ThE mineR
May 16, 2018 |
3B
Car care questions answered By Paul Smith Pro Automotive, Priest River
I had some questions come to me the other day that I’d like to address as a professional auto repair facility. I already bought my parts but can’t do the work, will you do it with my parts? No and a professional shop wouldn’t. First is warranty. There is no warranty if you bring in your part. You may have warranty on your part but you would have to pay me to remove it so you can return it and then pay us again to reinstall it again. It’s not the shops fault the parts defective and we didn’t supply it. Where as if we supply the part we have the parts supplier taking care of the part for us and we can do a labor claim as well so we can take care of you, warranty, parts and labor, and you don’t have to mess with it. Second, the shop has to make a profit on parts or they couldn’t keep there doors
open. A professional shop has so much overhead that the consumer just doesn’t know or maybe understand. We have three information systems, monthly subscriptions at about $175 apiece, $1300 scanners with $110 monthly update cost, just so we can work on your vehicle. Wages, taxes etc. and all the rest. Quite frankly were offended when asked to install owners parts. We’re providing a service, parts and labor, just like a restaurant, and you don’t bring your steak in and ask them to cook it up to save a buck. I’ve had issues in the past with being charged for work not done, what kind of guarantee do you offer? And, how do I know if the shop I’m taking my car to is trustworthy? The best answer for these two questions is are they communicating with you. First they shouldn’t spend your money without you authorizing it and that shouldn’t happen until they have thoroughly explained why, what for, willing to show you what’s wrong and
the ramifications if you don’t repair it. They should give you at least a 1 year or 12k warranty except on used parts or if your asking them to patch something up because of lack of finances. They should call you right away if they find more problems not anticipated. Communication builds trust and trust relationships, and relationships friends. Remember your part is to be a good customer. My good customers are my friends as well and I want to take care of them and give great service. When someone is communicating with you, that builds understanding and trust and honesty. They should make sure your getting what your paying for. Another thing I would like to touch on is extended warranties. Something goes wrong, you bring it in, it’s covered, we fix it, all good right? So a vehicle came into our shop, catatlic converter failure. They had the gold plan but the cats weren’t covered, about $1900 worth. See care, 6B
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May 2
Community Shuttle SPOKANE / NEWPORT
SPECIAL MOBILITY SERVICES Monday • Wednesday • Thursday • Friday A.M. ARRIVE 6:30 AM 8:15 AM 10:15 AM
DEPART Spokane: Bank of America Howard & Riverside 6:35 AM Newport: Safeway 8:30 AM Spokane Bank of America Howard & Riverside
P.M. ARRIVE
DEPART
2:00 PM
Spokane: Bank of America Howard & Riverside 2:05 PM
4:15 PM
Newport: Safeway
5:45 PM
Spokane: Bank of America
4:30 PM
In the City of Spokane, we pick up or drop off at the Bank of America on Riverside and Howard. Upon request, we can also pick up at the following locations: Spokane International Airport, any of the major Hospitals including VA hospital, NorthTown Mall, Northpoint Wal-Mart, 29th and Regal, Fancher and Sprague or Trent and Fancher.
If you have a disability that prevents you from reaching one of our stops, please call our office to see if we can arrange a pickup at your home. One-way fares $5.00 Newport/Spokane Reserve seating has priority. Open seating is available without reservations as capacity allows. To reserve a seat, please call 24-hours in advance or during office hours: 8:30am to 5:00pm
1-877-264-RIDE (7433) • 509-534-7171 Service is open to the general public. Service is available to all regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability. This service meets the requirements of the American’s With Disabilities Act. This service is funded through grants from Washington DOT.