We have many very long term customers as well as new ones. Over the course of our years in this business we have noticed that people understandably do not like to spend money on automotive repairs. Who would? The problem with this can be multifaceted. A small repair, if not addressed in a timely manner, can blossom into a very expensive repair.
We had a customer in the shop yesterday for an inspection. We found that all of his engine and transmission mounts are broken, needing replacement. Originally, when we had informed him of this last year it was a single mount and a minor repair that the customer chose not to have us take care of. Now because the single mount was not replaced, it over stressed the other mounts and they failed one after the other in a domino effect. In addition, the broken mounts are causing major stress on the axles due to the engine and transmission sagging.
Its crazy the way little things can snowball into such major things. This why we always try to keep people on a maintenance schedule so we can make sure this wont happen.
I had a lady call me, very upset that her serpentine drive belt had broken after I told her it needed to be replaced. I told her, "I went over the inspection with you while you were here and told you the belt was in very bad condition and needed to be changed". She was upset with me because I wasnt "agressive"enough and should have "made" her change the belt. This is very touchy ground. We want to relay information to our customers without pressuring them to maintain their vehicles. This decision always remains in the customers hands.
Our manager Steve is very good at explaining things to our customers in a way that is relatable and understandable to people. We always try to put ourselves in our customer shoes, which is one reason why we have such a loyal, long standing customer base.
Simple maintenance for instance, like changing fluids, can save thousands of dollars down the road. The cost of changing an engine, transmission or differential can be staggering and very time consuming. The best recommendation is to spread maintenance out and do at least one service during each oil change.
For example, oil change and transmission service or oil change and coolant flush... you get the idea. This makes things much more afforable, less time consuming and can spare people so many headaches.