An intro / re-intro

Servicing and repairs on all VW and Audi models, old and new. The passion is sort of on the old but we also love the newer and can do whatever you need.
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panic-mechanic
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An intro / re-intro

Post by panic-mechanic »

Hi Everybody.
Some might know me and some not. Anyways my name is Actually Stephan van Tonder and I am making this post here to advertise a little bit and re-introduce myself.

I am a total VW / Audi nut that grew up in a VW workshop, my dad being a mechanic. So since I can remember I have been fiddling with cars and mainly the VW / AUDI /DKW brands and some BMW in early years.
I always wanted to become a mechanic but dad advised that I should rather become something that pays and do the mechanic thing as a hobby. I did that but at some point thought let me try a workshop.
Well he was right. It does not really pay if you do it right and hire huge premises and I lost the passion for it when I turned it into a job.

So I closed up and went back to my main pay job which is in computers.
Over the years I never stopped working on cars and kept all my equipment and many of my customers but was situated so that I really could not work on cars. In the last few years I moved onto a plot and so now have a fair amount of space again and setup everything so I can work on cars again.

So basically what I am doing now is offering again to take in some car work and I have pulled in a few friends that is in the same situation.
We have normal weekday jobs but have a passion, the tools and the ability to do some excellent car work.

Call Us Panic’s place.
So what we offer is the following, Servicing and repairs on all VW and Audi models, old and new. The passion is sort of on the old but we also love the newer and can do whatever you need.
I have a couple of two post lifts so services are easy and we have the tools to remove even a V10 Audi motor.

I dyno tune basically all aftermarket managements and specialise in Perfect power (sales and install) but also tune Dicktator, gotech, powermods, and even vipec or whatever you want to have done. I learn really quickly.

If we get something we have not done we either get or make the tools needed so don’t really scare for much. It might take a little while, while we manufacture tools to complete the job.

We also offer engine rebuilds and some performance mods, also know a thing or two about racing cars.

Just understand that this is mainly a weekend job so we can service between two to four cars a weekend if it is simple lube services or basically do one or two of the bigger things like timing belt/chain changes.

If it’s more serious like engine out things then it might take a bit longer. So please understand that it is not a fulltime thing and we do this with passion and not haste.
So your work will be good but not fast. If you are in a hurry for a turbo conversion for instance then this is not the place to come as it will probably take several months, not days or weeks and will require deposits for the parts upfront.

So what do we NOT do.
I do NOT do modern day ECU performance flashing. There are too many of these in the market and I will not get involved in that bunfight.
I do have somebody that I can refer you to at a decent price and can get it done on your behalf if you ask or need.

Anything in a hurry in the middle of the week. Although I do work in the afternoons I do it only for an hour or two.

Anything where you need big work done but cannot leave the car for a while.

What DO we do

I do diagnostics and have VCDS but can also do basic old school diagnostics that seemingly very few can still do.

Dyno Tune carb cars and almost all aftermarket managements.
Can also do things like setting basic timing for you after you have DIY’d a timing belt change on things like carb and MP9 or K-jet.
Quick timing set I don’t charge full dyno prices for and can do weekday afternoons.

I have a pretty good knowledge and tools on K-jet and can tune and repair unless there is an item that is not available anymore and can’t be sourced somehow.

Supply, install and Tune Perfect Power management systems and piggybacks.

Service and repairs on all Watercooled VW and Audis.

Limited services on other brands and if I refuse to service a brand then it’s mainly because I do not like it or do not know it or do not have tools for it. We specialise in VW and Audi for a reason.

Engine rebuilds and other minor engine repairs like Blown Headgaskets, head recons etc. on VW and AUDI

Replacing of timing belts and chains.

Suspension and brake work.

Changing Of clutches but must be able to leave the car over a weekend at least.

For services I prefer you drop Friday night and collect late Saturday or if it suits you on Sunday.

For management installs you are looking at most likely Two weeks at a minimum and much longer if you bring me something that is full of other problems.

I tune ONLY on Saturday mornings and I spend roughly 3 to 4 hours per car possibly more if it is turbo charged. And yes you are welcome to watch if you can stomach it(not Kidding).

Work is by appointment only. No walk in and be helped immediately. There will be quotes involved and bookings made.


So as you can figure out this is a Hobby / additional income for us and there are time restrictions.

So why would you use us?
A) You get work done by people that does it for Passion. So you get it done RIGHT. We do not hurry through the work because it is simply a job and there is time pressure to complete another in a specified time.

B) Generally the ‘per hour’ Rate is Lower because I am not hiring a workshop but do have some overheads to cover so cannot do it for free. (Equipment are expensive)

C) I often get parts cheaper than what you can and do not add a margin like dealers do. I source mainly at Goldwagen but will always buy the better Brands available and many will be OE if we know the cheaper replacement will not be long lasting.

D) If We do major work like engine removals ETC. it is by the book and the car will be right after, not have other new ailments that was introduced by breaking plugs, tearing boots and breaking items that should have been removed upfront like you often find at dealerships.

E) We have no external agenda like selling you a new car or seeing how many spares we can use, so will not test fit a bundle of stuff that might or might not work to solve a problem. We will diagnose till we know we are only installing parts that are needed to fix a repair.

F) We will never lie to you on the status of your work. If you brought the car and we managed not to look at it I will tell you so directly. Not tell you some story. As with everything in life sometimes things do not work out as planned or scheduled and you have the right to know that that was simply the case. If you would then rather remove the car and bring back later or never just say so and you are welcome to do that.
If we screw up and no human is infallible we will approach it in a grown up fashion and find a way to make it right with you. Please do discuss it first with us though before climbing on social media as is fashionable these days and we promise not to hit you with a laptop.

G) You are welcome to supply your own parts. If you bring bad parts I will tell you so and you can decide to use them or not.


I thank you for your time and hope that we would be able to help some of you guys out in future.

We are in Putfontein in Benoni.

You can contact Stephanie on 061 507 6017 for service bookings. Please state what you need done and if there are additional items you want looking at. We will order parts in the week ahead to cover the scheduled work. If something else is found then I will contact you to discuss how to proceed.
If you have major other work and want to discuss it you can contact me between the hours of 15:00 and 18:00 in the week or Saturday morning on that number. I also work well on whatsapp and is generally more helpful and friendly there than on phone calls while standing elbow deep in oil or holding up a gearbox.(which is almost always what happens when somebody feel like a bit of a chat)
Generally I do not do call outs but will on exceptions but it will not be cheap then.

But please understand one thing. That cell number is not a free, call at any time during the night or day, assist service.
I already spend a lot of time helping guys on the forum and do not feel like talking to somebody in the evening because he feels the right to get some free advice on his problem (which happens more often than you think).
The number will be active during the hours of 08:00 to 18:00 and will be switched off out of those hours so please do not be upset about that - it's just business.

Regards
Panic’s place.
Stephan(panic-mechanic) ,Rinus(blueblob) , Dewald, Marcello and Stephanie on Admin.
Stephan van Tonder - Jhb - Putfontein Benoni
'05 Audi A6 3.0L TDI Avant
'09 Touareg 3l TDI
'13 VW CC 2l tdi (repair project)
'05 Touareg v10

Perfect Power dealer. I do dyno tuning.
BlueBlob
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by BlueBlob »

I'm not going to start a new thread, so will just tag on here.

I met panic-mechanic about 17 years ago, and since then, I've spent as much time as I could, learning from him. Together we've built some pretty cool cars. We've learnt many lessons over the years.

Like him, I'm an absolute VAG slut. Have owned countless of them over the years, some very modified, others not at all.

He asked me if I wanted to tag onto this venture of his, and here we are.

In short, if you want work done on your car, done right, the first time, by enthusiasts, not "part replacement executives", give us a shout.
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Unobeat
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Unobeat »

I can trust you both with my cars and that you will do a good job in sorting them out properly.
@Tehblob- i remember following your thread when you rebuild you VR6 T motor, epic stuff.
@Panic- Your replies to technical questions always are very informative and helpful.

I would not mind being your intern just to learn!!!

Just a question guys, i know you said that you specialize in VW/AUDI, but do you also assist with other cars for maintenance nothing major really.

Welcome guys :hurray:
THANAS wrote:Mix them together to create Shellstrol, and then mix that with Winstrol to create the ultimate, maximum performance oil for your engine.
panic-mechanic wrote:When I build engines and do stuff like this I do it when there is nobody else around, No distractions, No phone nothing so that you don't forget what you should be doing. It's the little things that make them run right. Anybody can slap a basic bottom end together. that is the easy bit. It's all the little things that makes these builds a success or not.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by dexxxter »

Hi All

Just thought I would come and say howzit as well. I am the Dewald referred to in the email above and have been working closely with stephan for quite some time now.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by BlueBlob »

Unobeat wrote:Just a question guys, i know you said that you specialize in VW/AUDI, but do you also assist with other cars for maintenance nothing major really.
Will depend on specifics, but as a general rule, we'll do most work.

We're doing big-ends on an M3 in a couple of weeks, for instance.
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THANAS
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by THANAS »

This is great, all the best guys, will definitely be referring people to PP.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by AlexTDi »

Great stuff guys :hurray:

Rinus, bring stickers this weekend and I'll help with marketing on FB, my website, race car, etc.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by BlueBlob »

AlexTDi wrote:Great stuff guys :hurray:

Rinus, bring stickers this weekend and I'll help with marketing on FB, my website, race car, etc.
Will have to get some made first. Didn't even think of that. :lol:
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Unobeat »

dexxxter wrote:Hi All

Just thought I would come and say howzit as well. I am the Dewald referred to in the email above and have been working closely with stephan for quite some time now.
Welcome to the forum bro :hi:
THANAS wrote:Mix them together to create Shellstrol, and then mix that with Winstrol to create the ultimate, maximum performance oil for your engine.
panic-mechanic wrote:When I build engines and do stuff like this I do it when there is nobody else around, No distractions, No phone nothing so that you don't forget what you should be doing. It's the little things that make them run right. Anybody can slap a basic bottom end together. that is the easy bit. It's all the little things that makes these builds a success or not.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Unobeat »

BlueBlob wrote:
Unobeat wrote:Just a question guys, i know you said that you specialize in VW/AUDI, but do you also assist with other cars for maintenance nothing major really.
Will depend on specifics, but as a general rule, we'll do most work.

We're doing big-ends on an M3 in a couple of weeks, for instance.
Great stuff guys.
THANAS wrote:Mix them together to create Shellstrol, and then mix that with Winstrol to create the ultimate, maximum performance oil for your engine.
panic-mechanic wrote:When I build engines and do stuff like this I do it when there is nobody else around, No distractions, No phone nothing so that you don't forget what you should be doing. It's the little things that make them run right. Anybody can slap a basic bottom end together. that is the easy bit. It's all the little things that makes these builds a success or not.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Kirshenp »

Now this is AWESOME!!
Current Rides:
2011 Audi A3 1.8TFSI - Current http://www.vwclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic ... 1&t=183182
1991 VW Golf Mk2 GTi http://www.vwclub.co.za/phpbb3/viewtopi ... 1&t=149471

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2008 VW Polo 9n3 http://www.vwclub.co.za/phpbb3/viewtopi ... 1&t=148182 - STOLEN :(

"Boostlife and Eat.Sleep.GTi'"
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by dazza »

This is some great news for the JHB/PTA VWCSA community!
Will definitely refer people your way and also use you for anything I deem to much for my limited knowledge
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by madracer21 »

This is nice, and wish you all the best.
Your passion will definitely turn this into a success.

Question: Will you do fault finding on cars which are still under warranty etc.
Personally, I have had many experiences with workshops "not being able to re-create the fault", "cannot find the problem", changing 20 different parts before the problem is actually solved and the car sitting with them for weeks or having to go back and forth several times.
I would not mind paying for fault finding, assume it to be labour only, and then wheeling the car off to the workshop to instruct the service advisor on what to change under warranty etc. based on your feedback.
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panic-mechanic
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by panic-mechanic »

Will definitely assist with fault finding. Yes even with cars under warranty. But one caveat, I would not get involved in the ensuing fight with the workshop that has to do the warranty repair. They foot the bill at the end of that day.

Will do repairs on most cars but a lot of modern cars start requiring special tools and I don't have / keep special tools for everything on the market. For instance cam locking tool etc.
So if it is something like your simple uno - sure of course no issue. If it is a very modern something that requires 15 specialized tools just to open the bonnet then probably no. For the vw/audi group I have quite bit but don't keep stuff for a kia for instance.
Stephan van Tonder - Jhb - Putfontein Benoni
'05 Audi A6 3.0L TDI Avant
'09 Touareg 3l TDI
'13 VW CC 2l tdi (repair project)
'05 Touareg v10

Perfect Power dealer. I do dyno tuning.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Ian_F »

Great intro Stephan


All the best!





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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by AyaThatGuy »

Welcome gents. That was a great write up.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by VAG Fan »

Stephan,

I've been reading internet forums (cars and other topics) for 15+ years, and judging both by the quality of your write-up and the claims you make, you are setting the bar VERY high for yourself.

I sincerely hope that the quality of your work lives up to the promises made here, and that you manage to build up a good, loyal clientele.

I don't think you need luck (well, everyone does, in a trivial sense), so I'll rather wish you gumption, perseverance and a good spirit in your team.

I'm on the other side of the Jukskei, but you may well see me sometime.

Best wishes!
Mark R.
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2004 VW Golf TDI, type 1J, AHF, 317k (2016-current) --- daily
1990 VW Fox, type 16, HM, 304k (2005-current) --- spare runaround
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1983 VW Golf GTS, type 17, FR (1992-2005) --- most fun car I've ever had
1978 Audi 100 GLS 5E, type 43, WC (1991-92) --- died in the side of a Rekord who cut me off
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panic-mechanic
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by panic-mechanic »

Thanks for the good wishes. We will just give our best and deal in honesty.
The people that know me know that i am a grumpy old man but brutally honest and upfront.
Stephan van Tonder - Jhb - Putfontein Benoni
'05 Audi A6 3.0L TDI Avant
'09 Touareg 3l TDI
'13 VW CC 2l tdi (repair project)
'05 Touareg v10

Perfect Power dealer. I do dyno tuning.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by vee4410 »

It's great to know that there are people who actually do this with a passion and have a great work ethic.

All the best guys!
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Kavi4GP »

Thats great too know

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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by PapaJo »

Awesome intro / re-intro, Panic.

I´m sure that many of our VW community will come to you to have work done and judging by your advice on the forum, you will be busy.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by vagmaniac »

Awesome to know you back in the business Stephan:) Love your work and perseverance too. Good luck guys.
What a girl friend said when I took her for a first drive "OMG I think I just came in my pants"
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Lady66 »

panic-mechanic wrote:The people that know me know that i am a grumpy old man but brutally honest and upfront.
I always thought you had the patience of a saint! :hi:

Great news on the new venture I am sure you guys will make a great success of it! And definitely bringing the toy to you for a dyno... well one day when it's ready.
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panic-mechanic
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by panic-mechanic »

Howzit Milla. Yeah bring it around when you have it running.
Stephan van Tonder - Jhb - Putfontein Benoni
'05 Audi A6 3.0L TDI Avant
'09 Touareg 3l TDI
'13 VW CC 2l tdi (repair project)
'05 Touareg v10

Perfect Power dealer. I do dyno tuning.
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Re: An intro / re-intro

Post by Lady66 »

Thanks Stephan! It will be a while yet I've just started taking it apart :shock:
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