Archive for the ‘Service Standards’ Category
There are some things Grand Rapids consumers should know about Grand Rapids automotive service and repair. First and foremost, Ervine’s Auto Repair cares about you and your family’s safety. And we really appreciate your business. Ervine’s Auto Repair in Grand Rapids wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come.
Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix cars. The days of shade tree mechanics are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles. The technicians that work for Ervine’s Auto Repair need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right parts, networking with other technicians to help them with a difficult problem and pulling together a job order that makes sure that each step of the process is addressed.
The threshold for getting started as a technician gets higher all the time and there is a huge commitment to on-going training every year. This training takes time and money. It contributes to business overhead. The average Wyoming or Kentwood driver may not realize the business and environmental regulations Ervine’s Auto Repair must comply with. Of course that costs money too. Like any business, overhead is a big factor.
When you go into a Grand Rapids restaurant you don’t value the meal by what the food would cost at the grocery store. The restaurant has rent, wages, insurance, taxes, utilities, professional fees, equipment, supplies – you get the picture. The restaurant has to charge enough to not only pay for the ingredients, but for all these other things as well while making enough profit to remain in business. If you value the meal and are satisfied with your dining experience, you’ll come back and tell your friends.
It’s the same for Ervine’s Auto Repair. The value of its service is not the cost of the parts they replace, but in your satisfaction with the results. If they deliver a good product at a fair price, Grand Rapids customers are happy to see them succeed as a Michigan automotive business.
Contact Ervine’s Auto Repair to learn more about our extensive auto service training.
You can find us at:
4311 Stafford SW
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49548
Or call us at (616) 532-6600
Your Grand Rapids service center loves to see its customers whenever they come in, but they would much rather see them three or four times a year for routine maintenance than once a year on a tow truck. They want to work together with you to avoid breakdowns. Tell your Grand Rapids area friends and family to go in for their scheduled maintenance too. That lowers the service center’s marketing costs and helps keep its labor rates down. That’s good for everyone.
Ervine’s Auto Repair appreciates this great review of automotive service from AutoNetTV.
Some Wyoming motorists are confused by Ervine’s Auto Repair charges for diagnostic services for a vehicle repair. Many services at Ervine’s Auto Repair and other Wyoming automotive repair shops include diagnostic fees.
When you take your laptop into a Grand Rapids computer repair shop for a problem you’ll likely have to leave a deposit for diagnostics. When we visit our Wyoming doctor for a medical problem, we’re paying him to diagnose our ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.
So receiving a diagnostic charge at Ervine’s Auto Repair for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Grand Rapids area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your sedan brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Michigan expressway, you pull off the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your sedan engine, Ervine’s Auto Repair diagnosis may be much more involved.
Much of the Grand Rapids public’s confusion comes when the problem involves the check engine light. The check engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem.
There’s a common misconception among Wyoming, Kentwood, and Byron Center drivers that the trouble code tells the Ervine’s Auto Repair technician exactly what’s wrong. Why then is there a diagnostic charge, the scanner just gave the diagnosis?
Reality is more involved than that. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that’s out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the check engine light.
The sedan computer’s trouble code just tells the Ervine’s Auto Repair technician what engine parameter is out of range – not what’s causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that’s causing the symptom.
There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for Ervine’s Auto Repair Wyoming customers. The Ervine’s Auto Repair technician makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem.
Grand Rapids service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for a given trouble code. They outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented fix. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.
Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved and difficult. Of course Ervine’s Auto Repair wants to figure out what’s wrong with your sedan and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
We find that a lot of Wyoming service and repair at Ervine’s Auto Repair are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions, but don’t want to be embarrassed or to seem pushy. Cars are very complicated and there’s more to know about them than most of us have the time to learn. Maybe it’s because cars have become so much more reliable that the average person just doesn’t need to know as much to keep their vehicle on the road.
You know, your local hospital has a Patient’s Bill of Rights that they post throughout the hospital. We think our Wyoming automotive service customers also have a right to ask any question they need to understand what is wrong with their car and what it will take to fix it. They need to feel free to ask the cost and benefits of recommended services. And they certainly have a right to understand the financial end of the transaction.
It’s all about the communication. It’s a little harder when you’re trying to find the right service center in Wyoming. But once you’ve developed a relationship, the communication should come easier.
What are some of the barriers to communication? Well, let’s go back to the medical example. When your doctor’s explaining something to you, it’s something that she understands very well and is very familiar with. So she may use jargon you don’t understand or that you don’t have the education and training that’s foundational to understanding what she’s trying to explain.
So you fall behind and get frustrated.
It can be the same with your Wyoming automotive service advisors. Most of them are very busy trying to service and fix cars to get their customers back on the road. So, just ask when you feel you need more information.
Financial related issues seem to be most frustrating to customers. If you’re not sure, ask what the payment policies are. For example, there’s a big difference between giving your car a quick once over and doing a thorough inspection. Diagnosing a problem may take quite a while. Make sure you know what’s done as a courtesy and what has a fee. Remember, you still have to pay for the office visit even if the doctor says you only have a cold.
Communication is a two way street. If you have some real budget concerns, ask your Wyoming service advisor what he can do. He can give you priorities and options. He can tell you what needs to be taken care of right away for safety or financial reasons. Then you can work out a plan for when to get the rest done. He can also help you with options on the parts. The preference is to always use a high-quality part with a reputation for reliability. But if money is real tight, he might be able to find a rebuilt part or a used part. He should tell you the difference in the guarantee for the part so you can make a good decision.
Ask about warranties for parts and labor. Be sure to get all the paperwork you need to make a possible claim in the future. Your service center and its technicians stand behind their work and want you to understand precisely what that means.
Be sure to ask for and keep a detailed explanation of all the work that’s done on your vehicle. These records will help you keep track of service, warranties and document the good care your vehicle has received when the time comes to sell it.
Call Ervine’s Auto Repair to make an appointment.
4311 Stafford SW
Wyoming, Michigan 49548
(616) 532-6600