::: Islamabad is lucky to have the services of The Beetle Doctor!
::: By Ali Khan

or most of us in Islamabad, the wait for the New Beetle will be a long one. But there is no shortage of original Beetles in Islamabad and Pindi. But, however innately tough and durable a Beetle may be, it has to be remembered that these cars are nearly all over 30 years old and need some maintenance and care.

Despite the simplicity of the car an ordinary mechanic is unlikely to be able to treat a Beetle with the care and expertise required. The result is Beetle owners spending every second week at the workshop having the same problem "fixed" again and again. The other scenario is that Beetles, which have many years of good service ahead of them, are left to rust and die a slow and untimely death.

That need not be the case. Contrary to belief, Beetle parts are easily available in Rawalpindi. All you need is someone to put everything together. As mentioned above, finding a good mechanic for the Beetle is of the utmost importance. Islamabad and Rawalpindi are lucky to have the services of such a mechanic.

After spending several frustrating weeks trying to remedy endemic problems in my 1972 Beetle, I was informed by a fellow Beetle fan of a legendary mechanic who used to work exclusively on Beetles but had stopped work on them for some time now.

I finally tracked down Mr. Shakeel Qureshi, who proceeded to overhaul my engine and return my car within a week. It cost me a total of Rs. 20,000, inclusive of parts and labour. As I started the car, I was astounded by the difference in the running and sound of the engine. The car was unrecognisable. Gone were the creaks and groans, the constant engine overheating and misfiring, the engine and oil leakage and poor petrol consumption. It was a complete transformation.

Since then I have entrusted my car solely to Shakeel Sahab. Every 3 months the car goes for a tune-up and the small repairs that are inevitable in an old car.

Interested in how Shakeel Sahab became such an expert, I asked him when his love affair with the Beetle began. Like so many others, he fell in love with the car when he first encountered it in the early 1960s. This love of the car and his disposition towards automobile engineering saw him graduate from Gordon Collage and then make his way to Germany to study the Volkswagen Beetle.

Having specialized in the study of the Beetle, Shakeel Sahab returned to Pakistan and began his career as a motor mechanic with Modern Motors. At the time (1963) Modern Motors was the sole authorized importer to Pakistan of Volkswagens. Models imported from Germany included the Beetle, the VW Variant, the VW Microbus and the Karmann Ghia. In 1965, Shakeel Sahab bought himself a 1957 model Beetle.

Over 40 years later, the very same car is still with him in its original mint condition. It continues to run smoothly showing that with a little love and care the beetle will run and run and run. He is also the proud owner of a VW Microbus.

Between 1967 and 1980, Shakeel Sahab ran his own workshop, which dealt exclusively with Beetles. After 1980, the falling number of Beetles in Pakistan forced him to move onto working on other cars. Yet his loyalties and heart remained with his first love. When I located Shakeel Sahab, it didn't take long for me to see the love and extremely detailed knowledge that Shakeel Sahab has for this amazing car. You can be assured that whenever he works on a Beetle, it is with a special dedication, devotion and love.

Shakeel Sahab, like so many Beetle fans, has been captivated by the arrival of the new Beetle. But like a true Beetle fan, he sees the original as being a very special car which has a charm of its own - a charm that cannot be replaced. As Life magazine put it years ago, the Beetle was a family member that just happened to live in the garage.

For a man that has given so much service to the Volkswagen Beetle, Shakeel Sahab deserves the highest praise from Beetle owners. A measure of Shakeel Sahab's standing as a specialist in the Beetle trade is the steady stream of Beetles that stand at whatever workshop he works at. No matter where he is, the Beetles make their way to him. My car is running better than ever and that's certainly due to Shakeel Sahab's expertise.

When I last visited Shakeel Qureshi he had as usual 3 Beetles ready and open for overhauling. He is also currently attempting to restore a wonderful 1930s British car which has been rusting away in Pindi since the British departed. By far and away the best mechanic around. You'll get your money's worth here.