Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 23/00) - In 1991, mechanic Ian Ferrier decided if he was going to keep working under the hood in this part of the world, he needed to put a roof over his head.

Ferrier, owner of Master Mechanic NWT Ltd., started his business by making house calls.

"My brother loaned me a 15-year-old pick-up truck. I went to City Hall and got a business licence for a mobile auto repair service -- Mobile Master Mechanic," he said.

"I hand drew a flyer and photocopied it and then put them on cars. I would go around door to door, repairing vehicles," he said.

But during the fall of 1991, after seven months of service on the spot and with colder temperatures a few months away, Ferrier was keen to get an address for his mobile shop. He bought a defunct shop in Kam Lake and started fixing the place and adding equipment.

After five years, Ferrier, and his brother, Ray, decided they should move their businesses to Old Airport Road. Ray Ferrier runs the Yellowknife Rent-a-relic business while Ian's wife, Patricia, runs the Gastown station. All three businesses are within a stone's throw of each other.

Came North for a visit

Living in Edmonton at the time, Ferrier first came North in 1985 to visit his brother.

Ferrier said he took a shine to Yk right away. He felt the city was just the right size and he knew he wanted to literally set up shop here.

He adds he knew he wanted to be a mechanic since he was in high school.

His first job out of school was washing cars at a Toyota dealership in Edmonton. He then apprenticed as a mechanic and worked on Toyotas in the 1970s. He was employed at various dealerships in Ontario and Edmonton.

Then he made a decision to work on different kinds of cars because he felt this approach would work in his favour. He also wanted to add management experience to his resume.

He managed 22 mechanics at a Dodge dealership in Edmonton at one point. Then he took a job as service manager at a Rolls-Royce dealership in that city.

Rolls-Royce prides itself on setting a service standard: customers were given limousine service while their cars were being repaired, he said. Ferrier said it is unlikely Ykers will ever enjoy this kind of pampering.

Asked about Yk winters, and the punishment they can inflict on a vehicle, Ferrier said different climates present different challenges. In southern Ontario for instance, he said heat and corrosion are problems.

Here, it's obviously the cold. Cold temperatures have a field day with anything made of rubber, he said.

Another problem here is trip duration. Short drive after short drive can wear out engine oil and lead to expensive repairs down the road, he said.

"The biggest favour you can do for a vehicle is an oil change. Because of the low kilometres people drive here, you might think you don't need to change the oil as often, in fact it's just the opposite."

And what about those rubber parts that can't cope with Yk cold?

Looks like it's a case of grin and watch them wear out.

But cold can cause damage very quickly and if auto owners are bringing in their cars and trucks for regular oil changes, mechanics can spot potential problems before a driver gets thrown an unwanted curve, says Ferrier.