Porsche 911 and Mercedes Benz cars at ABC Auto Care and Christensen Perf...

Can you identify the car by looking at the clues at the bottom of the car?

Toyota Land cruiser spotted in Ventura

Walking the dogs at Arroyo Verde Park and look at this beauty I found in the parking lot. One of the original Land Cruisers in stunning condition. The owner must be proud, this Toyota appears in new condition. What a nice 4 wheel driver car.

Air condition compressor replace on a Nissan Altima with 4 cyl engine at...

The best Toyota I've ever had

        

The best Toyota I have ever had

This is the tale of a Toyota Highlander with lots of miles on the odometer.

The owner had the vehicle at the local Toyota dealer and didn’t like the recommendation they had made. They looked for great reviews on Google and Yelp and found us. So they decided to call and get a second opinion.

They referred to the Highlander as the best car they ever had. And why so you would ask?

“In all these years, we’ve never spent a dime on the vehicle, It has been just great!”

I cringe every time I hear that, and the reasons are simple. They’ve driven lots of miles and all they do is change the oil. But what about the transmission fluid, what about the power steering fluid, the coolant antifreeze, the brake fluid, what about cleaning the fuel injection system for better performance. Yeh! What about it?

All those fluids along with the fuel injection system need to be serviced as well for the car to maintain a great level of performance. After so many miles, what about suspension control arms, struts, shocks, outer tie rod ends, sway bar bushings and links, What about engine mounts, belts, water pump, power steering pump, and cooling system as well as heater hoses.

All these items have a finite life and typically will start to fail soon after 7 years or 80,000 miles.

By the time they brought the Toyota to us for inspection, the list of items needed was long and expensive. I should point out the Highlander also needed tires and brakes all around.

After a long conversation, they optioned to let the car go and trade it for a new vehicle.

Mind you, had they asked me for an opinion whether to fix it or buy new, I would have said to keep what you’ve got (if it is paid for) and fix it. It’s a lot less costly to fix your car than it is to replace it with a new one.

Don’t believe me?  Follow this link from edmunds.com where you can find out the true cost to own a car, new or used.  And here is the link https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html

Maserati at ABC Auto Care in Ventura

Christensen Performance working on a Mercedes C300 suspension

Isaiah working on a Ford F150 sunroof at ABC Auto Care in Ventura, Ca.

We are open at ABC Auto Care

As an essential business, we are choosing to remain open and continue to support our community. Comprised of the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Filmore, Ojai and Camarillo, we asked everyone in the shop for their opinions after we had a meeting where we discussed safety and sanitation procedures. This is what they said. All our auto repair mechanics, all the front office along with support personnel, "We are open!"

When the Audi owner called

It was late in the afternoon after a busy Monday. The phone rings and I’m quick to answer it.

“I have a late model Audi and need some work. What I’m looking for is to find a repair shop where I can start a relationship. I want an auto repair mechanic who’s work I can trust, and prices will be the best and lowest. As a matter of fact, I want to be able to bring my own parts so I can save some money. Is that you?”

“But wait! I actually have three Audis all late models, If you can earn my trust, then you get all three cars to work on!”

Sir, I said, let me start by thanking you for giving me the opportunity to bid for your repairs. However, I’d like to explain what it takes for me to continue in business for the long run and be able to back up all the work we would do on your vehicles.

The formula to stay in business is relatively simple. First, of course, you need clients!  But when it comes to pricing, you can break the pricing principle once or twice and in the short run it appears to not be detrimental. But, if you make it a habit, you’ll soon find yourself like all the other shops that followed those steps. Out of business!

I explained that the comments he started out with were at odds with each other. For us to have a healthy working relationship, both parties must understand and respect each other’s business practices. If you want me to work on your A4, your Q5 or your A7 Audi, then you are going to have to understand that if I don’t maintain my pricing matrix, we are not going to have a long term relationship.  Simply because I will soon be out of business.

Will you as a consumer be able to find someone who will give you lower prices? The answer is an absolute yes!  But I know they won’t be able to match what I have to offer to you as a whole.  You see, part of the charges are for updating and maintaining the equipment, training for technicians and service writers, and upgrading the infrastructure and facilities to accommodate latest technology. I knew a low-price competitor who would pray before using their tire changer when they were working on cars with fancy wheels.

When I asked him why, he said “I can’t afford a new machine and this one tends to cause damage to some of the wheels, I hope and pray this is not this one”

Is this what you are looking for I asked the client on the phone?

“Wow, I didn’t know!”

To date, the client doesn’t bring his parts (we provide them with a full two-year nationwide warranty), he makes appointments and keeps them, has posted a great review of our business and, last but not least, pays on time without griping about it.

A year has passed, and I asked him how the relationship was going.

“I don’t have to think about it.  I love the transparency and the consistency of your good work. I’m glad I took your challenge a year ago”

P.S. I remember well when I took the call, my reaction after hearing the first few sentences, was to thank him and hang up. I’m really glad  I didn’t.

The 5 things your auto repair mechanic would love for you to know

I often find myself browsing through the internet looking for interesting automotive stuff. Recently, I came across an article that both intrigued me and infuriated me at the same time.
I wish they would have allowed for a counterpoint as an accompanying piece to the original. Since they didn't, then here it is!
First, here is the link so you can read the original article. That way you will know what I'm rebutting about.
Here is the link  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-things-your-mechanic-do_b_5516820

Number 5:
Huff post : Mechanics don't want you to know the amount of hours allowed for the job.
Mechanics DO! want you to know what the labor guide allows for the repair. If they show the labor guide, clients will find out more often that they are being charged less than allowed. Why you ask?
Most shops are aware that if they push the price to the limit, that there is always another shop out there hungrier and willing to undersell the job just to take it out of your bay.

Number 4:
HP:  Mechanics guess more than what you think they do.
That is correct! And why is that?
Shops are afraid to ask the client for diagnostic time. AutoZone advertises on the radio they will "test" your car for free (mind you, they are a parts store and not a repair shop). It's grossly misleading as they do not test. They only retrieve the computer code and 100% guess the rest with hopes to sell you the part (which you are not able to return once used)
Consumers resist paying diagnostic fees and often will ask you to waive them if they do the repair with you. Diagnostic time is the most expensive, most time consuming and most riddled with the propensity to be wrong.  You can never ever be 100% certain without comprehensive testing that the one obvious thing you found, is the only problem your car has.
I tell people, the more you allow me to test, the less I will guess, It's your call!

Number 3:
HP: Certifications don't mean what the industry would want you to believe. Maybe! But I certainly wouldn't want my foot surgery to be done by a doctor certified in Proctology.
Certifications mean the person who has them, has spent the time and hours necessary to show they are committed to the trade. They are also required to pass a competency exam at the end of the training.
My guess is the person who wrote the article for the Huffington Post, did not have as many certifications as he should have at the end of 20 years in the trade.

Number 2:
HP: Not all causes of the check engine light need to be repaired.
I agree with that, however,,,
Any codes in the evaporative emissions system can go indefinitely without being repaired. We tell this often to our clients. But you'll definitely be required to repair them when the vehicle is due for smog test. In California, a check engine light on is an automatic failure.
If you allow the check engine light to go unrepaired, the next time the check engine light comes on for another reason, you are not going to know it because the check engine light is already on! And that additional check engine light could be potentially something that could damage other components or the whole system if left unheeded.
That's why I feel any check engine light should be taken care of ASAP regardless of how severe it may be.

Number 1:
HP: Mechanics want you to believe you need to bring your vehicle to them for every repair.
Couldn't be further from the truth!
For the do-it-yourselfer, it's more likely your neighbors are the ones opposed to you working on your vehicle in the driveway - bringing down home prices for the neighborhood, leaving large oil or coolant stains on driveways, and endangering pets as they could come in contact with coolant or more nefarious fluids.
Someone who wants to do their own repairs at home is not our competition. Actually, most shops like mine are very willing to help some clients with advice and even loaning some tools. We know if we are helpful to the client when they are trying to do things at home, then we often will get the vehicle in our bays if things don't go right for them.
Regarding "flushes"
We don't want clients to "flush" the fluids every time they come in as the article states. If we did so, we wouldn't have any clients. We want them to do it every 2 years or 30,000 miles. We have the data to prove if you do them at these intervals, it will save money, time and inconvenience over not doing them at all. My business has a fleet of 8 loaner cars and guess what? We exchange all the fluids as I stated in the previous paragraph, because we believe in them.
Last but not least 
Give people credit for knowing what they represent to every business as a consumer. I know what I represent to my dentist when I go there happily three times a year for dental cleaning (the more I go for dental maintenance, the less I go for dental repairs).  I know what I represent to the coffee shop every morning when I get a Latte. Consumers do know what they represent to a repair shop as they do to every business they frequent.  And we want them to know!

Replace the catalytic converter and both oxygen sensors on a Honda Accord

A friend of mine who started out as a client called me the yesterday.

He asked for my advice on his Honda Accord.

You see, he lived in Ventura for a long time but has moved to Tucson Arizona now and it’s an inconvenience for him to drive all this way back to get the work done on his vehicle. However, it doesn’t stop him from calling us for a second opinion. One which I’m glad to provide.

A mass merchandiser of the area checked the check engine light on his car. Codes P0420 and code P0430 were stored in memory.  They surmised the need for the catalytic converter and both the up-range, and post cat oxygen sensors.

He gave me a quoted price and asked if it was fair. I said it was but only if it was needed. I suggested that since they were asking for the converter as well as both oxygen sensors (which suggests fishing for an answer to me), why not replace both sensors first and then, drive the vehicle.

If the check engine light continues to come on with the same codes, then replace the converter.

Let me preface this, I suggested real testing to be done first. In the absence of it, then start with the sensors.

 He called the repair shop back to let them know what he wanted to do. And this is what they said,

They would replace the oxygen sensors but, they could not warranty them if the Catalytic converter caused them to fail. Say what!

Either they are completely ignorant and don’t know what they are doing or, they are flat out fraudulent using scare tactics to pressure the client into purchasing something they may not need?

It is not possible for a catalytic converter to cause an oxygen sensor to fail! It’s always the other way around. Mind you, If the converter were to hand grenade and in the explosion, take the sensor, then I suppose it’s possible.

Either way, it angers me when someone in our profession does something that stupid as people tend to generalize and judge auto repair based on their worst experience.