0:00
/
0:00
Expectations: Are They Real?
Expectations: Are They Real?
0:00
0:00
0:00
0:00
About this episode
Expectations in the automotive repair industry take center stage as the hosts discuss the often-misunderstood relationship between customers and auto garages. They dive into the complexities of extended warranties, customer expectations regarding repairs, and the importance of preventative maintenance. Anecdotes highlight the frustrations of both customers and shop owners when it comes to repairs, warranties, and the communication gaps that lead to misunderstandings. The episode emphasizes the need for clear expectations and proactive maintenance to avoid costly surprises down the road.
Topics:
customer expectations
extended warranties
preventative maintenance
repair communication
auto garage experiences
warranty claims
brake jobs
transmission repairs
wearable parts
service recommendations
Cars:
Ford Explorer
On this episode of "Expectations: Are They Real?" we talk about the world of car repairs and warranties, exploring the often unrealistic expectations some customers have when it comes to their vehicles. From repair shop visits to warranty claims, what should you really expect? Tune in today to find out!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/let-s-talk-cars-radio--5026292/support.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/let-s-talk-cars-radio--5026292/support.
Filter:
|
Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Car
Ford Explorer
"...ou're nuts, let me explain to you. Subar rus Ford Explorers. Anything that has an all wheel drive set up in i..."
Select text to request an explanation
Speaker 1: Welcome to Let's Talk Cars Radio. You're automotive specialist. Let's
Talk Cars Radio is sponsored in part by NAPA, Carcare Centers, BDG Auto Group, by Liberty Transmissions in Virginia Beach, and by Bob Barnum and the Perfect House Team. Be a
part of the program today by calling seven five seven two two two three seven zero five. Text your comments
during the show to seven five seven eight six six two one nine two. Email your questions and comments todaved
Let's Talkcarsradio dot com. Now here's the host of Let's
Talk Cars Radio, Dave Polage.
Speaker 2: Happy Saturday, America. You're listen Let's Talk Cars Radio WKQA,
Freedom Radio. I'm your host, Big datp, Hangout, count Chaos
and AVB. Hey guys, it is a great day. And
why is that? As I've been telling you guys, and
I'm kind of excited about it, we are finally made it to the Hecat Honey's Hot Rod Show. So that
is today. So if you guys listen to the show
right now, and you guys are not out there, you need to make sure you definitely get out there for the White Elephants Sale. And we have a big, huge
auction all different kind of stuff go up. There's still
a couple hours left that you guys can enjoy it.
So make sure Tank you name it, make sure you come on out and hang out with us. It's gonna
be a really good time. Like I said, a lot
of things to do, the vendors, you name it, so there's no reason not to be out there. I'm gonna
jump right into this though. I've had an interesting week
of doing what I love to do, which is obviously getting a chance to talk with a lot of my friends own auto garages and stuff and observed some things and have some dialogue. And so the topic of today's
show is going to be something that you know you can't help but in this in this kind of day.
Speaker 3: And age, yeah, day.
Speaker 2: And age, probably the easy way to do it is to really talk about it. You know, we've we've hitted
on little things, we've had little conversations over the years and stuff kind of about it. But it became a
little bit more evident this week with just having conversations with some of my friends, like I said, their own shops and stuff, and it was it comes right down to expectations of withinside of garage and I don't mean so much conversations we've had in the past as far as expectations, So I'll explain it to it as we kind of go into it. It's funny because every time
I have the conversation with owners, right, I'm having the conversation and we're talking and I'm like, I don't I really don't know what that customer expected, you know, after I hear a certain situation or they tell me the story and they asked me, like, what do you think, and I'll, you know, I'll chime in on a lot of different things. So I kind of put it out
there this week and asked in some of the forums as far as what other people thought, because I got my own views and my own opinions on it. Right,
So I'll give you, like a scenario. Everybody knows that
car warranties are. They're just huge. I mean, you can't
escape the people trying to call you. There's a lot
of people who have them, that have purchased them. Some
people have great ones, some people have ones that are not so great. But let's just say that you finally
get to the point that you have some type of thing, you're right on your car and you decide you're going to, you know, use your extended warranty. You're going to take
it in and it's not just extended warrant, it's just one of the scenarios. You take it in and you
drop it off. Now, I guess I need to know
what you guys believe the expectation is with having that warranty.
I think I believe I know what it is. You
believe you have a warranty in your car and everything's covered.
I mean that's probably the gist of it, just the gist of it. It doesn't and I always try to,
you know, explain to people that's not how it works.
Just because you bought an extended warranty on your car doesn't mean it covers everything. It really depends on what
kind of extent warranty you have, and you really need to familiarize yourself with the clauses that are inside that.
And the problem that autogarage is run into is they're just the middleman. Like they're they have no more authority
on anything than you do. So with warranties, the biggest
thing I always try to explain to everybody is it's the wolf guarding the henhouse on a warranty, so they sell you the policy, you pay for it or you're making payments on it right right, and then with you making payments on it, if anything goes wrong, they make the decision. Rather they're gonna actually do anything for you.
So they already have your money or they're getting your money monthly, yet they're the final decision maker on what they're going to do. It just doesn't seem really fair
in that aspect because if you read some of these policies like I have over the years, and you really dive into them, there's a I mean tons of stuff that's not covered, like where they go, Okay, well, you know this warranty covers the transmission, it covers the engine and stuff like that. But you really need to read
the things withinside of Oh, first of all, if you have a like certain warranty policies and it's let's say it covers the engine because like most do, they cover all the big components, right, Well, there's a little clause in there like you need to be able to give every single oil change that was required for that engine to be done or you have no warranty on the engine.
Speaker 4: A lot of people won't cover unless you have all the receipts right.
Speaker 2: You will see other times that there's wearable items. Okay,
what a warranty company deems as a wearable item on any right to the engine transmission, whatever it is.
Speaker 5: I know that's the biggest argument when you're trying to claim a warranty is the unusable or the reuse it you know what you said.
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, wearb audience right, So, and that's exactly how it is claused. So give you an instance, like if
you have a you have an engine and it has had a known problem, there may be something written with the side of the policy that doesn't cover that known problem withinside of it because they consider that to be a wearable item. Now that's the reason why the engine failed.
We all know it. You can go find all the
information online that that's why it failed, but it's not covered because it's in that small little print.
Speaker 3: Well, some companies will sell you advanced protection that will cover that part, you know, but it does.
Speaker 2: So I can't count how many people I've had by the advanced policies, and it's I have.
Speaker 3: To laugh every time I hear a vantage or something like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, so I'll give you another instance, like on transmissions, right, you'll see in small print ons on these policies it will say, you know wearable parts, Well, what goes wrong on a lot of transmissions the clutches and stuff burn up inside the transmission. Well guess what. That clutch is
considered a normal wearable part, So therefore the transmission is not covered once. And now here's the backside that really
always gets me. I'll explaining this to you guys before.
There is usually a tear down phase on engine or a transmission where they had to tear it down if they and there's money associated with that, six seven eight hundred dollars to tear something down, right, six hundred dollars to tear it down. They get torn down, and then
the warranty company goes, okay, it's wearable. It don't it's
not covered.
Speaker 3: See that's what I don't like about. Okay, that's what
And I remember that being topics even when we were a kid wants a red envelope. But it's like sometimes
when we would hear about the stories, you would just think, you're like, you have to pay six seven hundred dollars to break down the equipment before you even know where.
Sometimes I've hear in stories from friends where they had to pay a repair fee to be able to see if it's covered under warranty. And like you said, it's
not even covered under warranty. So now if they don't
want to do the repair, the up for that figure seven hundred dollars bill. Yeah, because they have to tear
everything down.
Speaker 2: It drives me nuts, and so I always, I guess I always have to like go into something and go, you know, what is your guys expectation? I always wonder
every time I hear these stories, I wonder what the customer's expectation is all of it, and like I said, even getting away from warranties. So I'll give you another scenario.
You get people who, let's say you've done a transmission, you've done an engine forum, you've done a transfer case, or we're in whatever it may be, and they're gone.
So they've had it done, they're gone, you know, two years or two and a half years go by, and then all of a sudden they call a shop, Hey, I'm having a problem with that repair that you you know, that you did for me. Well, most garage's first response
is we'll get it on to me, let me take a look at it, right, right, But then you get it in and you realize that car hasn't seen service since the day it left you, Like it's never had oil put in it, or it's never had transmission fluid changed checked anything, rear end rear axle CEO went bad on it or something like that, and it leaked out all the fluid out of the rear end and they've just been driving it forever like that. So I when
you bring it back to the autogarage, my first thought is always what your expectation? Like what what were you think?
You know, like, there's no way okay, So like sidestep this for a second, because we're having this conversation before King on the air and we have some mixed opinions on it. If you've done nothing to protect your investment, right,
how am I? What are you expecting me to cover
your investment when you've done nothing to protect your investment?
You know, if your vehicle's leaking fluid, like it's gonna be on the driveway something, you've had to have seen it, yet you just kept driving it and then when it fly fails or it really starts to make noise, you go, you know what, I'm gonna take it back to the place that did the work on it. And then of
course your car tells on you guys first of all, like if you don't realize it, and most of you guys, like a lot of guys listen to the show, we're we're car guys and stuff. There's a lot of people
listening to the show that are not. So it's like
it's it's mystifying to me, or even car guys are the worst about it. I'm just gonna let you know,
like the guys that are actually the car guys are literally the worst about.
Speaker 4: It because they're trying to hide it, right, And I'm like they're.
Speaker 2: Like, you know better. You know I've I've had people
blow motors up and then try it because it's low on oil and try to add oil afterwards.
Speaker 3: We know I just did an oil.
Speaker 2: Well no, because like if the oil is locked up, then oil sits on top of things, like you can tell that someone tried to cover their tracks. Like I
don't know why you all keep on trying to do it.
Like the car tells on you. Transmission sure enough tells
on you. You can't hide anything in a transmission. If
that transmission was getting hot or whatever and stuff like that, it's gonna tell on you, like as soon as you open it up, it tells a whole story. It's like
reading a book and you you can't hide things. People go, well,
I drive it like a grandma. No you do not, sir.
I'll give you the instance. So one of the ones
I just saw recently was the car is the rear end completely blown up, right, but the trans So they do the rear end on the car, and then they decided to do the transmission on the car because once they get the rear end that you couldn't test it because the car couldn't move. And then he tested transmission
and not the transmission is not shifting right either. That
car took some abuse, like it burnt the rear up, rear end up, it blew the transmission up. I mean no, no,
So we get it up in the air and there's rubber just stuck to the inside the wheel wells like it was doing Smokey Brodies. Right before he decided to
let go. Like I said, the car televig on me.
Now that guy was like, yeah, well you know, I thought I thought my rear was already going side decided to go ahead and send it on its way, so at least set me He's honest about it. But in
the course of doing that burnt transmission up, you know.
I mean, so it's like, but like I said, it really comes back to I do not understand, right. I
cannot get wrap my head around not protecting. Like it's
five thousand dollars for a lot of transmissions, six thousand dollars transmissionwadays, and you'll pay the six grand and then just hop in the car and drive. Do you know
any people never bring their car back for like the warranty inspection stuff, Like they buy like six thousand dollars transmission I'm.
Speaker 4: Trying to say eighty percent, and you never hear from them again.
Speaker 2: They never come back for that.
Speaker 4: I think it's like more like not knowing.
Speaker 5: I think that's what it kind of comes to, is like when people you know, they don't it's not like out of sight, out of mind type thing, and they don't really handle it and they don't know like what the repercussions of things are. Then they have a tendency
of just not really taking care of the problem.
Speaker 2: You have to know that there's some repercussion, like you have to know.
Speaker 5: Well, they probably do, but they don't think that it's going to cost like the whole thing all over again, right, or you know, they probably don't think it like it's gonna be as much of a problem.
Speaker 2: If they should be. You know, hold on, if I
spent six thousand dollars on repairing my car, you can bet your butt that that car is going to be in the shop constantly having that that stuff like, hey, he just checking out, make sure everything's still going okay.
Why I'm here? Hey not got an oil change? And
why doing my old change? Can you check that repair?
I just spent six thousand dollars?
Speaker 5: Well, I would probably be that guy I've always thought about, Like it'd be interesting if you know, someone came up with like a insurance policy where like if you you had to go in like every like three months to get the car checked out and so to ensure that everything's you know, working properly, and then they would cover you know, the basis of whatever the problem is.
Speaker 2: Example on that if you buy high end jewelry, right right, it's got to be expected once a year for it to continue to have its warranty that's not high and jury.
I don't know, I don't know what you guys consider high and jwelry. But something that you spent ten fifteen
thousand dollars on a ring or whatever, it needs to be inspected once a year for it to continue to have its warranty.
Speaker 4: And the insurance policy right in case something goes wrong.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, and like certain certain insurance companies require you to go have all your jewelry reinspect it regularly.
Speaker 5: Can you think too that would like that would happen in the car world, or you know, like for insurance purposes, you know, do you do all the revolus it does?
Speaker 3: It's called you know, annual maintenance. Nobody but basically but
even people don't do the manual it comes with the car when they purchase it. Some people literally will not
bring their car in for the free maintenance that they received.
Speaker 2: I'm I'm guilty of that right the second the CAMERI has the maintenance right time because it has a little.
Speaker 3: It's always Toyota.
Speaker 2: People see to it, gave a maintenance. It needs to going.
But it's like you got to go take the car and let be either last time I took the car in.
I was there for half the day waiting for an oil change in the entire rocation. I just could not
figure that out WHENY knew I was already coming, Like.
Speaker 3: You realize, a lot of you know, a lot of these maintenance companies realized that you guys didn't want to wait, so they offer loaner vehicles with the maintenances that come with these new vehicles.
Speaker 2: How about my car from does it don't have a loaner vehicle for me to roll on out in the root door? And if they do, it's never been offered
to me. But yeah, it's just it's one of those things.
Like I said, it all falls into that question. And
I got more questions on this too, because there's a lot that kind of goes into this topic. I just
don't know where the expectations start and where they stop when it comes to a lot of different things when you take your car to the repair shop, and maybe you guys should already have some developed expectations right before you go into the repair shop. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe
I'm just asking for too much, but you should have some level of understanding when it comes to your car and maintenance of your car or repairs on your car, and once you spend the money, what am I supposed to do next when it comes to my car? And
it never happens. I run to these conversations over and
over again a lot of times with the garage owners, but it's a lot of times with people I know that own cars and like I took my car on their pair shop today. Let me tell you what happened.
Had one of those today. Someone called me and they're like,
I just want to vent. I don't know why people
want to vent to be about car stop. Well I know,
I actually I do know why they want. But I
can face it for you.
Speaker 3: I can face I just want to vent. But set
the phone on you. Just set the.
Speaker 2: Phone on you, and you go back to what you were doing.
Speaker 3: Pello, Yeah, I gets you're going to be there for a while.
Speaker 2: He is, Hey, guys, let me take a little bit commercial break here real quick.
Speaker 3: Lot.
Speaker 2: Our sponsors have a say, I'll be right back. We're
gonna ump a little bit more in this. I'll be
right back.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Dave Pilach on Let's Talk Cars Radio.
Dave will be right back. Nobody remembers the name JF.
Witlow and Sons Incorporated until you need them. But when
you have a toilet problem, drains, back up pipes freeze, your heater, air conditioning stops working, then you remember JF.
Witlow and Sons. Don't forget the phone number. Three nine
nine one seven one four. That's three nine nine one
seven one four. Air Conditioning and heating and all plumbing. JF.
Witlow and Sons have been serving Hampton Road since nineteen forty nine, residential and commercial. You could always count on JF.
Wilow and Sons to get to you fast and get the job done right the first time. Located in Portsmouth
and serving all of Hampton Roads. Those who know called JF.
Witlow and Sons call them at three nine nine one seven one four. That's three nine nine one seven one four. JF.
Wilow and Sons Incorporated.
Speaker 6: Something really cool happened in nineteen seventy five, and no, it wasn't the beginning of the Disco era Congress past the Magnuson Moss Act. So you don't have to take
your vehicle back to your dealer to keep your vehicle manufacturer's warranty and effect our NAPA Autocare Center uses the proper replacement parts and procedures to keep that warranty valid.
Visit our independently owned NAPA Autocare Center today.
Speaker 2: Hey guys, you asked for it and I delivered. Check
out our all star team of automotive specialists at NAPA BDGHRVA dot com. That's NAPA BDGHRVA dot com. Talk to
you soon. Hey, Dave, what? Hey, Dave what?
Speaker 3: I've got a secret?
Speaker 2: What are you twelve?
Speaker 7: No, I'm just excited to announce Liberty Transmission is head into the.
Speaker 2: Future him by a Dolorean. Did you no? But we
did get a brand new building.
Speaker 7: That's right, people, Liberty Transmission is moving to thirty forty one Holland Road to better serve the community. Check out
our website for updates or give us a call at seven five seven two three three thirty one thirty one.
That's right, two three three thirty one thirty one. And
remember my name is on every transmission.
Speaker 1: There's no place like home. Home is where the heart
is home sweet home, like every movie, book and song, every story as a beginning, and in let your story start today. Call Bob Barnum today at the Perfect House
team with the real estate group.
Speaker 8: Bob here from the Perfect House Team, from beginning to end.
I'm ready to help you write your story. Call me
today at seven five seven four six four one zero zero three. That's seven five seven four six four one
thousand and three.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to Let's Talk Cars Radio, your automotive specialist.
Now back to your host Dave Polach.
Speaker 2: Hey, guys, welcome back. So if you guys catch the
first segment that we were talking about, we're talking about expectation as auto garages, and like I said, in a little different way, right, So here's here's my big rub with things when it comes to expectation.
Speaker 3: You already know me. I feel like sometimes people just
feel like it's the Bubblegum movie or whatever gumball movie where it's the guy standing in front of the portion.
He's like for free, you know.
Speaker 2: I feel like.
Speaker 3: They think some parts come for free from the warranty companies, but somebody has to pay for it.
Speaker 2: Well, okay, so here's the deal, right. The expectations sometimes
from customers just makes no sense to me, Like, okay, if just because if you get something done in your car right and then they come in and go, well, you guys just worked in my car and now I'm having this problem, and you go okay, and you look at it like, well, you guys did a tune up in my car and a year and a half ago, and now I have a leak somewhere and you look at it and kind of find out it's got a leaking radiator host and they're like, well, you were just touched my car a year and a half ago. I'm like, yeah, okay,
a year and a half. It could be Look, I
ain't gonna lie as an auto shop owner. You know,
people look a little bit different. Even it was six months.
I mean, it could be three months an it ain't gonna happen like. So that's what I mean by the expectation.
Just because somebody like I think I told you guys a story I have forever did work on cars. You
had something coming and go, man, you work on my car and not my radio doesn't work. If I had
a nickel for well, probably a dollar be better. If
I had a dollar for every time, and somebody said that to me, I'd have a lot of dollars. I mean,
it's just it's the strangest thing. I'm like, I can't
help that, like your radio stop working.
Speaker 5: Well, it's because they don't know, right and they don't know where to go to solve the problems. So they're like,
they're you know, they're only person that go to is the last person that touch their cart.
Speaker 4: I'll give you guess is what I'm thinking.
Speaker 2: No, no, I'll give you an interesting way. I get it.
I get Okay, I understand it's the unknown. No, no,
I understand that part. So here, Okay, you always know
these customers, like and I'm not not picking on customers, but I'm just saying, you always know these customers.
Speaker 3: I will.
Speaker 2: I would work on a customer's car right and get do something, and all of a sudden, I want I hand the customer their keys. I watched them walk out,
they get in the car, they turn around, come back in.
They're like, my radio doesn't work. What made you get
in the car. The very first thing you touched was
the radio. And everybody goes, well, that's just normal for
some people. And I go, okay, maybe I'll buy that
or hold on. It's getting ready to be wintertime. And
they they get in the car, they come get right back out of the car and they go my ac doesn't work. You if you if that's the first thing
you got in the car and touched, you already knew it did. As far as are you already.
Speaker 4: There's two people. There's two dudes that don't know better,
and there's people that are just trying to.
Speaker 2: Like I had a guy that told me. He's like,
he told me this horn didn't work. He's like, he
didn't even get in the car. It was parked out
front with the window down. He reached in through the
window and hit the horn and come back and go, hey, man, like, my horn doesn't work.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: I watched the dog happen through the front window when this happened to me, And I'm like, you just didn't tell me, right, it's not my problem.
Speaker 3: Right, he wasn't there.
Speaker 2: It wasn't there for that issue. It had nothing to
do with that issue. But I'll see. He was like, wait,
it worked when I brought to you. I'm like, you
checked it from outside the car, Like you had no reason to even honk your horn. There was no reason
to hank the horn.
Speaker 3: My favorite customers are the ones that either first they ask like when they first call in, hey, can you tell me about my warranty.
Speaker 2: One of these or or you already know, they get ready complain.
Speaker 3: They wait until you complete the repairs, and I want to know how many shops have ran into this. They
wait until you complete three pairs and go, oh, I forgot I have a piece of warranty right here here.
Speaker 2: You knows right this fall deep in expectations.
Speaker 3: And they want you to follow.
Speaker 2: I can't count how many times in my automotive career that somebody would bring a card to me for a repair.
I called them and go, this is what I found, this is what it needs, and they go, okay, go ahead and knock that out, and I do it. And
then when it gets ready to pay, they bring in this warranty. They're like, oh, I got this extended warranting.
Speaker 3: Like they didn't know about it.
Speaker 2: Well, here's the thing, just so you all know, if no one's told you it does not work that way.
Now I can do nothing for you, zero nothing. You
are going to pay out of pocket for that expense.
Just just in case you didn't know, There's not a thing that a service writer can do for you that point time. Because here's the way their policy works. It
has to be authorized through them. If you did the repair.
First of all, they've had no if they want to inspect the car, they can't expect the failure because you've already repaired it. And that's part of some of the
procedure where they said an inspector and inspect the repair before, like to verify it really needs. What you're saying is
so if I were a repair that there's no way to inspect it because it's already been disassembled and fixed.
And they're like, well, I spent twenty five hundred dollars.
You're right, you did. You authorized twenty five hundred dollars,
and now you're telling me what warrantin let's something I can do.
Speaker 3: Let's rewind real quick from this warranty company. You said
a perfect comment in the beginning of that statement. You're
going to pay for the repair even if you have a warranty contract. Just know about seventy percent of the
time you're going to pay for that repair up front.
Why because they have to submit all of the forms, and even if you do get the repair, you get.
Speaker 2: Two pens, which you have you're not always the truth because because it really but most of them they give you the option either the first option is.
Speaker 3: You pay for the repair and then they send it through their claims department and you see if it's approved, and then they refund you.
Speaker 2: And if anybody do that to you, you're nuts.
Speaker 3: You're nuts nuts because you don't ever won't ever get it approved. Or the second option, you sit on your
behind and you wait for a whole month for it to go through claims.
Speaker 2: And it's not that bad.
Speaker 3: Person gone through that, so I know, were like three.
Speaker 2: Weeks for them to sem me out of inspector to check something out in the past, to get to the bottom of it, and the customers just steaming. And I
understand why you're steaming. Don't get me wrong, I get it.
But there's nothing because this is the expectations for I, like you expect me to solve all your problems. I
have no more authority to do anything for you than you had to do for yourself. I'm just the middleman
who's looking at the car and telling you what's going on.
And this happened to me for years and years before I got all the business and retired stuff. This just
is what it was, guys, and it's heartbreak, especially like when it's families and stuff like that and they got kids.
They get around and you're you're sitting on the car and you're just waiting for something to come out, and I have to look at them, go, I didn't tell you to buy that policy. Like, you can't be mad
at me. I never told you to buy that policy,
said you asked me, I would tell you, don't buy it from that police.
Speaker 3: I mean, do you think sometimes, like like you just said, like sometimes like the middleman can only do so much.
Do you think sometimes it does help that the customer calls that warranty company, even though they're screaming.
Speaker 2: No, I don't think it. It really doesn't affect times.
It agitates them so much that they don't want to do anything for you. One thing I will say as
being the advocate for the customer when you have to deal with it as an auto garage is most seasoned managers, seasoned service writers have dealt with so many warranty companies.
They know how to talk to them and what to say.
Don't overindulge into the conversation. Just give just the facts
right and don't say anything else. There's a lot of
times what I've watched service writers do it. I've had
him work for me over the years. Okay, they just
say too much and they talk themselves right into a corner because they're like, well, what did you say? Oh yeah,
well that's not covered. That's right, that's exactly what doesn't happening.
Which you may not even have meant that, but if they even anticipate that, that's what they literally you just pigeonholed that customer and something. Your best bet is just this,
that's what I found. And if they want to set
on an inspector, you let the inspector come out, and you be quiet. You let the inspector do his job.
Let him. It's almost like going to court, right, it's
up to them to find to find you guilty, you know what I mean. But if you're going to go
ahead and help their case, you know, why would you do that? Why would you help their case against if
it was a prosecutor, you're not gonna help the prosecutor prosecute you. You wouldn't do that.
Speaker 4: Why But you feel like you're helping, but you're really not.
Speaker 2: You're yeah, you really are just not helping.
Speaker 4: Let them make their own consumption.
Speaker 2: It is so like I said, you get back and forth with it and before you know, you're not you know I didn't say that, Yeah you did, That's not what I meant. How did I pull know what you mean?
It's just best not to get into it. But like
I said, you have to you have to have some type of expectation of when you I don't believe a customer okay, brings a car all the way over to an auto garage to drop it off, to have it looked at, to then not expect something to be done to that car. It's a lot of time that goes
into that for that all to be done.
Speaker 3: Right, or not expecting to pay something, you know, like anytime I drop my car off, I know I'm probably paying a penny.
Speaker 2: I mean, we were just covering like this these last two episodes, you know, segments. All we talked about is
just basically the warranty side of it. You have non
warranty sides of things, right, so you have nothing where you don't have an extent warranty. You have a warranty
on repairs or you bring in your car just for repair, and then you just have really drastic expectations like for instance, we were talking about it before we went to commercial breaking.
I know, I've had taken a one here a second, so it's gonna be kind of card. Just when you
take your car in for a break job. I imagine
you have certain expectations when you take your car in for a break job. I know Cameron does it because
he asks people to double check my work that I do on his car, So I know he has expectations.
Speaker 3: Hey, ask people to double check your work. I just say, sent,
it's on the lift, can you take a look at it?
And it's not like I just drove my car there purposely after the day that you worked on it still happenly you know, needed an inspection that day. Hint, hint,
I got an inspection coming up again, you know. I'm
just what I'm saying is like breaks.
Speaker 2: People are bringing break jobs to me, you know, in the past, and they would just be like I wish they would just be really upfront, like you know what I mean, because there's so much that goes into a break job. I mean, there's a there's a lot that
goes into it. Somehow, Like I just don't believe you
brought the car to me and expect me to just wave a magic wand and there's everything's Okay, you felt something, you heard something. You did not spend two hours of
your day getting up early in the morning to drive your car to the repair shop because you thought there was nothing wrong with it. You have felt something in
that car. That's why you're at a repair shop. And
let's not pretend like that's not I mean, like that's just just weird about.
Speaker 3: It, Like some people just want inspected something. Some people
just want to inspected.
Speaker 2: The golly shucks O G method really never worked for me, and I felt like I was dealing with that all the time. And if you don't know what that is,
give me a second. Let me take a quick rush
of break. I'll come back and I'll explain it to you.
I'll be right back.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Dave Polach on Let's Talk Cars Radio.
Dave will be right back.
Speaker 2: Hey, Dave, what, Hey, Dave what, I've got a secret?
What are you twelve?
Speaker 7: No, I'm just excited to announce ce Liberty Transmission.
Speaker 2: Is headed to the future him by a Dolorean. Did
you know? But we did get a brand new building.
Speaker 7: That's right, people, Liberty Transmission is moving to thirty forty one Holland Road to better serve the can comunity. Check
out our website for updates, or give us a call at seven five seven two three three thirty one thirty one.
That's right, two three three thirty one thirty one. And
remember my name is on every transmission.
Speaker 6: There's something special about NAPA Autocare Centers. Serve backed by
the national strength of NAPA nationwide warranties, honored by thousands of locations. You know. That's NAPA know how. But more importantly,
your NAPA Autocare center is independently owned and operated by neighborhood professionals who operate by a written code of ethics.
Put your vehicle in the hands of ASC certified technicians who will greet you with a smile you can trust.
Visit us today.
Speaker 2: You've heard me say it, and now here's your chance.
Now's the time to go find your auto garage. Don't
wait until it's too late. Go to NAPA BDGHRVA dot
com and find your all star carcare center today. That's
NAPA BDGHRVA dot com. Talk to you soon. Hey, guys
from Less Talk Cars Radio. So for the last two years,
if you listen to the show, you've heard me talk about my dream house. It has been a great experience
buying land, building my house, even selling my old house.
One thing I didn't tell you about was the real estate agent that I used. I used Bob Bartum from
the Perfect House Team in the real Estate Group. It's
been one of the best experiences I've ever had. Bob
has been there for us from beginning to end and treated us just like family. I'm telling you you've heard
me talk about this because it has been one of the truly best experiences that I've had. If I did
not choose Bob, I don't think that I would have all the best things to say about building this house.
So if you're looking to buy or sell a home, definitely give Bob a call at the Perfect House Team in the real Estate Group. You can contact Bob at
seven five seven four sixty four one zero zero three.
That's seven five seven four sixty four one zero zero three, and I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: Nobody remembers the name JF. Whitlow and Signs Incorporated until
you need them. But when you have a toilet problem, drains,
back up pipes, freeze, your heater, air conditioning stops working, then you remember JF. Witlow and Sons. Don't forget the
phone number. Three nine nine one seven one four. That's
three nine nine one seven one four. Air Conditioning and
heating and all plumbing. JF. Witlow and Sons have been
serving Hampton Roads since nineteen forty nine, residential and commercial.
You could always count on JF. Witlow and Sons to
get to you fast and get the job done right.
The first time. Located in Portsmouth and serving all of
Hampton Roads. Those who know called JF. Witlow and Sons.
Call them at three nine nine one seven one four.
That's three nine nine one seven one four. JF. Witlow
and Sons Incorporated. Welcome back to Let's Talk Cars. Ray,
you're automotive specialist. Now back to your host, Dave Polach, Hey.
Speaker 2: Guys, welcome back. So I was kind of trying to
explain before went to commercial break. So I'm they're given
be a scenario, right, So breaks, we were talking about breaks.
If you take your car in.
Speaker 3: Can I go through so many breaks?
Speaker 2: If you take your car in for breaks, you have to have some type of like expectation of maybe like what do you think it's going to cost you? Or
what may need to be done? What A lot of
times auto garages run into it, and I never can understand this, and please guys explain to me. Is they'll
call you and go you need to set of break pets, you need some rotors, right yep. The customers like I
just want to do the pets. Just want to do
the pets. I want to do the roaches. Now, I
don't personally do that, Like if I'm doing breaks, I'm doing the whole job, or I don't want to do the job at all. Right, there's a lot of garages
that don't care.
Speaker 5: But do you think they're actually explaining the the repercussions of not replacing.
Speaker 2: I can't tell you what other people do. I can say,
like in our business when I was handling, I explained everything to them. I'm like, okay, so you know you
got the brakes, got the rotors.
Speaker 4: Like this will become useless.
Speaker 2: You know calibers, there's fluid that's going through it. You
got brake lines. I mean there's like there are a
lot of different components make the breaks work. Right now,
if I look at it, and I can get away with not doing a bunch of different stuff because it doesn't need it. I want to sell anything you don't need.
But I really don't like doing break pads without doing rotors a lot of times now sometimes because there's they're groove or whatever. I know it's gonna make noise. I
know you're gonna be unhappy, You're gonna feel something I'd be.
So I'm telling you the right way to do it, and then you elect not to do that. Now move
forward six months from now. Okay, hold on, I know
you're chopping on the bit. Six months from now, the
breaks start to chatter or they start to get a pulsation or whatever they come. Man, you guys did my
break six months ago, and I'm feeling this and you open it up and you go, okay, yeah right, it needed rotors here in the computer. You can see in
the computer. If you're really good at what you do,
you should be making notes, then you need roadors. You
chose not to do that, and now you need roators.
By the way, I need to put another pad on it. Well,
I just put pads on six months ago. You did,
but you've now put such an uneven ware in the pad that if I put a rotor on it and I put a six month old pad on it, it's still not gonna want to work. It's gonna do something whatever
it may be. You know, there's just and then people
are frustrated with you. And then I go, Okay, when
you brought it to me, what was your expectation? And
I mean that wholeheartedly. What was your expectation when you
brought to me? You brought it to me for my
expert opinion. I give it to you, and you want
to dissect my expert opinion and only do And I understand money lot of people else it's money driven. Okay,
maybe it is, but you're I've explained to you're not really doing yourself justice by doing it the way you want to do it. You're just throwing money out the door.
Speaker 3: It is. It is money driven, okay, because like I
I have ran into that issue. You know, like, yes,
I'm a car person, but I don't really keep up with all my maintenance at the time that I should probably once Dad gives me our time yet but you know, or or break.
Speaker 4: But you're not the only one, I mean.
Speaker 2: Customer.
Speaker 3: But I one time only did replace my brake pads and then I got the whole spiel of or you know, because my brake pads went low, and I tried claiming warranty on them, and it was well, you know your roadors and everything. That was the last time I ever
just replaced a break.
Speaker 2: What he doesn't tell you is also he had a hit a caliber that was sticking to which is was heat.
Heated up that rotor on that side. Now, it didn't
stick all the time, because I can tell you I drove with them, and it's not like the car was pulling, but every once while it was obviously to the right, because it was, it started to pull. And then it
was also really warm, so there was some issues with it.
Speaker 3: But I think that's exactly I think, to be honest, the whole whole thing.
Speaker 2: Let me, I asked you a question. Let me use
you as the guinea pig. What was your expectation when
you decided it was time to do breaks. Were you
expecting like, I'm just gonna get by real easy, or maybe I should go ahead? And really I knew that.
Speaker 3: I was going to have to do roators. I mean
I knew at some point that I was going to have to.
Speaker 2: Do the roators.
Speaker 3: But I guess because you know, you know you're gonna have to do the road I did, but you like and you know because it only took me six months.
Then I had to replace this brake pad to it, which I told you to happen. You did, but I
thought it was probably going to last me at least a year maybe. I mean now I replace my brakes
every year and a half a year. I mean, it
just depends on how I use it. No money and
just trying to get by, right, I just made a face that I replaced my break.
Speaker 2: Trying to get by. But if you bring your car
to an expert for their expert opinion and you just completely dismiss their expert opinion, and then you come back because you're like, I just want to do this, I don't that's all I wanted.
Speaker 3: That happens a lot.
Speaker 2: I just want to do this, I want to do anything else, And then you come back to complain. I
I don't understand what your expectation was.
Speaker 5: But don't you think you kind of that Sometimes shops do it to themselves by approving the work even though they know that there's gonna be a problem down the road, right and stuff, just because you know they want that small little you know.
Speaker 4: Take take off the mail better.
Speaker 5: They don't want to send the customer down the road because you know eventually they might go to a different shop.
Speaker 4: YadA, YadA, YadA. I get it, but they do cause
that same problem.
Speaker 2: As I explained, if you had come to me when I was doing all that stuff and you said, I only want to do the PA I don't really want touch it. A lot of times I've button it up.
I'm not gonna put a pad on it. You're not
gonna be happy. I'm gonna put a pad on it.
You're gonna be upset because it's gonna make noise, probably within a couple days, it could be a month, it will be whatever.
Speaker 4: You're you're better off riding it down to you get the money they replace.
Speaker 2: You're right, you might. I mean, it's you're already driving.
It's trash. Not that I want you driving around on
trash brakes, but if you're not willing to spend the money to fix it, right, I really don't want to put my hands on it, right because somehow I get involved in Now you're mad.
Speaker 3: But again, so I get the money side of it, you know, cause like some point, at some point, I know, but that's some point just like me, like I only did have a certain amount of thankfully, Like now I have started building up where I can afford the roadors and the brake pads, but that's it, no guess. But
but you know, there was a time where I could only afford the brake pads, and that was me skating by.
So I can understand how other customers they they expect to put brake pads on it get a longer symptoms.
But nobody really tells them that, you know, like yes, they say, yes, you're gonna have to replace the routers and that might cause where more, but nobody says it's going to last. You're only six months?
Speaker 5: Well yeah, I mean yeah, I mean I imagine some people would explain, you know, the the circumstance of you know, not replacing one and the other as well and stuff.
But like you said, I think that, you know, they should be understanding, like you should just kind of like you take good money over bad money, right, and said that you should you should not cause the problem anymore.
Speaker 2: All right, I'll give you another example, CB Axles, you got a CBC was bad. I always want to sell
you to CV Axles. I just do it and everybody
goes wildly that one. That's bad. I'm like, but they
have the same amount of miles on them, like the same rotation, same rotation, and same everything. I only want
to sell the sets, just like I don't sell one side of I don't sell one break well.
Speaker 3: You know when you haven't said one. It's one thing
that you don't either. Tires. I don't do tires.
Speaker 2: You don't sell just biggest argument, biggest argument.
Speaker 3: You don't just sell tires. If it's so. So, if
you're a front wheel drive car, you should only buy you should buy two cars, two tires, two at a time. Now,
if you're an all wheel drive, you're replacing all four tires at the same about No, if they're in butts, why because there will be.
Speaker 2: Here's I I develop rules, right, I'm not touching your card, especially those sit Wait, I'm not touching a car. I'm
not putting tires on unless we put all the right vound tires. Like, I'm not just gonna put one tire
on a car. I'm not doing it.
Speaker 3: I've learned these rules.
Speaker 2: I'm look, there's somebody out there that will. It's just
not gonna be me. That was always my policy. It's
not gonna be me. If you have an all wheel
drive car, you're getting all four tires or I'm not putting them on it. I don't care. Well, I just
put the two front ones on six months ago, still not doing it, and if anybody argues with me on it, and I know I'm gonna get mail like, oh, you're nuts, let me explain to you. Subar rus Ford Explorers. Anything
that has an all wheel drive set up in it, that has the clutch set up that's constantly trying to hit, which almost all of them do, it will chatter because the tires weren't all put on at the same time.
And then the customer goes back, well, I got this chattering's going on in my car that wasn't there until you touched it. I avoid that conversation because I'm only
going to do it the right way. Like I said
cb Axles, I have people that come to me and go, well, you know I got I got a bad ball joint, look at it, and you sure do. I'm like, let's
do the upper and lower. While I'm there, I'm already
gonna start taking things apart. And they're like, nah, I
just want to do it. I don't really want to
touch it. I don't. I just I don't really want
to message it because I'm already there. Let me do
it the right way. As far as I'm just doing
the right way is. You're already paying me most of
the labor, right, so I'm already there. Let me go
ahead and just take care of that whole side so we know that everything on that component is taken care of.
And people will argue with you, and I've never understood that.
Speaker 5: So how do you think we educate you know, people and shops about you know, you know, not taking the you know, the easy way out or just fixing one problem and say, you know, fixing the whole.
Speaker 4: Solution, because like you know, like when people more often yeah, I agree.
Speaker 5: Shops, some shops we'll just fill the two tires on but not realize that, you know, they're doing damage to the transmission.
Speaker 2: But they transfer case.
Speaker 3: But they but they.
Speaker 5: Think, you know, they fixed their problem. They're not really
realizing all the other problems that. Okay, I'll give you
a come down to you.
Speaker 2: I'll give you an example. Do you know how many
times I've sent a customer to a tire shop because most garages like to do like big work and stuff like we did in the past. We didn't really do
tires right. So I'm like, hey, you need to take
you the tire shop and put tires on. And then
he goes, why didn't you could put tire You got a tire machine and stuff like that. We had all
that stuff, but I couldn't beat the prices of that's how you create business place. I'm just like, and I
wasn't going to try to and I didn't didn't need to work all that bad, so I'm like, just take it down. I know that Discount Tire can sell you
those tires a lot cheaper, like I know Costco can sell you those tires a lot cheaper than I can by them. But if you, like I said, I was
just I just knew it, and I was trying to be honest with the customer because I was looking out for their best interests. Within looking out for the best interest,
I was telling what they would tell them. Put four
tires out. They would go down the tires shop, tires shop,
you don't need you don't need four, Let me throw two.
They throw two on. Two weeks later, the cars back
by shop man, I got the same noise I had before you told me that you fixed it. I did
fix your problem, but I also see that you only put two tires on it, and they go, there's no way if I put two tires on that noise is gonna go away. And I go, I'll bet your lunch.
I'll bet your lunch if we go ahead and change the tires, put all the tires on it, that your noise goes away. And the only time is I got lunch.
I got lunch bunch times. I mean, because they couldn't
believe it. It just couldn't fathom it. I have technicians,
technicians in the past that would argue with me on They're like, nah, it'll be fine to put the two tires on, like it's gonna come back and it's gonna have a noise. I guarantee it's gonna have it. Why
Because they were people we hired that weren't professional and exactly everything we did. We hire them to do certain things,
but they never they never heard that, or the garage they worked for it never tried to sell them.
Speaker 5: I think that's a big thing about you know in the mechanic world, is about you know, you don't know something until you run into that problem it is and becomes a problem.
Speaker 2: Well, that's still one of that information is the best thing to do. So hey, guys, on that note, let
me take a quick rush of break. We're gonna run
this out with this last segment. I got a little
bit more for you. Hold tight, I'll be right back.
Speaker 1: You're listening to Dave Pilatch on Let's Talk Cars Radio. Dave,
We'll be right back.
Speaker 6: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care. Well,
here's a pound of prevention from your NAPA Autocare Center.
We'll customize a preventive maintenance package for your vehicle that will save you time, money, and hassles now and down the road. We'll ask do you drive mainly in the
city or on the highway? Plan to keep your vehicle
how long and more? Preventive maintenance is a good thing
that prevents bad things. Build yours at your NAPA Autocare
Center today.
Speaker 2: Hey guys, Dave Pillotts from Let's Talk Cars Radio, do you currently have a repair shop you trust? Having found
the time to go to a garage for all your automotive needs, check out the all star team at NAPA BDGHRVA dot com. That's NAPA BDGHRVA dot com. Let them
show you what it's like to work with the professionals and make a front along the way.
Speaker 8: Talk to you soon so you're ready to make a move, whether buying or selling a home, you find you have more questions than answers. You're wondering if you're even asking
the right questions, or where do you go from here? Stop?
Take a deep breath, even count to three. Buying or
selling a home is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make. Every house has a story. Let yours begin
now by calling me Bob Barnum with the perfect house team at the real estate Group, call me today at seven five seven four six four one zero zero three.
That's seven five seven four six four one thousand and three.
Speaker 1: Nobody remembers the name JF. Wilow and Signs Incorporated until
you need them. But when you have a toilet problem,
drains back up, pipes freeze, your heat, or air conditioning stops working, then you remember JF. Wilow and Sons. Don't
forget the phone number three nine nine one seven one four.
That's three nine nine one seven one four. Air Conditioning
and Heating and all Plumbing. JF. Whitlow and Sons have
been serving Hampton Roads since nineteen forty nine, residential and commercial.
You could always count on JF. Witlow and Sons to
get to you fast and get the job done right.
The first time. Located in Portsmouth and serving all of
Hampton Roads. Those who know called JF. Whitlow and Sons.
Call them at three nine nine one seven one four.
That's three nine nine one seven one four. JF. Witlow
and Sons Incorporated.
Speaker 2: Hey, Michelle, thanks for coming in.
Speaker 4: No problem.
Speaker 3: What is that? Oh?
Speaker 2: Curtis dropped that off earlier this week. He calls it
the excitement button. Every time you say liberty, I'm supposed
to push this button.
Speaker 3: Liberty, Yeah, liberty ooh oh yeah, liberty.
Speaker 2: Liberty Transmissions for the working Men.
Speaker 4: I don't know about this, Dave.
Speaker 2: You gotta admit it's got a ring to it.
Speaker 1: Liberty Transmission two three three thirty one thirty one. That's
two three three thirty one thirty one. Better yet, visit
them today. Fifty one sixty Singleton Way in Virginia Beach
two three three three one three one. Liberty Transmission.
Speaker 2: Hey guys, welcome back. So last segment and we've been
talking about like expectations and auto garages. If you guys
haven't been tagged in, I've been listening. So I guess
the question really comes down to when it comes to the expectation of the garages. So for me, you could
tell this kind of a topic that I don't feel like a waiver on, but it kind of gets me.
Maybe I'm a little jaded for the fact that I was in the business for so long I had to deal with it. But you know, I literally would get
people who bring their cars into me who like didn't service anything in the car, Like, oh, you guys worked on my car for a year ago, a year ago, but they didn't do anything other than drive the car and then wonder why there's a problem and then want me to take care of it.
Speaker 3: And so because they different side though to it, I had a different side to the expectation instead of the repair shops or the dealership's doing it. How about the
expectations of them repairing their cars. You know a lot
of people have like expectations when they try to repair the cars and it goes horribly well.
Speaker 2: You know how many cars I used to get brought into me in pieces, Like they started the repair and they were like, I can't finish it. This is a
lot more work than I thought it was going to be, and they just stopped. Now, the bad part about that
was is you always wanted to help the customer because if you're a garage of cares I was, you're a car I had a big sauce spot, hard for people and can't see the car. But then when you get
into it, you realize that, like, you didn't get all the bolts, you didn't get all the brackets and get everything that goes with it, and you're like, you.
Speaker 4: Almost got a piece and back together before taking the part.
Speaker 2: Is to myself. So there's that customer. There was the
other side of the point that we we talking about before wind commercial break, like the components that connect to something. Okay,
and Cameron and I kind of we got into it all here about that. All right, Let's just say you
bring a car in for a transmission, right, and you do the transmission, they pay you for it, and a year later, something in conjunction with the transmission goes bad.
You as a customer, what's your expectation. I know I'm
being on the shop side of things, the expectation, but as the customer, what is I don't understand.
Speaker 3: As the customer, why didn't you give me the option to repair that part? Okay? So I guess we got
to kind of give give our viewers just a little bit of a backstory where Okay, So what we're talking about is, let's say you repair something engine transmission tires breaks.
Speaker 2: And let's say component connected to that.
Speaker 3: With a component like let's say what the transmission you got, transmission lines, with brakes, you got knuckle on.
Speaker 2: Let's say you got a wheelbar, wheel bearing?
Speaker 3: You know, Like my point is, shouldn't you give so if that if that part breaks and somebody else touched something a part of that part and it's not repaired, shouldn't you be up a little bit upset? Because why
didn't you give me the option?
Speaker 2: Right? All right, So let's start with the brakes, right,
So I do the brakes on your car, and then a year later, you have a wheel bearing problem and you bring it to me and I'm like, well, your brakes are fine, which you have a wheelbar, and well, you guys were just there a year ago. There was
nothing wrong with your wheelbaring a your ago. So you
want me, was there nothing wrong?
Speaker 3: Or did you not? Did you did it not?
Speaker 2: There's nothing wrong with you. You can argue that point
back and forth. If you drove it for a year
and didn't hear that noise, there was no noise right and now a year later, obviously there was nothing wrong with it. So you're basically in your theory and your
your your analogy on it is replace parts that aren't broken yet, just in case they break later. I'm that's
that's how I know when somebody says that place, I'm like, how was I posted to anticipate that the wheelbaring was gonna go bad? When you brought the car in from
brakes and there was nothing wrong with made a way customer.
If there was something wrong with it, you'd have to turn right around the park in the car back in you.
I mean, you'd made a parking lot, made around the block and came right back to me if there was something wrong. So there obviously wasn't anything wrong with it.
But there I agree with you.
Speaker 3: There is me being the customer. Okay, all right, you
ur the dealership or the business provide we'll give you a thirty thirty point inspection. Money tell me there was
something going on.
Speaker 4: There was nothing wrong at them.
Speaker 2: And there was something wrong. You're a little butt because
the kind of person that you are, you know you'd have backed up, you wouldn't pull out the park, and I'd be like, I hear annoyse Let me back right back to the Carker spot. My car is still making
a noise, so you would have never made it out of the lot. The reality of it is you left
the lot the car wasn't making any noise. I agree
with you. A year later, it's making annoy But a
lot of things can happen in a year.
Speaker 3: You could get a year.
Speaker 2: I mean, like, let's just say how many things that can change in a year. All kinds of stuff can change.
So let's go to transmission right this. This always drives
me nuts. On the transmission. You have a transmission to
transmission lines connect to the transmission. I completely agree with
you on that. But there's nothing wrong with the lines.
When I do the car, do you want me to call you and go, hey, I'm doing the transmission. I
see nothing wrong with your transmission lines. But if you
like me to go ahead and charge you another eleven hundred dollars, I'll do transmission lines while I'm there. The
customers is gonna be like, well, no, no, I don't want to do that, and then you go and why we're at it. Those transmission lines cooked to the transmission cooler,
which is part of your radiator. So why don't we
just go ahead and replace that while I'm here too, for another nine hundred dollars.
Speaker 4: No, well, I guess I guess a question a certain car it does.
Speaker 2: But I'm saying that's not the conversation we're having here, because you know, you're trying to set me up in baby, because you know there's certain cars that I trained you guys, were the radiator hats to it should be changed with the transmission, and that's not what we're talking about here.
Speaker 5: It's kind of I was going to go into is like, you know, at what at what circumstance do you let the part you know work out it's time, or you know, at what point do you change the part before it fails?
Speaker 2: Okay, I mean a perfect example, point this example. Stop
and I'll explain this to you. This is this is
the answer. I know you don't like my cut three,
but when I used to take a transmission out of a car, right I go, mister cusser, I call the customer.
Mister customer, I got your transmission out, and why I'm here.
The rearmain seal is right there, which is part of the motor, not part of the transmission. Guys, let's go
ahead and replace it. I see just a little aware.
It is not failing. It's still working, but I see
a little bit of aware on it. And I had
to take the transmission out to get to the rearmain seal.
So why don't we go ahead and you spend the fifty dollars. Let me go ahead to the remaining seal.
I'm here so we know that if that fails, you don't have to pay me to take the transmission back out.
That's preventative. I understand that. But transmission lines, transmission coolers,
or anything else like that. I'm just not going to
sell to a custom or just because i'm there. If
they're working, nobody wants to spend an additional almost two thousand dollars. Sometimes no lines the thing for something that's.
Speaker 5: Wort it Really it really boils down to like how how much preventive maintenance are you willing to do?
Speaker 2: Right? Right?
Speaker 5: Because you know, like you could replace. You know, there's
so much things that connect to each other that you know you don't want to replace everything.
Speaker 2: But like when you do, a car is the laundry list guy, right, Like you oh your laundry list in my car?
Speaker 5: Well, I mean that's how it should be to a certain degree, right, because like at twenty five years old car and stuff, you know, a lot of that stuff has already fallen apart, or it's going to fall apart in the next year or two. So it's kind of
like how much you know do you suggest a customer tear down the car to make sure that you know they don't come back in the next one month?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 2: But some of that is knowledge, right. So if I
if I get your car in and it needs a major repair, all right, and why it needs a major repair, I look at it and I go, Okay, this guy's own this car for fifteen years. It still has the
same belts on, It came with the same hoss it came on it. I know not to ask you for
a bunch of stuff. I just know that, like I could,
I can go, well, okay, guys had a car fifteen years, It's never had belts put on it. That means it's
never had the timing've done on it. If it ain't belts,
they ain't have the timing done it right. It's still
got the same hoses on it, it's still got the same battery. And how's that thing lasted that long? I
already know if I say, sir, I know you told me go ahead and do the transmission on your car for four thousand dollars, would you like to go ahead and do another two thousand dollars worth the lines and a radiator and all that kind of stuff that's that connects to the transmission. I know what the answer is,
and everybody goes, and there's that way back and forth you go. If you don't ask, you know, I can't
tell you yes, right, But I don't on certain one of those I don't need to ask, Like I know, there's nothing wrong with those lines, there's nothing wrong with that radiator. This guy has done nothing else other to
this car and maintenance wise, it's a conversation I'm not trying to have with the customer.
Speaker 4: Because why was what he needs done right?
Speaker 2: Obviously? Because if you didn't, it would have new belts
on it and have new hoses on it, have brand new battery and it you know that's been probably by that time in fifteen years, shit be and probably replaced twice already. I already know, like the car tells me
a story a little bit. I get where Cameron's coming from.
It's not my discount what you're saying. I get what
you're coming from. But you wouldn't buy it. If I
called you and said, hey, why i'm there, would you like me to place right? You know, the lines to
the you know, to the radiator that go to the transmission for the cooling. Your question could be like, are
they leaking? Well no, but hey I'm here, let's go
ahead and just spend another eleven hundred dollars. You're gonna
tell me no. You're gonna tell me no. I know
you are. Most people will, right, So you're not having
that conversation. But then where the expectation comes in. But
any to say this, it fails two and a half years from years from now, and you go, well, you all have did my transmission? Why didn't you replace my lines?
I'm like, well, sir, did the transmission drive for two and a half years? Yeah, Well, if it obviously the
lines were working just fine, then you know what I mean, like there was no reason to replace them, Like if the lines weren't working once again, you'd have drove right out of my parking lot and came right back in.
Speaker 4: Well, everybody to prevent and maintains the industry when we driving right.
Speaker 2: No, absolutely, I don't, I don't. I don't disagree with you.
But these are these are real conversations, and these are the expectations. And when I mean the expectations are if
you have accelerated expectations on your car, then you need to let them know. I've told you guys that before.
You need to tell them ahead of time, like, hey, look the car over you if you see anything. Most
people are without even asking him, they're going to look the car over for other things. I can't count any
times car came in for one thing. I found halt
tons of other things wrong with I told you guys a story about the guy asked me for front breaks and he didn't need him, and I ended up putting wanted to put rear brakes in the car, and he cursed me up and down because I wouldn't put the front brakes that he asked for in the car. I'm like, well,
so you don't need front breaks in It's coming from the rear of the car, not the front. And I
was the biggest piece of crap because I wouldn't do what he asked me to, but I didn't want to sell anything he didn't need. It goes both ways as
far as I'm concerned. If you all disagree with me,
let me know. I don't know. I'm really curious of
what the customer's expectation is in a lot of these scenarios because I dealt with it for so long, and obviously as I visit my friends in the garages, they're still dealing with it, so it makes for an interesting conversation.
I don't know what the right way is. I can't
tell you guys what it is or isn't. I mean,
you guys tell me, and then I note, guys, it has come to the end of the show. I can't
believe we're already there. He went by quick make sure,
like I said, if you guys listen to the show, you still got time get out to the Hepcat Honey show over at Landstown today. Why ethl an auction going on?
So you guys want to make sure you jumping in that you got a bunch of cool stuff we have.
I can't tell you what it is, but I'm gonna tell you there is some cool stuff. Also, make sure
you guys mark your calendar is coming up. Is gonna
be the big huge Halloween show. We're gonna be having
that go on in October, so look for the date.
On that September eighth, we will be out at Billy's place over at seventeenth Street Automotive. We'll be having his
event for the nine to eleven event that we host with him every single year, big huge cornhole tournament. You
guys want to definitely check that out. It's a really
good time. Billy puts on a really good show, puts
a lot of effort into it, a lot of time, a lot of money into it for you guys to go ahead and donate to charity. So check that out
and don't forget. We're getting right around time. Christmas is
coming quick. We're be doing our Christmas charity. We're starting
to get that stuff together for the year, so I'll keep you guys informed on that as well. On that note,
I'm gonna go ahead and get out of here. You guys,
got anything before we go?
Speaker 3: Enjoy weekend, Enjoy weekend.
Speaker 2: All guys. Hope to see you guys there, all these
different events, mark your calendar, mark them quick, and we'll see you there. Broad here
Request an explanation for:
1 cars
1 cars featured
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
Help improve this episode
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.
Report incorrect info
Suggest better explanations
Flag missing cars