“Che” Mofles Shop

The muffler on the Honda has been going ever since I whacked it on a “tope” at Robin and Georges condo in Mazatlan. A couple of days ago I started it and the sound was unmistakable. It needed work.

I found “Che” Mofles Shop on the highway in Villa Corona and drove in without an appointment. He had me start the car as he crawled underneath and looked. He told me it would be “Uno momento” while they finished the car that was already in the shop. About twenty minutes later he drove the Honda over the pit and the shop owner ("Che"?) and his helper went underneath and conversed in Spanish. The owner then walked next door and came back with a Mexican who spoke English. We all climbed down into the pit and inspected the damage. I was told the muffler, tailpipe and the entire exhaust pipe up to the catalytic converter had to be replaced. He did not have the correct preformed pipe but had one that he “could make work”. However, he was careful to point out that even though he would only be using part of the pipe, he would have to charge me for all of it as cutting off part would make it worthless to him. I quickly agreed and they started. Two of them worked on the car for about two hours, bending, modifying and welding as they went. I was finally presented with a bill of $600 Pesos or $55 CAN. Once again I was looking at the ingenuity of Mexican workers. They had no pipe bender in the shop. Everything was done with a torch and a tree stump. It was dark in the pit but they worked together so well that no conversation was needed.

I drove back to the RV Park and noticed a “banging” under the car as I drove down the cobblestone street. I crawled under the back end and shook the tailpipe, initiating the noise. I drove back to the shop to find the owner had left but the helper was still there. I showed him the “Pequito problemo” and he had me drive over the pit and worked for another half hour, added a bracket and fixed the problem. I offered to pay for the additional parts and work but he refused. I gave him a $50 Peso tip and left with everything working fine. Just another Adventure in Paradise and an even greater admiration for the ingenuity and integrity of Mexican workers.