A simple Facebook post about local vehicle sales ignites a passionate debate among car enthusiasts, particularly Toyota fans. Lenny Lawson shares his experience of being attacked online for suggesting that no car brand is perfect, including Toyota. He discusses the complexities of car ownership, the importance of maintenance, and the often-overlooked customer service aspects in the automotive industry. With anecdotes from his dealership experiences, Lenny emphasizes the need for grace and understanding in customer interactions, while also reflecting on the challenges of social media communication.
"...the average person trades cars every, well, I don't know what it's been skewed because things have gotten so expensive, but you know, somewhere between 36 and 48 months, that's the average trade cycle now, I'm assuming."
The trade cycle is how long people usually keep their cars before getting a new one. Many people change their cars every few years.
The trade cycle refers to the average time period that a person keeps a vehicle before trading it in for a new one. This cycle can be influenced by factors such as vehicle depreciation, warranty expiration, and personal preferences.
"...a lot of people trade before it runs out of warranty."
A warranty is a promise from the car maker that they'll fix certain problems for free if they happen within a specific time. It's like insurance for your car for a little while after you buy it.
A warranty is a guarantee provided by the manufacturer or dealer that covers certain repairs or replacements for a specified period. It ensures that if something goes wrong with the vehicle, the owner can have it fixed at no additional cost within the warranty period.
"...but I also know about all the recalls and all the engines that they've had to replace..."
A recall is when a car company finds a problem with their cars and asks owners to bring them in to fix it for free. It's important for keeping cars safe.
Recalls occur when a manufacturer identifies a safety or performance issue in a vehicle and requires owners to bring their cars in for repairs or replacements at no cost. This is an important aspect of vehicle safety and reliability.
"an image, but I also know about all the recalls and all the engines that they've had to replace in Camry's and in Tundra's and, you know, there's just no bulletproof automotive brand. And you know why?"
"...and all the engines that they've had to replace in Camry's and in Tundra's..."
The Tundra is a truck made by Toyota that is built to be tough. Like other cars, it can have issues that Toyota sometimes needs to fix for free.
The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck known for its durability and capability. Similar to the Camry, it has also experienced recalls for certain engine problems in specific model years.
"...dog on it, they're complicated. 30,000 parts in the average car."
Parts are the different pieces that make up a car. There are many of them, and they all work together to make the car run.
The term 'parts' refers to the various components that make up a vehicle. An average car contains around 30,000 parts, which include everything from the engine to the electrical systems, contributing to the complexity of modern vehicles.
"...whether it's a push button start or when we have to turn the key on, everything has to work flawlessly and none of them do, none of them."
A push button start lets you start your car by just pressing a button instead of using a key. It's a newer feature that makes starting the car easier.
A push button start is a feature in modern vehicles that allows the driver to start the engine by pressing a button instead of using a traditional key. This technology enhances convenience and can improve vehicle security.
"...I was even attacked by somebody who has a Subaru. They said, I wouldn't buy anything but a Subaru, well good, you know, buy a Subaru."
Subaru is another car company that makes vehicles known for their all-wheel drive, which helps with traction in tough conditions. They are popular among people who like outdoor activities.
Subaru is an automotive brand known for its all-wheel drive vehicles and rugged designs, often appealing to outdoor enthusiasts. They have a reputation for safety and reliability.
"...It's how you buy it and do you take care of it because that's what matters."
Maintenance means taking care of your car so it runs well and lasts a long time. This includes things like changing the oil and checking the tires.
Maintenance refers to the regular care and servicing of a vehicle to ensure it operates efficiently and lasts longer. This includes tasks like oil changes, tire rotations, and inspections.
"...Even a Chevrolet Vega or a Pinto, you remember that stuff?"
The Chevrolet Vega is a small car that was made in the 1970s. It was popular for being light and easy to drive, but some people had problems with it breaking down.
The Chevrolet Vega was a subcompact car produced by Chevrolet from 1970 to 1977. It was known for its innovative design and lightweight construction, but it also faced criticism for reliability issues.
"...I had a guy one time that had 176,000 miles on a Chevy Chevette."
The Chevrolet Chevette is a small, affordable car that was made from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. It was known for being economical and easy to maintain.
The Chevrolet Chevette was a subcompact car produced from 1976 to 1987. It was known for its affordability and practicality, making it a popular choice for budget-conscious buyers.
"It had probably, I'm going to guess, 60 horsepower and it couldn't be safe..."
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. The more horsepower a car has, the faster it can go and the more work it can do.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power, commonly used to describe the output of engines. In cars, it indicates how much work the engine can do over time.
"...et's see, I wouldn't buy a Jeep, you know, a Jeep Wrangler, but I understand why people do."
The Jeep Wrangler is a type of vehicle that is great for driving on rough roads and trails. People like it because it can go almost anywhere, and it has a cool, tough look that many find appealing.
The Jeep Wrangler is a compact SUV known for its rugged off-road capabilities and iconic design. It has a strong following among outdoor enthusiasts and is often discussed for its versatility and ability to handle tough terrains, making it a symbol of adventure and freedom.
"This guy said, I tried to trade my 2011 Nissan Titan there and you guys didn't want it. And I didn't respond, you know, some, some comments you just can't respond to."
The Nissan Titan is a big truck made by Nissan, designed for heavy-duty work like towing and carrying heavy loads. It's known for being strong and reliable.
The Nissan Titan is a full-size pickup truck known for its robust performance and towing capabilities. It was first introduced in 2003 and has undergone several updates since then, including enhancements in technology and comfort.
"...even with very high miles, I mean, I traded for a truck the other day that had 340,000 miles on it."
'High miles' means that a car has been driven a lot, usually more than 100,000 miles. This can affect how much the car is worth and how reliable it is.
'High miles' refers to a vehicle that has accumulated a significant number of miles on the odometer, often impacting its resale value and perceived reliability. Generally, vehicles with over 100,000 miles are considered to have high mileage.
Select text to request an explanation
Hey folks, Lenny Lawson here with the Car Guru.
I just ran into a customer in the showroom and they asked me, I said, what do you think
about the New York election?
I said, what New York election?
Yeah, about that guy that got elected to be the mayor of New York.
I said, I don't know, I don't even know who the last mayor of New York was and why should
I care?
You know, people get so torn up about stuff and I guess it's all this social media stuff.
You know, I did a post in social media yesterday and it was like fending off swarms of attacking
zombies because I had posted a, well, just basically a market report.
So it's a 12 month count of all the vehicles that were sold in my market area, which is
all of my big county and parts of three other counties and it goes over in North Carolina.
And it said that there were 2,769 new vehicles sold in our market during that period and
that Nissan was number one by far sold 532 in this market, which we sold most of those.
Well, I posted that on social media and then I get just skewered and all these people say,
well, I wouldn't buy anything but a Toyota, you know, and it's really those Toyota people.
You may be one, but they can get rabid apparently.
I don't know if there's a shot that you can take for that, but yeah, Toyota has that image
of quality, of course, as a new car dealer and, you know, I owned part of a Toyota dealership
for several years and it was okay.
I mean, the service department was full of vehicles that were needing repairs, just like
the Chevrolet store that I used to own.
None of them are perfect and then you get these people who say, well, you know, they'll
last forever.
Well, who wants to drive a car forever?
I mean, the average person trades cars every, well, I don't know what it's been skewed because
things have gotten so expensive, but you know, somewhere between 36 and 48 months, that's
the average trade cycle now, I'm assuming.
So who wants to keep a car forever?
You know, a lot of people trade before it runs out of warranty.
And you know, as long as it's under warranty and you don't have to go into the shop every
week to have something fixed, I mean, I can understand even owning a new car, if it's
a problematic car, then, you know, it's no fun, even if it is covered under warranty.
It's a pain to have to take it in and out.
But I understand, you know, Toyota has done a fantastic job marketing themselves and creating
an image, but I also know about all the recalls and all the engines that they've had to replace
in Camry's and in Tundra's and, you know, there's just no bulletproof automotive brand.
And you know why?
It's because, dog on it, they're complicated.
30,000 parts in the average car.
How many other things do you use that has 30,000 parts?
You drive it down the road at 80 miles an hour.
It has to hold up when the temperatures drop to 32 below or it's 120 degrees outside.
We don't want our dashes to crack, our seats to crack, that we want our cars to start instantly.
You know, whether it's a push button start or when we have to turn the key on, everything
has to work flawlessly and none of them do, none of them.
So lighten up Toyota people for goodness sake.
I was even attacked by somebody who has a Subaru.
They said, I wouldn't buy anything but a Subaru, well good, you know, buy a Subaru.
You know, what I concern myself with most of the time on this program is not what you buy.
It's how you buy it and do you take care of it because that's what matters.
I mean back when they were selling yougos, you know, if you really maintained your yougo
just fine and you took care of it, you washed it and you kept it in a garage and, you know,
you waxed it every now and then, I'm sure a yougo was a pretty fine car.
Even a Chevrolet Vega or a Pinto, you remember that stuff?
You know, the people who abused them, those were the ones that were unhappy because they
would fail.
I had a guy one time that had 176,000 miles on a Chevy Chevette.
Now most of you, well some of you may be old enough to remember what a Chevy Chevette was.
But if two people were sitting in the front seat of a Chevy Chevette, you had to be very close
friends or married or wanted to be really close because your shoulders would touch.
This car was very narrow.
It had probably, I'm going to guess, 60 horsepower and it couldn't be safe, you know,
with the door right up against your shoulder.
But this guy put 176,000 miles on this car.
He said, we'll keep this car forever.
And I would just look at him and say, why?
I didn't say it out loud.
Why would you want to keep a car like that forever?
But there are some people like that.
You know, they, I guess there's not enough people like that.
I guess if more people would just buy a car and keep it until the wheels fall off, then
there would be a whole lot fewer car dealers to complain about and, you know, a lot more
repair shops, that's for sure, but you have a lot fewer cars would be sold, but that's
what drives the economy.
That's what makes the world go around, creates all of this sales tax revenue and, you know,
that keeps oil companies in business.
Just think of all the businesses that rely on the auto industry.
And if all of a sudden people would buy a car and keep it for 20 years, all of that would
go away.
Okay.
I'm going to take my first break and I'll be back in just one minute.
I guess I sound like an old curmudgeon, well, definitely old, not really a curmudgeon.
It's just kind of, it's interesting.
I've got to refrain, I guess, from reacting.
You know, you know the difference right between reacting and responding, right?
Reacting is a negative thing.
If you go to a shot, go to a doctor, not go to a shot, but go to a doctor and get a shot
and you have a reaction, then that's not good.
But if you go to a doctor and get a shot and you respond, then that's good.
And so we want to respond and not react.
There's one lady that went and she said she bought a 2026 toy.
We go to Camry and that I should be, I should refrain as a businessman from being so defensive
about my brands.
So what am I supposed to do?
Am I supposed to brag on everybody else's cars?
No.
You know, the good thing about buying a car in today's economy is that basically they're
all good.
They're just different.
You know, I would never buy a Subaru, but I understand why people do.
I mean, I'm not a, well, let's see, I wouldn't buy a Jeep, you know, a Jeep Wrangler, but
I understand why people do.
You know, it's that off-road tough image and plus you can put ducks all the way across
the dashboard on it, those rubber ducks.
Oops.
There I go, being a curmudgeon again.
Well, it's my program.
So I guess I can be what I want to be as long as the FCC doesn't come down on the radio
station.
You know, I told the story the other day about a lady that bought a new Nissan Altima and
it had some spots in the paint on one of the doors.
Well, I wanted to tell you the end of the story.
So my service advisor looked at it and said, yeah, you've got spots in the paint.
And of course she had, she wanted a new car.
She wanted us to trade even with her.
And, you know, that really wasn't going to happen.
So that's what warranties are for.
And, but that situation kind of calmed down.
And so I got involved and was able to get the car from her and take it to a body shop
that we do business with.
And she had been to a couple of other shops and they said, well, yeah, we're going to
have to paint the door, got to sand it down and paint it.
Oh, she was just all tore up.
So I kept looking at those spots on her door and I'm thinking, you know, that just
looks like something splattered on there.
Well, guess what?
That's what it was.
It was glue, some type of glue that had that splattered on that door and hardened.
And you couldn't pick it off with your fingernail, but you could scrape it off as
long as you were not, you know, too aggressive with a razor blade and it would
just pop right off.
And so I had this body shop, get all the spots off, wet sand it and buff it.
And it was perfect.
And she picked that thing up yesterday and she was thrilled.
And so was I.
You know, sometimes you just want somebody to care, right?
It just seems like there's so many businesses I go into and the people
that are waiting on me have zero in the, the people skills category.
And I don't know why, I mean, to me, that's their boss's fault.
Maybe the boss doesn't care, but there are some businesses that you go into that
it's just, they're just so arrogant and unappreciative of the fact that you are
there and handing them money.
And I just, I don't get it.
Although I did get a complaint that, that whole, I hate to go back to it, but
that whole Facebook thing, one, one person said, well, I had my vehicle in
your service department and it was there for 15 days and nobody called me to
give me a status update on the vehicle.
Well, that's terrible.
That's unacceptable to Lenny Lawson.
And I just wish that somebody had called me and I could have solved it.
Now, I know what happened.
I'm, I'm pretty sure.
I mean, it's not too hard to guess.
They fell through the cracks.
You know, it's either that or there was a parts delay, but even that, if there's
a parts delay done, the customer deserve a, a unsolicited update call.
Of course they do.
And see, that's what I appreciate.
You know, I would have preferred that that person, you know, I'm not going to
post this on Facebook where the world can see it.
I think I'm just going to call Lenny and tell him what my experience was.
No, no, she had to put it on social media and do it that way.
And that's, you know, I just don't think that's cool.
I think that's kind of where we have gotten though with social media and with
texting, I think that people have learned, have forgotten how to talk to other
human beings too inconvenient.
You know, I don't want to have a conversation.
You know, we may talk about something else.
I just want to hit him with this zinger and move on.
Oops.
There comes that curmudgeon again.
Well, I guess that's just, it's just one of those days.
I'm not in a bad mood.
I really came to work.
I was, I was happy.
I was playing a little James Taylor coming down the road and just singing along.
I was singing moon river.
That was my mom's favorite song.
And James was singing that on a, on a special album that he did of old songs.
I was just having a really good time.
And then the Facebook thing happened.
And so I guess I have a choice to make respond or react.
I think I reacted a little and now I'm going to respond and be positive.
But yeah, if we have a defect, I'm not just talking about a defect in a car now.
I'm not talking about when something breaks.
I'm talking about when a process breaks down and a service advisor, it could be
somebody working at a parts counter, could be a salesperson, you know, they're
having a bad day at home, you know, something personal is going on.
And they reflect that or kind of show that side of themselves to the person
that they're waiting on.
You know, maybe we need to give people a little grace and, and not be so tough on
them when they're, when they're having a bad day.
You know, the waitress that is unattentive, it could be a clerk at a, at a
counter, you know, you're trying, you're at staples and you can't find anybody
to wait on you.
That happened to me the other day at Staples.
I'm just like, it's like a ghost town in there.
And all I want to do is buy this, buy some files and get out of there.
And I couldn't find anybody.
They were all in the back and the guy came up and he apologized and it was fine.
But, you know, processes break down.
People aren't supposed to abandon their workstation and it becomes a problem for
others, but in a service department and a car dealership, it's really easy for
something to fall through the cracks.
You have to be very organized.
And what we do is, is we look at all of our open repair orders every day and we
look at the oldest, oldest ones first, you know, it's kind of like first in,
first out, supposed to be that way, but sometimes it's first in, last out.
And it's because that car was sitting on the back lot and the repair order got
hidden in somebody else's folder or something like that.
And, and one day, one of the service advisors sees a key up on the keyboard
and said, what's this key here?
And then they start digging down and they finally find the repair order.
They find the car and it's been sitting back there for a week and a half and
nobody knows anything and the customer hasn't called.
And that's, it happens.
It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen.
So what do you do about it when it does happen?
Well, you go to social media and you blast them.
No, that's not what you do.
You know, if it's a local business and you want to keep doing business with them,
then show them some grace, go in there and talk to the people that, you know,
that run the place.
If it's a service department, you might need to talk to the service manager
and say, listen, I just want to explain to you what's happened to me.
I mean, my car has been here for 10 days and I've heard nothing and it was really
just for a great job or whatever it was.
And I just think that's, that's been very inconvenient for me.
Nobody's called.
Nobody followed up.
The true test of their character at that point is their response.
Do they apologize or do they just run out of the office and don't say anything?
Come back, go choose somebody out and come back and say, well, we're going to work on it now.
You know, I always learned or really for my parents, this is always apologize
because you should and you should be sincere about that.
So I always apologize and some employees have a hard time with that.
You know, they just, they hate to say sorry for something that they didn't do.
It's somebody else's fault.
Why should I say I'm sorry because you work for the organization.
And the customer is, doesn't know you from Adam, but they do know the organization and
they may defect and take their business somewhere else because we didn't follow up with them.
So hold the business accountable, but teach them something.
You'll help them.
And that's what we should do.
We should help our fellow man.
And, but there's a lot of people though in today's world.
They don't have time for that.
You know, they're running their own life.
I shouldn't have to run your business for you.
And there may be some of you out there agreeing with that statement.
I personally don't, you know, I think that I'm going to show them some grace and I'm
going to say, you know, let me, this is what happened to me.
And hopefully it won't happen again.
I want to keep doing business with you.
Heck, I might get a free oil change out of it.
Okay, I'll be back in just one minute.
Okay, I am back.
One more thing, one more comment came through.
I'm sorry, I can't get away from it.
This guy said, I tried to trade my 2011 Nissan Titan there and you guys didn't want it.
And I didn't respond, you know, some, some comments you just can't respond to.
I don't know what to say about that.
You know, if somebody brought a 2011 Nissan Titan under normal circumstances with, with
decent miles and even with very high miles, I mean, I traded for a truck the other day
that had 340,000 miles on it.
So I'll trade for anything.
I remember back in the early seventies, there used to be a ski resort on the mountain
that's in the distance that you can see from, from Gravel.
The mountain is called Little Bald in modern times.
It's been called Viking mountain and it's a little over 5,000 feet tall, pretty big
mountain, part of the, I guess, Blue Ridge, Unica chain.
I get confused all the different mountain chains, but all part of Appalachia.
And so there was a ski resort up there.
And this guy came into the dealership one day and he said, Mr.
Lawson, he wasn't talking to me, he was talking to my dad.
I was in high school.
He said, I want to trade you some lots up on Viking mountain for a new Chevy truck.
Well, my dad, you know, he hadn't been a dealer that long and Viking mountain was
kind of thriving at the time.
I had a lodge up there and a bunch of cabins and a ski lift and ski runs and so forth.
And so he said, well, you know, we'll look at it.
And he got an appraisal and an appraised decently.
So he, it wasn't an even trade, but he traded for the lots on Viking mountain.
One time my dad traded for two grave plots.
He traded for an old wagon.
I mean, like one that would be drawn by a horse.
I traded for visible gas pumps.
I'll trade for anything pretty much.
So for somebody to go on there and say that they came to trade a 2011 Nissan Titan,
and we wouldn't trade with it, you know, we wouldn't do it.
It's not worth responding to how many things in life are like that.
That we would be better off just keeping our mouth shut.
Maybe I would have been if I hadn't done this show today, but I did it.
Here it is.
Maybe there's a lesson here.
We don't have to respond to everything.
You know, why let somebody that lives in New York City gets elected mayor.
Affect me.
It really doesn't.
You know, the only time it does is if I download some kind of a news app and I'm
glued into that and all this political stuff does nothing.
But create anxiety for a lot of folks, including me.
That's why I banned it two months ago.
I've got rid of all the apps on my phone that had anything to do with news.
Except would you call YouTube news?
I wouldn't.
What else did I keep?
ESPN couldn't get rid of that.
Stock market thing app here.
Automotive news and the Greenville Sun.
I just downloaded that so that I could keep track of the obituaries.
And that's all we need.
We've got to know what's going on locally and who's dying.
And then we can really stay on top of things that really matter like this.
Send me your email address right now.
Get your phone out 423-552-2020.
That's my cell phone number.
The only one I have send me your email address and I will send you the
MyCarGuru guidebook PDF.
It's a digital file.
You need it.
Trust me.
If you don't think you do, you do.
And your family does too.
They need to read this before they ever go out and get automotive service, wreck
their car and think about going to a body shop or think about buying a new car, a
used car, whatever you need to do that's automotive.
You need to read the guidebook first.
It's only 32 pages.
It's big print.
And if you cannot get an email or if you don't have an email or you don't have
that kind of file, I'll print one out for you and mail it to you.
If you'll send me your address.
Yes, that's what I'll do.
Even in the mood I'm in, I'll be happy to do that for you.
Thanks for listening to this edition of MyCarGuru and I'll see you tomorrow.
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