My Subaru passed its 90,000 mile checkup at the dealer’s service center in January. In March, summer swooped in.
I turned on the AC. Tepid air.
A friend tells me it needs to be “recharged.” Probably low on freon, he says.
I call the dealer’s service center. How did you miss that? I ask.
(You should fix it for free!)
That’s not part of the 90,000-mile checkup.
(Color me pissed.)
I call my local auto repair shop, and the new manager sounds way too eager to get his hands on my car.
(Color me suspicious.)
My auto-savvy friend tells me to take it to a shop in Ranson where they still use their eyes and ears to figure out what’s wrong with a car.
I do.
A young man politely scrawls my concern on a pad.
I’ll call you when it’s done.
How much, you think?
$300 to $1,000. Depending, of course.
(Yep. It’s always “depending.” Of course!)
He calls the next day.
Your car is ready. $297.
(Color me relieved.)
I enter the small front office. The young man is behind the counter. An older man with greasy hands sits in a chair nearby. He’s the owner.
(Color me in a good mood.)
I’ve come to pick up my Mercedes. You repaired its AC.
What?! There’s no Mercedes here!
(Color them perplexed.)
We repaired a Subaru’s AC.
What?! I entrust my Mercedes to you and it comes back a Subaru?! You’re kiddin’, right?!
(Color them bewildered. And then tickled. They get it.)
God is good, the owner exclaims.
I brought my first car here 52 years ago, I tell him. It was an Opel Kadette.
As it turns out, the owner had three Opels himself back in the day. He tells me about each.
God is good.
(Color him Pentecostal, I think.)
Where do you usually service your car?
I tell him.
I wouldn’t take my wheelbarrow there!
Right. I now have my doubts, too.
What’s your name?
I tell him.
I know your son. And his wife. Good people. God is good.
We chat on for 15 minutes or so.
I say, thanks again for the good work. And the good price. I’ll see you again.
As we shake hands, he says: By the way, what do you think of Trump?
“God is good” is all I can manage.
(Color me cowardly.)
It has been said, “Discretion is the better part of valor.” Sometimes wise discretion, given circumstances, has the final word.
I was once told, “if you don’t know furs, then you had better know your furrier.” That advice works for auto mechanics too.
At the same time, while I support discretion, don’t hesitate to let folks know how you feel without launching into an hour long diatribe. However, one must make such calls at any given moment.
Yeah. Resistance hits different in a small town in a red state. God is good. We found one another in this jewel in paradise. A couple thousand folks turned out yesterday in the Eastern Panhandle to answer the mechanics question for you.
Randy, what a wonderful story, I find it’s always better dealing with “less sophisticated people”, than the “know it all” ones! Anyone who is supposedly helping you should be able to talk with you not at you!! Thanks for the reminder!👍🙏
Wonder why he asked and how many Trump supporters drive Subarus?
O, such a great story! One of the best things about living here is the people, & a down to earth display of hard working, fun loving folks. Your answer was true, & guided by connection. And yes, we answered in the multiples of hundreds yesterday here – millions across our great country, seeking to repair from the bottom up – with firm determination, wit & resilience!
God is Good…& Good Trouble is a way of saying Thank You! 🎶O Beautiful …God shed…Grace on thee; & crown thy good with brother/sisterhood – from sea to shining sea🎶
We talked about those moments of not speaking up in Sunday School today. We’re reading and discussing An Unlikely Lent, by Rachel Billups, and it has been refreshing. Today was a chapter on Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemus. They had concerns about what would happen if they spoke up about their true feelings, so they didn’t, BUT they showed up when no one else could do what was needed for a decent burial for Jesus. They took risks then. Good discussion followed about the whys, and of course, we can’t know. Even when we don’t speak up, we can show up, as your mechanic did by ethical and capable work. Anytime we find someone like that team is a gift in this life. Glad you found them!
“What do you think of Trump?”
“Not much–and God is good.”
There is an auto shop near us named “Honest Auto Repair.” Kind of reminds me of “I’m not a crook.”
lol – reminds me of the old auto repair shop “ Manana Motors “… their motto was “ We may be expensive, but we’re slow” – just tellin’ it like it is/was…