• Please don’t rush us to make an on-the-spot diagnosis. We need time to analyze the problem to give you accurate feedback. We will call you with our diagnosis, the course of action we recommend, and an estimate of repair costs before we begin any work.
• Please be sure to leave a telephone number where you can be reached. If we cannot reach you for an approval, we won’t begin the work, and that could delay your repair. To avoid that inconvenience, you may borrow one of our pagers (free) so we can page you when your estimate is ready.
• Please review and make sure you understand all our policies regarding labor rates, guarantees, and acceptable methods of payment.
• Feel free to ask as many questions as you need. Do not be embarrassed to request definitions of technical terms.
We work hard to help you properly maintain your car, but we can’t do anything without your help. The best way to avoid potentially expensive or unexpected repairs is to try to prevent them in the first place. Over time, parts will wear. You can extend the life of your car by servicing it regularly, and by being attuned to any changes.
• Please read your owner’s manual to learn about the vehicle’s systems and components.
• Follow the recommended service schedules.
• Keep a log of all repairs and service.
• Use all of your senses to inspect the car frequently.
When you inspect your car, check for:
• Worn tires, belts and hoses.
• Problems in handling, braking and steering.
• Vibrations.
• Unusual sounds, odors, drips, leaks, smoke, warning lights and gauge readings.
• Changes in acceleration, engine performance, gas mileage, fluid levels.
Identifying problems early will help to minimize any collateral damage that could arise. So get to know your car. It may not have feelings, but it can tell you when something is wrong – if you know where to look.
Oil becomes "dirty" over time and miles. This "dirt" is made up primarily of exhaust material that is left in the engine when fuel (gasoline in most cases) is burned. This material is corrosive. Over time and miles the amount of this material in the oil increases and combats the oil’s ability to lubricate.
When you consider that the changing of fluids is one of the most important aspects of maintaining your investment, the next most logical question might be, what happens to those old fluids? From the very first day, Swedish Specialists felt they should be environmentally responsible. The shop floor is kept clean with mops and biodegradable solvents.
The traditional way is to spread Stay-Dry (a form of dried dirt) on any spill and the dried dirt is swept up. This soiled dirt eventually goes into our landfill which pollutes the ground water.
At Swedish Specialists the solvent used to wash parts is never discarded, but recycled by periodically running the fluid through a sand filter which removes grease and dirt. Used oil is collected in a 500-gallon tank and is eventually used to heat asphalt. Antifreeze is collected in a 250-gallon tank which is picked up and transported to a facility where the glycol is extracted and used in manufacturing.
We are the only shop that I know of that collects brake fluid which has to be disposed of as hazardous waste. The Swedish car manufacturing industry is very environmentally conscious these days and so is our shop!
Well, maybe you don’t have to imitate the sound exactly. Differentiating between a whir, chirp, buzz, grinding noise or clunk will probably be descriptive enough. The key is to communicate to us, your technicians, as much information as possible about the problem, particularly if the problem is intermittent.
The reason is simple. Automobiles today are technological marvels. The days when mechanics could visually inspect and repair much simpler mechanical-based ignition, braking, suspension and other systems are long gone. Automobiles are more complex than they ever were before. Digital computers now monitor and regulate everything from fuel flow and air mixture to ride comfort and more.
You might think that, with all the technology in cars today, finding a fault or problem would as easy as hooking the car up to a diagnostic computer. Unfortunately, computers do not always pinpoint problems easily or accurately, especially if your problem is intermittent. That’s basically because technicians cannot necessarily duplicate your problem in our shop. The same goes for road testing. Nowadays, it’s difficult or next to impossible to attach your car to all the proper diagnostic equipment and take it out on the road.
That leaves technicians with two choices. First, we can give your problem our best educated guess. Taking this course of action involves replacing parts until we have solved the problem. This clearly is not the most cost-effective approach we can take to repairing your car.
Your Help Puts Us Ahead Of The Curve
Or, you can help us by telling us as much about the symptoms as you can. When you do this, we start with a much better frame of reference from which we can begin assessing and diagnosing your car’s problem. Your help will enable us to narrow down what systems need to be inspected, save us time, and reduce your repair costs.
When you bring your car in, we will ask you plenty of questions about the symptoms you may have observed. Please be as specific as possible. For instance, let us know whether the problem occurs during acceleration, under braking, while cruising at a steady speed or only at a specific speed. Believe it or not, weather can affect your car’s performance, too. So we will be interested in knowing if the problem occurs on rainy days, on hot days or on cold days. If the problem is more prevalent when your fuel tank is low, that would be something we would want to know. Likewise, any unusual sounds that you can relay will hint at where the problem lies.
Communication is the key. Ultimately, we want you running and back on the road as soon as possible with all your service and repairs performed correctly the first time. So the next time your car goes, “pitter tut pop, pitter tut pop,” let us know. It’ll give us a leg up on diagnosing your problem.
Know Your Car, And Tell Us What You Know
When a problem occurs, the more you can describe about its symptoms, the better. Here are a few parameters that will help us accurately diagnose the problem:
• Is the problem constant or intermittent?
• When did the problem first occur?
• Does it occur when the vehicle is cold or when the engine has warmed up?
• Does it appear at all speeds?
• Only under acceleration?
• Only during braking?
• Or, when shifting?
• Does it happen only when going uphill or down?
• What is the weather like when the symptoms appear?
• What kind of noise does your problem make? A grinding, a whir, a chirp, a clunk or a buzz?
It is a good idea to list the symptoms you observe and bring that list to our shop. We would also appreciate it if you were prepared to discuss those symptoms with us. Tell us as much as you can, and don’t worry about relaying information you might not think relevant. In this case, more is definitely better because it will help us trim your repair costs.
