Professional Auto Care

Hello again. Chet from Professional Auto Care here in cold, snowy, but beautiful Rochester, New York. Today, I want to talk a little about Brakes. I know many of you have gone to a service shop and been quoted anywhere from $59.99-$400.00 for a brake job. I am sure the feeling most of you get is why is there such a price swing when it comes to brake jobs. Well I have the answers for you.

There are 5 costly misconceptions about having a brake job done:

#1. All brakes are created equal, so the only thing that matters is the price.

#2. If I’m quoted a higher price it just means that they make more profit.

#3. A lifetime warranty is better than a parts and labor guarantee.

#4. My next door neighbor’s kid can do my brakes the same as your technicians can.

#5. If I’m hearing a squeaking sound, it means I need all new brakes.

Ok so # 1 – All brakes are not created equal and here is why. There are many types of brake pads available today. There’s metallic, semi metallic, organic, and ceramic. Now, metallic and semi metallic are the most common, but not the best in quality. When it comes to quality, semi metallic are very abrasive and cause excessive heat and wear on your rotors. They also happen to be the cheapest of them all. Organic brake pads were the replacement for the asbestos brake pads of the early days. Organic brake pads are made from natural materials liked glass and rubber, as well as resins that can withstand high heat. These are good brake pads, but not for all cars and trucks. The best type of car would be a light-weight small car that is not subject to aggressive braking. Finally, we have ceramic brake pads. Ceramic brake pads are made from ceramic fibers, filler material, bonding agents, and they may even have small amounts of copper fibers within them. Because they’re mostly ceramic, these brake pads dissipate heat well, which keeps performance strong, even after repeated hard stops. They also don’t break down very much with repeated use; that means they produce less dust than other types of brake pads — and the dust that they do produce is lighter in color and doesn’t stick to the wheels. So, as you can see, there are many types and qualities of brake pads available on the market today.

Lets move on to #2 – In most cases, if you’re quoted a higher price, it means that the shop is using better parts. This is not always the case and it’s very important for you to find out just what your paying for. Professional Auto Care of Rochester, New York always uses the best quality brake pads (ceramic) and rotors for your vehicle. This is for the simple fact that we believe in quality and safety. This will allow your car to perform as it was designed and your brakes will last longer. We are always here to answer any of your braking questions. If you end up at another shop and you question what they are doing or charging you, please feel free to call us.

Here is a good one, #3 – A lifetime warranty is better than a parts and labor guarantee. This is never true.  When you hear a shop offering a lifetime warranty this comes with all types of gray areas. This usually means that they will install cheap semi metallic pads. When this type of brake job is performed, it’s never for the customer’s best interest. What happens is the pads will wear out very fast and cause premature wear to your rotors. When you do your homework, you will find that this “lifetime warranty” will only cover the pad and never the labor or rotors. When you get a brake job that comes with a labor and parts guarantee, you’re in great hands. This type of warranty will cover the parts as well as the labor. This also means that the shop will be using the best quality parts on your vehicle due to the fact they must stand behind them for the term of the warranty.

How about the next door neighbor’s kid doing your brake job? This brings me to # 4.  The neighbor’s kid might be able to install the brakes on your car or truck. The problem with that is there are many things that a technician does to your brakes that most people don’t know about. The calipers need to be cleaned and inspected. This will ensure that your brakes are applying evenly and equally. There are also torque specs that the calipers need to be set at. It is most important that a brake job is done thoroughly and completely in order to ensure proper brake application. This will in the long run equal longevity of the brakes as well as the quality of the braking.

How about when you hear a squeaking noise when braking? #5.  If I’m hearing a squeaking sound, it means I need all new brakes. This is not true in most cases. When there is a squeaking-type noise when braking, there can be many causes for this. Brake dust on your calipers or a sticking caliper are the most common causes of a squeaking noise. It also can be something as simple as an adjustment or a simple cleaning of your braking components. When you hear noises from your brakes, it’s best to have a shop inspect your brakes. Professional Auto Care of Rochester, New York is always here to provide answers to all your automotive needs. In almost every case a simple call or visit to our shop can save you time and money.

Stay tuned for my next post: Get a complimentary, unbiased opinion from me anytime, anywhere you need it.

Chet

I was driving to work this morning and thinking to myself, why would anyone drive in the winter without snow tires ?
I think that’s a great question.
Well the answer is no one should.
It is the best investment a person can make all year long.
I drive down the highway and see people driving to fast or to slow some sliding all over the place and I wonder “is it really worth the stress or the chance you could hurt yourself or maybe someone else ?”
NO is the answer and a good set of snow tires is the KEY.
Well after making it through the war zone that is the can of worms I get off the 441 exit and here comes a car sliding right at me……..I speed up and it just missed me……..He rolled down the window and said ” Sorry !I should have bought some snow tires” I simply responded with a business card and a smile.

I know there are a bunch of you Professional Auto Care customers that already have had us install a set of snow tires and I am sure 100% sure you all agree with this post.

Till next time,

Chet
Service Manager
Professional Auto Care

Well, it’s been two days now that the phone at the shop got ‘disconnected’. To say I’m upset and angry would be the understatement of the century. Through a paperwork error our phone ‘provider’ had our account mixed up with another business that closed more than two years ago, and closed all the lines. One of which was our main phone number. I spent two days on the phone, talked with every person at the company, explained over and over again the situation, and still my phone has not been restored.

So to anyone that tried to call us Monday September 21st or Tuesday September 22nd, I apologize.

The idiots at the phone company were insisting that I pay someone else’s 4k (yes that’s right four thousand dollars) bill in order to get my phone restored. Given that I’ve probably lost more business than that because the phone isn’t working, I guess it might have been to my benefit just to pay it, but I felt that it was extortion, and told them so.

Finally after hours upon hours of talking with this person, and then that person, I got someone who actually cared, and wanted to help me, instead of just transferring me to another person. They actually apologized for how I’ve been treated, and took it upon themselves to resolve the issue. Thank you to this person.

If you’re reading this, and need to call the shop, the main number is (585)

I’ve been working on a new business project for a while now, and things are really starting to come together. I’m having so much fun. It’s been great.

I’m going to be starting a new blog targeted just for that business, because I have a lot to share that is specific to it. Then I’ll be using this space more for things relating to my auto repair company.

I wish you all a great weekend,

To your success,

- Bob

I am amazed at how distrusting most people are. I guess I’m strange, I grew up believing that people are mostly good and sometimes make bad decisions, or poor choices that hurt others. I don’t know if I’m alone in this belief, but I think I might be in the minority.

I trust people. Until they give me abundant evidence not to, and even then I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. I can say that without a doubt, this trust has cost me tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, during my business career, but I still tend to trust first, and question second. On the flip side, being a trusting soul has made me more money in an hour, than most people make in a year. It’s given me the opportunity to work with some very talented individuals, and some bums.

I guess I’m one of the last idealists, that we can live, love, be happy, have money to do what we want, and when someone says to me, buy this it will help you get where you want to go faster, I trust them.

Thank GOD I do, the decision to trust someone I never met, plunk down a thousand dollars, and go on blind faith, has made me over a million dollars, and continues to do so.

I see this as a feeling of security that allows me to trust like this, somewhere deep inside, I know that I may loose some money if I trust, but I can make more of that, time, I’ll never get back, and that’s far more important than the money.

I’ve wasted enough time, trying to figure things out on my own, now, I will pay the experts, and trust them to get me the results I need. It’s worked for me so far, and it will continue to work for me for a long time to come.

Trust, it’s important, in business, in life, and yes it will get broken from time to time, deal with it, move on.

- Bob

I’ve been working like a wild man for the past few months, and the benefits are starting to pay off. I feel like I’m really getting a great handle on the important things in terms of what to spend time working on, and what to let go.

I’ve been having a great time lately and enjoying my life a lot more than I have in the past. I love the adventure of helping small business owners ’see the light’ and start to gain control of their business. So many are lost like I used to be, working so unbelievably hard to make little or no money.

I can help… and I know it, and it’s so exciting to see them learn grow and move in a positive direction.

Onward! Charge!

I’m not sure what happened, but I’m feeling energized and on a roll again! I set up a few business meetings that are exciting for me, and I’m going to be flying to Tampa, FL in August (I know I must be nuts, it’s likely to be like 100 or more) for a presentation that I think will be fantastic.

I’ll be reconnecting with a good friend and business acquaintance, who’s a real dynamo in her own field.

My other projects are off and running, and so far, I’m pleased as punch. Today I feel really good.

As a side note, I watched the old movie ‘The Hustler’ and then ‘Color of Money’ the other night, and man I love those movies. Being a pool player, those movies warm my heart, I don’t know if it coincidence or not, but my pool game is better than it’s ever been!

Write more soon,

- Bob

I don’t know what it is lately, but I’ve been having trouble sleeping, I feel lethargic all the time and I just generally feel like crap. I hate feeling this way, and I’ve tried a bunch of stuff to ’snap out of it’ to no avail. I do my daily routine, and at the end of the day, I’m so exhausted all I can do is hit the couch. I know I need (want) to do better, and yet I find I’m having a very difficult time doing it. With everything I have going on right now, I would think that I would be excited about it, but I’m not. I think I’m suffering from a bit of depression. I can’t put my finger on why, but I know the symptoms, and before any of you write me to tell me I’m clinically this or that, let me just say ‘I KNOW!’ .

Life as a business owner is tough. No matter what level you get to, there’s just another adventure waiting for you around the corner.

I guess I’m mostly just tired. I feel like if I could sleep better, I’d feel better, but some how my brain isn’t co-operating right now. Damn it.

I’ll feel better soon, but right now I feel like taking an carrying an automatic weapon with me and laying waste!

- Bob

Well, some time has passed since I’ve written, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to write again. A little while back, I separated from a business partner, for a lot of reasons.

This move forced me to plan, write and execute an entire workshop on my own. It was a tremendous amount of work, and I was totally exhausted going into the event yesterday. It was also a raving success. The group’s energy was high, the information and ideas flowed and it was great.

I’ve always thought of myself as a confident and capable person, but leading that group, and signing up other people (many of whom are much older than me) into my group re-affirmed my self confidence. I do know what I’m doing, and I was really glad I made the move I did.

I have finally found the thing I love. I love marketing, and I love computers, I guess I always have, and I love teaching and inspiring people. This is the perfect balance of all of those things.

I’ve heard time and again that when you find the thing you love, it’s not work to do it, and now I’ve experienced that myself. Yes, I was beyond exhausted after yesterday’s meeting, but it was an excited exhaustion and it didn’t feel like work, it felt like home.

Running this group, striking out on my own, all a bit scary, and all so worth it.

39, and finally coming into my own, finding my place…

and I am happy.

- Bob