Keeping It Real

2 years into our sojourn to Brooklyn another old customer sought us out again today. I know this seems odd to non-New Yorkers, that a mere 3 mile trip becomes burdensome just because there is a bridge involved, but it’s just the case around here. In our absence she had tried a couple of other shops, and while she didn’t feel ripped off necessarily she said, “There just wasn’t the rapport you get here”. She said this while sitting across from me, drinking a cup of coffee I had just poured for her. Sometimes in life you don’t get that rapport with everyone. I have a doctor that I really like, even though I wouldn’t say we have a great rapport, I just like her work and I trust her. I guess that is the definition of rapport but here we try to add to that with a little bump of friendship. You want to share a cup of coffee with me and tell me about your kids, or complain about your husband or health insurance company, well then go right ahead.

Finding the right service people can be very difficult indeed. The nightmare plumber, carpenter and electrician stories I hear could fill another entire blog…maybe “Don’t Get Screwed” instead.

Don’t give up, keep looking and asking everyone you know. Eventually you might get lucky and find one. In the meantime, feel free to ask me anything, I’m happy to help.

Questions: Dontgetwrenched@gmail.com

Rotten Through and Through

Contrary to common belief on the subject, cars are meant to be driven. People always say, “but I don’t drive it much”, as if that’s a good thing. It’s not a good thing. Most parts that make a car run need to be lubricated, for that to happen they need to run. This is the reason that oil needs to be changed frequently, so that the lubrication is happening cleanly. There are so many things that will suffer when a vehicle just sits over a long period of time.

• The battery can drain beyond recharge.
• Boots and bushings will dry out.
• Brakes can seize up.
• Wiring can be eaten by vermin.
• Engine rings will expand and seize due to lack of oil.
• Seals will dry rot, including exterior seals like windows and doors.
• Transmission seals will dry out causing leaks.

Oh, I can go on and on. A lot of these things are extreme cases, but it gives you an idea of the process. If you don’t drive your car much go out and periodically start it up. Take if for a ride to the convenience store once in a while. But the worst thing you can do is just let it sit and sit and sit.

Questions:dontgetwrenched@gmail.com

Sharks Attack

I just had a customer who, without her knowledge, did everything right.

- She was a new customer and had asked friends for a recommendation…√

- She called first and had a conversation with me…√

- She came in, was very nice, and asked a few questions, then left her car…√

- I called her about the repair, she inquired about some of the details…√

- I called her when she was finished, she questioned the exact amount of bill until she  completely understood the charges…√

- She came in to pick it up, I showed her the old parts, and she left happy…√

I love when things work smoothly and I love it when women adroitly navigate the shark infested waters (not that I’m a shark)!

Questions:dontgetwrenched@gmail.com

Re-Pair

Auto repair is not a cut and dry business. Today we have 5 cars here that are very difficult to diagnose. All 5 will either not start, start and immediately shut down, stall after driving awhile then immediately restart or drive for awhile, stall and not restart. A couple of these cars we’ve “fixed” already. It’s pretty common to have these issues occasionally but to have 5 in one day is pretty overwhelming. Every time the phone rings I’m afraid to answer it, I can’t handle a 6th. Whenever there are vehicles with these types of issues I become very involved with the repairs. I spend quite a bit of time researching each issue/vehicle because many times there are specific fails on particular cars and it can cut the diagnosis time to a mere few minutes if I can figure that out. Sometimes, we spend hours driving around just trying to emulate an issue.

These types of repairs are nightmares for auto shops. We can spend untold amounts of time that we never charge for. We also try various parts that may or may not work. Eventually we do figure it out, once in a while we have to bring an electrical specialist in, but it gets done.

 

If this has happened to you, it doesn’t mean that the mechanic has screwed up, it may just be a difficult problem to solve. If this does happen, just make sure they don’t try to recharge you for things you’ve already paid for and also have them work with you on the pricing for the diagnostics. I always take into account what a car is worth when charging for that. Certainly a vehicle that’s worth $2,000 doesn’t need a diagnostics bill that is close to the value. If it needs an expensive part and the customer decides to invest that’s another story.

We always get to the bottom of these issues, sometimes you just need to bang your head against the wall a few times first.

 

Questions: dontgetwrenched@gmail.com

Inspect

Here in NY state we must have a yearly inspection on our vehicles. This is not true in every state. I have no clue why. Do some states really want a bunch of rickety, dangerous cars careening around? If the lawmakers in those states spent a couple of weeks in an auto repair shop and saw the shape of some of these vehicles, they’d change their minds. What the yearly inspection really does is insist that each car get’s its annual checkup. I always contend that most people have no clue what issues theirs cars have so, coming in for your yearly physical is a great idea. People are often surprised when we show them that their brakes are nearly gone, there’s an oil leak or one of the many other things that fail.

I highly recommend that yearly checkup even if you don’t live in one of those states. There is however a scam that occurs at shifty repair shops…I know, shocking. A customer pulls in and tells the mechanic their inspection sticker is almost up and before there is even any investigation, the mechanic scrapes off the sticker.

This happens BEFORE the sticker has expired, thereby forcing the customer to leave the car behind since it can’t be driven without that sticker. Then they are given a long list of MUST DO repairs. Now, they’re trapped. I’ve gotten this call a couple of times and I’ve told them to drive the car over anyway (if you get pulled over, you plead for leniency). Of course, every time there are only a fraction of the items on that list that actually need to be repaired.

When it is your time to take your car in, just kindly mention that you would appreciate it if they wouldn’t scrape that sticker yet, just in case. If you live in a state where there are no inspections, take it in for its yearly physical anyway.

Questions:dontgetwrenched@gmail.com

What’s That Smell?

A reader sent me this chart to share with you. It’s very helpful.

Questions: dontgetwrenched@gmail.com

Tipsy Turvy

A delivery guy just came with the lunch I ordered for me and my mechanics. He puts the food on my desk and says “$16”. I pull out a $20 and hand it over and he says, “Do you need change?” Boy, do I hate that question. “Yes, I need change, $4 please”, is what I should have said. Instead, I gave some attitude and said “Um, Yes”,  he followed it up with, “How much?” So I said “$3”. I would have given him $2 if he’d kept his mouth shut. I should have given him nothing.

I also can’t bear it in a restaurant when the waitress/waiter asks, “Do you need change?”.  It’s so ridiculously inappropriate, just bring the change, don’t assume you’re getting a tip. There was a time that tips were earned, now they’re mandatory. Sometimes the service is so bad you really don’t want to give a dime, but you feel obligated because you know their boss isn’t paying them a proper wage.

The main reason it drives me insane is that I pay my employees a good wage and any tips they earn are great, some extra funds. My employees do so much more than spend an hour bringing someone food. They can work for days on a particular car, burning and cutting themselves and never squawk. They may or may not get tipped at the end, sometimes I will suggest it to a customer, but it’s certainly never demanded. They are so grateful when someone does tip them. I’m often asked, “What is the proper amount to tip?”, there really is no easy answer and I really hate giving them any ideas. I always say tip what feels right to you. Some people think $5 feels right while others feel that $100 is, my guys appreciate both. Some people even try to tip me, I usually follow that up with “No thanks, but I do accept gifts!”

Also, don’t get me started on the “No problem” response to things. I know it’s no problem, I’m paying for this service and it’s your job, so if it is a problem then you should find employment elsewhere!

So, next time someone insists you tip them, take into consideration what they’ve done to deserve it, and if someone does something for you and doesn’t ask for one, think about that too. The world can be very topsy turvy sometimes.

Questions: dontgetwrenched@gmail.com