Automobile mechanic John R. Peake is becoming famous for telling people about their cars even before they buy them.
For several years Peake has had a weekly automobile trouble-shooter program on KTKK, otherwise known as KTALK Radio, and recently has appeared on Channel 13 television telling people how to buy a used car without getting stung and how to solve their vehicle maintenance and repair problems.In addition, Peake has held numerous daylong seminars at his car company to help people learn how to buy a used car. Two or three people a day bring used cars to his repair shop to get his expert opinion on whether they should buy the cars or not.
Besides listening to the engine and looking under the hood, Peake uses a magnet to detect putty underneath a beautiful paint job - indicating a dent or crash - and checks for body welding that can indicate a reconstructed wreck.
"People are always trying to palm off problem vehicles and even downright junk as the proverbial little old schoolteacher's car."
Peake, 32, has been fixing cars since he was a little boy and is owner and manager of Peak Performance, an automobile repair company at 2810 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City. While Peake will fix most any car or truck, he specializes in Japanese cars such as Toyota, Nissan, Datsun, Honda and Mazda.
An outspoken critic of U.S. car manufacturers and a fan of Japanese workmanship, Peake is a congenial and naturally entertaining person.
Some of the people who go to him for car repairs say he is so full of fun they go to him for his banter and jokes as much as for his automobile expertise.
Peake grew up on a small farm in Maryland where his father, who had a furniture repair business, had a small automobile repair garage. He said he began working on cars, tractors and trucks when he was 6 years old.
"At one time, I wanted to be a doctor and studied pre-med in college, but I got bored and headed West for adventure in the fall of 1976 and had to stop in Utah when my truck went bad on Beck Street in Salt Lake."
He spent several years as a mechanic for a Nissan dealership and for a high-performance Datsun race car firm - where he traveled all over the West working at auto races. He started Peak Performance in 1981 and now has four employees, including his brother, Willy.
"Fixing cars can be a headache, but it is interesting and fun. You have to be part detective to figure out what the matter is with the car and part psychologist to deal with customers, who are usually bent out of shape because their car doesn't work.
"Some cars, especially modern American cars, defy repair. Detroit just isn't building cars the way they used to. I sometimes think American car engineers conspire to put parts in cars where you can't get at them without tearing the whole car apart."
But, he said, any car can be made to last, unless it is a complete lemon. The secret is maintenance. "Get an oil and oil filter change every 2,500 to 3,000 miles. Change your air filter every 15,000 miles or less or whenever it gets dirty - especially when you spend a lot a time on dirt roads.
"Check your fluid levels regularly and if your car begins to overheat because of too little coolant, STOP. Don't run your car overheated. It crystallizes the metal in the piston rings and can damage your car."
Peake and his wife, Kathy, have a 2 1/2-month-old son named Sam who is being initiated into the automobile repair business early, like his dad. Sam is often perched on a workbench or on the hood of a car in his infant seat, listening to the sound of car repairs as if it were sweet music.
Peake's newest venture is an hour-long video movie called "Lemon? or Cherry! How to Buy a Good Used Car." He expects to have the film ready for sale at Christmas time.