Click to watch Moses

The faithful in the auto service industry have long expected a message from on high about auto care. But it came as a great surprise recently when Moses once again descended the mountain, this time appearing in the midst of a small congregation of business owners in Northern Virginia. His purpose was to deliver the 10 Commandments of Automobile Care.

With unexpected verve and jolly good humor for such an ancient man, Moses urged the congregants to remember that every car deserves R&R. Click our photo above to watch his thoughtful and witty presentation of the commandments.

Transcribed from the I-Stone tablet of Moses, here are the 10 Commandments of Automobile Care:

1. Thou shalt anoint thy chariot faithfully with oil and shalt not exceed the mileage limits set by your chariot maker before changing your oil and filter.
2. Thou shalt faithfully check thy oil level between oil changes.
3. Thou shalt faithfully check all thy chariot’s other fluid levels.
4. Thou shalt inspect thy chariot wheels regularly for ample tread and rightful pressure.
5. Thou shalt care for thy horsepower so that thy emissions be clean. If they not be clean, then get them cleaned up.
6. Thou shalt consult thy chariot bible regularly to be sure thy chariot receives its recommended care. Thy chariot cannot long survive on oil changes alone, but needs care at specified mile intervals.
7. Thou shalt send your chariot to a place of refuge, if you cannot care for it yourself. I have created R&R Auto Service as a place of refuge and have anointed a special tribe, the Mechanites, to service and maintain it. If thy chariot is plagued with problems, remember every chariot deserves R&R.
8. Thou shalt not ignore thy check engine light. It is my sign that chariot care is needed.
9. Thou shalt focus on the road, not thy phone, while driving your chariot.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s ride, whether it be chariot, horse or donkey.

It had been a crazy week, and the “change oil” light had been flashing for days every time Joe started his car.

In the interest of expedience, early on Saturday morning, Joe drove to the local franchise of a well-known national oil-change service.

Ninety minutes later, the service manager presented Joe with a laundry list of services and repairs that his car needed. Joe scratched his head and tried to remember the last time he’d actually had any service done on the car, but came up empty. Did the car really need so much work?

The service manager seemed like a knowledgeable guy. The items on the list seemed reasonable, and the service manager implied that the work was both urgent and necessary for the safety of the vehicle. Joe gulped at the estimated cost — which would put a huge dent in the family’s discretionary income for the next few months — and pondered what to do.

We’ve heard Joe’s story — or others like it — many times over the years. You might be interested to know that the service manager of the national chain was, indeed, a knowledgeable guy, and the repairs and services he recommended were ones that Joe’s car needed … eventually.

Here’s the difference between the national chain’s service manager and your R&R Service Team: The national guy may or may not be a long-term company employee. In all probability, he figures he has one shot at your business, so he’s motivated to make that one shot as profitable as possible. On the other hand, R&R Auto Service has been around since 1972, with the same owner and manager. We have the time and the motivation to cultivate a relationship with you.

So, when you walk in our door, we take the long view. Our goal is for you to come back because you trust us. Sure, your car may have a laundry list of needed services and repairs, but it almost never happens that every item on that list is necessary immediately. We’ll discuss the condition of your car with you, recommend to you what is truly urgent and what can be delayed, and for how long. We’ll also keep you apprised of what we see coming down the road for your car, so that, as much as possible, you’re never taken by surprise.

And last, but not least, we keep comprehensive records on your car. You don’t have to scratch your head. We can tell you exactly what was done to your car, and when. We’ll even keep records of what was done to your car by other facilities, because sometimes you’re on the road and just can’t visit R&R.

But even when you are on the road, we’re just a phone call away.

Our mission is to be the repair shop your family trusts.
 

R&R customer’s TR3 takes Best in Class at car show

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That’s R&R customer Fred Mittelman sitting in his 1960 Triumph TR3A in our photo above. Standing alongside is Diane Page, Fred’s wife. We took the photo at the Britain on the Green 2013 car show, where Fred’s Triumph won Best in Class. The 16th annual Britain on the Green was held on Sunday, April 28, at historic Gunston Hall Plantation in Mason Neck, Virginia, home of American patriot George Mason. The car show is hosted by the Capital Triumph Register, a Washington-area organization for Triumph enthusiasts founded in 1989.

Fred’s Triumph has been part of the Mittelman family for 53 years. It was purchased in March 1960 by Fred’s Uncle Norm, who treasured the car for nearly 50 years. Uncle Norm knew, however, that his nephew Fred had fallen in love with the car from the beginning. Sometime in 2007, Uncle Norm informed Fred that he had willed the Triumph to him. As the attorney who had prepared his uncle’s will, Fred pointed out that if Uncle Norm had indeed willed the car to his nephew, he should know about it. Uncle Norm then asked Fred if he would like to take immediate possession of the car. Some six months later, Fred was the new owner of the Mittelman family Triumph. Shortly thereafter, Fred pursued maintenance and repair on the vehicle, including restoration work on the body. The car’s mileage when Fred received the car was 69,000. Today, the mileage is only 71,000, but now that the car is in tip-top shape again, Fred intends to enjoy putting a few more miles on it.

Fred and Diane have been long-time loyal R&R customers, and the TR3A is not the first Triumph that R&R has serviced for them. In fact, in the mid-1980s, Fred purchased a TR6 from R&R owner Rob Carter, Fred says. In addition to the family’s specialty cars, R&R also services Fred and Diane’s regular vehicles.

Congratulations, Fred!

R&R sponsors Britain on the Green 2013

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R&R once again sponsored the annual Britain on the Green, and pictured above is our display table at this year’s show, being manned by another of our long-time customers, Tim Acord, who just wanted to help out for the day.

At R&R Auto Service, our customers become family.

Every car deserves a little R&R. Particularly those British models.