Sheila, I’m sure that was pretty weird. Still, great interview.

Thanks for including my Ashley Force post. I felt pretty strange asking her whether life could get any crazier, and then John Force’s wreck happened the next day.

Maybe I should revamp my interview questions.

Having been on the opposite side of the counter for many years I have witnessed a lot, much of which could be useful when contemplating whether or not to repair a car or walk away. There is far too much to write in a single post however my thoughts towards customers who do not realize the importance of keeping a vehicle’s maintenance schedule current speak for themselves.

Back in the old days, (as little as 15 years ago) the average domestic vehicle had pretty much served it’s purpose when it reached 90,000 miles. The common phrase was, “Put a fork in it. It’s done.” Just like with today’s vehicles, there are typical items listed on the schedule in the maintenance handbook but a few years ago it was considered foolish to waste good money performing many such services. “Why should I waste time and money servicing my transmission or my brake fluid on a car with 80,000 miles when it will probably go to the wreckers next year?”

The truth of the matter is it used to be a reasonable statement/question. However, today a vehicle with only 90,000 miles on it is just getting broken in and most can easily perform well in excess of 300,000 miles. For this reason neglecting services such as flushing cooling systems, transmissions, changing timing belts and more can drastically affect the return on your investment down the road. It’s far less expensive to change a timing belt and water pump at 90,000 miles than it is to repair bent exhaust valves or a blown head gasket at 120,000 miles. In retrospect how much would it have cost to replace this vehicle as we used to do when it reached 90,000 miles?

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard customers reply when asked if they want to perform the 90k service with, “I was told it’s not important and besides it’s running perfect right now. When it begins to act up, then I will bring it back.” That makes about as much sense as telling the dentist, “My teeth don’t hurt and they’re not falling out right now so I’ll get them cleaned later.”

Owning a car should not be looked at as an expense… It’s an investment and one that can either earn you dividends or one that can break the bank. Customers are the ones who make that decision. Like anything else, knowledge is wisdom.

Any piece of knowledge I acquire today has a value at this moment exactly proportioned to my skill to deal with it. Tomorrow, when I know more, I recall that piece of knowledge and use it better. Mark van Doren

Thanks for including my post. But it seems like there is no link to it . I hope you can still include it! Thank you very much
-SVB @ The Digerati Life