Don’t blink…
Summer is here but fading fast. You may find it hard to believe given our latest heat wave, but it’s true – August is right around the corner. Before long you might be ushering your young ones to school or child care, stopping on low traffic side streets to take in the majestic colors of the season, and dare we say it – grabbing your sweaters and overcoats in preparation for that other season (of which we won’t mention by name) that immediately follows. Bottom line, if you were to close your eyes for too long you might find the need to shift that thermostat from C to H. Don’t worry, for everyone’s sake, we’re also hoping those temperatures stay at bay for as long as possible in 2011/12.
What does all this mean? Among other things it’s meant to illustrate just how much time passes before you may have even realized it. We understand some of you are planners and as such may find yourself immersed in a well designed agenda for each day you face. For the less than 10% of you that manage this way, we salute you! We believe you may have a thing or two to teach us. To the remainder of us who have a seemingly endless flow of projects, assignments (some of which are time sensitive), interruptions, distractions, etc. – we may wake up one morning feeling as if it’s still July and August will have invited itself into the fold.
Do you find yourself absent minded when it comes to proper auto care? Wouldn’t it be just as easy to put off or completely forget to routinely service your vehicle? The answer we hear the most (and it’s rather unanimous) is YES. What might be the consequences for overlooking important work that’s needed? The short answer is we have no specific way of knowing, but we can say history has shown time and again that failure to maintain a vehicle may lead to more necessary repairs, and of course that often means a significantly higher expense.
To close this entry, we’d like to focus on the important difference (there’s more than one but we believe you’ll understand our point) between repair and maintenance. The former is most commonly associated with something happening that requires service to your vehicle. We’ll refer to this as reactive. The latter, however, generally consists of measures you’ve taken to keep your vehicle running smoothly before a major problem arises. This approach is definitely proactive. It has been our experience and we have twenty or more (and counting) detailed accounts from long-time loyal customers to substantiate that “$200 now is far better than $2,000 later.” Of course, there’s a chance (however small it may be) your vehicle will survive just the same even when neglecting to properly care for it over time, which is why we have no intention or desire to use this information as a scare tactic. No, that’s not where our heart is at all. We simply wish to make certain that you understand the gamble you’re taking.
Ask yourself what risk you’re willing to take and how much is too much when it comes to potential problems. Your vehicle’s manufacturer has gone to the extra effort to spell out (some more than others) what suggested service intervals will keep your vehicle operating as designed, just locate your owner’s manual. We understand these are read and paid attention to quite infrequently but we’re not willing to passively accept this fact, nor do we encourage anyone to write them off as unhelpful. Fact of the matter here is nobody knows that vehicle better than the company that’s responsible for its production, period. If for one reason or another you take a pass on our advice, we would at the very least recommend you listen to them.
If you may be due for any specific services or have questions about routine maintenance, we’re here to help. We love what we do and we’re committed to doing it right the first time. Feel free to call (616.774.7048) for an appointment, or take full advantage of our online scheduling. You can even do this right from our facebook page if you wish. Either way, we look forward to serving you soon.