770.457.4676

There are some things Atlanta consumers should know about Chamblee automotive service and repair. First and foremost, J&L Auto Service cares about you and your family’s safety. And we really appreciate your business. J&L Auto Service in Chamblee wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come.

Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix cars. The days of shade tree mechanics are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles. The technicians that work for J&L Auto Service need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right parts, networking with other technicians to help them with a difficult problem and pulling together a job order that makes sure that each step of the process is addressed.

The threshold for getting started as a technician gets higher all the time and there is a huge commitment to on-going training every year. This training takes time and money. It contributes to business overhead. The average Sandy Springs or Dunwoody driver may not realize the business and environmental regulations J&L Auto Service must comply with. Of course that costs money too. Like any business, overhead is a big factor.

When you go into a Atlanta restaurant you don’t value the meal by what the food would cost at the grocery store. The restaurant has rent, wages, insurance, taxes, utilities, professional fees, equipment, supplies – you get the picture. The restaurant has to charge enough to not only pay for the ingredients, but for all these other things as well while making enough profit to remain in business. If you value the meal and are satisfied with your dining experience, you’ll come back and tell your friends.

It’s the same for J&L Auto Service. The value of its service is not the cost of the parts they replace, but in your satisfaction with the results. If they deliver a good product at a fair price, Chamblee customers are happy to see them succeed as a Georgia automotive business.

Contact J&L Auto Service to learn more about our extensive auto service training.
You can find us at:
3667 North Peachtree Road
Chamblee, Georgia 30341
Or call us at 770.457.4676

Your Chamblee service center loves to see its customers whenever they come in, but they would much rather see them three or four times a year for routine maintenance than once a year on a tow truck. They want to work together with you to avoid breakdowns. Tell your Atlanta area friends and family to go in for their scheduled maintenance too. That lowers the service center’s marketing costs and helps keep its labor rates down. That’s good for everyone.

J&L Auto Service appreciates this great review of automotive service from AutoNetTV.

We find that a lot of Chamblee service and repair at J&L Auto Service are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions, but don’t want to be embarrassed or to seem pushy. Cars are very complicated and there’s more to know about them than most of us have the time to learn. Maybe it’s because cars have become so much more reliable that the average person just doesn’t need to know as much to keep their vehicle on the road.

You know, your local hospital has a Patient’s Bill of Rights that they post throughout the hospital. We think our Chamblee automotive service customers also have a right to ask any question they need to understand what is wrong with their car and what it will take to fix it. They need to feel free to ask the cost and benefits of recommended services. And they certainly have a right to understand the financial end of the transaction.

It’s all about the communication. It’s a little harder when you’re trying to find the right service center in Chamblee. But once you’ve developed a relationship, the communication should come easier.

What are some of the barriers to communication? Well, let’s go back to the medical example. When your doctor’s explaining something to you, it’s something that she understands very well and is very familiar with. So she may use jargon you don’t understand or that you don’t have the education and training that’s foundational to understanding what she’s trying to explain.

So you fall behind and get frustrated.

It can be the same with your Chamblee automotive service advisors. Most of them are very busy trying to service and fix cars to get their customers back on the road. So, just ask when you feel you need more information.

Financial related issues seem to be most frustrating to customers. If you’re not sure, ask what the payment policies are. For example, there’s a big difference between giving your car a quick once over and doing a thorough inspection. Diagnosing a problem may take quite a while. Make sure you know what’s done as a courtesy and what has a fee. Remember, you still have to pay for the office visit even if the doctor says you only have a cold.

Communication is a two way street. If you have some real budget concerns, ask your Chamblee service advisor what he can do. He can give you priorities and options. He can tell you what needs to be taken care of right away for safety or financial reasons. Then you can work out a plan for when to get the rest done. He can also help you with options on the parts. The preference is to always use a high-quality part with a reputation for reliability. But if money is real tight, he might be able to find a rebuilt part or a used part. He should tell you the difference in the guarantee for the part so you can make a good decision.

Ask about warranties for parts and labor. Be sure to get all the paperwork you need to make a possible claim in the future. Your service center and its technicians stand behind their work and want you to understand precisely what that means.

Be sure to ask for and keep a detailed explanation of all the work that’s done on your vehicle. These records will help you keep track of service, warranties and document the good care your vehicle has received when the time comes to sell it.

Call J&L Auto Service to make an appointment.
3667 North Peachtree Road
Chamblee, Georgia 30341
770-457-4676

All pilots have checklists for every aspect of flying. They always use their checklists even if they only have two steps on them. They do this simply because a checklist is a great way to not forget important steps. It is also how you can assure a predictable outcome.

That is why Doraville and North Atlanta automotive service centers have procedural standards for each service they perform. Technicians are trained step by step. And they perform the procedures step by step, the same way each time. By training to procedural standards, centers can assure a quality outcome. The job is done right every time and you are happy with how your car performs.

Each company trains its technicians to standards. The industry as a whole is very committed to standards of excellence and encourages individual service center operators to apply them to every vehicle they service.

An example is how service technicians grade problems and communicate their recommendations. If a technician tells you that a repair or replacement is required it must meet the following criteria:

1. The part no longer performs its intended purpose
2. The part does not meet a design specification
3. The part is missing

The technician may suggest repair or replacement if:

1. The part is close to the end of its useful life – just above discard specifications or likely to fail soon
2. To address a customer need or request – like for better ride or increased performance
3. To comply with maintenance recommended by the vehicle’s manufacturer
4. Based on the technician’s informed experience

Here are some examples:

An exhaust pipe has rusted through and is leaking. Replacement is required because the part has failed. If the pipe were rusted, corroded or weak, but not leaking, the technician may suggest it be replaced because it is near the end of its useful life and replacing it now may be more convenient for the customer.

Suppose a customer wants to improve his car’s handling, but his shocks haven’t failed. The technician may suggest replacement of the shocks to satisfy the customer’s wishes.

Under these guidelines the service center must refuse partial service of a required repair if the repair creates or continues an unsafe condition. Let’s say a customer has a cracked brake rotor. This is a dangerous condition that must be repaired. If the customer does not want to replace the rotor, but instead just wants new brake pads installed, the shop must ethically refuse the partial repair. That can be an upsetting conversation, but understanding that service centers operate under service standards and procedures is comforting. You want your service to be done right and to have confidence in your technician’s recommendations.

The automotive service industry and J&L Auto Service want the best for you and for you to keep coming back. AutoNetTV is committed to providing automotive maintenance information to help you be confident in your service decisions.

Some Chamblee motorists are confused by J&L Auto Service charges for diagnostic services for a vehicle repair. Many services at J&L Auto Service and other Chamblee automotive repair shops include diagnostic fees.

When you take your laptop into a Atlanta computer repair shop for a problem you’ll likely have to leave a deposit for diagnostics. When we visit our Sandy Springs doctor for a medical problem, we’re paying him to diagnose our ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.

So receiving a diagnostic charge at J&L Auto Service for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Atlanta area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your sedan brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Georgia expressway, you pull off the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your sedan engine, J&L Auto Service diagnosis may be much more involved.

Much of the Atlanta public’s confusion comes when the problem involves the check engine light. The check engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem.

There’s a common misconception among Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and Doraville drivers that the trouble code tells the J&L Auto Service technician exactly what’s wrong. Why then is there a diagnostic charge, the scanner just gave the diagnosis?

Reality is more involved than that. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that’s out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the check engine light.

The sedan computer’s trouble code just tells the J&L Auto Service technician what engine parameter is out of range – not what’s causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that’s causing the symptom.

There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for J&L Auto Service Chamblee customers. The J&L Auto Service technician makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem.

Atlanta service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for a given trouble code. They outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented fix. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.

Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved and difficult. Of course J&L Auto Service wants to figure out what’s wrong with your sedan and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

Some Chamblee motorists are confused by J&L Auto Service charges for diagnostic services for a vehicle repair. Many services at J&L Auto Service and other Chamblee automotive repair shops include diagnostic fees.

When you take your laptop into a Chamblee computer repair shop for a problem you’ll likely have to leave a deposit for diagnostics. When we visit our Doraville doctor for a medical problem, we’re paying him to diagnose our ailment and of course for the tests that go along with it.

So receiving a diagnostic charge at J&L Auto Service for a tricky automotive problem shouldn’t be a surprise. In the Chamblee area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your sedan brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Georgia expressway, you pull off the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you’re having an intermittent problem with your sedan engine, J&L Auto Service diagnosis may be much more involved.

Much of the Chamblee public’s confusion comes when the problem involves the check engine light. The check engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem.

There’s a common misconception among Doraville, North Atlanta, and Dunwoody drivers that the trouble code tells the J&L Auto Service technician exactly what’s wrong. Why then is there a diagnostic charge, the scanner just gave the diagnosis?

Reality is more involved than that. The computer monitors many sensors throughout the vehicle. When one of these sensors has a reading that’s out of parameters, the computer will record a trouble code and turn on the check engine light.

The sedan computer’s trouble code just tells the J&L Auto Service technician what engine parameter is out of range – not what’s causing it. The technician needs to determine the underlying problem that’s causing the symptom.

There are many problems that could cause a troublesome sensor reading for J&L Auto Service Chamblee customers. The J&L Auto Service technician makes a list of the most likely causes and begins tracking down the source of the problem.

Chamblee service centers subscribe to databases that document possible causes for a given trouble code. They outline procedures for confirming a diagnosis and provide the documented fix. These databases are specific to each vehicle and engine combination.

Some diagnoses are quick and easy. Others are more involved and difficult. Of course J&L Auto Service wants to figure out what’s wrong with your sedan and get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

New car dealership closings are all over the Chamblee news. Nearly 800 Chrysler dealerships canceled. About 1,100 GM dealers’ contracts were not be renewed after October 2010. And record numbers are just shutting down because they aren’t selling enough cars and trucks to stay in business.

It’s estimated that some 40,000 dealership service bays could be taken out of service in the next year or so.

Of course, this is a tragedy for those who work at our local Chamblee dealerships and the owners that risk losing much of their life’s work. Our Chamblee communities will lose some of our best corporate citizens. Think of all the youth sports team, service clubs and Chamblee community events that have been sponsored by our local new car dealers.

One question we hear a lot at J&L Auto Service is, ‘Who will service my car?’ Chamblee folks are concerned that they will not get the care and attention they need. They’re wondering where they will find trained technicians in the Chamblee area. Will they be able to get quality replacement parts for their vehicles?

Fortunately, the Chamblee automotive aftermarket is ready to fill the need. As one of over 200,000 independent service and repair facilities in North America, J&L Auto Service is here to help. J&L Auto Service has been the backbone of the automotive service and repair industry for Chamblee and will continue to provide this vital role.

J&L Auto Service has the latest diagnostic and repair equipment, access to parts and repair databases, and a commitment to the highest standards of technician training. The reality is that our independent service center in Chamblee is ready to service all your vehicle’s needs – and we always have been. We don’t have to ‘step up’ to the task – we’re ready now.

Many consumers in Chamblee have known this about the local Chamblee independent service and repair industry and have used it for all their non-warranty work. And they have enjoyed greater convenience and have saved quite a bit of money along the way: The average independent service and repair center in Chamblee costs 34 percent less than the dealership.

And of course, J&L Auto Service has access to the very same replacement parts as your Chamblee dealership as well as a selection of superior parts for greater reliability and enhanced performance. And we can source parts that may help with a tight budget as well.

So in the midst of uncertainty surrounding dealership closings, know you can turn to your local Chamblee independent service center to take care of your family’s safety and to keep your vehicles performing well. You’ll save some money too. And that’s good news in these times.

J&L Auto Service
3667 North Peachtree Road
Chamblee, Georgia 30341
770.457.4676