This post was created in partnership with RepairSmith, and the thoughts expressed here are solely our own.
One of the biggest pains in the butt about owning a car is when it needs maintenance. The inconvenience of having to interrupt our schedules to take the car in, leave it at the mechanic, and arrange for a ride is incredibly inconvenient. But wait, there’s a new game in town! We just discovered RepairSmith, a new mobile auto repair service that comes to your house!
We tried to figure out the problem ourselves at first.This is one of the best ideas we’ve heard of in a long time. An mobile auto maintenance service at your home is clearly one of the most convenient ways to address that age-old problem. No more schlepping to the auto shop to get the oil changed. No need to take hours from our busy schedules to check the hoses or refill fluids. And no stress about trusting the mechanic to perform the needed repairs or maintenance without adding unnecessary charges.
We recently had some issues with our well-loved GMC Yukon Denali, and RepairSmith was a game changer.
Mobile Auto Repair Service at Your Home
When the “check engine” warning lights started flashing on the dashboard of our Denali, we did what most people do in these situations. We ignored them. And as always, they did not go away. Instead the lights kept blinking, there to remind us every time we drove the car that something was in need of repair. (I guess that’s the point, right?)
Then the car started overheating, and the temperature gauge started to reach that part of the scale it’s not supposed to. We knew then that our little charade must end. The “check fluid levels” indicator joined the chorus, and so we did as told. We checked the fluid levels, which were dangerously low in the coolant department.
You should have seen us both pretending we knew what we were doing!Neither of us knows much about cars, but we do know enough to realize this was not a good situation. Buying coolant and continuously filling up the reservoir got old really fast. And then RepairSmith came to mind. After a brief call with them to explain the problem, an appointment was scheduled. A RepairSmith certified mechanic was lined up to visit the Denali at our home. AT OUR HOME!
Careful Diagnostics
On the scheduled day for home auto repair service, Triton worked from home and waited for the RepairSmith technician. As promised, he showed up at the pre-arranged time and went to work diagnosing our problem(s). Turns out our 15 year-old Denali needed a bit more work than a simply checking the hoses and adding more fluids. We could have done only that, but realized it was just like putting a bandaid on an axe wound.
RepairSmith came to our house to check the problem and give a quote.Our technician Drew delivered a full diagnostic report containing all the things needing repair. Even better, the repair needs were prioritized from severe to minor. This way we could assess the need to act on them now or later. The RepairSmith report made it easy for us to determine what was absolutely necessary to fix. (And what we could afford to do immediately.)
Counsel on Auto Repair Needs
Clearly we needed to fix the cause of the flashing warning lights on our dashboard. It turns out this was caused by leaking hoses and a cracked coolant reservoir. So giving the go-ahead to RepairSmith on that set of items was a no-brainer.
Another thing that turned up in the diagnostics was the need for new front and rear brake pads. No wonder there was a squealing noise every time we hit the brakes at a stop sign! This was one more item we weren’t prepared for, but one that simply had to be addressed. We approved RepairSmith replacing the worn brake pads too. After all, brakes are kind of an important part of driving a car safely. (C’mon, neither of us took Auto Shop in high school but we know that much!)
The RepairSmith home service vehicle is conveniently filled with tools and parts.No Muss, No Fuss
When we called to approve the repairs above, our same RepairSmith technician was scheduled for service – again at our home. He arrived geared out for the entire day, working well into the dark as the sun set and to finish the job. Using portable lights, he even slid on his back on the pavement under the car to tidy up.
Drew even crawled under the car to check his work.All in all, our service tech worked for almost 10 hours to perform the necessary repairs. This all took place on the street in front of our house, while we were conveniently inside taking care of our own businesses.
Plus on top of all that, RepairSmith work comes with a 12-month warranty. That’s called Peace of Mind, folks.
RepairSmith is So Convenient
The hassle of driving to the auto shop to get an estimate was no longer necessary. There was no pressure of standing with the mechanic at the shop while deciding whether or not to get the work done on our car. We could decide that on our own time, and then get back to RepairSmith with our answers. When we did schedule to work to be performed, the car did not have to go back in or wait for the repairs to be completed. No reason to rent a car, take an uber or arrange for someone to pick us up.
It was the best thing ever.
He pulled right up and went to work.You can even get a quote for repairs from RepairSmith via their website or even a text. Ah, the modern age is a good thing sometimes. The savings of time and energy in having the work done at home was a lifesaver. And for those of you that question whether the actual charges were higher than average, the answer is no. I checked the estimated costs against our past repair receipts and records, and the costs were comparable.
Even for someone who needs their oil changed or fluids replenished, this is a great solution in our minds. And don’t even get me started on taking a car to the dealership for repair. Some of those maintenance shops are the worst!
