MURPHY'S LAW

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Murphy's Law
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This law is most certainly in effect if you have a deadline to meet.
Sometimes it pays to "fix it before it breaks". Preventive Maintenance
Prevents Emergencies.

I watched an artist do a portrait of a person in just a few minutes. Using his talents and the skills he had learned, he produced a good likeness with seemingly little effort.

A good technician is an artist. He/she can take a difficult problem and solve it, many times with little effort; using skill and experience as tools.

If you want a portrait, don't come to us.

Time is our most important nonrenewable resource. We should use it wisely. Much effort and time is wasted in solving the wrong problems. Hence the axiom, "a problem identified is half solved". We believe that no repairs should be attempt without proper diagnosis of the problem.

Even with the best equipped shop and well trained, experienced technicians, Law #3 may still apply. When planning for service and/or repairs always allow for adequate time to include "Murphy's Third Law."

When referring to objects that looked alike, I remember my father saying, "They are just like two peas in a pod." This of course meant they were identical.

When it comes to auto parts, looking alike does not mean they are identical. There are many less expensive look-a-like parts being sold that are much inferior to the parts that they are to replaced. Often they will even be marketed in very similar packaging. Although there are after market parts that are equal to or better than original equipment parts, these parts will probably be similar in price to the original equipment parts. If the price seems to good to be true, beware, the cheaper parts my not measure up to the original equipment standards.

We use only quality parts, that are warranted for 4000 mile / 90-days or longer. Saving a few dollars now may cost you many dollars down the road.

I can add only one comment to this very pessimistic view. It will most likely happen at the most inconvenient time as well.

We cannot guarantee that you won't have problems on the road, but we can help you to set the odds in your favor by suggesting that you exercise Preventive Maintenance. Have your vehicle thoroughly check at least once a year and perform the services suggested in your owner's manual each 30,000 miles.

I believe that this is a much abused answer to often very obvious problems. It is true that we are having to adjust to certain drivability conditions, but these are minimal. Most problems, once identified, can be corrected by strictly adhering to adjustment procedures and identifying, repairing, or replacing faulty components. The biggest headache we face today is the 'intermittent problem'. Often these situations cannot be identified unless the problem can be duplicated while in the hands of the technician.

This is a real problem in today's marketplace. There are several things that can affect an estimate. First we need to identify what an estimate is.

Webster defines the word as: 1. A rough calculation, or
                                             2. an opinion or judgment.

In order to make a proper estimate, all the facts must be known. What repair is needed? What parts will be required? Are the part available locally? Will this job require sublet work? How much time will the job take? The list is endless, but the more we know the more accurate the estimate will be. Often there must be updates to the estimate as work progresses. With all this in mind,

We are here to serve you and don't want you to be disappointed that you have put your faith in us.

When you are making the decision about where to take your vehicle for diagnosis or repairs, there are some guide lines to keep in mind.

Reputation: Good place live by it. Do you know someone who has used them?
Qualifications: Are the Technicians ASE certified?
Equipment: Do they appear to have the proper tools and test equipment to do your job?
Neatness: Cleanliness and order usually go along with efficient technicians.
Guarantee: Do they back up their work?
Longevity: How long have they been in business?  Will they be here to honor their warranties?

The real solution to a problem corrects it. All to often, the 'Band Aid' approach is taken, with the though that money is being saved. An incomplete solution, or treating the symptom rather than the cause, does breed new problems. It usually cost more money in the end as well.

We believe it is wise, when making repairs, to identify areas of weakness and correct them before they become a problem. This not only saves you money, but adds miles of reliable service to your car, too.

This is certainly a truism in the auto repair business.

Often a tune-up is scheduled, and upon testing is found that other repairs are needed before the car can be properly tuned. Or maybe you need a front-end alignment and find that suspension parts must be replaced before an alignment can be made.

When you get this kind of news and you have any doubts, we encourage you to get a second opinion. The technician could have made a mistake.

This brings to mind the Pre-Purchase Checkout Package we offer. We believe it is prudent to spend a few dollars to see what the condition of a vehicle is before buying it. Although our checkout procedure is exhaustive, problems can develop that were not noted.

Pre-vacation checks are a good investment, also. We can minimize your travel worries for a nominal fee.

We are all conditioned to having problems, or should be. By experiencing setbacks, we can better appreciate the good things that come our way.

At Bryant Automotive, we realize that in our repair work, we will have problems. If you are not satisfied with our service, we want to know.

It is my dream that, someday in the not too distant future, our Bureaucrats in Sacramento and Washington will recognize the wisdom of this law. We are constantly bombarded by new regulations designed to protect us from decision making.

I believe that the making of decisions and having to accept the responsibility for those decisions is paramount to the educational process of the individual.

We, at Bryant Automotive, know the pleasure derived from working on your own car. (Most mechanics started this way.) Sometimes you can save yourself a few dollars in repair bills while having the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

Often, however, tinkering can be very expensive. Knowing your limits is the secret. Can you answer YES to these questions? Do I have the "know how" and the tools needed? AM I SURE what the problem is? It MAY break anyway.

Communication is one of life's greatest problems. To effectively communicate requires the use of words both by speaking and listening.

Words are merely vehicles to convey messages. It matters little what is said, the importance must be placed on what is heard.

We try to keep these facts in mind when talking with our customers, yet at times, we still have a gap in our communications.

Remember this law when discussing the auto repair industry with your friends.

For a number of years, the automobile has endured major changes. New technology is still being introduced almost daily, electronics playing a major role in the changes. The auto repair business has also changed. Expensive and sophisticated testing equipment is require, technicians must constantly learn new systems and methods of diagnosis, and during the repair process, a majority of the cost are in diagnosis. Be prepared to pay for diagnosis, your car cannot be repaired until the problem is known.

Another problem connected with a hasty decision is that of error. Much too often when pressed for time, a problem will be misdiagnosed, or an incomplete repair made to a system.

To guard against these problems, we desire to have your vehicle left with us, allowing adequate time to diagnose and effect the repair without urgency.

We realize that there are emergency situations. We will do our best to deal with them.
"Just remember the saying...Haste Makes Waste!"
Murphy's Law #19 - "If there is a 50% chance of success, that means there is a 75% chance  of failure."

It is that kind of thinking that makes mediocre technicians. They approach a problem with this attitude and when the first attempt to correct it fails, they give up.

We believe that a 50% chance of success almost rules out any chance of failure. Attitude is more important than aptitude.

It is that kind of thinking that makes mediocre technicians. They approach a problem with this attitude and when the first attempt to correct it fails, they give up.

We believe that a 50% chance of success almost rules out any chance of failure. Attitude is more important than aptitude.

Unfortunately, this law can apply in the Automotive Repair Business. It seems that quite often too much time is spent looking for a big problem when a vehicle is malfunctioning. The very obvious is sometimes overlooked.

We believe in complete diagnosis, that is, checking the whole system that is affected. This is the only way you can repair the problem rather than just the symptom.

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Last Updated: 09/09/2010