I Hate When That Happens

I don’t know if you have noticed this or not, but it seems that things happen in threes. It seems that if something breaks in the house, three things break. Anyway, the other day I was talking to one of our service advisers about a certain topic, a couple hours later a great long time customer came in and asked a question about this same topic, then a couple hours after that, another guy was in and ask about the same topic. Kinda funny so I thought maybe I should address it.

The question was why, when you bring your vehicle into some shops, they seem to regularly have other recommendations for you. And some shops never have other recommendations for the driver. Yesterday, I found out that this is not unique to the automotive world. Another long time customer came in who happens to be a medical doctor. He was annoyed that some of his colleagues are not always upfront with their patients. He said that he recently had to tell an elderly lady that her husband of many years was going to die. He told her that all of us some day are going to die, but for now, the plan is to face the facts. He then laid out a plan so her husband could have the best quality of life in the remaining time he has. He conveyed that the wife expected this was coming but was extremely grateful that he leveled with her and laid out the options and the plan. This way she knew the decisions she needed to make and could now prepare herself for the near future. He said some doctors (who are just people by the way) have trouble giving bad news. His feeling was to be upfront with people and let them be a part of the decision making process.

The same thing happens in the car world. There are those who would rather be up front with people and let them know of any potential problems they find. Then there are those who just don’t say anything in fear that the customer may think that they are just trying to get more business. It is a sticky situation. My personal feeling is to properly inspect a vehicle and inform the driver of any problems seen, as well as any items that are on the vehicles manufactures regular maintenance schedule. I feel it is always better to know than to be caught unaware. If a technician is doing their job properly and taking the necessary time with each vehicle, then most likely there should be some recommendations made. If nothing else, the owner’s manual has things in the maintenance schedule that should be mentioned. Just like your doctor, if they are taking the necessary time with you, they most likely will have recommendations for you.

I know my doctor is always after me to exercise and watch my salt intake. It was a hassle for me and costly as well, but last time my doctor wanted me to see a specialist because some of my blood work was slightly out of limits. It still was up to me to take action and make the appointment, take the time off work and pay the charges for additional appointment and tests needed. But in the long run, I am the one to benefit from the expertise of the specialist. The same is true with your vehicle. If a technician makes a recommendation to you, it is generally in your best interest to get it taken care of. One of the issues, of course, with every service is trust. If you don’t trust your doctor, you probably will find a new one. If you don’t trust your mechanic, you probably will do the same. But if you do trust them, then realize they are trying to look out for you, just like when your doctor tells you that you need to lose a little weight. I Hate When That Happens!