Skip to content

An Education in Car Care

We Will Help You Understand What Your Hard Earned Money Is Buying

While it’s good to be a conscientious consumer, when it comes to automotive repair, it’s best to let the professionals do what they do best.

I feel like such a fool, Sandra complained. “All I did was take my car in for an oil change and wound up paying for oil, an oil filter and an air filter. Plus, he called to tell me my fan belt was shot, I had to get one of those installed.”

“How am I supposed to know if the old one really was in bad shape? How am I supposed to know if they took advantage of me?”

Hold it right there, Sandra. While it’s good to be a conscientious consumer, when it comes to automotive repair, it’s best to let the professionals do what they do best. By calling your attention to a condition that can put you at risk, the service technician is doing what he’s supposed to do. If you choose not to have a faulty part replaced, you have no one to blame but yourself if the belt breaks on the open road.

That “fan” belt also drives the air conditioning compressor the alternator which charges your battery, the power steering and more. It’s not the kind of thing you want to ignore, nor does your technician. Maybe Sandra has seen too many of those TV shows that sensationalize disreputable mechanics, along with their counterparts in other businesses and professions.

We find that when customers ask questions about repairs and gain the knowledge on why something needs to be done, they are better equipped to take a proactive approach to keeping good care of their car. As a consumer of automotive service, you should look for a shop that will take the time to “show & tell” and explain what and why you need the repairs they are recommending. I always like to take my customers out to their car and physically show them what I’m talking about. This approach is used by most reputable repair shops and although you may not like spending money repairing your car, at least you will understand what you’re hard earned money is buying.

In the Rain, Should I Pump My Brakes? featured image

In the Rain, Should I Pump My Brakes?

In the Rain, Should I Pump My Brakes? We are getting a lot of rain this season so I thought I would clear up a question we often get here at 3A. Although it only became a mandatory option in the USA in 2013, most vehicles manufactured over the past two decades have some sort … Continued

The Five “Never, Never Neglects” featured image

The Five “Never, Never Neglects”

Five Key Things That Are a Must to Do Over the past few months we have seen a lot of customers put off needed repairs and maintenance with the idea of “saving money”. With the Press constantly pushing “save” and “conserve” it is no wonder people feel this way. Well, after being in business for … Continued