Take your car in to get a ding repaired and you will end up paying a small fortune but there is an alternative, Paintless Dent Repair.

There are a ton of dent repair companies out there to choose from and I don’t think you’ll find any difference in results from one to the other, but what you will notice is price and service.

Unfortunately my car is black and although most of the seven dents are all small, they stand out like a sore thumb. I set out to find a company that offers paintless dent repair and ended up at The Dentest in Muskegon MI. They charged me for removing 5 dents, did one free and I chose not to repair the other (hardly noticeable). Total cost was $245 which included four doors and the hood and it took about 90 minutes.

Dents are removed by using a stainless steel rod to push the dent out from underneath. I had heard of using dry ice (see below) to remove dents but decided not to try it myself and have the pros fix the problems.

The staff was easy to work with and very professional. They have great coffee, plenty to read and even a secret bathroom behind a sliding wall – startled me when I saw an employee approach the wall, slide it open and enter!

The company has been around since the 90’s and was started by Frank Sundquist. Because of Frank’s professionalism, honesty and quality of service, The Dentest quickly became one of West Michigan’s top paintless dent repair companies.

The Dentest
Website: http://www.thedentest.com/
2124 Garland Drive
Muskegon, MI 49441
(231) 759-1541

I have been buying running shoes from Meijers, Wal-mart and other stores for years and almost always end up with Shin Splints (Pain in the shins caused by running with the wrong equipment).

I decided to visit Endurance Sports and have a pro outfit me with the right pair of running shoes once and for all. The owner (can’t get any better than that, right?) suggested the New Balance 1223 shoe which has ABZORB® SBS cushioning and the TS2 dual density medial post which accommodates the severe overpronator. What all that means, I don’t have a clue, but he sounded pretty enthusiastic and promised that shin splints would not be an issue!

The New Balance at Endurance sports includes an insert for extra cushioning inside a lightening dry lining which transfers moisture away from the foot. The N-Durance Outsole provides durability and is designed to provide upper midfoot structure and enhanced support. It also has midfoot support and torsional stability.

Long story short, this shoe is supposed to change my life! I recently entered a competition in which I need to lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks. With this new shoe, I should be able to easily meet that goal!

I though I would be paying more for the shoe because I was going to the pros at Endurance Sports in North Muskegon, but turns out that they are priced the same or less than a standard outlet store, a nice surprise.

If you get a chance, visit Endurance Sports and see for yourself what the pro’s can do for you!

See if you can spot that special someone

Endurance Sports
Website: http://www.endurancesports.biz/
1888 Holton Road
North Muskegon, MI 49445
(231) 744-9138

Ever get the feeling that the instant oil change shops might be putting less than adequate oil into your car? Do you have oil spots on your driveway, if so, they probably didn’t tighten the oil plug when they finished draining your oil, or worse yet, stripped the plug!

This is exactly why I bring my car into the dealership – that is, until I discovered mobile oil change. It’s all about trust and On The Spot Mobile Oil Change exudes just that, trust and professionalism.

Carl Macconach operates a clean, high tech oil change system that services your car right on the spot, be that spot at work, home or storage. I like the fact that Carl is local. Word of mouth is everything and Carl goes above and beyond to make sure you’re satisfied.

The mobile oil change is not limited to just cars, they also service boats, trucks, fleets and more. On the spot is a professional, fully insured full service oil change business that also covers broken headlights, tire rotation (never wait in line again!), radiator flushing and more.

How much is your time worth? With On the Spot, the service comes to you!

On the Spot Mobile Oil Change
Website: http://www.otspot.com
15531 Pine Street
Grand Haven, MI 49417
(616) 638-6084

Schutter’s Lawn Service is one of the most affordable and professional lawn care services in Muskegon. No matter what size or grade, they have a program to meet your needs.

I have an extremely steep lawn and called a number of lawn care companies for quotes. Many said they were not interested and the ones that were, wanted more than you would expect.

After a recommendation from my neighbor, I called Schutter’s and had a complete lawn care maintenance plan at a price I could afford. I also use them for fall clean up as well.

If you’re looking for professional, affordable and timely service, give Schutter’s a call and ask for Eric.

Schutter’s Lawn Care
1014 Mills Ave
North Muskegon, MI 49445
(231) 744-2084

I had to write about Baker Marine, a boat repair and storage shop located in Muskegon, MI and run by owner, Steve Baker.

My neighbor has a boat and the trim had died on it. He told me he was going to call his mechanic and have him take a look. That same day, I saw Steve Baker stopped by and fixed the problem. It was simply a fuse and Steve didn’t charge for the repair. Being the good neighbor he is, Steve was forced to take something for his time; that convinced me to make note of Baker Marine should I ever need anything.

Sure enough, a couple weeks later, I needed that information. I have a Pontoon. While out with friends, I ran across something that destroyed the lower unit (that is putting it mildly).

The insurance adjuster (and if you don’t have boat insurance, I highly recommend it!) and Steve Baker both said that it was one of the worst cases they have seen. To make a long story short, Baker Marine had a remanufactured lower unit from Jasper Engines and Transmissions installed and the boat was back in the water in a week!

We formed a mutual admiration society – I loved the service, the boat insurance adjuster actually thanked me for bringing Baker Marine to his attention (he was impress with the labor rates) and Baker Marine stated that the insurance adjuster (out of Grand Haven) was a great person to deal with (most insurance adjusters are not) – everyone was happy!

I also called around for boat storage, which included Torresen Marine, The Mart Dock and Pointe Marine and was shocked at the cost of storage. Heated boat storage was insanely priced (perhaps I need to open a boat storage facility!) and cold boat storage was right behind! Over $1,000 for cold boat storage!

I called JC Pontoon, manufacturer for my Tritoon and asked them about cold storage. The said that they store their pontoons outside and that it won’t hurt the boat as long as you have it shrink-wrapped and well ventilated - ventilation being the key. Halls Sport Center in Muskegon also said they store boats outside and suggested using moisture packets to keep things dry (Halls Sport Center was also pricy for boat storage in Muskegon).

I saved over $1000 going with Baker Marine and boat repair by putting my boat in cold storage at their storage yard.

If you are considering storing your boat in Muskegon, Grand Haven or the Whitehall area, I highly recommend you contact Baker Marine and compare.

Steve gave me the impression that he is a mechanic you can trust, and those are hard to find. The insurance adjuster was happy, I personally watched him provide above and beyond service to my neighbor, and I was lucky enough to have him work on my boat.

Update!

Shortly after I received my boat with the refurbished unit (Steve said that ‘refurbished’ is how it’s done and that the units are as good as new), I was out in the big lake and stopped to take pictures of the log below. This log was right in the boat path from Grand Haven to Muskegon and I was thrilled that I missed it!

I backed the boat up a few times to get a better shot and once I placed it into forward, a Horrible noise came from the back of the boat, then a smell of trouble (lower unit fluid which smells very bad!). I was dead in the water and a perfect day turned into a nightmare. It took all day to get back into shore and when I finally managed to get the pontoon up on the trailer, this is what I saw:

Muskegon Boat Repair needed once again and turns out that I was very unlucky. From what Baker Marine stated, this hardly ever happens and as you can see, the gears blew right out of the unit! Steve said not to worry and that he would send it in and make sure I was taken care, no charge. He did send in the unit, installed the new one and let me know that because the end of the season was near, the warranty would not start until next spring.

I never had a chance to take out the second unit, but I anxiously look forward to spring. The only bad part about all this is you have to drive half throttle on new units for about 20 hours!

I’ll post back in the spring and let you know how Muskegon Boat Repair expert Steve Baker did on getting me up and running!

Baker marine, give it a shot:

Baker Marine Service
Boat and Storage
Muskegon, MI 49445
(231) 206-4993