The son of a car nut, Dave Goree has been working on cars all his life. In addition to wrenching on most car and motorcycle brands over the years, he spent more than two decades as an engineer for a number of race car teams. As a Tinker expert mechanic, Dave helps DIY enthusiasts solve they’re automotive repair problems with his wealth of knowledge and friendly nature. Originally from Clemson, South Carolina, he currently lives in Tacoma, Washington.
My 45 years working as an auto mechanic and race car engineer basically started with what could’ve been a Tinker call.
When I was a kid when my dad and I drove all over the Southeast so he could figure out how to time the camshafts on a Porsche Carrera Speedster that he’d just picked up from a graduate student. My father was a mechanical engineering professor at Clemson University and thought he could figure it out himself. No way, those ‘50s Carreras are insanely complex.
So, we got in our Volkswagen bus and drove to a Porsche store in Greenville, South Carolina. The guy at the Porsche store was friendly but unable to help. He told us to go see a guy down in Atlanta, so on we went.
The guy in Atlanta couldn’t help either, but recommended that my dad call a guy he knows in San Francisco, who in a matter of about 10 minutes, told my dad how to time the cams. All that driving and we could’ve just picked up the phone. It was just a matter of how to find him.
Today, I’m that guy on the phone, except as a Tinker expert mechanic auto DIYers don’t have to crisscross South Carolina and Georgia to find my number. I’ve been answering Tinker calls for about nine months and I love it. It’s fun helping people around the country solve their car problems.
I’ve worked on all kinds of cars and motorcycles in my career as a mechanic. I’ve even worked at a shop that specialized in fixing heavy trucks and buses. When I was working as a race car engineer on Formula Atlantic and Indy Lights race teams, there was a road car shop attached to our garage. I’d basically walk over and fix anything that frightened the other mechanics. A Ferrari would come in and they’d all just freak out.
I think my history in motorsport is especially valuable experience when helping Tinker callers. As a race engineer or crew chief, two-thirds of your job is figuring out what’s wrong with the race car based on feedback from the driver. I’m really good at having someone tell me what the car is doing, interpreting that information and figuring out a solution quickly.
One of my favorite Tinker calls happened just the other day. A woman was trying to fix an air conditioning problem on her Mazda. I told her what parts and tools she needed and where she could get them. Then I helped her figure out how much refrigerant was needed to recharge the system. About six hours later she called me back to tell me the fix worked. “Yay, my car is cool!” she said. She was so grateful.
Another interesting call was when I helped a guy install seats from a Toyota GR Corolla into a BMW 3 Series. That was also really good fun.
Working on your own car doesn’t have to be scary. People that have downloaded the Tinker app are a lot more likely to work on their cars because they know, “OK, if I get stuck I can pull out my phone and call a Tinker expert mechanic like me for help.”
That’s why Tinker is such an incredible resource for DIYers, because Tinker experts like me are just a phone call away, ready to help them out.
I’m Dave Goree, Tinker expert. Need a hand with your next project? Find me on Tinker.