On Satisfying People

The old adage of not being able to satisfy all of the people all of the time is certainly true in the automotive industry. Cars are necessary in our country to get around. If you live in an urban environment, you can use alternative transportation but not if you want to travel vast distances. As well, cars are a status symbol and if you want to fit in, you own one. The problems arise though if you cannot afford to maintain it. Two things happen then: your car runs down and the costs of repair increases and you get mad because you cannot afford to fix it. To resolve the problem is very difficult.

Our cost of living has increased dramatically over the last few years and if you are like most people, costs have risen faster than income. Everything is less affordable and you slip into trying to maintain the same lifestyle with less. It is like being on a treadmill and no matter how fast you run, you cannot catch up.

Some people then blame us. We are at fault because we charge so much to repair and maintain their vehicles. That is true. It is expensive. It is expensive for us too. The same pressures are on us. The cost of living is increasing and the cost of doing business is increasing. The merry go round seems to never end.

We try to resolve this by working with our customers to prioritize their repairs and maintenance. We have created the 400,000 km club to increase this awareness. We have kept our prices lower than most other garages and we are constantly negotiating with our suppliers on price and quality.

None of this is easy and none of it really satisfies the main issue of affordability. There is no real answer except that if you drive, please maintain your car. Make sure you do your oil changes and flushes on time. Have your brakes checked as well as your tires on a regular basis. Work with your garage on some kind of maintenance schedule. In this way, there are no surprises and no anger.

If you cannot afford to maintain your car, then check on the alternatives: bicycling most of the time or take a bus if you can or even walking if you are close enough to your destination. Perhaps then you could save a little more for your vehicle’s maintenance and have your car when you really need it.

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