There are around 162 million vehicles in the United States that go without being serviced when they need it. A recent report suggests that around 80% of the cars on the road right now have at least one service repair that isn’t being addressed. While some of these can be small and simple things, there are others that present major safety concerns for the driver and everyone around them.
So what stops people from having their car serviced? There are a number of reasons why people are hesitant to have their vehicle serviced, even for something as minor as an oil change.
How comfortable one feels about car care can be a major deciding factor. If someone feels that the decision to have the car serviced might not be the right one they won’t go through with the service. People who don’t understand cars too well will often hesitate to ask questions out of fear of looking ignorant.
You need to understand that the technician wants to answer your questions. They want you to understand their recommendations and why the service needs to be performed. Technicians are specialists in their fields just like doctors and financial advisors are, and you wouldn’t hesitate to talk to one of them.
This point brings us to another key problem; people are unsure if they really need to have the service done, or if the technician is just trying to sell them something. This issue is about trust. Do you trust the service center and the advisor? It takes time and experience to build up trust. Using the timeline that the manufacturer puts together for maintenance is one great way to build trust. Listen to an advisor that tells you to listen to the owner’s manual.
The last problem is one of the biggest; money. Most of the concerns people have about having their serviced is the cost involved. When people think about where they want their money to go they often don’t consider auto maintenance a priority.
All of this and more is why we work hard to diagnose and correct a problem the first time, every time. If our customers aren’t satisfied they won’t come back to the shop and they’ll also dissuade the people they know from going too.