Thats right folks, there is some hefty turmoil here in The Garage these days. No, we aren’t losing the war on sploggers, the trouble is much more real world than that. As anyone in the car industry will tell you, ours is as unpredictable as a fart in a thunderstorm. You never know what curves the industry will throw at you. Some of us switch jobs like underwear, it’s just part of the game. Ownership changes happen on occasion. Every now and then, a manufacturer decides to pull a franchise out from under a perfectly good team for some inexplicable reason.
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How can I get a job in the car industry? That is one of the most frequent questions I’m asked by young people looking to break into a career in the car world. It’s a valid question, for while the car industry is a constant revolving door, it can be tough to get in to that cycle the first time.

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As a follow up to yesterday’s post about being prepared, comes today’s rant about the ignorance of some people. Many car dealerships up here in the great white north don’t have the benefit of a full blown drive through. As a result, the service advisor must head out to the parking lot to get the current mileage off each customer’s car, unless the customer has brought it in with them.
This morning, while dealing with a lineup of customers myself (due to a sick employee) someone commented as I walked past to go get a customer’s mileage that “I don’t understand why they need the mileage, it takes too long”. Of course when it was her turn to be served, not only did she not have an appointment, she didn’t know her mileage. No surprise there. Beatch!

End Rant.

There are several reasons that your chosen service center needs your correct mileage. Of course we need it to correctly advise you as to what service your vehicle is due for. Correct in and out mileage is also needed for warranty documentation if you are servicing at a dealer. The other, less obvious reason is for the protection of the dealership and the customer from unwarranted “road tests”. Let’s face it, on occasion we do come across less than honest individuals on both sides of the counter. I’ve seen employees (managers even) take customers cars for lunch, or even over the weekend. This is inexcusable and having correct mileages protects you from it happening to you. On the other hand, I’ve also had customers come in after a service and blow up because their car had been driven 1000 km since they dropped it off an hour ago. Right! Fast car huh? In that case, Fortunately I had recorded the in & out mileage personally.

Help yourself get good service, record your mileage on the way in and save the service advisor a trip. He will appreciate it & a happy service advisor is much more likely to be on your side.

It may sound basic, but before choosing a service facility, get recommendations from other people who drive the same model car as you. What’s that, you don’t know anyone else who drives an Avanti? No problem. Thanks to the net, car owners clubs are now closer than ever. What does this mean to you? It means that most clubs have message boards for exchange of information, even for you Avanti Owners. Often that information includes cheers and jeers for car dealerships. Now remember, this is the virtual world, so sometimes you need to take some of the advice given with a grain of salt but usually people will steer you in the right direction. If others have had good experiences, chances are that you will too. The added benefit is that there are dealerships who actually support their owner’s clubs and offer discounts for club members.

Oh yes, if you find many complaints online regarding a certain dealer, it’s probably a wise move to stay away.