so i've been going to my mechanic for 8 years now. oil changes, breaks, routine stuff. he works at midas, which doesn't really specialize in any specific manufacturer.
when my honda had what seemed to be an electrical problem (a wire kept shorting out) about 6 years ago, he said they don't take those sort of repairs and sent me to a dealer. when fuel pump had to be replaced recently, he at first refused to take the repair because you need special equipment, etc. then he was able to look up some stuff on the computer and ended up doing the repair anyway. when the heater seemed to have a glitch last winter, he said he doen't know much about honda electronics & wiring and sent me to a specialty shop (thankfully, it was just a glitch--no repair needed).
he says that it's getting harder to do -quality- repair on anything other than "the obvious" (breaks, belts, etc.) if you want to work on a variety of cars. everything is getting computerized. he mentioned that a lot of times his midas would run a diagnostic on a car, and it'd be something with the internal computer/electronics, not mechanical stuff per se.
long story short, this is making me wonder. should i be abandoning my mechanic and looking for a -honda- shop when it comes to repairs on the new car? (though hopefully it won't be needing any any time soon )
what about routine maintenance stuff (oil changes, etc.)?
i know it's an odd concern, but i really like that he does quality work -and- allows me to bring my own parts in to help minimize the costs. i don't think i'd be able to do this anywhere else (or at least not the first time i walk into the door), but i want to make sure the new baby is taken care of.
)