On the first real sunny day in a good long while, it’s a lot easier to look forward to vacation plans and believe that summer, that fabulous Northwest summer, is really coming our way.
If your summer plans include one or more of those all American road trips, you might also like to include a little pre-trip appointment with one of our very first local business sponsors: .
There’s nothing worse than a car full of kids miles from the nearest rest stop with a steaming engine, steaming tempers and visions of a budget breaking tow to the local mechanic who will surely have you between a rock and a hard place.
While I’m not a big fan of the Republican’s version of the preemptive strike, Hawthorne Auto Clinic has developed a very nice comprehensive inspection program that I’ve come to think of as fabulously preemptive . . . . and probably the most sane thing to do with my money and my time in relationship to our family van.
I’m by no means an expert on vehicles but I have figured out that problems come in about three flavors: items that have to be changed at some point like tires and belts (so you might as well do them before the road trip instead of somewhere inconveniently in the middle), items that aren’t ever supposed to break but sometimes do (no fair blaming the mechanic for not catching them in time), and, my least favorite, really expensive items like that $800-$1,150 timing belt replacement that could or could not break mid trip and take a whole chunk of the car out in a spectacular catastrophe.
If I bring my car to a mechanic and ask him to “do me a favor” by looking it over just to see if something needs doing, as honest as he is, there’s a big temptation to find something that needs doing so the effort is worth his time.
At the Hawthorne Auto Clinic, Jim and his wife Liz and all their great staff take the wonder and worry out of that whole process by having a set rate: $96 per vehicle for poking and prodding around your engine, charging system, cooling system, brakes, steering, suspension and tires, drive train and all those pesky lights and accessories. They keep the price even and their knowledge up to date by only working on 1990 and newer family cars (no sports cars).
What I like even better than the important things they might find while inspecting my car is the way they communicate everything back to me. This is not a chain store with a one size fits all print out or a one man shop with a quick, gruff run-down while you’re surrounded by greasy parts with the sweet smell of diesel in your lungs. You’ll have a detailed print out (so you don’t have to remember it all as you try to relay the basics to the other co-signer on your bank account) but you’ll also have a conversation over the phone or in a pleasant waiting room about the pros and cons of acting now or waiting until later on the various parts of your car.
You don’t have to remember that fancy term: comprehensive vehicle inspection. If you call Jim and Liz up and explain that what you really want is some peace of mind (that the tires will last, that the radiator won’t blow, that the transmission will hold), they will know what to do next.
Some of you may remember from our earlier emails about Hawthorne Auto Clinic that Liz is certified to do car seat inspections. She does very thorough inspections and trainings for parents free of charge (one inspection/training per day by appointment).
So, with a phone call and a financial/time investment much smaller than a roadside disaster, you could have the family vehicle ready for the family vacation and every kid safely secured.
Now if we could just find a way to stop the “are we there yet” cries that come from the back seat.
Liz and Jim’s biggest advice for summer fun: schedule that comprehensive vehicle inspection a good week before you leave just in case major issues are uncovered with parts to be ordered and work to be done before you drive off to the coast or the woods.
is at 4307 SE Hawthorne Blvd open Mon-Fri, 7:30 AM to 6 PM (Early drop-off & after-hours pickup available) Call (503)234-2119 to make an appointment.
Forgot the name or contact info for a local business you read about in a swap shop email? All our sponsors are listed down the side of our home page, and on the .
Doing business locally helps keep our community strong. Giving neighborhood teens a legitimate place to chill helps keep our community safe, fun and strong.
Thank you to all our business sponsors and co-op members for the ways we support each other.
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