel.

The company has a history of educating its clientele. Owner Jerry Brown once taught auto mechanic training classes at the shop, teaching students how to repair their cars and communicate with mechanics.  But roughly a year ago interest started to wane.  “Cars have changed,” said Siegel, and the do-it-yourself approach is harder with new technology. “Cars generally last longer [and] need less repairs,” he said.

According to Siegel, cars used to require a tune-up every six months.  Now “there is no more tune-up.” Between better technology and the Great Recession, the shop is struggling. “We’re just trying to stick it out until the economy picks up,” said Siegel.  In the meantime, they try to reach-out to people who live and work in the neighborhood. “We’re not a destination repair shop,” said Siegel. “We want to work on our neighbors’ cars.”

The shop employs five mechanics who “fix pretty much anything someone needs fixed on their car,” said Siegel.  In addition to hybrids, they also specialize in on older vehicles.  Siegel said he wants the shop to have a trustworthy reputation, giving fair, honest evaluations and prices to their customers.  “We stand behind our work,” he said.