I don't care about taking my car to someone who had schooling on the brand of vehicle that i'm driving. I'm not good with the little things, hell can't remember the last time I changed a tire. I just hate these people who "specialize" in german or high end cars. Time and time again I would take my mercedes to them, and then when I go to pick it up they tell me "yeah are computer can't read the codes so we don't know what's wrong, you have to take it to the dealers" oh jeez thanks for wasting my time.
Yeah I understand. Sometimes you really have to research these independent garages. There are several independent German garages in my area. Over the years I've come to rely on only a couple. I ran away from the guys that have no real explanation for what they couldn't do to my car or the jackasses that break something else while they're trying to work on the car. My favorite ones are the guys that use the explanation "You know these are finicky cars." Yeah, right. That's like a cardiologist saying "Hey you know that heart is a slippery, tricky little organ." Yeah, I'm running away from you. 3 indicators I use as a rule of thumb when judging an independent garage:
1). Are the mechanics professional and knowledgeable.
2). Does the garage have an enormous number of cars collecting dust waiting to be worked on.
3). Does the owner or manager have confidence in his business.
A fourth one I could have listed was facilities. But I would figure people that own high end cars and know that their cars require professional attention would take note of whether the people have up to date equipment and ASE certified mechanics. Managers or owners with a shadey disposition don't get my return business. Nasty, sloppy mechanics that goof around and waste time on your premises? You're not getting my business either. You usually have to end up coming or calling back 2 or 3 times because they've lied about their turnaround time or worse--My car is still sitting there never having been touched. Yeah, I will ask for my keys back and take my business elsewhere really quick.
My 2 garages I go to have professional, knowledgeable people and up to date equipment. When you can tell me what's going on with my car and how you'll fix it before you even open the hood? When you call me on time or early to let me know you're done with my car? When you handle whatever issues you're going through with parts and delivery on your own instead of calling me to whine about what went wrong? Yeah you'll get my lifetime business.
