A Great New Business Idea!

You know what we really need when it comes to cars and garages? Independent diagnostics and inspection centres, places where they won’t do any of the actual repairs for you, just check over your car and let you know what’s wrong with it and what needs to be done to repair it. Unlike today’s garages, there will be no benefit for them to tell you that you need something done on your car that you really don’t. And they won’t lose any business if they tell you that all you really need is a shot of lubricant in your door lock rather than replacing the entire locking mechanism. Then if you actually want the work done, you’ll have to go to the garage of your choice for that.

This will eliminate what I believe to be a serious conflict of interest that currently exists at all car repair facilities. When they inspect or diagnose problems on your car, it’s in their best interest to recommend not just what really needs to be done, but everything that possibly needs to be done. The problem is that they don’t always distinguish between the two. If you know anything about cars, you can sometimes tell what really needs to be done and what’s optional when presented with a repair estimate. But if automobiles are rocket science to you, you're at the mercy of the mechanic or customer service agent. And they're not above making things sound far more serious than they actually are, sometimes frightening you into work that is optional rather than essential.

I don't care how much they talk about serving the customer and doing things in your best interest, human nature is human nature! My experience shows that in most cases, a repair facility’s interest in maximizing revenue takes priority over your interest in minimizing expenditures.

Independent diagnostics and inspection centres. A great, new business idea from Mike! Well, actually it was my wife’s idea… But I’m sharing it with you :P