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3 reasons ‘less’ will cost you more
Posted by Mike
When you see a doctor for the first time or after an extended absence, do you want him or her to address only the concern you’ve gone in for or would you prefer the doctor give you a complete physical?
Most likely, you’re going to want an evaluation of your overall, long-term health.
At Star, we take the long-term approach with your cars. We believe it saves you money while minimizing the risk of stressful, unexpected breakdowns. This is contrary to many shops, which focus only on your immediate concern – the bare minimum, short-term picture. Here are three reasons we believe the latter isn’t in your best interest.
1) It will cost you more in the long run. Repairs always cost more than maintenance, and a shop should be advising you of needed maintenance throughout the life of your car. Consider these maintenance vs. replacement options:
- Transmission fluid flush & filter change = $100 – $250.
New or rebuilt transmission = $2,500 – $6,000.
- Oil change = $25-$40 ($50-$75 for synthetic).
New or rebuilt engine = $3,000 – $7,500.
- Cooling system flush = $100 – $150.
New radiator = $300+.
New water pump = $400+.
- Timing belt = $500 – $800.
Cylinder head, valve work = $1,700 – $2,200.
Unfortunately, many shops are afraid to give you a comprehensive list of maintenance needs because they don’t want to scare you away. But by not informing you of upcoming issues, it’s impossible for you to make an educated decision.
At Star, our philosophy is to empower you so you can make educated repair and maintenance decisions. With each visit, we’ll fully inform you of your vehicle’s service needs following a bumper-to-bumper inspection and test drive by an ASE-certified technician. We will make recommendations in the following order of priority: 1) the client’s concerns, 2) safety issues, 3) maintenance, and 4) creature comforts. We will even email you a detailed estimate and a video if it will help illustrate a service need.
2) Doing the bare minimum may not fully resolve your issue. Even though your car is a machine, there’s a lot of “gray” and subjectivity when it comes to its service needs. For example, here’s a scenario one of our clients had recently: Her vehicle had a clunking sound over bumps. One shop determined the struts were worn and needed to be replaced. At Star, we agreed that the struts needed to be replaced, but we also recommended the strut mounts. We were confident her noise issue couldn’t be resolved by replacing the struts alone, but of course, this made our cost higher for what the client considered the same work. In this case, our client had to trust our honesty and expertise to guide her decision.
In another example, a client had a torn CV boot. This rubber accordion boot is located on each end of each drive axle. When the boot tears, the thick grease that protects the steering knuckle slings out, and the knuckle is exposed to dirt and road debris. This will eventually cause the failure of your drive axle, which propels your vehicle. In this case, the boot had been torn for awhile, the grease was long gone, and it was actually less costly to replace the entire drive axle vs. the boot. Another shop, however, recommended only the boot. Again, our client had to bank on trust to decide between two different recommendations.
If you’re ever facing a similar situation, consider your relationship with the shop, as well as the frustration you would feel if the easier, quicker fix didn’t resolve your issue. You’d be out the money and still have your problem. One reason we’re able to offer an unbeatable 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty for our parts and workmanship is because we are so confident in our diagnoses and recommendations.
3) Less isn’t always more, but apples to apples is always better. This ties into our first two pieces of advice. If you’re obtaining estimates from more than one shop, you may be tempted to hear what you want—it’s human nature to favor the lower price—but make sure you’re gathering all the facts. Make sure your two estimates are apples to apples comparisons of the same work. If one shop is recommending additional procedures, ask them to explain why. If one is recommending fewer procedures, ask them to explain why.
Be aware of possible add-ons once you’re at the shop that gave you the lower price over the phone. The add-ons are probably perfectly legit, but if you’d had all the information at the beginning, you could have done a more accurate price comparison.
One final thought: Don’t blame the messenger who gives you the least desirable, most complete picture. Isn’t it a lot better to know all the facts up front so you can make the best decision for your particular situation?
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