Cars have become pretty reliable these days but, of course, they still need proper maintenance and, occasionally, things do go wrong. Our expectations of them have also advanced with the technological improvements and we don’t expect much to go wrong. And when things do, we want the fastest, most reliable way to bring things back on track. We don’t have time to waste and, most likely, our car is an essential ‘tool for living’ that we really cannot afford to be without.

Unexpected glitches and even scheduled maintenance can present headaches we don’t need, especially when we are called by the auto shop and asked to make decisions about work on a vehicle we enjoy driving but, frankly, have little technical knowledge of what happens under the hood or anywhere else in the vehicle. That’s not to say we should, either. Modern cars are complex, with computer systems specifically designed to reveal little of their developing issues to the casual observer, until and unless things get so bad that a warning light comes on or something breaks.

First, you need an unbiased, expert opinion

So, how do you overcome the angst and enjoy a healthy, knowledgeable relationship with your car and your auto shop? Thankfully, technology has ​advanced in that area and you can now enjoy the auto shop experience in a stress-free way. However, your primary concern at the outset is getting an unbiased, expert opinion on the condition of your vehicle and what it may need, rather than what someone may want to sell you.

It is important that a vehicle owner or lessee knows there is a way to get an inspection of their vehicle from an honest, un-biased expert, who can provide knowledge of its present condition and ​explain options about future service life and reliability expectations based on that condition.  Having that in a digital high-tech format is a bonus. The primary benefit to the vehicle owner is that they can make an informed choice ​as to whether ​it's best to invest in their vehicle, to keep it reliable and in good operating ​condition, or to replace ​it. ​And they need to know the expected cost for either choice.

Our expertise at The Garage ​gives the vehicle owner the knowledge they require and the cost to bring the vehicle up to date with any catch-up maintenance or repair and the expected average annual costs​. The cost of replacement in not our expertise.  ​Those costs, and the costs of deprecation can be ​researched online​, although we can have a brief conversation about that to help ​with research.

​Help from technology - there’s an app for that!

​In terms of sharing information about the vehicle's condition and maintenance requirements, at The Garage, we have invested in technology and training specifically designed to make sure that our customers get the fastest and best quality service, with absolute clarity on the customer’s part, in a way that puts them in control of their choices. ​And our customers love it!

Here’s how it works.

1. The customer books their car in for maintenance or a repair.

2. The Garage performs an agreed inspection.

3. Our technicians inspect the car and records observations on a tablet.

4. An inspection report is stored in the cloud , which is immediately available to the service advisor and a link is emailed to customer.

5. The customer reviews their inspection report on their smart phone or computer and calls/emails The Garage to clarify and agree their service and repair options. Any agreed work is carried out.