We Are Not Magicians
I am not big on magic tricks. Sure an awesome magician is amazing to watch, but for me I know there is a scientific explanation of how the trick is done. I just do not know that particular science. Magicians almost always keep the science to themselves. Job security is important in all professions.
Some people just do not think science when they see a magician. Magic is magic. Simply amazing. They approach their auto mechanic with the same blind faith. “Perform a little magic on my car Mr. Mechanic please?” “I need to get to Vancouver on Friday.”
Suffice to say in general we are not performing magic tricks. We are using science to solve problems. There is almost always a scientific explanation for what happened with a vehicle that resulted in a failure and then there is a scientific procedure required to repair that failure. Replace a part, fix a part, sometimes even eliminate that part.
The odds of your mechanic fixing your problem are a lot better when he/she is familiar with your vehicle. That familiarity comes by regular visits for both maintenance and repair to your service provider of choice. In this business we have essentially two types of customers. Breakdown customers and maintenance customers. Believe me breakdown customers spend way more money keeping their vehicle running then maintenance customers.
Yes, I know the salesman who sold you your new car sold you on the fact that it requires next to zero maintenance and he/she topped that off with a big fat extended warranty to assure you you won’t have to open your wallet for any repairs for years to come.
I can assure you that an extended warranty is not going to fix neglected maintenance for free. There is not a warranty for excessive wear and tear.
Take brakes as an example. Brake material wears with use. Brake rotors wear as well. Brake rotors wear very quickly when the brake pad no longer has any friction material on it and it becomes metal grinding on metal.
Brake systems need maintenance, especially after a Kootenay winter. Yearly brake maintenance will extend the life of your brake pads, brake rotors, brake calipers, brake master cylinder and abs brake controller. It will also give your mechanic the upper hand in scheduling repairs to your brake system. If you change the brake pads before they score the brake rotors that is a big saving. If you free up and lubricate the brake pads before they start to stick, wear unevenly and overheat your rotors and calipers you will save on both replacing your calipers and rotors. If you change your brake fluid regularly, your brake master cylinder, abs brake controller and brake calipers will be trouble free for years.
On the other hand you can ignore brake maintenance until that grinding or squealing forces you to the brake magician. Your visit will come much sooner than it should and you will be buying more parts than a little brake lubricant and some shop supplies.
