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I want to share with all of you the memory of Karl "Stef" Stefankiewicz. I wonder if there is anyone else on this board who also knew him or ever heard of him.
He owned and operated "Capsule Motors" car-repair shop in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY, for 32 years. He was the best Volvo repair mechanic ever seen. Almost legendary. Over the years he built lasting relationships with many of his clients, many of whom, to this day, wouldn't let anyone else touch their cars.
I used to call him The Volvo Walking Encyclopedia. He knew this wonderful cars with his eyes closed.
He passed away last May 11, at home in the evening after one last full day at the shop. His son found him peacefully asleep in his chair. He was 67 years old, and I still have his energetic messages in my voice mail, I last picked my car from him May 3. He always produced small miracles, and he made this old Volvos always run beautifully.
I really regret not having given him my two bricks this past winter, and told him, just do anything you'd like. He always did extra stuff to your car that he'd found and deemed necessary, from small things the average mechanic wouldn't even bother, to stuff you had no idea was going on. But he was honest and fair. If he had worked on your car, that summer would be a much nicer one than usual. Now myself, and a bunch of other people, are mechanic "orphans". Where are we gonna go for the next life-or-death-20-year-old-Volvo major repair job?
Suggestions are welcome, sarcastic ones are well tolerated. I just wish if there is anyone from the area that knew him, and would like to share his memory with us.
Be well.
Sergio
Brooklyn, NY
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posted by
someone claiming to be sorenson-jr
on
Fri May 19 00:37 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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Didn't know Karl myself; wrong coast for me and by the sound of it my loss. You do write a great obit and one that falls on many sympathetic eyes. Surely someone at Capsule respected Karl enough to be his understudy, or did he do it all?
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Thank you for your reply and kind words.
Unfortunately it seems that 'Stef'(Karl) doesn't exactly have a heir to his garage, although it turns out he might have owned the buiding itself, and part of the block, in one of the hottest real estate neighborhood in the country. He was very frugal for himself, and just kept at it with the stream of customers.
I think Karl learned to fix european cars when he was stationed in Germany as a young men in the army.He ws also a Little League coach, for 22 years.
His son was never involved with the shop, and the couple of mechanics he employed, although certainly skilled, don't think would be able to run the garage by themselves, most of them were barely speaking any english. (...)
I wouldn't mind go back and speak sign language with them, but I am afraid is not gonna happen. I don't think can't have Capsule Motors without him.
So, my cry here is: We need a back-up mechanic here in Brooklyn!
Anybody interested? I wish someone would suggest a good Volvo mechanic in our area, or share their experiences with others.
All the best.
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Hi.
I went to Capsule motors for years. Stef kept my Volkswagen Jetta running strong for over 200k+ and now my Volvo 850. He did always do the extras that made the car run well. He was a fair and honest mechanic who always made sure that you were running at your best and he would always accomodate his loyal customers. I will miss his dedication and his unique attitude.
I have just dropped off my 850 for service and repair. Apparently his lead mechanic is still there. I do not know who else is running the shop or if his lead mechanic has taken over the business.
I will let you know my experience though. I felt quite sad when I learned of Stefan's passing.
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Thanks a lot for your reply.
I will miss Stef not just for the work he did on my car(s), just like you said.
I went by only once and saw the garage closed, never imagined it's still in business.
I'd love to go back. I never really got to know the mechanics that well, but I remember one of the guys, he was always very kind. I'll check it out, and I'll tell a few friends who were stunned by his premature death, and have been mechanicless themselves as well since.
Thanks, and keeps us posted.
Sergio Girgenti
Brooklyn, NY
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posted by
someone claiming to be David Perris
on
Thu Jul 6 04:17 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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It's good to see some remembrances of Stef here.
When my girlfriend and I arrived in New York in 1984,
Stef was one of the first people we met. Over the years,
he took care of all our cars--a Rabbit, a Civic, a Mazda 323,
and finally a Volvo wagon.
He was, as others have said, a superb mechanic--honest,
thorough, utterly trustworthy. He was also a character, scolding
us if we dropped the car off late or if we couldn't quite articulate
what was wrong with it, then all smiles later in the day when we
picked the car up--particularly if we arrived with baked goods.
Most of all, Stef was a rare constant in the changeable world of
New York life. Whatever else happened over all those years--job changes,
new apartments, friends coming and going, we knew there was one small corner of
life that we didn't have to worry about. Something wrong with the car?
If we could just get it down to Capsule, Stef would make everything all right.
We stopped by the garage a few weeks back, and spoke with Stef's son
and son-in-law. They were taking stock, surrounded by huge piles of paperwork, and said that Jose, Stef's lead mechanic, might be keeping the garage open.
I hope that's the case. I can't imagine how many loyal customers like us would feel orphaned without Capsule motors.
But it won't be the same without Stef.
--David Perris
Brooklyn
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posted by
someone claiming to be christine
on
Thu Jul 20 10:30 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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I am sorry to hear of stef's passing. However, I have since found Lorenzutti Motors on Douglas between 2nd and 3rd Aves in Park Slope, and have found them to also be exceptional mechanics, especially with old volvos. They are not Steph, but they are pretty great and NICE to boot.
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My wife and I were very sorry to hear of Steph's passing. I had first heard about Steph in 1992 from a co-worker who formerly had been an executive at Northwest Airlines. He had heard about Steph from the airline mechanics who called him a "mechanic's mechanic".
We've owned the same car since 1992 (a Honda Civic) and Steph could always be relied upon to keep it in good working order. A lot of mechanics would just swap new parts for old, but Steph would try to repair things if he could, keeping costs to a minimum.
He was always a bit "curt" in the morning as he sorted through all of the jobs that were coming in to the shop. But in the afternoon, when all was done, he always had a big smile and loved to chat. We certainly will miss him and regret his passing.
One of his mechanics told us that the rent for the space doubled after Steph's passing, making it not feasable for them to carry on the business. Everything has been cleaned out and the Capsule Motors sign is no longer there. Another local repair shop - Bridge Auto Service on Gold Street - is seeking to bring Steph's mechanics into his business and is looking for a suitable space. He told me that he has to leave the Gold Street address within a year because the area has been rezoned for residential use. As the area around the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges becomes more desirable, it will be harder and harder to find good auto repair shops in the vicinity.
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