When it comes to cars, the days of the shade tree mechanic are long gone. You want to feel that you are not going to be lied to or cheated by an auto service company, since we are so dependent on them to fix our 21st century machines. We’re so lucky that we found one of the best in Fountain Hills.

Automotive Research on Colony Drive has taken care of us like family for decades. This month I had my car in for 30,000-mile service and one of the principals, Hugh, told us that we had a couple oil leaks that would cost close to $2,000 to correct. But he also told us that the car is still under warranty and our leaks should be covered at a dealer. We took the car to the dealer and they said that the leak was caused by improper handling of the oil filter during service.

We took it back to Hugh at Automotive and asked him to re-inspect for leaks and photograph any he found. He provided me with a half dozen photos of the leaks, which I took back to the dealership and they agreed that there were significant leaks and that the warranty would cover it.

But it doesn't stop there. Today I got a call from Hugh at Automotive asking if I was successful in getting the dealership to make the warranty repairs using his photos. Now that’s customer service!