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, sometimes buyers get screaming deals and sometimes companies sell high-profit products, but neither of those extremes can dominate very long. Value is a long-term, sustainable balance between price and quality, and value is the goal our company strives for.
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. We, too, are a for-profit business and profit is not a dirty word to us. But businesses can either profit 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 hourly (instead of the industry-standard Flat-Rate) to ensure the time and focus quality demands, 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 it can be…
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 well-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 prudent advice 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 repair recommendations
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 Service Advisor can give mistaken advice, 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… the best in the business.
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 NOT expensive… it’s the very definition of value.
|
Some vehicles ARE beyond repair Posted on November 10, 2015 When I started in the auto service industry in the seventies, I was told “no vehicle was ever beyond repair”. Those used up vehicles weren’t economically totaled rolling illusions; they were “ROSES”…, which is true… from a repair shop’s viewpoint. I knew these “ROSES” were money pits and while the shop would profit; the owner would lose in the end. A Shop lives to repair; so few cautions are ever issued. Requested repairs will be performed whether they make economic sense for the client or not. Poorly maintained vehicles tend to gobble the most money right before they die … it can be a waste trying to squeeze out those last few miles. Our clients trust us to give solid advice that’s in their best long term interest; … we’ll recommend against repairs when we know it’s the right advice to maintain loyal clients for years to come. Vehicles should come and go, but client relationships should endure. |
