It can be tempting to drive your car right up to an auto dealership for repairs, but if you have a used car, it’s really important to know when it’s actually appropriate to do so.
Generally speaking, the answer is not the dealership. There are many reasons for this: Firstly, dealerships are notorious for using bad mechanics. But secondly, they tend to use book pricing, meaning that they pay those mechanics based on how the job is listed. For example, if a brake job is in the “book” for two hours, then the mechanic will be paid for two hours’ worth of work, whether the actual job takes him one or three hours. When that’s the case, the system rewards the mechanics who take shortcuts to get paid for a full day’s work, and punishes the mechanics who try to get it right, even if it takes them longer.
Many years ago, I had an auto shop with two talented mechanics who were polar opposites. One guy used to brag how he would throw some of the screws away just to finish early, and the other guy would say that he got all of the complicated jobs that were wrong in the book, since people knew he didn’t actually care for the book and would get the job done right, no matter how long it took him. The guy who threw the screws away didn’t last long; the guy who always got the job done no matter what lasted much longer. And it’s the guys who get the job done that end up starting their own shops.
At local auto shops, there is no obligation to adhere to book pricing, so you’re already in a better place in terms of ensuring your car gets repaired appropriately.
For my readers in Teaneck and the surrounding area, there are plenty of options. With certainty, I can recommend Hios. When I was 14, I would spend my TABC lunch breaks in the bays of Hios, asking Jimmy questions until he yelled at me for distracting him or the mechanics. I would bring my most complicated jobs there, and they always did a good job.
Having a used car requires you to keep a good mechanic on speed dial: Find one, be nice to them and your car will be taken care of. If you can’t do that, just lease!
