Thom's Four Wheel Drive

We find that a lot of CHICAGO drivers are a little tentative when they talk with their automotive advisors. They want to ask questions but don't want to be embarrassed or seem pushy. Vehicles are very complicated and there's more to know about them than most of us have the time to learn. Maybe it's because vehicles have become so much more reliable that the average person just doesn't need to know as much to keep their vehicle on the road.You know, your local hospital has a Patient's Bill of Rights that they post throughout the hospital. We think our CHICAGO automotive service customers also have a right to ask any question they need to understand what is wrong with their car and what it will take to fix it. They need to feel free to ask the cost and benefits of recommended services. And they certainly have a right to understand the financial end of the transaction.It's all about the communication. It's a little harder when you're trying to find the right ... read more

There are some things drivers should know about CHICAGO car service and repair. First and foremost, Thom's Four Wheel Drive cares about you and your family's safety. And we really appreciate your business. Thom's Four Wheel Drive in CHICAGO wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come.Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix vehicles. The days of shade tree mechanics are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles. The pros who work for Thom's Four Wheel Drive need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right parts, networking with other technicians to help them with a difficult ... read more

When you drop your vehicle off at Thom's Four Wheel Drive in CHICAGO, they don't just poke around under your hood looking for stuff to do. Thom's Four Wheel Drive professionals have lists and procedures they follow for different types of service. First of all, your CHICAGO service center will note the mileage on your vehicle. They'll then check to see what inspections and services the vehicle manufacturer recommends for a vehicle of your make, model and mileage. If you are a regular customer, they will also check your vehicle's history.If the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations go beyond the services you've ordered, they'll let you know. They'll also indicate whether those services are urgent or if you can wait a while to take care of them. The Thom's Four Wheel Drive pros won't do work that you don't agree to.They will, however, perform inspections while they're servicing your vehicle. They'll check belts, filters and fluids. They'll check your windshield wipe ... read more

One might say the most challenging part of being an automotive service technician at Thom's Four Wheel Drive is diagnosing a problem before it can be fixed.Cars are made up of a bunch of complex systems. There usually could be a number of reasons for any given symptom. So, it's challenging to track down the actual cause of the problem. And it can be frustrating for the vehicle owner because it can take time and money to get to the bottom of a problem. If it's not something obvious, it's easy for the customer to focus on the fixing and not the diagnosing.Let us at Thom's Four Wheel Drive introduce you to something we'll call 'Customer Detective Work' –  helping your technician find clues to what's wrong.We start with the detective basics: What, Where and When. Play along with me; You come in to Thom's Four Wheel Drive and your car is making a funny sound... Q: Where's the sound? A: Around the right front wheel. Q: What kind of sound? A: Kind of a clunk ... read more

About 80% of the vehicles on CHICAGO roads today are behind on their preventive maintenance schedules. That translates to about 160 million vehicles in the United States that aren't performing as well as they could be - thousands right here in Illinois. Some of the maintenance issues are minor. Others represent serious safety concerns. There are many reasons CHICAGO drivers neglect their routine car care. Some of the more common ones are complacency, lack of confidence, lack of trust and budget issues. Modern vehicles are amazingly reliable compared to their older counterparts. They can run for years without any repairs, and we sometimes translate that to mean they don't need any maintenance. The trouble is that without maintenance, parts in the vehicle are gradually wearing out, fluids are getting dirty, oil is developing sludge — a lot of stuff is happening that we can't see, and it is destroying the vehicle. The first time we learn there is a ... read more

We're going to be talking about the ethics of automotive repair. It seems like news outlets really like hit-and-run reporting; they hit everyone from groceries stores to retail to physicians. And the CHICAGO automotive service and repair industry hasn't been given a pass either.Unfortunately, every profession in CHICAGO has some bad actors that hurt the reputation of everyone else. On the automotive side, industry associations and professional licensing organizations are very committed to high ethical standards.Yet some people remain uncomfortable with CHICAGO automotive service and repair. It may start with the fact that our vehicles are a big investment and we rely on them for so much in our lives. That alone guarantees our attention. And how well we understand the recommendations really impacts our comfort level.If we understand what's recommended and the benefits of taking care of the work – and the pitfalls of putting it off ... read more

All Illinois pilots have checklists for every aspect of flying. They always use their checklists even if they only have two steps on them. They do this simply because a checklist is a great way to not forget steps. It is also how they can assure a predictable outcome. That is why CHICAGO automotive service centers including Thom's Four Wheel Drive have procedural standards for each service they perform. Thom's Four Wheel Drive technicians are trained step by step. And they perform the procedures step by step, the same way each time. By training to procedural standards, Illinois service centers can assure a quality outcome. The job is done right every time and CHICAGO customers leave happy with how their vehicle performs. Each company trains its technicians to standards. The Illinois automotive industry as a whole is very committed to standards of excellence and encourages individual Illinois service center operators to apply them to every vehicle they serv ... read more

Some CHICAGO vehicle owners wonder why Thom's Four Wheel Drive and other CHICAGO auto repair shops charge a fee for vehicle diagnostics. Receiving a diagnostic charge at Thom's Four Wheel Drive for a tricky automotive problem shouldn't be a surprise. In the CHICAGO area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your vehicle brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Illinois road, you pull off at the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you're having an intermittent problem with your vehicle engine, however, a Thom's Four Wheel Drive diagnosis may be much more involved.Much of the CHICAGO driver's confusion comes when the problem involves the Check Engine light. The Check Engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem. There's a common misconception among Illinois drivers that the trouble code tells the Thom's Four Wheel Drive technician exa ... read more