Master technician Dave Geary journeys five hours from the Northwest to La Jolla for two-week “house calls” to doctor exotic patients.
His appointments are set up by the Ferrari/Maserati dealership on Girard Avenue. His operating table is at the dealership’s Miramar-area garage, where he works on a variety of customers’ Ferraris. Geary has been a fixture since the dealership opened nearly six years ago.
One of 26 master technicians in the country, he trained at Ferrari factories in Maranello, Italy, and Englewood, N.J.
This motor doctor is not bothered by car owners who look over his shoulder and ask questions.
“Ferrari clients know their cars very well, inside and out,” Geary said. “And there is no such thing as a typical Ferrari owner. Ferraris are not for everyone, obviously.”
That might be documented by the price range: $186,000 for a F430 to $312,000 for a GTB Fiorano. Top of the line is the Enzo, the world’s third most expensive car at $1 million.
“It goes with the territory, talking with them as I work on their cars,” he said. “It’s a personal thing. They just drop by during the process … and we’ll talk.
“With other dealers you just drop them (cars) off and you may not know who’ll work on them.”
Certainly, soaring gas prices are not a priority with these customers. It has to be a particular car love affair considering they’ll get 10 miles per gallon in the city and 15 on the highway.
“Mostly, Ferrari clients are looking for top service,” Geary said. “Often when a major engine removal service is done, clients require photographic documentation of the procedure(s) done to their car ” much like a doctor would film a knee surgery.
“Our shop thrives on excellent service, and we take customer service very seriously. All cars are brought up to factory specifications with optimum tuning performance. Lot of it is trouble-shooting, particularly if it’s under warranty.”
Geary is kept in contact at home through phone calls or e-mail.
“When Ferrari is notified of a specific problem, they’ll go over every detail, particularly if a car is under warranty,” he added. “They’ll check every repair order if it might be an ongoing problem or part change.”
While at home he spends his time with his family. He lives 110 miles north of Spokane in what he describes as “the foothills of the Rockies” in the northeast corner of Washington state with his wife Gloria and two children, Dylan, 17, and Hayven, 8.
Prior to La Jolla, he had worked for Ferrari Beverly Hills and Orange County, two other areas with abundant Ferrari owners.
“People say it’s a lot of money for ‘just’ a car,” Geary said. “That’s not until you drive it. It’s an incredible experience. When you tear down the engines and gearboxes you see the remarkable quality of machining and workmanship. That’s when you learn why it costs so much.”
La Jolla’s factory-authorized dealership provides new and preowned Ferraris to San Diego County and Southern California’s affluent communities of Del Mar, La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe. An online inventory includes the F430, 612 Scaglietti, 599 GTB Fiorano, 575, Enzo, 456, and 360 Modena.
And they’ll tell you: experience the passion, history and prestige of the finest cars in the world.
For information, call 454-9211.