Most mechanics look at the Internet as something to be feared. A place where disgruntled customers take to the web in their masses to chastise you for every mistake you've ever made working on cars.

The voice — deep, sonorous, and slow — rang out every time a customer called the shop: “Plaza Tire & Auto. Gabe Cortez speaking.” For more than 35 years, Cortez’s humor, patience, and honesty have ...