Automotive shops are in the business of repairing vehicles, but there are times when fixing a car is not in the owner’s best financial interest. How do you know what is the best decision if you are ever put into this situation? We all know that things eventually break down/wear out ……soles on our favorite shoes, tires on our bicycle, cushions on our lawn furniture and yes, even our cars. It does not matter if you are driving a Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan, Toyota or any other vehicle…..they all eventually come to that point where you need to spend some money or just focus on replacing them.
The ideal scenario is to have your car regularly serviced by a mechanic who will keep an eye on your vehicle’s “health” and provide you with items that will need attention so that you can prioritize repairs and not have to spend a lot of money at once. It is never a pleasant conversation with someone who we’ve not seen in 2-3 years that comes in with a laundry list of things wrong with their vehicle. At that point we are REPAIRING the vehicle, not servicing the vehicle. Had we seen the car for regular oil services and maintenance earlier, we could very well have stayed ahead of the items on the list and saved the customer a lot of money in the long-run. Mechanics are the trusted individual that, when given the opportunity, will honestly provide you with information that aids in the decision of how you spend your money. Do you tackle all of the items on your vehicle’s “To Fix” list or do you go car shopping ?
Anything worth keeping is worth putting effort (and money) into. Only you know what your vehicle means to you…sometimes the repairs on a vehicle are monetarily more than the car is worth. However, a stroll on the car lot will quickly put into perspective how expensive today’s new cars are. Is it better to spend money now to keep the car that you know everything about …..you know how often oil services were performed, tires rotated, when spark plugs were installed, timing belt service performed, etc. If you buy a new car, is the $500 a month car payment worth it or do you spend the money now to fix your car. If you buy a used car, you may know NOTHING about that vehicle’s service history.
Whether we are servicing your brand new VW Jetta TDI or repairing your 10+ year old Passat, Das Autohaus will provide honest insight regarding how best to care for your vehicle. Call us at 520-8523 to schedule an appointment.
