Orinda Motors Blog

2009-09-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Price shopping versus loyalty

Had a regular customer in the other day. She brought us a modern Infinity that needed some serious brake work. After inspection and some discussion of options the customer got a final estimate of $930 for her brake repairs. She decided to call the local dealership to get a competitive estimate. She was quoted $210.00 less. This is a significant amount of money. We told her that, while we were far from cheap and never compete on price, nobody could use quality parts and do quality work for within that estimate. She said that due to the economic times she had to choose the lesser price. Hard to argue with her feelings. And she said the dealer would do just as good a job and do it far cheaper.
Well she took it to the dealer and guess what? They had made a mistake on the phone. The price was actually within $15 of the price we had quoted. So there went another wasted day for no gain whatsoever. On top of the fact that, despite many people’s misconceptions, dealers do not do better work that independents. In fact most dealers do a lesser brake job than what is performed here at Orinda Motors.
Goes to some previous topics like “Is cheaper ever better”, “Is the Dealer better”, “Value versus Price” and others.
Moral is stick with who you know and trust. Price is far from the top of the importance list when repairing vehicles.

Value versus Price

2009-09-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Is price always or ever the most important thing?
There are many instances in the marketplace when we are faced with the choice between price and value. We believe that value is getting the most for your time and money. It can mean many things to different people and we must all define for ourselves what it is. For us it has always meant peace of mind, excellent service combined with a quality product, convenience, a pleasant atmosphere. All this must be combined with a sense that the provider cared, had our best interest at heart, will still be in business and willing to accept responsibility for any problems that might arise later.
Peace of mind
Most importantly this means trust. There are really two components of trust, being able to believe that what you are told is the truth and having faith that your service is being performed competently and safely.
The first component comes down to the personal relationship between yourself and your service writer. This does not mean someone who just gives you the answers you want to hear. It means someone who wants to do the best thing for you. They will listen to your needs, ask you pertinent questions (sometimes hard or uncomfortable to answer), convey to you the cost and expected time frame needed to address those concerns and make suggestions to you that may impact the safety of your vehicle and/or the proper maintenance to keep it operating correctly for the long term. The truth is that the average consumer does not know enough about their vehicles to make these decisions and choices without expert and trustworthy advice.
The second component comes down the experience, training and ethics of the technicians working on your vehicle. Do they have professional certifications? Have they received professional education? Do they attend continuing education classes? Have they made the investment in their careers necessary to be in the top echelon of a very difficult profession? It is not unusual for an automotive technician to have $40,000 invested in just their hand tool collection. This type of highly trained professional demands a lucrative salary. Think you can get one of them to work for you at the cheapest price?
Service and Convenience
These two kind of go together. They are a combination of location and the company concern for how important your time and or schedule is, as well as how critical the well being of your vehicle, as one of your largest investments, is to you.
Quality product
This goes to a couple of things, none of which can be found when shopping for price. Some consumers are focused on the need for using "original equipment" parts. The fact is that there often is no such thing. As one example there are a number of different manufacturers of the brake pads on a certain line of German car. The vehicle manufacturer changes suppliers from year to year, sometimes in midyear. The brake pad supplier may no longer have a contract with the vehicle manufacturer a few years latter and the “original equipment manufacturer” is now a completely different company. So what is my point? You need to be able to depend on your service provider to determine the best product for your vehicle. Think they can do that if they have to compete on price?
Atmosphere
Probably not the most important item on this list, but still important to many people. Given the choice, it is much more pleasant to spend your time in a clean, neat environment, dealing with pleasant people.
The Provider
At this point we need to look at the business itself. Is it important the management and the business itself show some longevity? When you purchase a service or product, who warranties it? In any kind of service business it is the provider. Therefore it is vital that the provider you choose shows some likelihood of being in business in the future. Some shops open and close on a semi-regular basis. One owner fails, another shows up to try and then they fail or move away. A solid business is not transient or short lived. Look for a business that has proven itself over the long haul and which you can feel has some likelihood of staying in business for the future.
The bottom line
Price alone should never be the deciding factor in any transaction with a service related business. There is just too much at stake. This does not mean that the most expensive is the best. You just have to find the best value.

Breakdown

2009-07-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Broken down?

So you have a problem with your vehicle while on the road. What should you do? Get safe. It is always worth the risk of doing more damage to your vehicle to make sure you are physically safe. Assuming the problem is overheating or some other issue that allows the vehicle to keep moving always put safety first. On the freeway with a good wide shoulder? Pull over on the right shoulder as far from the traffic lane as possible, not just barely over the white line. Many vehicles get hit while sitting on the shoulder. No shoulder, like on a bridge? Slow down and drive to the next exit. If the engine quits running, coast off the side of the road. Be aware that brakes may well not work correctly. No matter what, turn on your flashers as soon as the problem shows up. Once you are stopped, especially if on the freeway, get away from the vehicle. Do not stand near the vehicle if at all possible. Get completely off the road and well away. Place your flares or warning markers to the rear of the vehicle so approaching vehicles know the danger is there.
Now call your repair shop. If you have a relationship they will help you. Night or weekend? Call a tow truck. Normally the local AAA (http://www.csaa.com/) tow company is going to be the best bet 24 hours a day, whether or not you are a AAA member. Call 911 if you are unable to find a tow company or if your vehicle did not get off the road before it stopped. A vehicle broken down in the road is an emergency.
You are broken down and the tow truck has shown up. Now what? Whose advice to take? Always ask to be towed to an AAA approved service facility. This is rarely the tow companies shop, even if they have one. If there is no facility near by or there is more than one, ask for an ASCCA member shop. Once again, it does not matter if you are a AAA member or not. Only after these two options are explored should you ask for the tow truck drivers opinion on where to go. Most drivers are conscientious and honest, but as in all things, not all. Being sent to the drivers’ friends shop or where the driver gets the biggest commission to take you (illegal in the State of California by the way) is unlikely to be a good experience. In fact if you were going this route it would be wise to ask the driver if he gets a commission for the tow. Within a reasonable distance of your regular shop? Get towed there. What is reasonable? If it will cost you less than $200 you will almost always be better off at your “home” shop. More than that becomes a judgment call on your part. Do not assume that what the tow truck driver tells you is wrong with your vehicle is accurate. If he or she was a technician who was trained and qualified to diagnose your vehicle it is unlikely that they would be driving a tow truck and the majority of problems that cause breakdown require tools and equipment to properly diagnose.
The best idea is to avoid the breakdown in the first place. Most vehicles broken down on the side of the road have not been properly maintained. No! Having the oil changed every 3500 miles over 60 thousand miles is not proper maintenance. Having regular inspections by a certified technician at a quality shop and doing the repairs and maintenance they suggest is proper maintenance. Overheat is one the prime culprits in breakdowns. All vehicles have manufacturer recommended cooling system service recommendations. Many are not adequate to keep the system working optimally. None suggest services that are unnecessary or too frequent. Hoses and belts are made of rubber and do deteriorate. When your shop tells you they need to be replaced or the system needs some other service, ask why and then, assuming a logical answer, do it.
There are many components of a vehicle that can cause a breakdown. However, don’t be shy. When a repair is recommended by a technician there is nothing wrong with asking if it is a problem that could cause a breakdown or what other ramifications there may be if you do not do the repair.
Enough nagging about avoiding the breakdown in the first place. Back to what to do after you have been towed. If you have a regular service provider, call and talk to them before you do anything, other than something very minor, while you are out of town. This is especially important if you have been unable to find a AAA or ASCCA facility. Any good shop, assuming they have developed a quality relationship with you, should be happy to help with your difficult repair decisions when you are in trouble.
Last, but should have been first. Have the right stuff in you vehicle before you break down. See AAA’s web site for more info. No this is not an advertisement for AAA. Their auto club just has a lot of good recommendations for the motoring public.
Questions, Comments? Allen@OrindaMotors.com
http://www.orindamotors.com/

Orinda Motors Sports

2009-05-21T07:23:00.001-07:00

Orinda Motors is commited to local sports programs.

Beware of Rodents!

2009-05-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

The advantage of living in Orinda is the beautifull scenary and woodsey environment. The disadvantage of the county living is the invasion of rodents and critters that cause damage to your vehicles. We see several cases every year here at Orinda Motors that involve rodent damage to vehicles. Some cases include vehicles that get towed in because they wont start . Other cases include vehicles that have noises and odors coming from the heater area.

These little rodents like small warm areas for shelter. They like to take chunks of insulation and other materials from your vehicle to make their nests. Sometimes they even take natural nesting materials from your yard or other unnatural materials from your carport. They also like to feed on wiring insulation and other rubberized components in the engine compartment. When they eat through the wiring it often causes a short circuit in whatever engine part those wires control. This could also cause damage to the very expensive on board computer modules that are the heart of car electronics these days. This simple act of rodent vandalism causes thousands, maybe millions, of dollars in damage every year.

When your car has issues due to rodent damage it can be inconveinent and expensive. When rats invade your heater system it brings up a whole new batch of issues. The main concern is health issues. These little buggers like to make there nets in your heater ducts or heater blower area. The problem for them is when you turn on the heater it will often cause fatal damage leaving rodent blood and guts thoughout your heater. The problem for you is the blower will push air through the heater ducts that are coated with rat guts, fices and urine..yuck!

The worst problem from contact with rodents or rodent debris is potential health risks. Rodents are known to be able to carry over 200 disease organisms, many of which can be transmitted to humans. Native rats and mice can carry plague, tularemia, leptospirosis, and endemic relapsing fever to name a few. Humans can become ill after inhaling air from rodent infested heater ducts.
When performing repairs to the heater system after rodent infestation we often find the heater core and heater casing poluted with rodent “debris”. We must replace all contaiminated parts as well as completely clean and sanitizing the whole system. Due to the labor involved this kind of repair can be costly. In most cases your car’s insurance policy will cover this kind of work under your comprehensive coverage. I have heard that some insurance companies may not cover rodent damage in the future. It is a good idea to check with your insurance agent to find out if you are covered. I also recommend researching doing research on how to keep these critters away. This is a problem that nobody wants to have.