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Why do car repair shops always assume you can leave while they work on your car? (lemmy.world)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

11 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Serious question. I only have the one car. I know there are people with more money than sense that have more cars than they can actually drive at a time, and that there are couples who may or may not be able to drive their SO to the mechanic. But how can they _assumef that I can even afford a cab, well Uber these days, when I'm about to have them hundreds of dollars getting my busted-ass, POS car fixed?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

But how can they _assumef that I can even afford a cab, well Uber these days, when I’m about to have them hundreds of dollars getting my busted-ass, POS car fixed?

Because they're not your parents, and its not their job to be responsible for you between the time you give them your car and when they contact you to tell you its ready for you.

The shop's statement of "you can come back in 3 hours to pick up your car" isn't saying "we know you have other resources for transportation during the time when we're working on your car" its the shop using a social shortcut to say "your car is unavailable to you for 3 hours while we work on it, and we have no need of you until then. You can go away for 3 hours and it won't interfere with our work".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Where I'm from most shops loan you a temporary vehicle while they work on your car. You only need to top the tank when you tske it back. Very convenient. Not that I could even afford to own a car myself.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

They assume that, by driving your car to them and paying them to repair it, you are an adult who can actually figure shit out for yourself.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Because that's what 90% of their clients do.

Why does a realtor/bank make you put your address on the application to buy a house? If you're buying a home, why would they assume you already have one?

Honestly, I don't think they "assume" that you'll do anything other than give them a car to work on and pick it up and pay when they are done. Whatever happens before, after and in between, isn't their problem.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Adding on to this: the repair shop I take my car to is too far from my house for me to walk or bike back, so I just walk the shops in town while they work on my car (unless they tell me ahead of time it might take more than one day to diagnose+repair, in which case I ask a friend to drive me back home after dropping off the car).

It's less that they "assume you can leave", but rather that it isn't really their problem. They need an uncertain amount of time to work on your car, depending on the issue being repaired, and you can leave if you want to during that window.

If there's nowhere for you to walk/bike to nearby, you just gotta sit and wait, which I've done on a handful of occasions. Just sitting in the lobby and reading some outdated magazines for an hour or two. It's boring, but what can you do?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Adding on to this: the repair shop I take my car to is too far from my house for me to walk or bike back, so I just walk the shops in town while they work on my car

in washington, oregon, california, nevada, arizona, new mexico, texas, illinois, new york, new jersey, pennsylvania, georgia and florida; the best car shops tend to be in the industrialized areas with no shops nearby and while the most overpriced car shops are nearby other shops. i hope you're not spending too much $$$ on your repair bills.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Nah, I just live in a rural area. There's closer shops to me, but a very honest local business I've been going to for years is a bit further away and it's worth the extra distance for their service. They're a fantastic shop and they've always done great by me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I’ve been going to for years is a bit further away and it’s worth the extra distance for their service. They’re a fantastic shop and they’ve always done great by me.

i'm convinced that there's some undiscovered natural law out there that says a mechanic's artisanship is proportional somehow to their distance and inconvenience for you.

an of course half the city has heard about them before you, so they're completely booked for the next decade or so. lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Yep! These guys are booked solid around the clock. I have to schedule well in advance any time I want to take my car to them, unless I want to camp out and be the first customer when they open at 5am. Worth it, though. They're good people.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They don't. My local shop has a waiting room with coffee, sodas, Wi-Fi, and seating/desks. Plenty of people (myself included) bring their work with them to the shop while their car is fixed. Also I've definitely seen people driving around loaner vehicles from dealerships before which is kinda a solution?

But you're right that it sucks that our society has designed places where it's impossible to get around without a car. My car shop is a short bus ride from my house or a slightly longer walk. If I take my car to the dealership, which is farther away, home is a bike ride away or I can go to the shops nearby. I'd guess this is the case in most denser urban areas except maybe some US cities which are just terribly laid out.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

A independent car shop I know has created a small "Coworking space" along the usual waiting area. If you bring your car for a half/full day repair you can book one of these spaces for a small fee (5 or 10 bucks). (he even offers them for a small price for external customers if he has capacity).

It includes small offices (full wall,not cubicles), Wifi with a fiber uplink, etc. and works really well for him - a few major companies around here switched towards his shop for their fleet.

We sadly can't use him, as we have a long term rental/lease and that requires a network shop of the brand.