I just had some pretty extensive repairs done to my 230sl by Tom Colitt in the LA area and I wanted to pass on my thoughts. I typically don't write up these types of things, but had such a good experience with Tom, I thought that others who're are searching for a good mechanic in the area might benefit from my experience.
First off, I'm not connected with him in any way (although I'm sure he's made a few mortgage payments due to my checks to him!).
I first became aware of Tom due to his extensive postings on this forum. My feeling is that any mechanic that spends time dispensing qualified advice on forums is already a step ahead. He doesn't just go home after a workday - he lives sl's. While my 230sl was in his hands I asked him when he expected a certain repair to be done and he replied and apologized that he was taking the week off to go to the historic races in Monterey... a pretty good excuse in my book.
He communicates regularly and proactively via text and phone calls, which worked perfectly for me as i'm in Hawaii, he's in CA. He's even coached me, through texts, through a couple of repairs I did myself, which in my mind is above and beyond the call of duty. I needed the car to be put into working order as it had been stored in LA for almost 10 years; I had it towed to his facility and he did what was needed. I'm happy to say that once it was eventually shipped to HI (which he facilitated) it's been driving spectacularly, the best it's been in my 25+ years of ownership. He put the "sports" back into "sports leicht"!
Tom was clearly aware of the level of repairs that were appropriate to my budget, offering his educated opinion on what was "must do" repairs vs "nice to have done" repairs.
I think he'd also be a valued pre-purchase resource if you were about to buy an older MB.
Overall, I felt that my (very precious) sl was in caring hands. As enthusiastic as I am about my car, I felt he was just as enthusiastic about repairing it.
Contact info:
Tom Colitt
323 251 0987
tcoltt@gmail.com
Kris Salzer
1965 230sl Grey-beige over turquoise
