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Cars

Fine-tuning personal service

Auto repair shops cost less, and service is more personal. But they face mounting odds.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published January 28, 2005

TAMPA - When Thomas H. Pendleton answers the phone at his garage, he always identifies himself as "Tom Senior."

It's force of habit. Thomas Pendleton Jr. hasn't worked with his dad for several years.

"He's gone into computers," Thomas Pendleton Sr. said. "And he's doing his best to get me to do the same."

For years the two Thomas Pendletons worked together at Certified Auto Repair Service in Sulphur Springs. The younger Pendleton's departure is a symptom of a wider phenomenon.

Independent automobile mechanics, experts say, are a dying breed. Rapidly increasing costs on almost every front are forcing established garages out of business. And there aren't enough new ones to take their place.

"There just aren't as many young people going into it," Pendleton said. "There are easier ways to make money."

Part of the problem is the rising costs of doing business that affect independents in almost any field. Rent, licenses and insurance all cost significantly more now than they did even a few years back.

Tam Duong has run Tam's Quality Auto Repair, now on E Hillsborough Avenue, for about 30 years. He's seen his insurance rates skyrocket since he started out in Seminole Heights.

"When I was on Nebraska Avenue, I paid about $1,500 a year in insurance," Duong said. "Now I pay $9,800 a year. And I've had only one small claim, with a $500 deductible."

Mechanics also have to deal with costs that other independent businesses don't face. Because cars are getting more complicated and sophisticated every year, mechanics have to keep buying new tools and equipment to keep up.

Diagnostic equipment has to be upgraded every single year, Pendleton said. Each year's upgrades cost hundreds of dollars more than those of the previous year. And after a few years, upgrades don't work anymore, and the equipment itself has to be replaced at a cost of thousands of dollars. For a family business, that's a huge investment - maybe even a prohibitive one.

But it's not just major investments such as diagnostic computers that are making for tight times in the auto repair business. Tools are becoming more specialized so mechanics have to buy more every year. Mechanics might have to invest in a pricey tool that just does one job on one single car.

Even manuals can represent a significant expense.

"I've gotten interested in hybrids and I ordered $400 in manuals just for one model," Pendleton said. "It's just too much."

Okay, so there may not be as many mom-and-pop garages a few years from now. Maybe in 20 years there won't be any at all. Is that really going to matter to the average motorist?

"I think what will be missing is a personalized level of service, if you have that," said Gregg Laskoski, a spokesman for AAA Auto Club South.

There's nothing inherently wrong with having repairs done by dealerships or big chains, Laskoski said. Indeed, he said, chains and dealerships are often the best choice for some cars and some kinds of repairs. And some drivers may simply feel more comfortable with a corporate garage.

What's important, Laskoski said, is finding an ethical shop, whether it's a chain or an independent.

But he agrees with Pendleton and Duong that the mom-and-pop places offer a different style of service that will be gone forever if the independents fade.

"If you call a chain, you're talking to the service writer or, if you're lucky, the service manager," Pendleton said. "You won't talk to the guy who's actually going to be working on your car."

Dealership service departments have a built-in customer base through warranty work. Independents need every one of their customers; they rely on repeat business, and they build their clientele almost exclusively through referrals from satisfied customers.

So an independent garage looks after its customers and their cars in a different way than chains typically do, Pendleton said.

Pendleton relates a story of a customer who came in because his car was vibrating. The problem was worn motor mounts. The warranty wouldn't cover the repair because the mounts weren't actually broken; the dealership wanted several hundred dollars to replace them.

Pendleton provided another option that the dealership hadn't mentioned. There was no safety concern, so the customer could just leave in the worn mounts and put up with the vibration for a while.

The customer took that option, and the mounts lasted another few years.

It's that kind of service and advice that sets independents apart, Pendleton and Duong both said.

And Duong said there's often a more immediate and concrete difference. The chains may be able to better absorb the costs of specialized tools, glitzy waiting areas and fancy computers, but it's the customer who ultimately pays.

"The dealer has a lot higher expenses," he said. "At a dealer you might pay $100 to $125 an hour, even up to $150 or $200 an hour. We charge like $50 to $75 an hour."

[Last modified January 27, 2005, 09:33:08]