My Uncle Dean is one of the greatest human beings on the planet. The man is well into his 70s and still races stock cars. He owns a body shop in Reading, OH. He's a genuinely cool cat...a certifiable bad-ass even...and he has set the bar for how I feel like I should be treated by other auto mechanically-inclined people. \r
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That said, the guys at Day Heights Auto Service hit that bar pretty nicely. \r
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I'd been having some problems with my car battery...and by problems I mean that the thing was almost completely discharged. How did I find this out? Completely by chance. These guys happend to be the ones who got called out to give me a tow to the dealership. However, instead of getting the tow, the guy (I really wish I could remember his name because he was a genuinely good guy) managed to get me started. He then proceeded to offer to check the battery and take a quick look for free. I figured I didn't have anything to lose, seeing that the place is about a mile-and-a-half up the street from me. So I took the car up and sure enough he found that the battery was shot. They were honest and said they couldn't do any further diagnostics due to the battery not being able to hold a charge. They offered to get a battery and switch it out for me, but I was under the (false) impression the dealership would take care of that for me. Afterall, my car only has 26K miles on it. They also said that 'it should be covered'. \r
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WIthout getting into any detail, I'll just state that after I left Day Heights, it was a complete debacle on the dealer's part. Flash forward to a wasted day-and-a-half later when I called up Day Heights and asked if they could still do the work. Jamie Kellerman was kind, immediately helpful, and was set to do the work. After retrieving my car from the dealership, I brought it back to Day Heights and they had me set to go by the end of the day. And they did the work for half the price. In fact, it was even LOWER than half the price of what the dealer quoted. \r
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Now...we're not talking genius work here. It doesn't take a lot to change out a battery. However, if we're talking general work ethic and a genuine interest in just being cool to another person, I think these guys are the real deal. That makes all the difference in the world. I can also safely say the majority of people I've dealt with in my life that treat others like this have a tendency to reflect that same positivity and excellence in their work. \r
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It pays to treat people well no matter what the situation. It pays to be respectful and kind even when it' might not seem in your best interest right at the moment. These guys did that. And while I don't exactly WANT to find myself having to bring my car in for repairs, if I do, I will definitely be bringing my vehicle back here. I'd recommend them to anyone.
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