MindSpinner

I have the car back again, with a brand new wheel. The bill, while not insignificant, did not seem enough to include a new Toyota wheel, labor, and towing. I called back this morning to check to see whether it was right or whether towing had been left off.

The small town mechanic that took care of my car has been in business a long time. He and his wife used to operate a small service center in a dingy old shop in a low place by the creek that sometimes floods. For decades they have done an honest business, always charged people fairly, never taken advantage. They have a reputation for the very best service. Now they are located in a big, nicely equipped building with a clean front office managed by Mrs. Honest Mechanic, assisted by her mannerly, sleek dachschund, while Honest Mechanic works with nine employees in the big shop, fixing, oh, maybe 20 or 30 cars at a time. They’d done well enough over the years, Mrs. Honest Mechanic told me, that they didn’t have to worry about making a lot money anymore.

I had indeed been charged for the towing and the wheel, it turns out, but I had not been charged for labor - not for an hour, not for a minute, not even for the time and travel required to procure the new, exactly matched Toyota wheel. These good people fixed my car at some expense to themselves. They even came across town and picked me up at my house so that I could retrieve my car. A heartfelt thank you hardly seems enough.

But there is something I’m even happier about than paying a bill that is $50 or $100 cheaper than it could have been, and that is this: it is a relief, a comfort, and a hope to note that it is still possible to succeed in business by offering quality service at a fair price. I’m grateful that Mr. and Mrs. Honest Mechanic grace the planet with their example and that I’m lucky enough to live in the town where they do business.