Service Is Somebody’s Business

Service Is Somebody’s Business

One thing you can count on if you own an automobile: you will have to have the thing serviced. You will have to have tune-ups, lube jobs, brake adjustments and minor repairs. From time to time you will need a major repair. The question is, where is the best place to go?

NEW-CAR DEALERS They know more about the cars they sell than anybody else. They have all the latest manuals and poop sheets, all the special (and expensive) tools designed for the specific make of car they handle, and a complete stock of parts for their brand of car. They usually pay their mechanics higher wages so the level of training is higher than average.

All that up-to-date equipment, however, has to be paid for. And the higher pay of the mechanics is reflected in the hourly rate you pay for labor. Also, those well-stocked parts bins tend to create a positive zealotry for “repair by replacement.” This will be reflected in your bill.

Naturally, while your car is under warranty, the dealer is your automatic choice for service and repairs.

INDEPENDENT GARAGES The independent garage, that model of small-business activity, may be a dying institution. But while it still survives, it may well be your best bet for good and economical automotive service.

In the first place, although some independent garages are large enough to put most major dealers in the shade, most are comfortably small—three or four mechanics, including the owner. You can usually count on being an individual customer rather than a work order.

Costs are usually reasonable, too. The mechanics are generally paid less than those at the new-car dealer, which is reflected in a lower labor charge on your bill.

It is not practical, of course, for an independent garage to stock a large selection of parts for all kinds of cars. (When an out-of-stock part is required, someone trots oft to the parts department of the dealer for the particular make of car, or to an automotive supply house.) So the inclination is to repair things rather than replace them.

Independent garages, needless to say, seldom boast the splendid, and expensive, arsenal of special tools to be found at the new-car dealership. They should, however, have the modern meters and test equipment required for adjusting the engine timing and carburetion on modern cars.

SERVICE STATIONS Actually, there aretwo kinds of service station repair operations. In most cases, repair and service work is really a sideline. The real action is out at the gas pumps.

Other stations, however, are seriously into the business of repairing cars. They have the tools and instruments necessary to do the work correctly—and mechanics who know how to use them. In many ways they are really independent garages with gas pumps attached.

Along with cost, personal service and convenient hours, gas stations affiliated with a major oil company usually offer another advantage: you can charge the repair work on your oil company credit card.

SPECIALTY SHOPS

Automotive specialty shops are very much a mixed bag. At one end of the spectrum are establishments like the “body” shops. This is so skilled a specialty (and the equipment required, especially for crash work, is so elaborate and expensive) that many independent garages (and even new-car dealerships) simply farm it out. At the other extreme are the franchised specialty shops that replace mufflers, or perform other essentially simple replacements.

If you want a very specific thing done to your car—a new muffler, for example—these specialists may be your best choice.

MASS MERCHANDISERS Drive into almost any really large suburban shopping center and you are virtually certain to find a huge automotive service facility operated by one of the big mass merchandisers like Sears or J.C. Penney. These shopping center service facilities generally offer only a limited range of automotive services. Mostly they sell and install shock absorbers, batteries, tires and mufflers. They can also perform tune-ups, front-end alignments and similar routine automotive services.

Within their relatively fixed limitations, however, they offer some worthwhile advantages. For one thing, they are convenient. While the car is being serviced, you can amuse yourself in the shopping center stores. They are usually open in the evenings too.

WHERE SHOULD YOU GO? From all of the above it should be obvious that no one kind of service facility is the answer to every motorist’s repair prayers. Your best bet is to compare notes with your friends and neighbors. If they are satisfied with the service they get someplace, you probably will be too. Iff