Your car is more than just what you use to get to and from work. You also use it to get your groceries and do other errands and shopping, and it takes you to dates, the movies, and fun with friends. If you trust it enough, you even go on relaxing road trips to see new places and reconnect with distant relatives.
In some cases, it’s more than just a way of getting things done and having fun. You rely on it if you might have kids or older relatives that can’t drive themselves yet, or might need quick trips to the hospital. If you live in a hurricane zone, you might even need it to be reliable so you can evacuate. That all adds up to keeping it up and running the best you can, not just so you can avoid breakdowns that interrupt your schedule, but so that you can keep people safe.
Qualified Mechanice
That means finding a qualified motor mechanic, and there are three good reasons why you should use one.
1) They can work on proprietary technology: Many modern cars come with proprietary technologies or parts that only that maker or manufacturer provides. They do this in an attempt to make you only get your car serviced at their chain of dealerships, which often have inflated prices over independent garages or chains. However, a motor mechanic qualified to service you make and model of car can help out no matter who they work for. That’s one way they can save you money, as they can also identify what preventative maintenance should happen for your vehicle.
2) They know the quirks: Every make and model has its own peculiarities, and sometimes a general mechanic won’t do. Only someone qualified has the education and experience to know what’s going on. Some Saturn owners kept driving their cars long after the company went under, and started getting warning lights that registered for a code of a bad EGR valve, which would get replaced, only to keep triggering the code, preventing them from passing state inspections. Only qualified Mazda mechanics often knew that aftermarket parts for Mazda wouldn’t work in these cases, and OEM EGR valves were the only ones the cars would accept.
3) They know where to find parts: Returning to the previous example, only qualified motor mechanics would even know where to get original Saturn parts for a defunct company! When you have a certified professional, he gets the parts that work, not just the ones that fit and *should* work.
Keep in mind that while it’s obviously productive and wise to use only a qualified motor mechanic, that does not mean you have to only get your car serviced at the dealership. For warranty issues, you might have to, but then again warranty issues and fixes shouldn’t cost you anything, such as as for brake repairs or clutch repairs.
Independent garages and third-party chains often have staffs of technicians that have specialists or brand enthusiasts available. Many Mazda drivers chose not to keep their cars serviced at the parent Holden dealerships for instance, as many former Mazda mechanic are now at a local Firestone, Automasters, or Midas.
So, look around to find the location and personnel that work right for you. A qualified motor mechanic that you trust, at the right location and budget, is a combination that’s priceless in value.