Why are there separate repair places for foreign cars?

September 24, 2009 7:56 AM

Why are there separate repair places for foreign cars?

I live down the street from a car repair place called "X's Foreign Fix" (where "X" is a person's name) which I assume fixes foreign cars. Is fixing foreign cars so different from fixing domestic cars that separate places are needed for this? If not, was it so in the past? I live in Philadelphia, and walking around my neighborhood foreign cars outnumber domestic cars by about two to one.

I really know nothing about cars, other than how to drive them, so feel free to point out something obvious.

posted by madcaptenor to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

foreign parts
posted by mr. remy at 7:58 AM on September 24

Back in the day, metric tools, too.
posted by TedW at 8:04 AM on September 24 [2 favorites]

In the past, you had SAE tools, and metric tools, and never the twain would meet. Also, yeah, completely different parts and supply chains. American cars were also pretty standard designs - the knowledge from working on a Plymouth would transfer pretty easily to a Ford. A Mazda rotary engine, or a Jag with Lucas electrics, or a transverse-mounted small-diplacement 4-cylinder was just 'weird'.
posted by pupdog at 8:08 AM on September 24

It used to be a more important differentiator when the Big 3 had the lion's share of the domestic market. If you had a foreign car, you had more special needs than the average Joe. Thus, mechanics who worked on foreign cars trumpeted that fact. Having invested in the shop infrastructure and training required to support, say, Mercedes, you'd certainly want to advertise that capability.
posted by mumkin at 8:11 AM on September 24

A lot of the aswers so far speak to the past, but it's still the case for some makes. For instance, VW mechanics can get by with regular tools, but there are a shit-ton of specialized tools - crank alignment tool for timing belts, caliper setters, etc - that make the job go much quicker. You wouldn't buy these unless you specifically worked on V dubs.
posted by notsnot at 8:26 AM on September 24

I'll second what mumkin said, but point out that that special infrastructure and training is still important. Doing basic services on domestic and Japanese cars is relatively straight-forward. But doing simple stuff like changing transmission fluid or replacing timing belts on some German cars can often require special tools, special diagnostic software, and a familiarity with the technology.
Even brake jobs on some late model German cars require interfacing with the brake electronics on the car. Lots of new German cars have switched over to an electronic push-button parking brake so replacing rear pads requires a diagnostic link to the vehicle to inform the computer that the pads are being replaced and a, "Hey, open the damn caliper so I can put these pads in!"
Basically, European cars tend to be more difficult and costly to service on the part of the technician and we like to advertise our ability.
People can be nervous about taking their European car to some divey shop and getting it screwed up, so those of us who have that expertise will advertise that.
posted by Jon-o at 8:32 AM on September 24

Expertise on repairing European cars, not screwing them up, I mean...
posted by Jon-o at 8:38 AM on September 24

When I had my BMW, the shop I went to was run by a German gentleman who had gone to BMW school, where he said they all slept in a barracks with bunk beds, and it was run like a cross between a university and an army.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:03 AM on September 24 [2 favorites]

Some of it's market segmentation anymore--just essentially artificial. But aside from what others mentioned there are also factory service manuals for each model to detail how a procedure should be carried out. And similar procedures on different cars aren't always identical. So they're different enough that specialization still has a bit of value, particularly for more involved or rare repairs.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 9:07 AM on September 24

"Is fixing foreign cars so different from fixing domestic cars that separate places are needed for this? "

Historically very much yes and still is in many cases. The basic philosophy on how to make a car was very different between say a 72 Dodge Dart, a 72 Toyota Corona MKII and a 72 Fiat Spider (to speak of cars I've owned). Which made diagnostic steps different. A Fiat mechanic might waste a lot of time diagnosing a no start condition on a Dart while a Dodge guy would immediately know to swap out the ballast resistor. (Just an example, please no hate mail from FIAT mechanics.

Metric tools were also if not hard to come by at least unusual at one time and the completely different standard British cars used (The assorted flavours of Whitworth and BA) were/are practically impossible to find.
posted by Mitheral at 10:28 AM on September 24

Leaving aside all the specialized tools (including specialized diagnostic software), I certainly would prefer to have any problems with my car diagnosed or repaired by someone who works on the same or similar models on a regular basis.

Also, many foreign (where foreign means European) service shops will have significant experience with small diesel engines, while your average mechanic won't. If you have a diesel VW or Benz, you want to take it to someone who knows the difference between a spark plug and a glow plug.
posted by ssg at 11:07 AM on September 24

Would you trust a chef that claimed to be able to produce a fine dining dish of any cuisine? No, chefs tend to specialize because it takes time, apprenticeship, and world travel in order to master the techniques, ingredients, and flavor profiles of a given cuisine/specialty. And just as nearly any chef can make an omelet, any old Jiffy Lube can change the oil in nearly any engine. But as you get into more involved jobs the specialization increases.
posted by Rhomboid at 1:36 PM on September 24

Some of it's probably the snob factor, particularly for your German and Italian high-end sleds; the major foreign/import repair shop in my town uses the "[surname] & [surname]" name formulation more common to law firms than to auto repair places. But, yes, there are sometimes specialized tools (I just found out, recently, that I'd need a special tool to replace the oil filter on my Mazda Protege myself).
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:30 PM on September 24

I just found out, recently, that I'd need a special tool to replace the oil filter on my Mazda Protege

Recently, I had to order a special tool to replace the motor on my Maytag dryer.
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:14 PM on September 24