Real-life heroes walk among us every day. Police officers, firefighters, military personnel, teachers, and medical professionals dramatically impact our everyday lives. But, other professions are more of the unsung heroes, without whose service our lives would be severely disrupted.
Take ASE-certified auto technicians like Keith Benline, for instance. Without the expert auto services of a trustworthy and qualified professional, our vehicles wouldn’t get us to work, take our kids to school, pick up groceries, or get us to the doctor when we’re sick.
Endurance Warranty partners with certified automotive technicians and trustworthy auto shops nationwide. Get to know seasoned auto technician and repair shop owner Keith Benline as he shares professional tips for routine car maintenance, unique stories from his career, and how you can save money on expensive car repairs.
Q&A with an ASE-Certified Mechanic
Being a certified mechanic can be a rewarding profession. They’re the pros that keep our vehicles running smoothly and the people we depend on during stressful mechanical breakdowns. You’ll always hear something new when you talk with an auto tech about their day. They’ve seen everything, from routine maintenance on an older vehicle to anomalies you’d never expect.
We sat down with Keith Benline, the owner of A+ Autocare of Poway, California, to hear some of his memorable auto repair stories.
How Mechanics Deal with Challenging Repairs
Although most repairs in local auto repair shops are pretty straightforward, occasionally, a vehicle leaves even the experts scratching their heads. Keith shared with us one particularly challenging repair. Keith has been working on cars since he was 16 years old and opened his first shop in 2003, but despite his best efforts, he was stumped and just about ready to throw in the towel:
There have been few times over the years where a repair was so challenging I was ready to give up. I remember once when a Mercedes came in with a misfire. We replaced everything related to the misfire. Still, the check engine light would come on. It would stumble with a misfire and throw a misfire code when you accelerated aggressively. But, when we turned the car off and back on, the check engine light would stay on, but the car ran smoothly.
Keith and his team were stumped. They replaced everything related to a misfire, starting with the most likely culprit, but the issue remained. What could it be? It was time for Keith to call his friend who owned a Mercedes repair shop, where his friend made what Keith calls a “once-in-a-lifetime guess:”
He informed me that he had once seen a bad crankshaft position sensor cause a misfire, even though there were no codes stored for a crank position sensor. Sure enough, that fixed it.
With so many auto parts, systems, makes, and models, mechanics sometimes need to work together to think outside the box. Having a mechanic that is well-established in the community gives you access not just to their knowledge, but that of their inner circle. This experience helped him diagnose a similar issue that arose with a Jeep Liberty they were working on:
When we replaced the crank position sensor with an aftermarket sensor, it didn’t fix it. When we tried a factory crankshaft position sensor, it resolved the issue.
Common Issues Overlooked by Car Owners
Although most car owners try to keep their cars running smoothly with routine car maintenance, sometimes life gets busy, finances get tight, and things happen. We don’t get back to the repair shop for routine automotive services before the reminder sticker date, we ignore a check engine light, or we insist we still have plenty of tread left on the tires.
Let’s face it, sometimes car owners overlook some of the necessities. Unfortunately, slipups can lead to expensive car repairs down the road. Keith says that alignments and transmission fluid changes are two of the most commonly overlooked tasks he’s seen over the years, and they can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to fix:
The most common issue is not getting the vehicle alignment checked often enough. Then when it’s done, you find out their new tires are already worn on the inside, so then they need to buy new tires again.
Getting a tire alignment should be a routine part of your regularly scheduled vehicle maintenance schedule. Misaligned tires wear your tires quickly and can throw your steering and balance off, posing a severe safety hazard. Keith goes on to say:
The second most common issue is not changing the automatic transmission fluid, which can cause a transmission failure. That can be quite costly — in the thousands of dollars.
You change your transmission fluid every 60,000 to 100,000 miles for automatic transmission vehicles or 30,000 to 60,000 miles for manual transmission vehicles. While it won’t hurt your vehicle to change it early, waiting too long leads to oil degradation and inadequate lubrication. Without transmission oil, your transmission can overheat, and parts can wear improperly, potentially causing irreparable damage.
The Importance of Continuous Education
The automotive industry has been in a constant state of change ever since the invention of the first motor vehicle. Drivers, and automakers alike always strive for new, innovative technologies, and no matter how much we love our cars, even vehicles with long life expectancies eventually need to be replaced. Therefore, ongoing education is vital for any good mechanic.
Staying Updated with Automotive Technology
Keith explains how they stay current on the latest automotive systems:
Our industry has greatly improved by keeping us up-to-date on newer technologies. There are many training classes provided by parts companies, training companies, and trade publications. There are also many associations and trade shows throughout the year that specialize in this training.
The Impact of Training and Certification
When a mechanic takes the time to concentrate on furthering their education, they can perform their jobs more accurately and efficiently and offer more services to their clients. Keith talked about recent training they’ve been working on at their shop:
We are currently in this process. All newer vehicles have radar cruise controls, lane change collision control, and staying in your lane controls, to name a few. These all need cameras and radar-type systems to work properly. If you repair a vehicle where you need to remove and reinstall these systems, they need to be recalibrated to factory specifications. These systems are called ADAS or Advanced Drivers Assistance Systems. We have to purchase the equipment to calibrate, or we can take the vehicle to an ADAS station.
The Future of Car Repair Services
It’s no secret that the automotive industry is changing after more than a decade of relative calm. According to experts, the next decade may bring about more change than the whole last century combined.
Automotive Trends
Society is beginning to transition away from crude energy resources to greener fuel and eco-friendly cars. With more budget-friendly hybrid cars and electric vehicle (EV) options hitting the American automotive market, more drivers are expected to choose fuel efficiency and reduced maintenance costs over traditional ICE vehicles. This transition marks a significant shift away from focusing on horsepower, torque, and speed to vehicles with creature comforts, enhanced safety features, and reliability—and many of today’s modern EVs still have the power and speed of their gas-powered counterparts.
Keith weighed in with his professional opinion:
In the next five years, we will continue to see changes in ADAS, especially as vehicles get closer to being automatically driven by the computer. We will also see EV vehicles get closer to being affordable and easily charged. This will be a very interesting time for our industry.
The Next Generation of Vehicle Mechanics
While the transition will change how we operate and own vehicles, it also puts a considerable weight on the mechanics. While some mechanics will inevitably become niche-specific to ICE vehicles, many strive to offer another layer of automotive excellence by learning an entirely different skill set.
Here is what Keith recommends for the next generation to stay competitive:
You still need to focus on basic mechanical skills, but you will need to learn software, technology, and EV technology and how the communication between the EV, ADAS technology and such work with the mechanical aspects of the vehicle and how it can cause issues.
Professional Advice for Routine Vehicle Maintenance
Besides keeping up with a routine car maintenance schedule like oil changes, tire wheel alignments, and transmission fluid changes, you can do a few things to help keep your vehicle running at its best. When asking a mechanic what they recommend to keep a car running smoothly, most will begin rattling off a list of essential tasks, like changing air filters, checking the fluids, maintaining the wheels, and checking all belts and hoses. For Keith, the answer was simple: have a good relationship with an honest mechanic:
Don’t just get oil changes from oil change places. Get your car to a certified mechanic who will do a complete inspection on the vehicle while doing the oil change. They can spot things that may cause sudden and unexpected expensive repairs down the road. You can minimize breakdowns and unexpected repairs by working with your local mechanic and prioritizing repairs based on the vehicle’s condition. Your basic oil change place can’t do this.
Working with Endurance Warranty
Endurance Warranty has created partnerships with ASE-certified mechanics and repair shop owners to provide a high-quality customer experience experience. Our partners offer expert advice through automotive repair articles and by answering frequently asked questions for Endurance customers and car owners.
For Endurance, we appreciate having the feedback and an insider’s perspective of daily life in automotive repair. How does the partnership between Endurance and Keith’s garage impact the flow of his business? We asked him to find out:
We want extended car warranty companies to trust us and adhere to our recommendations as professionals. Endurance respects us and adheres to our professional opinions, making the claims process for us very easy.
Since 2006, Endurance has made it a mission to put customers first. This is one reason we insist on being a direct provider for many of our auto protection plans. Your life is disrupted enough when your car breaks down, let alone adding on a long, drawn-out repair time. By cutting out the middleman and handling our claims in-house, we’ve streamlined the claims process to get you back to your normal routine faster.
How Endurance Warranty Saves Drivers Money
When you buy a new car or a certified pre-owned used car, the higher price tag from the car dealership includes the additional benefit of having a factory or manufacturer’s warranty. This warranty guarantees that if your vehicle has a mechanical failure, they’ll repair or replace the part at little to no cost. The new car warranty is a rewarding incentive. However, a factory warranty doesn’t last forever. Eventually, the warranty expires, and car owners are left vulnerable to expensive car repairs—unless they’re protected by an extended car warranty or auto protection plan.
An extended vehicle warranty, more accurately known as a vehicle service contract (VSC), is a service provided by third-party warranty providers like Endurance, CarShield, or CARCHEX that will pay for your unexpected car repair bills. Each provider has a different set of vehicle protection plans, varying payment options, and benefits packages. In general, these contract agreements are guarantees that the provider will cover the cost of included repairs in return for a monthly payment, including expensive repairs like the engine or transmission.
Endurance Warranty offers a large selection of customizable auto protection plans, meaning that you have the freedom to decide your level of coverage. Do you want more comprehensive coverage similar to your bumper-to-bumper warranty? Or do you want the big repairs protected, like a powertrain warranty? Not only can you choose which parts are included, but we offer flexible payments, too. And every plan is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have time to change your mind.
Plus, every Endurance Warranty plan includes benefits like 24/7 roadside assistance and towing, trip interruption coverage, and rental car reimbursement, to name a few. You can even boost your savings by activating the Elite Benefits package for a year’s worth of extra perks — like key fob replacement or tire repairs and replacements.*
With Endurance, you also get to choose your own mechanic. Unlike some service providers, you aren’t restricted to having your car repairs done at a car dealership. Endurance works with any ASE-certified mechanic, repair shop, or service center. And, if you’re not sure who to call, you can take advantage of our partnership with the RepairPal Network to find a certified technician near you.
Choose Endurance for Your Auto Protection
Don’t get stuck on the side of the road facing expensive car repairs. Endurance Warranty can provide a financial safety net, giving you peace of mind even in an otherwise stressful situation. Get started by calling our plan advisors at (800) 253-8203 or request a FREE quote online. Or, if you’d rather not talk on the phone, you can also shop vehicle service contracts online to see your price now.
Our learning center also offers a wealth of additional information. Get answers to your frequently asked questions, flip through our comprehensive automotive glossary, or read more additional automotive blogs, like how to manage your car maintenance costs.