Good Afternoon on this beautiful sunny California day. Cayenne here, you know, when I want something like my dinner or that delicious steak bone you have on your plate, I bark up. You need to do the same thing when you are talking to a service advisor about your car. He/she might not know certain items you want addressed or performance/driving issues you are having with your vehicle if you "Don't Speak Up." So today, we will bark about how important it is for you, the owner of your vehicle, to SPEAK UP!
About 80% of the vehicles on Los Altos roads today are behind on their preventive maintenance schedules. That translates to about 160 million vehicles in the United States that aren't performing as well as they could be - thousands right here in CA. Some of the maintenance issues are minor. Others represent serious safety concerns.
There are many reasons Los Altos drivers neglect their routine car care. Some of the more common ones are complacency, lack of confidence, lack of trust and budget issues.
Modern vehicles are amazingly reliable compared to their older counterparts. They can run for years without any repairs; we sometimes translate that to mean they don't need any maintenance. The trouble is that without maintenance, parts in the vehicle are gradually wearing out, fluids are getting dirty, oil is developing sludge — a lot of stuff is happening that we can't see, and it is destroying the vehicle. The first time we learn there is a problem, we have a major repair bill on our hands.
Older vehicles just couldn't keep going without frequent maintenance; they broke down without timely vehicle care. Modern vehicles are designed to keep running even when they're not fully healthy. Unfortunately, that convenience has led some of us to become complacent and ignore vehicle care — until we have to fix something. And fixing something today takes a whole lot more than it used to.
Some people in Los Altos just don't feel comfortable taking their vehicles to their local Los Altos service center. They don't know much about engines or auto mechanics, so they don't know what questions to ask. They don't want to appear foolish or ignorant.
Your physician doesn't expect you to understand what a ligament is or how it works. But if you have a problem with one, she'll explain to you what it is, what's wrong with it, and how it can be fixed. It's in her best interest as well as yours to do so. You'll both feel more comfortable with the treatment.
That's what you can expect from the pros at Allied Auto Works. They must be highly trained and work with many complex, high-tech systems. They don't expect their Los Altos customers to understand car care. So ask questions. You need auto advice from a service specialist, just as you need medical advice from a doctor and financial advice from a financial advisor.
This brings us to the next concern: trust. Many rumors fly around Los Altos about auto repair scams. You may have heard about some local auto shops taking advantage of customers and replacing parts that weren't broken. Frankly, this is just bad business practice. Los Altos auto service centers won't stay in business long if they're engaged in this type of activity.
It's in the best interest of Los Altos service centers to diagnose a problem correctly and fix it right the first time. That's how they keep their businesses open.
Trust must be earned. But just as it took you time to establish a relationship and rapport with your doctor, it will take time to build a relationship with your service center.
Also, realize that when your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Allied Auto Works recommends routine maintenance, he generally relies on your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations. In other words, your trust lies both with your service advisor and your vehicle manufacturer. You'll find that most of the service recommendations from Allied Auto Works you receive coincide with what's in your manual.
Those recommendations were set up by the engineers who designed your vehicle, not Allied Auto Works. The team at Allied Auto Works is just offering you a friendly reminder — a helpful reminder, really, since most of us don't post our owner's manuals to our calendars.
Money is behind most neglect of vehicle maintenance. First, they worry that they can't afford it. Second, they worry that they're being overcharged.
The simple truth is, car care is like health care. We can't afford not to have it. Preventive maintenance is cheap compared to repair work. It extends the lives of our vehicles and saves us money on fuel. It also makes our vehicles safer to drive, which can prevent accidents. Putting off preventive maintenance can be very expensive.
Los Altos area service centers have to be competitive. Like any business, they can't afford to overcharge customers or they go out of business. But vehicle care today does cost more in CA than it used to. Vehicles are more sophisticated, complex and high-tech. That means technicians have to be better trained. They have to purchase high-tech diagnostic equipment and tools. They have to keep up with the latest advances in vehicle engineering and subscribe to computer databases. Like any business, they also have labor costs, insurance, rent, utilities, taxes, office supplies, etc.
If you are strapped for cash, Allied Auto Works can offer auto advice to help you keep your car running safely and manage your budget. For example, let's say you need new brake pads, transmission service and a new cabin air filter. A technician can't ethically recommend you delay brake service: that creates a safety hazard for you and other Los Altos drivers. You need to get that done now. But they can tell you if the transmission service can wait a month and how long you can put off changing the cabin air filter. They can also estimate what these services will cost. That gives you the time and information you need to save up for the other services.
The key to modern car care is preventive maintenance. Our modern vehicles are safer, more fuel efficient and more reliable than ever before. But to keep them that way Los Altos drivers must be more proactive about caring for them. It's good to know there are knowledgeable professionals at Allied Auto Works who can help us do just that.
My quote for this week,
"I speak to be heard and understood, not just to fill the silence." ~ Oprah Winfrey
Cayenne
Allied Auto Works
2073 Grant Road
Los Altos, CA 94024
650.968.7227
http://alliedautoworks.com