My Mechanic Across the Country

I lost faith in the car dealer when they sold a part that I had special ordered.

I lost faith in the chain auto repair shop when they tore one of my spark plug wires.

I now turn to the Internet whenever I have questions about my car. Specifically I turn to newbeetle.org, a community of New Beetle enthusiasts who are accessible at any hour from any computer with a browser and an Internet connection.

For the past few months, my car was squeaking when turning or going over bumps at slow speeds. I posted my problem on newbeetle.org and had a response within an hour: the bushings needed to be lubricated. A couple days later, I had that taken care of in about 20 minutes at a small auto shop for about $6. Sure beats hanging out at the dealer's all afternoon.

Problems with my car are a lot like most problems consumers face. Someone else has gone through them, they've probably talked about it on the Internet somewhere, and they'll probably be willing to give us some pointers. Google will help you find them.