I thought I would take this opportunity to reiterate why this website exists and why I want you to ask me questions or suggest topics to talk about. One of the main reasons I left the automotive industry was because I felt like it was a sinking pit of agony and stress for the consumer; and I was tired of being one of the few who actively tried to better the industry's reputation. During my 10 years in the car world, I had been asked to lie in court, been taken advantage of, I've burned every inch of my body by hot oil or metal, injured myself in a dozen different places, been screamed at by customers due to buyer's remorse, and was consistently dropped on my head every time I tried climbing the moral ladder. I always felt like I owed it to my customers to be honest and under promise over deliver, but when you are the only one on such bandwagon it can really take a toll on your attitude towards your every goodwill initiative.
One of the actions I started to take to overcome the bad reputation hurdles was to start Car Clinics and present helpful tips to anyone who would listen. My first clinic was a "Woman's Car Care Clinic" which I hosted at a park district meeting room in Munster, Indiana. I had probably a dozen women show up along with a local newspaper. This purpose of the clinic was to provide simple tips about car maintenance and safety. In the picture you will see the a variety of "keep in your car" items that I brought with. I've continued these clinics ever since and have probably conducted 50 of them over the past 13 years. Ultimately, through doing these clinics I came up with the idea of creating this website. In a sense, these individual posts are my free car clinics to you.
There are so many great resources out there where anyone can research and ask questions about cars.
Auto Facts.org is a website built by an ASE technician, and he provides a ton of information about service repair and new or used car purchases. In fact, I spent some time on this site prior to building mine, just to understand the type of content that is out there. Now this particular site has a fair amount of technical terminology and can be difficult to navigate, but still a good resource. For those who are car enthusiasts and want to read a blog that is geared around new vehicles or concept vehicles and reviews, the
Daily Torque is an interesting site to explore. If you want just strait, easy to find data about new car and used car pricing, like I mentioned in my previous blog,
Kelly Blue Book.com is a wonderful resource that is used by the industry itself.
What I want to provide you is more than any other blog or website that I have found. I want to talk to you as a consumer who is in the know. I want to shatter the mirrors and blow the smoke away to bare the reality of what really goes on in the showroom or service department. I will have stories to tell, facts to give, and most importantly, I eagerly wait for your suggestions and topics. Any question you may have, I can give you an answer. So please interact with our site, enjoy, and thank you for your continued readership.
Making Sense,
Chris