Mechanics

I can't stand having car trouble and yet it never fails that every couple of months I have it. I thought by buying a newer car I could escape this bad luck with cars but that was not the case. My extensive car troubles have given me the opportunity to be a customer of a lot of different repair shops because I really haven't found one worth returning to for future repairs. Now I know everyone hates mechanic shops because they overcharge, they try to fix things that you didn't ask for, they make you feel guilty because your car has problems, they make you feel like an idiot because you don't know everything there is to know about cars (this one is funny considering the number of times they don't know what's wrong with a car, and the number of times they fix something and yet the original problem still remains), They charge outrageous amounts for labor (the hourly fees probably rival some physicians), their shops are dirty, the workers are dirty, they take forever, and they seem to think telling us the part didn't come in is an adequate excuse for a simple repair taking a week when we know full well that parts can be delivered within 24 hrs just like anything else in the world.

My question is simply why? why are mechanic shops this way? Is it impossible to operate them differently? are all mechanics and mechanic shop managers the exact same so that no matter what the shops they work in will always perform in this manner?

Now I must give you my solution. What follows is a potential business that I believe would be a gold mine for whoever pursues it. I don't particularly want to be in this business so I am ok with you guys stealing my idea, good luck to you if you do.

Open a mechanic shop that has adequate parking, with actual parking spaces, not just open space where cars are smashed whereever they will fit. Have a very visible sign that says your name and that you do "all kinds of repairs on all kinds of cars", none of this foreign only or domestic only junk. Have a clean lobby with plenty of clean and comfortable seating. Have a clean cut person working the front counter that takes all the customer info and is able to accurately quote a wait time to have the vehicle diagnosed. Offer customers a beverage while they wait. When telling the customer the diagnosis explain thoroughly what is wrong, what likely caused it, what will be done to fix it, how much it will cost and how long it will take. Give the customer to option to watch the work being done on their vehicle, and have the mechanics explain to them what they are doing while they work. Ask the customer if they would like to be told other potential problems with their car or other things that the mechanic can do regarding maintenance. If the customer says no, then leave them alone. If they say yes, simply suggest one or two things, don't overwhelm them with $5000 worth of work. Also, if their repairs happen to be and outrageous amount, like over $2000 offer a payment plan, like bill them for half of they amount. Warranty your work, a lot of mechanics do but they don't point it out to the customer, make sure the customer knows to bring the vehicle back if there are any issues, and call the customer after a week or two to make sure the car is running properly. This is the basic format to what I think could be a great business. Customer service has been almost completely lost in the auto repair industry, whoever sets out to bring it back is likely to make millions.

If you have any great mechanic experiences please feel free to share, if you have any horror stories share those as well, I'm sure you'll find plenty of sympathy.