Wilma got a repair quote that was both unexpected and expensive – It’s always a good idea to get a second opinion

Hello Loyal Beaverton readers.

Thanks to all of you who have written and called in. I greatly appreciate it! With all that is going on in today’s world, there is also a shortage of new and used vehicles causing vehicles prices across the board to shoot up through the roof! This means that for many of us, it’s more important than ever to take care of the vehicles we have instead of buying in a sellers’ market.

It’s okay to get a second opinion

A few weeks ago, I received a call from a elderly widow named Wilma who recently took her 19-year-old car to the dealership for routine maintenance. She was shocked when the service advisor came back saying she needed a water pump, timing belt and front engine seals totaling $2700! She was a bit surprised at this since the vehicle had the timing belt and water pump replaced only a couple years ago at this very dealership. She had also driven less than 7k miles in that time.

Needless to say, she was suspicious and instead of getting the repairs, she went home, picked up her copy of the BRG and called me, the Beaverton Car Guy, to ask if all this was actually possible.

Wilma obviously needed a second opinion and since I live just a few blocks away near Hart Rd., I told her I’d be right over to help, free of charge.

Wilma’s car did not need expensive repairs

Upon arrival, Wilma greeted me and opened the garage door revealing a near perfect 2002 vehicle (model omitted to protect the privacy of the dealership in question). I inspected the engine from above and below and didn’t see anything wrong with any of the items the dealership mentioned. And for a car almost 20 years old, there weren’t even tiny leaks, none whatsoever! Sadly, I explained to Wilma that she had been misled about her vehicle’s condition. On the contrary, her car was in near-perfect condition.

Try an independent repair place

With trust in her dealership gone, she asked where else she could take her car in for maintenance so I happily gave her some options for a few good and honest independent repair shops in Beaverton. I was happy to be of help and prevent her from being taken for a ride that she could not afford.

In conclusion, while there are many good dealerships in town, just like independent repair shops, you can’t trust them all. It’s okay to say no to a pushy service advisor trying to sell you expensive repairs. In fact, getting a second opinion is probably the smartest thing you can do before saying okay to expensive repairs.

If you have comments or questions, please feel free to reach out to me: fergusonautobrokers@gmail.com or visit fergusonautobrokers.com

If anyone would like to save time or money, I would love to help you with the purchase or lease of your next vehicle. Have a car you’d like to sell? I can also help with that too!