The Point of This Article, Up Front
No need to scroll to the bottom to get the main point of this post; let me provide it up front to get it out of the way right now, before we go into the "why."
It is as follows:
When it comes to Brooklyn autorepair shops, don't take your car to the nearest auto shop, take it to one stacked with auto mechanics who have experience & specialization in repairing your particular make and model. The superior auto service of a shop specializing in working on your specific car is actually the most convenient and prudent thing to do in the long run for the well-being of your investment in a powerfully engineered European car.
To understand why this is so important for you as an owner vetting auto repair shops, let me provide one of the best customer stories to illustrate this point.
THE STORY
About a month ago, a new customer came into our auto repair center in Park Slope Brooklyn looking for answers concerning some symptoms her BMW was experiencing.
She was a mother of two living in Bay Ridge Brooklyn and worked full-time. So needless to say, she was busy and time was precious.
Before buying this BMW, she owned a Honda and would take it to the nearest auto repair shop to her home. For years they did a great job and she had nothing but positive experiences with them.
So when she bought the BMW, in her mind, there was no reason to take it to any other shop.
This shop was just around the corner from home and always did a good job with her Honda. So if and when her new BMW needed maintenance or had a problem that required attending to, she would take it to the same shop she always went to before.
"Why go anywhere else? A repair shop is a repair shop," she thought.
THE PROBLEM
Then one day, her BMW engine began to see the yellow engine temperature light coming on.
So she did what she always had in the past when the car she owned needed to be looked at; she took it into that same auto repair shop.
She dropped the car off and waited for the phone call that would explain what the issue was and what they recommended be done.
After the shop had a chance to look at her car, the phone call came.
And when it did, the diagnosis was not as firm as what she'd get whenever she took her Honda in to them. They "thought" the issue was this, but it could possibly be that, but they wouldn't know until....and so on and so forth.
But it was too vague for her liking. She didn't feel the certainty she needed before she signed off on the work they were recommending.
Eventually (and thankfully), as a savvy mom, she was smart enough to not allow herself to get tied down to this shop for this job, because of past work on a different make and model. Once she realized her new BMW is not a make and model they specialized in and did not customarily service, she began a search for other shops in Brooklyn that did in fact specialize in servicing BMW.
After careful and meticulous research -- searching on Google, evaluating various Brooklyn shops' digital presences, reading customer reviews, combing through website content to get the sense that the shops had extensive experience with European cars -- she decided to reach out to us and schedule an appointment.
2 days later she and her BMW were in our shop and a day after that she had her diagnosis: a failing water pump.
We explained to her that the electric water pump tends to fail after 50,000 miles and that yellow engine light was one of the warning signs. We also explained how the electric water pump is an integral part of the cooling system and should be replaced every 50K miles as preventative maintenance. This helps avoid being stranded on the side of the road when the car enters limp-home mode and damaging engine/cooling system components as a result of overheating. Not to mention the astronomical costs she'd incur if it got to this point.
LESSONS LEARNED
The lesson to take away from this customer's story is that, had she moved forward with her old shop that did not have experienced mechanics specializing in her make and model, the real problem would not have been dealt with. Left untreated, this problem would have inevitably turned into catastrophic failure that would have cost her thousands and thousands of dollars to repair.
Therefore, please know that if the auto repair shop that's slightly further away is better suited to service your particular car, you shouldn't think twice about driving to them. Do not fall into trap of going to a shop just because it's the closest one to you.
WHY CHOOSE MINHS
If you are the owner of a a European car in Brooklyn NY, Queens, Manhattan, consider the following things about MINHS Automotive:
- We're a family-owned shop in business for 25 years right here in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood.
- We are one of only few facilities providing auto repair in New York, who offer 3 Years – 36,000 Miles Nationwide warranty on our services. A piece of mind only few auto repair shops in Brooklyn, Queens and New York can offer.
- We offer brand-specific services for European cars and have the best experienced mechanics in Brooklyn specializing in European cars.
Our expert technicians can recommend the right maintenance services to help prolong the life of your car and avoid costly repairs in the future. Stop by today and pick up a free print-out of your vehicle manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule.
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