Ready for the next repair job: Roland Sandner (left) and Albert Bamgratz. The toaster is repaired in the workshop, a spare part is still missing here. © Bb
The employees of the "Mobile Workshop" of Caritas in Oberschleissheim have a solution for every technical problem. They help people who don't have that much money.
Oberschleissheim – Dishwashers, washing machines, electric stoves and vacuum cleaners are the "main customers" of the eight-member panel of experts from Caritas in Oberschleissheim. As a "mobile workshop", they travel to people in the two Schleißheims and Garching and repair everything that is possible.
Before they set off, packing their heavy toolboxes and spare parts, always in pairs, the eight men meet with Caritas service manager Bettina Händel in the back room of Caritas at the Fohlenanger. Every Thursday at 14 p.m. Everyone drinks one or two cups of coffee, accompanied by buttered pretzels. "We review the orders of the past week and talk about the upcoming repairs," says Wolfgang Gier (71), who used to be an electrical engineer. "For me, this hour before, with coffee and chatting, that's the best thing about the mobile workshop," says Roland Sandner (67), also a trained electrical engineer.
Even a TV or a lamp works again
There are eight men in total, between 43 and 77 years old, all retired, all of them volunteering and fully motivated to help others who have little money. "We repair all electrical appliances in the household, sometimes help set up a shelf, install a machine or a lamp, reattach a cupboard door or set up a TV correctly," says Albert Bamgratz (74). He is the spokesperson for the group. "We often advise on how people can save electrical energy, for example with LED lamps instead of incandescent or tube lamps," adds Eschner. What they don't do is paint, lay floors or clear out – "even if some people always want to use us for it," says Ferdinand Schneider (77), a retired mechanical engineer.
Washing machine no longer works? No problem
Electrician Bernd Eschner (73) remembers an assignment with an African woman. "We had the message: 'Washing machine doesn't work anymore.' Nothing more, it could be anything, pump, inlet or outlet, control." When they had advanced the machine, Eschner opened the detergent compartment out of habit. "All three chambers for prewash, main wash and fabric softener were filled to the brim with totally glued, encrusted detergent. The lady had just always filled everything." So there was no repair due, just a scraping out of the compartment and a detailed explanation of how she should proceed in the future. "We found two handfuls of metallic washers and coins in the lint filter. We pointed this out to them, and we were done quickly," says Eschner.
Some are a bit unabashed
Colleague Bamgratz tells of an old lady who had called about a trifle. "I think it was a vacuum cleaner. But when I arrived, the entire apartment was filled to the brim with furniture and junk. For once, I drove a lot away to the bulky waste. But some just overdo it. They keep calling for us to clear out the apartment, but we don't do that," says Bamgratz.
It is not always easy to track down and fix a fault in the electric stove, dishwasher or vacuum cleaner. "If possible, one of us always drives to the caller beforehand and looks at what could be defective so that we already have the right spare part with us," says Schneider.
Mobile workshop has been around for 14 years
The mobile workshop has been in existence since 2009. "It's mobile because we get to the people who need help," explains Eschner. In the beginning, they had their materials and tools with them in the Caritas office. When the orders became more and Caritas moved to the Fohlenanger, the craftsmen were given their own workshop there.
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A small cargo pulley is mounted on the ceiling. "This means that even someone can lift and repair a heavy washing machine," explains Bamgratz. On the shelves are bicycle spare parts, boxes with the inscriptions "washing machine", "electric stove", "gaskets" and "water fittings". In the cabinets heavy machinery, saws, drills, planers. In addition, large toolboxes and cases, all equipped in the same way. A disassembled toaster on the workbench, a coffee machine next to it, a scooter on the floor and a laptop in the very corner.
75 citizens call regularly
"This is our database, we have 75 people in it who call regularly," says Martin Klinkmüller (43). He is in charge of the organization because he himself is not a trained craftsman. "Anyone who reports on our homepage or on the answering machine, Caritas first checks whether they are in need and get our repair for free," explains Wolfgang Gier. "We can repair everything – where it is no longer possible or the device is too old, we work with Caritas to ensure that a replacement device is provided – and we then reconnect it if desired," says Schneider.
They complete ten to 15 orders every month, preferably still in the same week of the call. "Repairs are made every Thursday. But now we have to go, the customers are waiting," Bamgratz warns of the departure.