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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Hey, folks, I'm on the road in my 2001 5sp Insight. Drove south through Oregon and California. Had a disastrous blowout in Northern California where there was no cell service, but that is not part of this thread.

I showed up at Jue Motors Friday with a laundry list of repairs that needed to be done, starting with clutch replacement.

If you do not want to read this wnole post, here is the summary: Scott and Jimmy at Jue Motors are super mechanics, professional and honest. They are the Nordstroms or Nieman-Marcus of car repair.

The first thing Scott did with the car was test drive it. He said he was not sure the clutch needed to be replaced but wanted Jimmy Jue, the owner, to check the car, too. Jimmy agreed. The rear motor mount had been replaced so the front two were replaced. Scott says that it is normal to have a little shudder when engaging the clutch. These guys went over that car with the proverbial fine toothed comb, luckily for me. Scott came up with a few things that were small and larger was the right rear wheel bearing and rim, both damaged to the point of near uselessness. They were replaced. Scott apoligized for the high price of the wheel bearing. If he could have whittled one out of white pine he would have done it.

My sure impression of Scott is that he is looking for the best and cheapest way to fix the problem. BTW, new rear springs and shocks made it a new car, no fooling. And having the instrument cluster lights working is kind of nice, too. After putting on the aluminum belly panel for me I find that now crossing the sound barrier is effortless.

In short I would drive the 1,600 mile two day trip for any serious repair work. By having Scott do the work I know I only have to have it done once. Scott, and the whole shop: professional, knowledgeable, efficient, honest, reasonable and kind. Scott was kind enough to drive me to my motel, carry my suitcase up to the second floor, and pick me up in the morning. There were other kindnesses, too.

So on the basis of my experience I would think you're making a mistake by not taking your car to Scott. He is a great no BS guy that knows his profession.

Thank you Scott, thank you Jimmy, and Victor and Moises.
 

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You aren't the first to say it, but great to hear about Scott's helpfulness frequently:)

He is one of maybe two or three professional mechanics in the country who really knows these old jewels. You couldn't have done better.
 

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I had the pleasure of meeting Scott at Insight Fest 2016, he was very professional and knowledgeable. The aluminum underbelly panel he sells, I can't recommend that enough. Also, the custom springs turn the handling of the car from springy to sporty. I'd recommend every Insight owner who can afford it to get the panel and the springs Scott sells.
 

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I had the pleasure of meeting Scott at Insight Fest 2016, he was very professional and knowledgeable. The aluminum underbelly panel he sells, I can't recommend that enough. Also, the custom springs turn the handling of the car from springy to sporty. I'd recommend every Insight owner who can afford it to get the panel and the springs Scott sells.
Agreed - you are in great hands with Scott, who spends a lot of his time thinking of ways to make our cars better. Also, these things handle and feel like a modern car, especially if you do all 4 springs.
 

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Discussion Starter · #6 ·
The more I drive this car now the more pleased I am with it. Scott's work was meticulous. The new Gaz shocks and Kulbeck springs made a huge difference. I asked about the front springs and shocks and Scott said they were alright.

The pleasure I am having with this car now is amazing. It is set for the coast to coast trip and back.

I am at Sam and Carol Sharp's home now. Sam changed my oil and filter and we hooked up the grid charger just to tweak the IMA battery(s). I will run it through the entire charge-discharge-charge routine when I am in Arkansas where I will be spending a few days.

Sam says this is the quietest Insight he has heard and that Scott has raised the bar considerably for valve adjustments.

I have been very pleased with my little 2001 5sp Insight. Now that Scott and Sam have passed their hands over it the car has been reborn. And Natalya is right, those Kulbeck rear springs make a huge difference. The Kulbeck belly pan is also a pretty darned good idea.
 
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I will second third and fourth cudos to Scott!
To any folks on the fence, debating on doing the Kulbeck rear suspension.. Just do it.
Lay off Starbucks for a month, eat ramen, whatever ?
I put 77000mi and 650+ round trip commutes in, before I got off the fence.
Completely different car now, better handling, better bump control, better than new I recon ??!

OH and buy his aero pan, ymmv (pun intended) but on my car it handed me 3mpg. ??
Ken
 

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With Scott, you not only find a super Insight mechanic, you also find a friend. An A1 guy in every respect. The Insight community is damn lucky to have him.
 
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Scott is a great mechanic

This is my first post on insight central but I have been reading this forum since last year and I just wanted to tell everyone how great a mechanic Scott is. I drove from Vegas to Jue Motors in Covina last week to get work done on my 2001 MT Blue Insight . The only work I have completed on it since my purchase in March was rear wheel spacers. Scott took the time to completely go over the last entire car and then installed a belly pan, 2 (can't remember name of) aerodynamic tray pieces, Kulbeck rear springs , a upstream O2 sensor, quick change oil drain plug, and he fixed my broken indoor door handle. And today he and Willie stopped by the house on the way out of Vegas from the Aapex convention to replace my valve cover gasket, install new spark plugs and do a valve adjustment. He has to be the most honest Mechanic you will ever meet and an overall nice guy. If you are on the fence about where to repair to your Insight trust take a ride to Covina.
 

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Discussion Starter · #11 ·
Well, lightening can strike twice in the same place. On the way home from my coast to coast and back trip (~10,750 miles) I stopped at Jue Automotive for some work by the Insight gurus. The first time I stopped I was sure I needed a new clutch. Scott and Jimmy diagnosed the problem as bad motor mounts and replaced the front two. The rear had been replaced.

This time the problem I had was a shot master cylinder. Scott diagnosed the problem as the rear brakes were out of adjustment, and he was right, again. That's twice I diagnosed the problem wrong and Scott diagnosed it right. And his fix was way cheaper each time. That is some kind of honest. Granted a survey with only two observations is inaccurate as hell but I am not the only person to have had great service and scrupuloudly honest businiess dealings with these guys. The only problem with Jue Automotive is that it is about 1,000 miles too far away.

Scott, Jimmy, thanks again. You are super.
 
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I had the pleasure of meeting Scott at Insight Fest 2016, he was very professional and knowledgeable. The aluminum underbelly panel he sells, I can't recommend that enough. Also, the custom springs turn the handling of the car from springy to sporty. I'd recommend every Insight owner who can afford it to get the panel and the springs Scott sells.
I just installed the rear springs and Gaz shocks from klr3cyl and they make a big diff..... springy to sporty.... good way to describe it... very easy install as well, and youtube vid to help should one need help.... thank you Scott ... :)
 
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