Our answer to a client’s important question

One of the biggest complaints about the auto repair industry is the habit some shops have of selling unneeded repairs to naïve customers.  Most people are rightly cautious about this, so a main reason clients come to us is for the integrity of our advice.  We NEVER recommend any unnecessary services and we prioritize all our advice so you can make informed decisions about your options, but even our clients might sleep easier by confirming our advice against other sources.  This month someone did, but they found a significant difference between our advice and the advice of the manufacturers.  Who was right?  We think our answer to our client may give you an insight into the way the auto industry works, and maybe a little peace of mind if this ever happens to you…

Email from Jim E…

I took [my Yaris] to your shop for an oil change and inspection.  I was told the automatic transmission fluid is dark and the transmission needs to be power flushed.  The rear brakes also need to be cleaned and adjusted.

Before doing it myself I checked online, as I could find no transmission dipstick.  Imagine my surprise to read that Toyota recommends the fluid not be changed *for the life of the car* and that power flushing can *seriously* damage the transmission.  I also found that the rear brakes require *no* maintenance until there is a failure of the shoes or wheel cylinder.

I started taking my wife’s car to you because I thought that, supporting a progressive station like KPOJ, you would have higher standards than the gas station on the corner.  I’m sorely disappointed.  I expect supporters of progressive causes to have integrity and to display it.  I hope that this was a one-time fluke, but sadly, given that this is the second time your service manager has recommended *completely unnecessary* procedures, I’m forced to question that integrity. 

So… why should I bring my car back to you, again?

Our response…

Hi Jim,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us.  You said you thought we recommended unneeded services to you, and I want to correct that right away.  The integrity and accuracy of our service recommendations are two of the biggest reasons people come to us, so we take any issue with that very seriously.  We never advise any service to a client unless it is necessary to their safety, prevents breakdowns, or makes sense for the maintenance of their vehicle!  You had several specific criticisms related to your Yaris that I should address individually, but I think if I can explain what we recommended and why that you’ll have no qualms about bringing your car back to us for many years to come.

The two issues you raised were our recommendation that your transmission needed to be power flushed and the rear brakes needed to be cleaned and adjusted.  I need to agree with you on part of this, because we shouldn’t have used the term “power flush”.  For many cars “power flush” is the best procedure for transmission fluid changes, but the correct procedure for the Yaris is indeed “drain and fill” (which is what we would have done in servicing).  However, the ASE-Certified technician inspecting your vehicle checked your transmission fluid, noted that it was discolored, and recommended it be changed.  I do apologize for our inaccurate wording, but we stand by the basic recommendation.

On your brakes, while the rear brakes on most vehicles do adjust automatically they still need attention. Rear brakes can wear irregularly and loose tolerances, fail to adjust properly, and/or become glazed.  This causes the rear brakes to stop performing their share of the stopping force, creating undo wear on the front brakes.  Shortened brake life, warped rotors, and increased stopping distance can all be caused by rear brakes that do not do their share of the work.  Again, we stand by our recommendation for brake maintenance.

The fact that our recommendations disagree with the Yaris owner’s manual doesn’t mean your service wasn’t needed, but I certainly understand why you are bothered by the discrepancy.  Yes, Toyota says that the fluid doesn’t need to be changed “for the life of the car” and that the brakes don’t need maintenance, but they may have a very different definition of the car’s life than you (or we) do.  To you, the life of the car means “as long as you own it” but to Toyota, the life of the car means its “expected design life”.  This subtle difference has very real implications.  For example, there is no such thing as “lifetime transmission fluid”.  The fluid in your Yaris breaks down over time like all transmission fluids do. It could very well make it to 100k miles without being replaced but the damage to your transmission will not be undone by a fluid replacement at that point. The Yaris has a design life of about 100,000 miles, meaning that if you follow the Toyota recommendations your Yaris is expected to reach the end of its service life in another 62,000 miles.

This ambiguity in wording is becoming more common throughout the industry.  As cars get more expensive manufacturers are doing everything they can to increase their price advantages over their competitors, especially on the economy models.  “Overall Cost of Ownership” is one of their prime competitive areas.  To lower this lifetime cost they are stretching prudent recommendations to their breaking point.  As just one example, oil changes should be done about every 4000 miles (less often with synthetic oil), but if the manufacturer recommends changes every 6000 miles then they’ve cut the lifetime oil change expense by 33%.  (I’ve seen recommended manufacturer oil change intervals as high as 10,000 miles!)  This lowered cost of maintenance is an important sales point for them, but not in your interest if you intend to keep the vehicle for as long as possible.

There are at least two strategies for planning vehicle maintenance. One is the “use it up” plan, in which the owner puts the absolute minimum maintenance into the vehicle with the knowledge that it will have a shorter useful life.  The other is the “take care of it and drive it until the wheels fall off” plan, in which repairs are made and maintenance done proactively to extend the life of the vehicle as long as possible.  There are many valid reasons to follow either path, and we do offer different advice depending on which path our client is on.  Our default position, though, is extending the useful life of the vehicle.  This is the position we assumed with your Yaris recommendations, perhaps incorrectly.  If your intention actually is to run it as cheaply as possible and then get rid of the vehicle at about 100K miles, then it would be fine to follow the owner’s manual standards.

Your letter brought up the points that our recommendations differed from what you found online, and that you expected more from us than from the gas station on the corner.  The more you know about your vehicle the more useful our services will be to you, so we encourage our clients to educate themselves about their vehicles.  The net is usually a good place to do it.  Please feel free to check anything we tell you against any source you can find, but please also understand the difference between general online information and vehicle-specific advice from ASE-certified personnel based on inspection of your specific vehicle!  The net cannot diagnose, much less fix your vehicle, and it can’t explain our advice.  If, for any reason, you have questions or concerns about what we told you please call us!  Our Service Advisors will be glad to answer any question you might have… that’s why they’re here!

Finally, here a few of the most important differences between us and the corner gas station…  Unlike the corner station, our Service Advisors are salaried, not commissioned, meaning they have no incentive to sell you anything you don’t need.  Our Techs are paid hourly, not flat-rate, so they are incentivized to care for your vehicle as a whole as well as to take the time to do each repair thoroughly and correctly.  And, unlike the gas station, we are one of the very few ASE Blue-Seal Certified shops in Portland, ensuring you have the very best facility caring for your vehicle. Everything we do is intentionally designed to respond to our client’s interests, which isn’t usually the case with a gas station.

I’m glad you first got to know us through KPOJ, because the philosophy I was able to convey there is the philosophy I’ve built this company on.  I want clients to come to us with the highest possible expectations!  Through every repair we do, through every conversation with a client, through the quality and professionalism our employees bring to their work, we do our best to live up to those high standards every day.  If you ever think we missed the boat in some way, please don’t assume it’s because we’re being dishonest!  Call and let us explain.  We aren’t perfect and we do make mistakes, but I can assure you that you’ll never see a situation where we knowingly advised you to do anything that’s not in your best interests.

There’s the owner’s manual, the internet, dealer recommendations, and our recommendations. You’ll find variances between them all, and which one you follow depends on your individual ownership goals and who you chose to trust.

I hope this answered your basic question- “why should I bring by car back to you again”.  We think that the more you understand our recommendations and services, the more useful we will be to you and the happier you will be as a client.  If you have any further questions our Service Advisors will be glad to help, and we look forward to seeing you on your next visit!

Sincerely,