Maintaining your vehicle in a pandemic

Strange times

If there was ever a year to have a downtick in regular health screening and well being checks, it seems like rather odd timing that 2020 would be that year. Here we are, though, and as I read through an article from U.S. News in June describing the decline in primary care visits and subsequent spike in delayed diagnosis, I couldn’t help but notice some similarities with our “patients.”

The article described a surgeon in a small town in Georgia who had treated only one ruptured appendix in nearly 15 years, as appendicitis is relatively easy to diagnose in the early stages. However, in the month of March alone, this surgeon had treated two ruptured appendixes (yes, I double checked the plural spelling, haha), and the complications are much riskier when treated at that point. In April, FAIR Health reported a 68% decline in the use of health care services, much of which was due to the concerns of contracting COVID-19.

Keeping up with your vehicle’s needs

Much like your body, your vehicle needs regular checkups and maintenance. Sometimes, an idle car needs more attention than one that is driven on a regular basis. Nobody likes to go to the doctor, but we do see the value of preventative checkups and would rather not go to the ER. One trend that we’ve noticed this year is more maintenance being deferred and more vehicles coming in broken. We can fix broken vehicles, but it gets more expensive and time consuming than the investment of regular maintenance.

Every time you bring in your vehicle to us, we go through an extensive 30-point inspection to make sure that your car is running safely on all cylinders. We share this inspection with you and photos are included of any issues. We want you to understand what is going on under the hood in order to be able to make a sound decision to keep up with your vehicle’s needs and what makes sense for you.

We are continuing safe distancing practices in the shop, with all employees wearing masks and sanitizing work stations and your vehicle. Our team will gladly pickup or drop off your vehicle, or you are welcome to drop off with our overnight key drop. Contactless payment is an option, too.

Not sure what needs to be maintained routinely? Don’t worry, we’ll keep you well informed, and one place to start is with an oil change and tire rotation. Give us a call and we’ll get you taken care of. Stay safe and we hope to see you (from six feet away) soon!