Editor's report

Motor, May 2003 by Lypen, John

Two recent consumer articles that bash the auto repair industry should serve as reminders that our role as ambassadors for our trade is never done.

Investigative reports on the local news, negative stereotyping in movies and on TV and a never-ending stream of magazine and newspaper articles that question the integrity of our industry are nothing new. Two recent articles-one on a popular website, the other in a major newspaper-are fairly typical examples of how sensationalism is used to promote the notion that auto repair is a fairly disreputable business.

Lets take a look at what some members of the mass media have been saying about us lately, then consider ways to react to them.

The first example is an article titled "20 Ways You Waste Money On Your Car." Written by Des Toups, a producer at MSN in Seattle, it appeared recently on the msn.com website.

To Mr. Toups' credit, the story does provide some perfectly reasonable advice. We'd all agree that it's good counsel, for example, to tell people to keep an eye on tire pressures and to have a timing belt replaced according to the manufacturer's recommendation.

But, when it comes to advice on contact with the service and repair industry, Mr. Toups' suggestions lean heavily on the importance of being cheap and of not trusting your local shop owner. Several of mem are technically inaccurate, to boot.

A few of his comments:

* Independent shops almost always will do the same work [as dealerships] much cheaper. Call around, owner's manual in hand, to find out, mindful that the quality of the work is more of a question mark.

* If you're using an independent shop for the first time, you might inconspicuously mark your old oil filter to make sure it has indeed been changed. And don't let them talk you into new wiper blades, new air filters or high-priced synthetic oil, unless your car is one of the few high-performance machines built for it.

* Never spend a nickel without a good reason-and good reasons can include spending money on something that's not broken.

* Buy the cheapest gasoline that doesn't make your car engine knock.

* If your car is overheating but you don't see a busted hose or lots of steam, it might be the $5 thermostat, not your radiator.

* Have [your oil filter] replaced as a part of your maintenance...rather than when it becomes clogged with grit, leaving you at the mercy of the nearest garage.

* A good mechanic is hard to find.

Another article that recently caught my attention was published in the LA Times: "Scamsters preying on military families: Dishonest repair shops, dealerships and lenders often take advantage of those in the armed services. A charity works to assist those in need." In this story, writer Ralph Vartabedian suggests there's an epidemic of unscrupulous shops that pounce on every opportunity to rip off women as soon as their husband soldiers are deployed.

One quoted source in the story acknowledges that "Crooked dealers and repair garages are exceptions in the industry," but that doesn't seem to diminish the writers penchant for demonizing our industry.

It would be foolish for any of us to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that our industry doesn't have problems. Surely, broad swipes such as these deserve our attention. But how?

For starters, I'd recommend you reread two articles in back issues of MOTOR Magazine (available on our website, www.motor.com). "It Turns Out Image Is Everything" (June 2000) and "How to Be a Media-Savvy Shop Owner" (August 2000) not only provide great detail on the PR problems we face, but offer a number of specific suggestions on how shop owners can help enhance our industry's image.

I'd also suggest that, if you haven't already, you familiarize yourself with the Be Car Care Aware campaign (details available at www.carcare.org) and put it to use in your business.

When all is said and done, probably the most important thing any shop owner can do to combat negative perceptions of our trade is to simply run his business in a way that would bore to tears any journalist looking for sensational headlines. M

John Lypen

jlypen@motor.com