30 Days of Gratitude: Honest Auto Mechanics
Today I dropped my car off at my neighborhood mechanic, Hawkins Automotive. Big deal? Well, for the last 15 years, I have taken my cars to their respective dealerships for routine maintenance and repairs. I wish I could say I had a really good reason for it, but truthfully, I placed more trust in a dealer mechanic, even if it meant I needed to spend a little extra money.
That said, I have taken both my cars in to Hawkins a handful of times over these last 15 years. They were always courteous, affordable, and did good work. I do not know why I didn’t just bring my cars to them on a regular basis.
My current car just crossed the 100K mile mark. It is in reasonably good shape. The battery died during a field training session in late August. When we attempted to charge it up, we blew the power steering fuse (apparently a common occurrence when you don’t know what you’re doing). Because I didn’t want to drive it all the way to the dealer, I brought it in to Hawkins and they replaced the battery and the fuse promptly. The cost appeared to be comparable to prices I had paid in the past at the dealer.
I then read a Car Talk article about things to check when your car has hit 100K miles. They also referenced their website where one can find local mechanics that have passed the Car Talk scrutiny for reliability, affordability, etc. Guess who made the list?
So Hawkins Automotive is my new mechanic for as long as my cars need repairs and I live in the neighborhood. It feels good to support a local business who already has a great reputation.