With today’s cars, the benefits of regular maintenance aren’t always easy to detect. You can spend a few hundred dollars for a repair, yet the car doesn’t seem to run any differently than before. But Ralph Kirberg, owner of Kirberg Motors in Belmont, suggests you do the maintenance nonetheless.” Over the lifetime of your car, it’s still very much in your best interest,” he says.
Mr. Kirberg suggests you hire a mechanic who’s willing to communicate with you openly about your car. They should show you the parts that are malfunctioning and explain why they failed. The effect, he says, is “amazing. When people know what’s happening with their cars, they feel better about the repair process. The value is there.”
Mr. Kirberg also believes people should have at least some baseline knowledge about their car. An obvious starting point, one that few vehicle owners even bother with, is the owner’s manual. It contains a wealth of information, from tire pressures to typical service intervals. And it’s written for the uninitiated, not mechanics.
If possible, says Mr. Kirberg, take your car to a repair shop that specializes in your particular make and model. Every vehicle has its own idiosyncrasies that a specializing mechanic can pinpoint much more quickly. “If your technician isn’t as knowledgeable about your vehicle, or doesn’t have the proper tools, it’s going to take much more time,” he says.
