Oh, I take my vehicles to them all the time. Oh course since they are supposed to be "quick" I don't just drop them off. And I don't hang out in their waiting room. I usually stand around watching them.
Funny though, they never ask to clean my K&N air filter.
I used to have a neighborhood mechanic I went to that I could trust (grew up with the guy). Chief mechanic at an independent Shell station 5 minutes from my house. Their repair business was always hopping, everyone in the area knew them and took their cars there for the minor stuff. It was really one of the only garages in the area.
Shell forced the independent out and it became a company store. They were going to take out the garage bays and turn the space into a convenience store. Now it should be noted that at that intersection, there was a Speedway, and a Village Pantry. There was a grocery store and a CVS. But only the one mechanical garage.
Shell's business dried up. (I stopped going there for any reason.) They started to rethink their brilliant decision to take out the bays (they hadn't yet made the transition) and after several months they were working on cars again.
But the damage was done, while they did get a few cars to work on now and then, probably from n00bs to the area who didn't know any better; all the old customers were gone, even for gas.
I think they're going to put in the convenience store again, but I will never patronize that place again. Or any Shell for that matter if I can help it.
Business' can be really stupid. Don't *iss (lie to, steal from etc.) off your customers!
A mechanic that you have to stand around and watch isn’t that useful though, if you have to be that involved in the process you might as well just do it yourself.
It is a shame when bad business decisions kill good things. Good mechanics are hard enough to find that once you develop the reputation you shouldn’t mess with it. Of course Shell isn’t well known for their farsighted business decisions.