REPAIR — Jennifer and Randy Pryor of M.A.D. Repair welcome new customers.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
HOULTON — What happens when one of your dashboard gauges stops working? You can head to a dealership and pay for a factory cluster to be reinstalled or you can call Randy Pryor of M.A.D. Repair at 299 McSheffrey Road in Houlton, who can save you money.
At a dealership to replace a cluster, a customer can spend anywhere between $300 and $600.
“I can fix it and put it back in for less than half,” Pryor said. “I do not have to do any programming because the cluster came out of your car and it is made for your car.”
Pryor gives free estimates before working on the problem because he charges per job.
“If I can’t fix it, I won’t charge a customer,” said Pryor.
At Maine Automotive Dash (M.A.D.) Repair, Pryor tackles the most intricate of circuit boards, repairing those microscopic mechanisms to help keep car clusters (dashboard gauges) working.
“Behind every one of those needles [on the gauges] is a little motor with a pin that the needle sits on,” explained Pryor, holding the part in his hand. “These have to be soldered onto the circuit board.
“A lot of parts that I work on are tiny, such as resistors and light bulbs,” he added. “It is pretty close-up work. Everything is done through a magnifying glass.”
Pryor, who graduated from Washington County Technical College in 1990, was hired by York’s of Houlton and has been with them for 20 years. He has started his side business with the agreement with his employer not to work on a complete car. He has no garage on his property.
“He got a license from town to be able to work at his kitchen table,” said Pryor’s wife, Jennifer.
“I only work on electrical components. Everything is done here,” he said pointing to the table, with an attached magnifying glass.
A Ford senior master technician, a General Motors (GM) certified electrical technician; and an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified master technician, Pryor repairs electrical components for private individuals, along with other businesses.
Pryor works on all makes and models of vehicles. He services digital displays such as the overhead digital compass and temperature that are installed in a lot of vehicles, as well as the mileage, gas and other gauges.
“I’ve started doing radios and CD players. It is better to keep a factory stereo than buying a general kit and having it replaced,” he noted.
Pryor keeps the most common parts stocked, but in less than a week, he can have items shipped to his residence. Some customers prefer personalizing their dash with colors, which Pryor can do, but it takes time to get the parts in.
“We ship daily,” he said. “But, I do everything by appointment only. I like to actually talk to the person before working on the equipment to make sure it is an electrical component failure and not something else, which can be fixed by their regular mechanic.”
Last Saturday, M.A.D. Repair celebrated its first business anniversary and is looking forward to growing its customer base a little at a time.
Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
UP CLOSE — Randy Pryor of M.A.D. Repair shows how he uses a magnifying glass for the intricate repair of vehicle clusters.
Pryor’s wife was skeptical when he first started this side business.
“I was leery and didn’t know how it would go,” Jennifer Pryor said. “This is a niche market,” added her husband.
Pryor started working on instrument panels for family and friends who needed work done.
“I started getting phone calls from people I really didn’t know,” he said. “So, I thought, why not give this a try to make a business out of it.”
One of the most challenging parts of the job is when a cluster is not acting up all of the time. Pryor has to find a starting point, so if something works part of the time, it is hard to diagnose the problem. But when he does, the turn around of repair is prompt and can be counted on to be done correctly.
“I am really picky when I do stuff,” he said. “I know when it is done, it is done right.”
Within the last year, Pryor has repaired gauges in a 1936 Plymouth to the modern-day systems as well as circuit boards in everyday appliances. Pryor can be reached at M.A.D. Repair by calling 207-694-3667 or visit their website at www.madrepair.wix.com and they have a Facebook page, M.A.D repair.
