Now, grease all over you from head to toe, and a doctor who will only give you a mysterious diagnosis. Enjoy a sunburst checked car that brings digital sense to light! If it happens to be one of the exotic European models like Mercedes, Jaguar or Audi which has won your heart then you are also not unacquainted with german car auto repair. These cars are wonders of modern science and they glide through streets svelte as a cat. But when they get the hiccups, it’s technology to the rescue.
Imagine lifting the hood and being met by a tangle of sensors, circuit boards and digital readouts. Synthetic oil and ultra-efficient enginized fuels–today’s repair shops would appear far more to IT pundits than grease-slick mechanics. Their magic wands now are not screwdrivers or spanners but high-tech instruments and advanced diagnostic equipment, combining speed and accuracy on the shop floor as never before it was done in history Nigeria.
I had a client–let’s call her Sarah–who came by the shop with an Audi making funky noises. Not singing, though it might have been trying to audition as backing for a rock band. Rather than fumbling in the dark and making random guesses, we plugged her car into our installed computer. In just a few minutes, we had the fault nailed–a misbehaving fuel injector. No problem, because of those digital mutterings.
Beneath the bonnet there are still more than just computers little more than collections of lines of code. Want fast service? Enter the quick-fix robot arms, turning hours of drudgery into moments. A robot never pauses for a cup of coffee. It just goes on and does the job. They are your pit crew in that garage. These machines are capable of taking on repetitive tasks, in turn allowing human workers to concentrate on more complex problem-solving.
But think about electric vehicles, like this one. At the same time quiet and unimaginably efficient, to be a mechanic today means electrician, programmer, and engineer all rolled into one package. Maybe they seem plain on the outside–a jellybean on wheels–but these little electricity-driven cars have more wires than Frankenstein did stitches. Thanks to software updates, today a poorly placed screwdriver isn’t necessary.
Ten years from now what cars will people be driving? Maybe one day they will run themselves, float in air, or sip electricity leisurely–as if drinking tea without any hurry at all. But for mechanics it’s a renewal of education, not just learning to operate high-tech instruments. They’re also getting back into school–great for keeping up with today’s techniques and keeping themselves moving stylishly ahead.
If you take a look at the modern auto shop, you might find technicians wearing special glasses. These are fitted with augmented reality devices that overlay digital information atop of real-world problems. With a gesture here and another movement there, a mechanic can call up detailed information, assembly instructions, even hints from the manufacturer. It’s practically as if Tony Stark stumbled into car repair; who knew magic could be so practical?
Preparing for Major Repairs
One day your ride’s purring–the perfect word–while cruising down the autobahn like a contented cat, next thing you know you’re on first-name terms with the driver of your tow truck. Such is life with a car, especially once you’re embroiled in something as demanding as german car auto repair. Whether you’re driving a stylish BMW or faithful old Volkswagen, to plan major repairs is a dance between precision and patience. Allow me to show you the process in a folksy way.
Let’s set the record straight in your car’s history, shall we? The history of your car is the history of your ride, its ups and downs, its flat tires, how it used to screech when the brakes were touched. Flip through your service records and take time to read them. Think that something’s up? Don’t just brush it off, add it to your checklist of repairs. Knowing in great detail what has happened in the past can make future problems easier for your loyal mechanic to diagnose.
Next, clean out the clutter. What fun it is to have all the objects of your daily life in one cloud of witness around you: it feels like home wherever you may be! Trust me, though. That driveway mechanic doesn’t have time for your gym kit and eaten apple slivers. And there are benefits in an empty car: your mind is a lot clearer once you get rid of papers, cups and bags. With the back seat down, you could practically have a yoga class in there!
Have insurance? Make sure it’s not just a paper tiger. Sit down with your insurance people and find out what they cover when it comes to repairs. While they do not cover everything, they might be able to help soak up some of the financial blow. Have a target number–the one where you start getting dirty looks from your purse. Talk to the mechanic and ask if the cost of repairs comes close to that figure.
Call in your support troops. It might seem like a one-man army out there, but your friends or family members can dispense advice equal to Solomon’s. They might know a decent mechanic, or they might have had the same battles with their set of wheels. Boil up the kettle, make yourself a cup of tea and have a good mardle.
Buddy up to your mechanic. you can’t go wrong. Find a unicorn (people will look at you funny if you call it that). Or try to locate someone who feels about your car just the way you do. Best of all – if no one looks at you like you just dropped in from Mars after reporting hearing a “clunk” and “ker-plunk” at once, then that is probably your new mechanic. A good mechanic is like a magician. They may not live in a castle but their spells at making the car behave can always be counted on to produce results!
Now let’s talk parts. Going with original equipment parts is a good idea, especially if you drive an uncommon make of car. Keep your options open but remember, a penny saved is not always a penny earned. What’s less expensive is cheap for a reason and cheaply made can go wrong on the road. Place out plenty for the best if you have to do it again in replacement parts later on — that will just age you faster. Now that you have everything shipshape, give your car an inspection. Tires OK? Brakes working smoothly? Oil topped up? If it is in good shape when it goes into the shop for service, then the mechanic can get right to work– saves time and saves money in the end.