We’ve seen a few reviews and comments on the InterTubes lately with a common thread: “Tom Dwyer is expensive, but they’re worth it!” That’s not a bad comment to get and we’re obviously grateful that people see real value in our service, but ‘expensive’? Not at all! We don’t want to be your cheapest auto care option, but by putting your needs first, prioritizing all needed repairs, doing work right and standing 
behind it, and most importantly by NOT TRYING TO SELL YOU STUFF YOU DON’T NEED, we may be one of the least expensive alternatives out there…
‘Quality’ is not the same as ‘expensive’, and ‘cheap’ is not the same as ‘inexpensive’. ‘Value’ is the goal in just about any transaction; a fair balance between price and product. Sure, a consumer might get a screaming deal once in a while or a company might offer a few high-profit-margin products, but neither of those extremes can dominate for very long. Value is a long-term, sustainable balance between price and quality, and it’s why our company was created in the first place.
Every business has a business model- a plan for the product or service they intend to provide, the costs they’ll need to cover, how they’ll market and support it, and yes, what profit they’ll make. Despite our Lefty reputation we are a for-profit business and profit is not a dirty word to us. But businesses can either profit by charging appropriately for 
needed and valuable services, or by cutting corners, reducing value, overcharging, or hard-selling products a customer doesn’t need.
How our process saves you money
Every aspect of our company is built to spend your hard-earned money most effectively to keep your vehicle on the road safely and reliably, and to keep you coming back as a satisfied client. Our Service Advisors are non-commissioned to eliminate any conflict of interest, our Techs are paid Flat-Rate to ensure quality work from talented workers, our recommendations are based on the highest quality parts and supplies to reduce mechanical failures, and much more. Here’s how our process is designed to save you money, and make the money you DO spend the most effective…
- Putting YOUR needs first- Most shops make service recommendations based on mileage based service menus, not physical inspection and records management. These types of recommendations are based more on the shop’s gross profit more than a vehicle’s needs. We’re known for telling our clients when NOT to do a repair, or telling them when they can put off a repair until budget allows, or putting the most important repair at the top of a list rather than the most profitable one. As just one of many examples, a recent client’s brakes were showing wear but still had a little life left in them. A brake job in her situation would be a prudent recommendation that any shop could make with a clear conscience, but this particular client was planning to sell her car. We recommended she not do the brake job because the car was currently safe and the repair wouldn’t add sufficient sales value to her vehicle to justify the cost. (We also recommended she tell the buyer about the brakes!) While we lost the opportunity to make $1100, our client was happy and we know we’ll be seeing her again with her new vehicle.
NOT SELLING STUFF YOU DON’T NEED– This is the probably the single biggest way we save you money! How good is a low price on something you don’t need to begin with? Wow, you saved 50% on a fluid flush but your fluids could have gone another 6 months without worry? Was that a deal? Any vehicle owner may worry about whether they can afford the repairs their vehicle needs, but one question OUR clients NEVER worry about is “Do I really need it?” They KNOW that if we recommended it, they need it- Prioritizing all needed repairs– We actually know the complete history and conditions of a vehicle (when allowed) before we recommend anything. Your vehicle may have a long list of things that need to be done, but they won’t all be the most important. We prioritize all repairs in order of 1) safety concerns 2) breakdown prevention and 3) maintenance needs. For instance, it makes no sense to spend money preventatively servicing your cooling system if your brakes are metal to metal.
- Doing work right the first time– While many shops have a crew of less experienced and less expensive people led by a Certified Technician, our staff of (currently) 10 Technicians are all ASE-Certified, and half are ASE-MASTER-Certified. This means they know which repairs to do, when to do them, and how to do them right the first time.
- Standing behind our work– Of course, even the best Technician can make mistakes and even the highest quality parts can fail. It won’t happen often, but it WILL happen. When it does, we stand behind our work with a 24-month-24,000-mile nationwide warranty.
Wait, isn’t all that still expensive? No.
All those things add value; prioritized needed services, done right the first time, delivered on time and on estimate, backed by the best guarantee in the industry. We offer the highest quality at the lowest price we can, and that’s the very definition of value.
Fun Fact… A Fiduciary Responsibility is the requirement to make decisions in the interest of a client rather than your own business or personal interest. Accountants, realtors, lawyers, doctors, and many other professions have fiduciary responsibilities, because how could they function if their advice were tainted by conflicts of interest? You may be surprised to find that Financial Advisors don’t have a fiduciary responsibility! They are free to sell you anything, regardless of whether or not it is best for you. If a certain investment makes 5% commission for them but only returns 2% for you, it’s perfectly fine to sell you that one instead of one that makes 2% for them and 5% for you. You and your retirement be damned. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has instituted a rule requiring a fiduciary responsibility in investment but it’s being loudly and expensively fought by (surprise!) the investment industry. Click here to read more!
