Car Repair: City vs. Town

The driver-side window in my car had stopped working. I took the car to a local mechanic shop we’ve used before and had them find out what was wrong. We paid for the diagnosis and got an estimate for the repair: $350.00.

The city and area we live in is expensive, especially for things like car repair. We usually end up taking our cars to my hometown for any major work. My dad knows all the good mechanics there, and we can trust them. Every time we’ve taken a vehicle to my hometown for repairs, we’ve saved between $100 and $300. It’s always been worth the drive and time. Besides, I usually spend the day hanging out with my dad while the repair work is being done.

So, the diagnosis for our power windows was that we needed to replace the master switch in the door. My dad set up an appointment with a mechanic he knows in my hometown; my dad was having the man do some work on his own car, too. When we dropped off my car, I told the mechanic what the previous mechanic in my current city had said: the master switch was bad. (But I didn’t tell him how much the other guy would have charged for the work.)

My dad and I ran errands in the morning, and then went back to check on the car. The mechanic confirmed that we needed to replace the master switch. He said I could get a switch from any parts place, or the dealer, or even a junk yard, and popping it in would be easy. So, we swapped cars, leaving my dad’s car for its work, and taking my car. The mechanic left the switch hanging out of its place in the door so we could see it and have easy access to it.

My dad and I called several parts stores for a master switch, but no place had one—it’s strictly a dealer item. The only dealer was in another town, half an hour away, so my dad suggested we check with junk yards.

The idea of getting parts from a junk yard doesn’t sit real well with my mind, but I know people (including my dad) who have gotten parts from a junk yard and never had a problem with the part’s function or appearance. So, I was willing to see what we could find. To help soothe my concerns about junk yard parts, we learned the price for the master switch: The dealer told us $120. The various junk yards we called said between $25 and $65.

Every junk yard we called told us they had the part. But when we got to the junkyards, none of them actually had the switch for the model car I have. We came so very close to getting a really cheap part every time we tried a yard, but we ended up just wasting time on searching. The cost savings would have been great if just one of the promises had come real. As it was, we had to just go to the dealership for the part anyway.

At the dealership, when the parts salesman gave us the part, he told us the price was $150. I told him we were quoted $120 on the phone before we drove out there. He asked us who told us that, and said that price was just not right. I insisted we were told that price. He told us that the only way we could get that price is with a manager’s approval, but the manager was on the phone. I said I’d wait. Although I didn’t tell him, I told my dad I’d give them five minutes to handle this, or I’d walk out. I was not going to be dealt with like that. I marked the time on my watch, but the manager came into the situation in only about three minutes.

I had already figured up the probable total cost with tax, in my head: around $132. I was willing to pay that, but not more. When the manager and salesman finished their discussion, I was getting it for $120 total, including tax. The salesman gave me the bull about “Don’t tell anyone how much you got this for—it’s below our cost.” Yeah, that’s standard salesman smoke. So I walked out with the switch for the total $120.

My dad and I popped it into place in the parking lot. When we got back to my hometown, we went and picked up his car from the mechanic. He asked if we got the switch. We told him what we had to do to find one, and that we installed it ourselves. He didn’t charge me any cost for his confirmation of the diagnosis.

So, for going to my hometown and having a small-town mechanic, known to my dad, check out my car and advise me, I saved $230 (66%) on a car repair. This just supports my dislike of having to deal with car mechanics in my current city.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com