Repairing Your Car or Buying a New One

We are fortunate to have so many regular customs that are just plain awesome. One our favorites Julie recently came recently needing close to $1800 in maintenance and repairs. The question so many customers have to decide is do I want to put this much money in a ten year old car or purchase new. Well there are several ways to look at this issue.

In Julie’s case her car needed a timing belt, water pump, oil change, brake and transmission flushes. Her vehicle is a 10 year old Lexus with only 98,000 miles. Julie made the choice to have the maintenance done to her car. This car should last another 5 - 10 years with regular maintenance.

Vehicles made in the last 15 years are not made like they were years ago when your car’s odometer rolled over to 100,000 miles it was time to get a new car. They just weren't made to last 200,000 - 300,000 miles. Any Toyota or Lexus made in the last 15 years should last 200,000 - 300,000 miles or more. (My 2011 Toyota made Scion XB has 317,500 miles on it and runs like a top)

Everybody loves a new car however perhaps not so much when it comes with a $500 - $600 a month car payment. That’s $6000 - $7000 a year that could go to so many other things such as bills, vacations or savings.

I have to say last year I went through a period of “new car fever” and started looking for a new vehicle. I liked this one and especially that one with all the new bells and whistles. Ahh the new car smell and look. No scratches dents or dings. It was almost like a touch of insanity entered my mind. The thought I then remembered was how glad I was when I made that last payment and the previous months looking forward to not having a payment.

Well so far I have not purchased a new car and actually my car did breakdown last week. Fortunately it was an inexpensive repair. I have only spent $550 in repairs in the last 15 months and still feel very confident in my vehicle’s reliability. This is not to say I won’t buy a new car in the next few years however I like the extra money in my bank account for now.

This is all food for thought mostly about not being afraid when your car is getting a little older or around 100,000 miles. New cars are nice however so is money in the bank.

(And I do still have that new car itch, I’m just not willing to scratch that itch...yet)

Chris

A/C Issues, The Summer Heat is Coming

With the temperatures hitting the 80’s the Summer heat is just around the corner. I mentioned to y’all before that my A/C is one of the top NEEDS in my life. (I would rather starve and be very cool than suffer in the Summer heat. I think I can live longer without food than A/C.) One of the worse things that can bring me down is sitting in Atlanta traffic with a malfunctioning cooling system. (2 Summers ago my A/C broke and the shop was busy and could not get it repaired for a couple of weeks.) That being said how’s your air conditioner working ?

Is it time to have your A/C inspected and repaired ? When you come in for an air conditioning inspection or service our technicians will complete the following:

• Inspect the air conditioning cooling ability
• Check the refrigerant level and pressure
• Overall visual inspection
• Examine all A/C and cooling system hoses for cuts, abrasion, weak spots, and signs of leakage
• If your system is low on refrigerant a dye test will be performed to find the source of the leak.
• Replace broken and worn out parts
• Add refrigerant as needed

Hopefully your air conditioner is keeping you cool as a cucumber if not give us a call before the Summer heat and humidity wears you out.  

Don't forget about our other shop Atlanta Hybrid Repair. AHR is equipped to handle all your Toyota and Lexus service needs. AHR is smaller, so often it's easier to get an appointment. Gas powered and hybrids are welcome. Located at 5630 Peachtree Blvd. 1 mile away from the main shop across the street from Wendy’s and the Kia dealership. Call Robbie for appointment at 770-492-7437

My Car Broke Down Yesterday

Driving down Peachtree Industrial yesterday all of a sudden my car started running roughly. The check engine light and another warning light started flashing. I then became an average guy freaking out wondering if my car was going to blow up, stop in the middle of the road or barely make it off the road. Fortunately I was able to make it to our other shop. Whew !

When this occurred I had no idea what was wrong and I was imagining the worst. My mind was spinning. Do I need a new engine, thousands of dollars of repairs, can it be fixed, is my car worth repairing, what am I going to do ?

Well as it turns out one of my coils went bad and my car was only operating on 3 cylinders instead of 4. Depending on the vehicle, this is typically a $300 - $600 repair. I was fortunate that I drive a Scion XB and this was only a $300 repair.

I just wanted y'all to know car problems happen to everybody even us. Thankfully I have people I trust to diagnose and repair my vehicle same as you. This made me feel really grateful for my fellow employees and their expertise repairing broken down vehicles.

I do want to say is if your car breaks down it stinks however it’s going to be OK because you have people who you can depend on that will always give you the best options possible to get you back on the road as soon as possible. Our motto is “Work done right, on time and at a fair price”