Patrick Goss has passed away. Autoweek announced his death through various social media channels. The TV host and automotive media personality reportedly died unexpectedly, but no cause of death was mentioned. Goss is a household name in the automotive media. He appeared in 41 seasons of the TV show under Goss’ garage segment. As the show’s mechanic guru, he shares maintenance advice and vehicle knowledge with millions of viewers from around the world.
Davis explained that Autoweek intends to air the remaining segments of Pat Goss, previously recorded in his memory, now with a special introduction.
“If it can help someone, he doesn’t want the material he’s already made not to be there.”
Pat Goss’ involvement with Maryland Public Television actually started a few years before MotorWeek, in the 1970s with a piece called the Consumer Survival Kit program. Here, he teaches viewers how to avoid auto fraud and questionable business practices in garages. He didn’t make the unaired Autoweek pilot that was produced in 1978, but Pat Goss was approached by John Davis shortly thereafter and the show officially launched in 1981 Before taking him on the plane.
“I got him right away because we had to be on the air in a couple of months,” recalls Davis. “Just a few weeks later, on the hottest day of the summer, we recorded the first series at his golf club in Bladensburg … as they say, the rest is history.”
Goss started with the basics, saying, “The most important thing for the life of a car’s engine is changing the oil.”
He was first known as the show’s “auto consultant” and later as “the master mechanic” and was simply “Gauss” by viewers. He appears in two- to five-minute segments on nearly every episode of the iconic PBS series, teaching viewers everything from anti-lock brakes to carburetors, paint protectors to alternators, hook-ups to EV chargers And everything to know about all other cars. He often avoids the term “mechanic,” preferring to refer to people who work on cars as “technicians.”
Over the course of 41 years, the segment was officially known as Goss’ Garage, and the content continued to evolve. It initially focuses on maintenance that car owners can perform at home, covering general tips as well as model-specific issues. (Including this shocking segment on 1980s Oldsmobile diesel engines.) As cars become more complex, Goss moves from “do it yourself” to “know yourself” advice, designed to help viewers understand How to troubleshoot, identify problems and how to talk to a mechanic and how not to get ripped off when visiting a workshop.
