People
You Can Trust
As
a musician, my approach to
automobile maintenance is
pretty simple: an oil change
is what happens when enough
fluid leaks out that I have
to put more in. Rotating the
tires is the way to avoid
buying new tires if the old
ones are worn down to the
fabric on the inner edge only.
Basically,
if it ain't broke, don't fix
it. If it does break but you
can still get to the venue
with only a minimum of smoke,
scraping and falling auto
parts, don't fix it. When
it finally stops moving all
together (and eventually it
always does) take it someone
who knows about cars and have
them fix only what's necessary
to get it moving again.
I
met my current mechanic when
I needed to get what was left
of a 1987 Ford Bronco II through
inspection. A friend recommended
I go see this mechanic who
would help me figure out what
I had to do to make the truck
legal. Sure enough, he told
me what could be excused and
what would absolutely have
to be fixed.
I
appreciated his frankness
because I've always had a
mechanic that I could count
on to tell me realistically
what condition my car was
in. You know - folks who won't
change something that doesn't
need to be changed just so
they can tack it on to your
bill, people you can trust.
Of
course, this guy was so brutally
honest that I opted to buy
another vehicle. I swear I
saw relief in his eyes when
I pulled up in something that
was actually manufactured
within the last decade. We
had a good laugh about the
old truck and as soon as I
discovered that he was a Jager
drinker, I knew that I had
found my new mechanic.
He
proved to be the kind of guy
I hoped for - I'd take it
in for the brakes and he's
spend a few extra moments
topping off the fluids at
no charge while advising me
to get some new tires. I'd
get the tie rod replaced and
he'd add some coolant to the
air conditioner for my daughter's
comfort while telling me that
I should get some new tires.
Once he even plugged the van
into the diagnostic computer
at no charge just to advise
me of what the little warning
light meant while telling
me that I should get new tires.
But
recently I started spending
the better portion of my time
about an hour south of my
mechanic and the logistics
of getting the minivan and
myself there have become difficult.
So when I needed to get some
new brake pads put on the
front of the van I was convinced
that it would just be easier
to go to the local outlet
of a national auto center
whose name rhymes with Sears.
I
went to the big auto center
and asked for new brake pads.
I was told that before they
can begin any work they need
to fully diagnose the vehicle
and then consult with me.
When they called me back a
few hours later the guy began
with "Well sir, you need SO
much more than just brake
pads" and read through a litany
of problems that they had
found and an estimate of nearly
$700.
I
thanked them for looking at
my car and start making phone
calls to arrange the logistics
of getting me and the van
to my mechanic.
Maybe
my guy would also tell me
that it was going to cost
$700, but I'd rather hear
it from him than from a bunch
of strangers at a large retail
chain. My mechanic knows me
by name, knows my daughter.
I trust that he wouldn't charge
me for things that didn't
really need to be fixed.
To
the large retail chain however,
I'm just another customer
in a long line that they needed
to process and upsell to in
order to make a profit this
quarter. I was cash flow.
Final
cost at my mechanic: $209.
And for free I got the piece
of mind of knowing that while
I don't know much about cars,
I know someone who does.
Sometimes
in this modern-day corporate
world it's worth an hour drive
just to know that you've got
people you can trust.
This
column © 2001 Lee Totten
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