He smiled and I gave him my car key!

@p1kef1sh (45681)
March 26, 2010 4:02am CST
A young man came to the door just now. In need of a shave but we won't hold that against him. He smiled and I gave him the key to my car! Just like that. He got in it and drove away........ Am I mad?! Do you have your car serviced regularly?
3 people like this
15 responses
• United States
27 Mar 10
The garage and employee would have to be Bonded!
@p1kef1sh (45681)
27 Mar 10
I don't know what bonded means - but they are reputable.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
28 Mar 10
I understand. Thank you.
• United States
27 Mar 10
surety bond - A bond issued by an entity on behalf of a second party, guaranteeing that the second party will fulfill an obligation.
• Canada
26 Mar 10
Well, talk about door to door service, eh? I usually have to drive it to the mechanic. Yours comes to you. Lucky you! But I imagine that is billed back to you somehow, yes?
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
I suppose so. But as I got a third off the bill plus 10% of the roadworthiness test and £5 for booking it through a cashback site I feel that I'm winning!
• Canada
27 Mar 10
Well done! I'm proud of you for getting such a good deal. Granted, when I drive to the mechanic, he is in the big drive shed at the back of our property, so I try to get a good deal, too, eh? But then, he usually sends ME out for the parts, he just does the labour.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
27 Mar 10
I also gave him a marketing suggestion that he wants to try AND has given me an additional 15% off all further work for it!
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
26 Mar 10
You are exceptionally lucky to have a garage which will pick up your car for you! I don't know of any garage here which will do that and we have to take it to them and either wait around while they service it (which doesn't usually take too long) or take a bus and come back later. Maybe it's just that I haven't thought to ask if they will collect!
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
I know of a couple of garages that will either run you home and then collect you again or fetch the car. I am sure that if you ask most will - within a reasonable mileage. I haven't tried this garage before, I found them through an online site. I booked the slot, they found the garage. Because I did it through a cashback site I got 10% off both the MOT and the service plus a fiver for using them. They are about a third cheaper than the dealer too. Fingers crossed that all will be well.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Mar 10
I was going to drop my car off and walk to work this morning, but I didn't feel like it, so maybe next week. I'm about 2,000 miles overdue...
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
That's a long way to walk......
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Mar 10
• United States
28 Mar 10
Here they dont come to the door but I can say that in convenience to your situation, I live in an industrial area and I have a garage that works on my car literally 4 houses down the street.... so if there is anything I need I can just drive it down and walk home, and then when it is ready, walk there and drive it home!! I think that is a great way to do business --this way they really get a feel for what is wrong or needs to be done to your vehicle since they are truly taking it for a drive. Hope you get your car back soon!! Happy Mylotting.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
28 Mar 10
I used to live close to a garage too. Now I'm not so fortunate. The car was well serviced and I am very happy, In fact I gave the owner an idea for future marketing which he wants to try. That will get me an additional 15% of future servicing! I'm very happy!
• United States
29 Mar 10
Ya I'm kinda of lucky that way, I got me a good car repairman right across the street so I drive the car over leave it and walk home and when He's done I pick it up. One time he even drove to the local city (12 miles round trip) and picked me up when I missed the Bus Back.
@ramp123 (191)
• India
28 Mar 10
Good one! I did the same thing just yesterday. The guy that came to my door also needed a shave! He fixed the car up beautifully, wheel alignment, tire rotation, oil change, general check up, and delivered it back to me in the evening. I get my car serviced every 10000 km. That is what the manufacturer recommends. In addition, a transmission and suspension checkup every 30000 km.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
31 Mar 10
I know why rugby players don't shave but why do car mechanics not need to, I wonder?
@p1kef1sh (45681)
28 Mar 10
Sounds like another company aware of what its customers want! Long may it continue.
@ramp123 (191)
• India
1 Apr 10
These are all "macho" professions, or perceived as such. There is no real reason why rugby players should not shave, except that they probably think they look tougher if they don't. Same thing with mechanics. You expect a mechanic to be in need of a shave, dressed in greasy overalls, so typically they align themselves to conform to your perception or expectation.
@SViswan (12051)
• India
26 Mar 10
lol...I'm luckier still. We have the service centre practically next door. So, we don't even need someone to drive our car away and 'hope' he brings it back! Hmmm...I wonder if we have that kind of service here in India...though we have people who come in to clean the car daily and a thorough cleaning once a week.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
You have the benefit of relatively cheap labour still for "unskilled" jobs like car washing etc. That kind of thing here is quite pricey unfortunately. I have to confess that based on my observations of driving in the north of India that if I lived there I'd employ a driver! With me at the wheel pedestrians, animals and buildings all need to take care!
@laglen (19759)
• United States
26 Mar 10
so, um, if I show up, can I have your house? lol I do not take my car in except for major repairs. Most everything we do ourselves. Saves a lot of money.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
I'm getting too old and lazy to do it myself - anyway these days you need a computer plug in to service cars. I needed a roadworthiness test too and that is best obtained when having the car serviced.
@weasel81 (2496)
• Australia
1 Apr 10
i know of places letting you have a hire car for the day, or they will run u home of down the shops. that's mostly what happens here. but not come and get your car and bring it back to you.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
2 Apr 10
Well if they collect your car they have to get it back to you again. LOL. Seems that I am lucky. On the other hand it is good customer service and I am more likely to use them again.
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
26 Mar 10
If a young man shows up (needing a shave or not) asking for my car, he's going to have to take me, too. Come to think of it, even if he's not so young, as long as he's not a doddering old fool...
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
On my way....... Oh, you said doddering!
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
26 Mar 10
I thought you were charmed by his smile and threw away your fortunes to a perfect stranger. But why would another guy's smile charm you?Unless....(but that's okay!lol) So who needed the shave? The guy? You? The car?
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
The guy needed the shave. By the time that he came back he'd aged 30 years, lost about 6 inches and was smooth shaven!
@zoey7879 (3092)
• Quincy, Illinois
26 Mar 10
Yes in fact, I have an entire servicing station in my living room! Oh wait... Does Hotwheels and Matchbox count?
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
You're pulling my lego!
@doryvien (2284)
• United States
26 Mar 10
Hi P1ke, Nice one, at first I thought you were hypnotized by this young man and got your car without exerting any effort except smile ...We don't have this kind of service in my country, I wish we have. I bring my car to a car wash shop every other week, I can't afford to have it weekly. As to the maintenance, I just follow the regular schedule of check up, change oil, etc. unless it needs some repairs (which luckily, isn't that often).
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
31 Mar 10
Why do not roads have to have a 'car-worthiness' test, I wonder? Round here, we have some devilish potholes which they promise to spend millions of (my) pounds in repairing but in the mean time, instead of throwing some tarmac in them to make the surface merely uneven, they leave them to grow and seriously damage our suspensions. They insist on taxing you extra if you have a 4WD but what if the roads are impassable to anything else?
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
My car needed a roadworthiness test too. The best way to get that is to have a service at the same time.
@pierrella (1087)
• Philippines
26 Mar 10
What do you mean? So he stole your car?
@p1kef1sh (45681)
26 Mar 10
No. He took the car to service it. Hopefully he will bring it back again!
@pierrella (1087)
• Philippines
26 Mar 10
Wow, if he'll bring your car back, that is so cool :) Very convenient indeed :)
• United States
27 Mar 10
They must be a Bonded garage and employee; else I don't know if I would nless I know the Guy real good.