Vehicle Repair Business Through The Eyes Of A Car Mechanic
Jul 6, 2009 More Saving
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By the time we arrive at the legal driving age, people more experiences than us, have encouraged us to imbibe three key lessons: Number 1: Fasten your seat belt. Number 2: Avoid rush driving. Number 3: It is better not to rely on your auto mechanic.
I met up with an auto mechanic and requested him to give me the inside story of the car repair industry. I agreed to keep his name out of it so let us call him Max. Max has been around a long time, getting his hands greased for no less than 30 years.
Max admits that even though the auto industry has been mending its ways, there are still some errant mechanics who replace used parts in peoples cars and sell them as new.
I would say years ago, it was more pars for the course. I would say it happened about 40 percent of the time, he said. Today, I would say it probably happens a whole heck of a lot less. You’re probably looking at about 10 to 7 percent margin, but it does still happen.
Shady Auto Mechanics and their activities
Max has couple of things to suggest as you search for a good car repair shop. The first one is the appropriate Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification from places as AC Delco, Ford Motor Company or Bendix. “While ASE certification does not indicate that they’re really good, it does indicate that the technicians go on their own time, or the business has given them the incentive to study, to take the course and go and show their skills are worthy of certification.” (Ed. Note: ASE is an independent and non-profit organization founded in 1972.
Max insists that it is very imperative that the car repair shop has all the right equipment in place to do a proper job like a good tire mounting machine with rubber mounts that don’t scratch your wheels or an alignment rack with laser measurements. I want to make sure they have the proper diagnostic equipment. A shop that has invested in the proper equipment to service today’s automobiles is usually a shop that you can trust, because they are not going to buy that expensive equipment and then have people who are not qualified to use it.”
Max also advises a good organized car repair shop. Max states, “I’m looking for a clean shop. I don’t want to see Jake the Junkyard Dog chained in the office. I don’t want to see a lot of dirt around the place. It shouldn’t look like it’s going to be condemned by the health department”.
Max says there should be no ambiguity in pricing. The prices for car repairs should be clearly posted. In fact, the car repair estimate should be given to the customer before beginning the work on the car. Positive feedback from the earlier customers would be an added advantage. Positive feedback must not be about how nice they are or how well they treat you but should be about their track record of providing good quality repair.
Old ladies should stay alert to avoid getting conned
Due to his thirty years of experience, Max is well aware of several car repair shop scenarios that would convince a person to get the car repaired. Max informed me about a situation where an assistant used a shocking method to convince an old woman to get her car repaired. Max passed on the waiting room discussion between Mrs. M and the auto mechanic.
Mechanic: Mrs. G., what street do you live on?
Elderly Woman: I live on First Street.
Mechanic: I live on that street. When do you come home in the evening?
Elderly Woman: Oh, at 5 o’clock.
Mechanic: Good. Now I’ll know what time to tell my kids to keep off the street. I shudder to think of you driving in this car with children playing in the street because you are driving a death trap.
“Well needless to say the poor little old lady, just shy of a heart attack, started crying and saying, ‘Just do it, fix it, do whatever you have to do!’ And this is the type of tactic this guy used.” Although Max said these situations don’t happen as often as they use to, but there are instances where mechanics use such unscrupulous tactics.
Window shopping
Max possesses an experience of more than 30 years and has encountered many frustrations that gets his oil pressure going up. I asked him what types of things customers do that really annoy him and with no hesitation he says, “People who are shopping auto repair prices.”
Max explained it with a hypothetical situation where people call up inquiring about the cost for a tune-up, when in reality they have no idea what is wrong with their car. The symptoms they specify over the phone require a different treatment. The diagnostics test is the one most are terrified of as they do not like to pay for it. Max says that this test is time and money well spent. You’re paying for a skilled technician to take an hours worth of labor to diagnose your vehicle with the proper computer scan tools to determine where your drivability problem is.
Can you make me a deal?
The further categories of customers that Max is not pleased with are who come in and say, ‘Can you make me a deal?’” Max says that he tries hard to watch out for natives who really do call for help and aren’t simply seeking a discount.
For example, he would go out of his way to help out a pregnant woman with two kids and car trouble and not enough money to fix it. Max told me, I’m going to the ends of the Earth, to the gates of hell for that woman to get that car running as reasonably as I possibly can and still maintain a profit for my business.” He reiterates the fact that his business is not a charitable organization even while lending a helping hand to people who are in dire need of fixing their cars but are unable to shell out the required amount. “I don’t wear a white collar and consequently, I can’t stay in business if I give away everything I do.”
Trust ” an ingredient for loyalty
Max’s favorite customers are those who thoroughly trust him with his job. They drop their cars without a care in the world knowing full well that Max would take good care of their precious cars. They don’t expect an estimate or even inquire how much it would cost. They simply trust Max, his knowledge and skill as an auto mechanic, to get the car fixed in a way that they would prefer even without saying a word. “And I never breached that trust,” Max said.
Max, in return for the trust placed in him, tries his level best to adjust his booked schedule to squeeze in these customers and let them out the same day. “I took care of him. Did I give him a discount? No … did I do everything I could to get him back on the road as quickly as possible? You’re damn right I did. And I did it over, say the guy who came in an hour before and said, ‘Can you make me a deal?
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