Having been involved professionally in the automotive repair and service industry since the 60’s I can comfortably say I have seen it all. Over the years a lot has changed… cars are much more advanced and technical than they once were which obviously has made a huge difference in the training and quality of professionalism. Back in the 60’s just about anyone with a few basic tools could perform almost any service or repair needed. Guys from the local gas station with names like Leroy, Bill or Jim could troubleshoot just anything the motorist needed and usually without a charge. As a result of today’s complex automobiles today’s diagnostic skills require far more experience and training than the Leroy’s Bill’s and Jim’s could ever offer.

Other than good service (a term used far too much these days) about the only thing that has remained a constant with regard to the auto industry is the consumers need to be very aware of who is advising them. Of course this topic is one we could write volumes about and the truth is in my opinion besides the fact that there is a legit reason for consumers to be cautious, what really needs to happen is that BOTH auto service/repair facilities AND consumers need to get educated. There is LOTS to learn and teach. It’s very common for a shop to have a good understanding as to what may or may not be required to keep an automobile performing at an optimum and reliable efficiency status but the consumer may not. For this reason the key word is “communication” and educating a consumer as to what might happen after words is also a key factor.
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