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WHITBY FREE PRESS, DURHAM MOVES MAY 13, 1987, PAGE 3 STEVE RODRIGUES, owner of caters to a 1972 Vauxhall Firenza. Pirrana Small Car Centre, works on Pirrana is located at 630 Euelid St. one of the special cars the business Pirrana handies both elite and domestie cars By MIKE JOHNSTON Pirrana. The word conjures up images of wild, ferocious fish. But for many car owners, the word is associated with one of the finest car care cen- tres in Durham Region. Pirrana Small Car Centres Ltd. is located at 630 Euclid St. in Whitby. It was opened in October, 1980, by part-owner and mechanic, Steve Rodrigues. Co-owner is James Wilson. Rodrigues, 34, who lives in Scar- borough, has always been around the car industry. His father owned a Peugeot dealership in Toronto, where he worked. He has also worked for Honda and Ford. But after working for other people he decided to get into business for himself. Unlike his father, he did not set up shop in Toronto. Instead he chose Whitby. "Then, this was a region un- touched and I saw great potential here,',' says Rodrigues. The name Pirrana, is a fran- chise. Rodrigues says the name was chosen because of its con- notation of 'big and mean.' The majority of the cars brought to the shop are European and Japanese models. Rodrigues also works on North American cars. While most of today's cars require a computer for service, Rodrigues would rather tune-up a car himself than have to rely on a computer. "Things are changing so fast in the industry," says Rodrigues. "But not to the point that engines are completely different. "The engine has not really changed. I haven't come across anything that was too com- plicated." While he does have the com- puters should they be needed, he believes "a computer. - is only as good as the man operating it. I would rather rely on the equipment to help me do the job, not have the equipment do the job." the job." One strike against computers, says Rodrigues, is that they are pre-programmed. "This means thatif something different is happening in the engine, the computer says there is something wrong, when there may not be." Some of the cars that Inake their way into Rodrigues' shop are Ferraris, Porches, BMW's and Jaguars. Most of his customers are from the Oshawa - Whitby area but he does get customers from Toron- to. From all those famous names, Rodrigues says he cannot pick a favorite, but he does think European-made cars have far more superior engineering than North American cars. "North America is catching up but they are still behind the Europeans and Japanese, though North American manufacturers are building nice body styles now." However, Rodrigues cannot say the same thing for the 'guts' of Nor- th American cars. He says their suspensions and braking systems are far behind the Europeans. But that too is changing. He poin- ts to Ford's hiring of retired car driver Jackie Stewart to design cars, as a positive step to closing the gap. Since Pirrana has been opened, business has been good, says Rodrigues. "It took a while to get known. But now I have a lot of customers now." Pirrana also supplies car ac- cessories and parts. Rodrigues also believes the day of the muscle car is over. "Today, people want a car that will handle. Today you can have all the fun with half the weight." What are the benefits of keeping wheels aligned? The most obvious ad- vantages are longer tire wear and better steering. But safer driving and better fuel economy are important too. A car with misaligned wheels has a higher rolling resistance, resulting in more work for the engine to keep the car in motion. SPRING IS HERE! it'S TIME TO SEE YOUR AIR CONDITIONING SPECIALIST AIR CONDITIONING TUNE UP SPECIAL $49.95 RJ Phillips That's right, because it's my job to take care of all your car maintenance and repair needs. And now, with AUTOPRO, I can offer you even more than my professionalism and personalized service: n A Lifetime Guarantee Valid Everywhere in Canada nl A Free Inspection and a a a 0 a a a n ar w ffE s t i m a t e Auto Repairs Inc.E A Lifetime Guarantee on 303j Mary Street Whitby, Ontario L1N 2P6 Tel: 668-1616 107-B Warren Street Whitby, Ontario LIN 2C4 Tel: 430-0298 Mufflers El A Lifetime Guarantee on Brakes E A Lifetime Guarantee on Shock Absorbers E A Lifetime Guarantee on Front End Parts El A Lifetime Guarantee on E C.V. Joints AUW0PRO YOUR RECREATIONAL SALE CENTRES SALE-A-BRATION nPEuniIS Te«Y May 1-17 SOLE-6-BRRTIOI Dont Miss h .G Valuei ! it See the new 10 eTerry Celebrating our 20th anniversary hIM*ehuuir sei u nmw. pie4 Siays 12-5 HWY. 12, 15 MILES ONLY HWY. 1.15, 10 MILES NORTH OF WHITBY 45 MIN. NORTH OF 401 985-3372 'irNoTO 983-5947