When your car needs repairs, and you want to be saving money, make sure you set aside enough time to give the repair shop all of the information it needs to successfully repair it. Perversely, many folks don’t do this. A case in point is noise complaints. My policy is that the customer must bring the car into the shop and point out the noise to the mechanic who is going to fix it. You might think that makes sense, but it is surprising how many people consider it an inconvenience. I can’t tell you how many times in my past life that I have repaired a noise and it was the wrong one. Saving money, from my perspective, starts with having a noise caused by safety or reliability issues that should be addressed immediately. However, a noise of that type may have been going on a long time and the driver tuned it out. What they are hearing may be a mere annoyance, but since it is a new noise, it gets their attention. I don’t have a noise freshness meter to tell me whether the driver is hearing a new or old noise so if it isn’t pointed out to me, I may fix the wrong one. This has caused countless hours of frustration for both the customer and the shop. If your repair shop asks you to bring the car in so someone can listen to the noise, they’re doing you a favor and saving you money. They have your best interests at heart. They want the outcome to be successful for you and the shop. If the car is not making the noise when the mechanic is there, and it happens quite often, don’t waste time and money looking for it. Check engine lights are another situation that have outcomes that are less than satisfactory, but that is a subject for another post. Until next time, drive safely for the sake of your family and others. See Robert’s Automotive for more information or check out our Car Talk & Tips page.