Winning with warranties & plans

Are you a planner? Does everything always go according to your plans? How do you respond when things go a little awry? And how about when they go a lot awry?



I am definitely a planner—both in making arrangements and in what I envision happening. I am always grateful when things work out according to plan. But I’ve certainly had my share of awry moments.

Years ago, I would say that I absolutely did not respond well when things didn’t go as I envisioned. However, as I’ve grown in the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control), striving to think of others before myself, I have seen a change in how I respond to unplanned circumstances. 

Let me tell you about the most recent.

This summer my husband (Jeremy), daughter (Briella), and I were invited by our friends, Eric and Christine on a fishing excursion in Ocean City, MD. Our trip was planned just prior to the infamous annual White Marlin Open where the purse this year exceeded six million dollars. With the timing of such an event, I was sure that our fish-catching luck was going to be glorious.

Don’t’ get me wrong, I surely didn’t have any crazy expectation of catching a marlin—white, blue, or any other species. But I had heard about the amazing fish Eric and his family have reeled in on previous trips so I was thrilled and determined to catch something spectacular.

With every detail of our trip completely planned for us by our seasoned fishing friends along with the captain and crew of the chartered boat, our job was easy—listen, learn and reel in the fish.

The day before, we were outfitted with fishing belts, given tips and tricks, instructed in what to do to avoid seasickness, firmly advised not to consume bananas prior to the trip (we were told it’s bad luck for fishermen), and excitedly told about what to expect.

Do you know how long it’s been since I didn’t have to plan anything and I just got to go with the flow? Neither do I—that’s how long it’s been. So it was amazing to be so well cared for!

However, you simply cannot take the plan out of a planner. So I secretly had a plan/vision of what was going to happen! I pictured myself on the deck of the boat, feet firmly planted, braced for action with my belt and rod, reeling in a ginormous tuna! 

With great anticipation, we awoke at 4 am, took our seasickness pills, avoided all bananas, and went to catch our ride to the marina. I was so pumped and so exhilarated that it seemed nothing, not even the clouds looming overhead could darken my day. What could possibly go wrong?

Have you ever felt this way in life? When things are going so right that you think there is no way anything can make today go bad?

Working in the automotive industry for so many years, you would be amazed in the stories I have heard about vehicles ruining a day or plan due to unexpected issues. Even if your vehicle is well maintained, there are no for-sures in life.

Is there anything you do to avoid bad luck? Do you remember years ago how people carried a good-luck rabbit foot with them or hung it on the rearview mirror of their car? With that rabbit foot, nothing could go wrong—or so they thought. Does it seem just a little bit crazy to think about how superstitious some were with that expectation?

I don’t know how superstitious you are but it seems to me that animal feet or lack of certain fruits will not prevent problems or increase your luck. But are there other things you can do to help prevent them, give you more peace of mind and maybe even allow you to respond in a new way if problems come about? Why of course there are! Let me tell you what recently happened to one of our customers.

A first-time customer came to us with his 2013 Dodge Charger with 56,266 miles on it in the spring of 2018. With the desire to have the most power and great fluids running in his engine, Mr. Dodge Charger opted for our exceptional Babcock Lifetime Engine Protection Program with his oil change. Knowing that the extra service also included a warranty, he appreciated that peace of mind came with his choice and he continued to have his vehicle serviced at the proper intervals in order to maintain the warranty.

Sometimes with warranties, we don’t win or at least we don’t see how we can win. But with our protection program, it’s always a win-win-win. Let me tell you how.

Remember my last article about golden oil and the importance of timely oil changes? On average, many of us are pretty good about getting our oil changed according to the little sticker in our window. But oftentimes, we are not so good at changing the other important fluids.

Knowing the importance of all fluid maintenance we’ve developed a program for outstanding performance as well as peace of mind. We are so confident in the fluids we use based on extensive testing and proven performance that we are confident in backing these services, if used at the correct intervals, with a lifetime warranty. That is win #1.

To get the most out of the warranty with optimal protection and coverage, our program must be started before the 50K mile mark. However, because we are so confident that the products we use can reverse possible problems already done by inferior fluids or fluids not changed regularly, we offer a delayed start to the program. The second opt-in time for the warranty can be implemented after 50K miles but before 100K. Though the latter option doesn’t have as much coverage, there is a still a significant monetary guarantee if one of the systems that is covered fails.

Here’s how it works. If you have your vehicle’s fluid systems serviced–transmission, brake, fuel, cooling, power steering, driveline, or engine, and continue to have it serviced according to our recommended intervals, that system is warrantied for the life of the vehicle. If you begin the program before 50K miles, the coverage is greater ($6000 for engine an fuel, up to $4000 for all others). And if you begin it after 50K but before 100K there is coverage but to a lesser extent ($3000 for engine and fuel, up to $2000 for all others).

So had Mr. Dodge Charger started coming to us just 6,267 miles sooner, he would have had the option of more coverage because our Babcock Lifetime Protection Plan would have covered $6,000 of repairs or replacement if something went wrong. Since he wasn’t introduced to our Protection Plan until after 50K miles he still got $3000 of the repair covered.

If we didn’t know how Mr. Dodge Charger drives his fun and powerful car, we could give him the benefit of the doubt and say he drives “like an old man”. But let’s say he really “let’s her rip” and is often hard on the engine. It doesn’t matter. No matter what, our warranty yields lifetime protection as long as the service intervals are maintained. That’s win #2.

Well, Mr. Dodge Charger won big—cashing in on both #1 and #2. You see, he confessed that he really does “let her rip” and is hard on the engine. But again, it doesn’t matter. Because he has had his engine serviced on time, every time, when the timing chain broke while doing who knows what, ruining the engine, $3000 of his repair bill has been covered. Win-win for him!

What’s more, there is win #3—it’s all about the fluids! There are different fluids, made by different companies but not all are created equal. If you choose to have your vehicle serviced with exceptional fluids like the ones we offer, you are getting the ultimate vehicle protection—literally guaranteed to provide the best protection. So even if you never “cash in” on your warranty, it’s because those fluids are doing what they are supposed to in order to keep your car healthy!

You see, win-win-win, just like I said.

But are all things in life win-moments? I’d love to tell you, yes and I think I will – yes, they are—but the awry moments are only wins if you look for them.

Just as life can go awry, this article has gone awry. You see, before we even went on the ocean I knew there would be some way I’d share the experience with you. As a planner, I even envisioned the photo I’d use of me catching the most amazing fish—or at least holding it (or them!) up with a big smile at the end of our 12 hour excursion.

Sadly, the only thing that I caught was the most amazing case of seasickness. I am not talking about the kind of queasy “I think I’ll sit over here and sip soda and eat gluten-free crackers” kind of sickness. I am talking about an entire day of hanging my head over the side of the boat, wondering if one could possibly die from being that sick.

My big fish, big article, and big win did not come to fruition in the ways I had planned and hoped. But maybe what happened was better.

If we take the “fruit” out of fruition, there is a win. Not with bananas of course—but you should google fishermen and bananas to get the back story on that saga. I am talking about the real win.

In the moments I was wondering if I might die, I was also praying. Not for my life, ha, but for my husband and daughter. I prayed that they would catch some amazing fish. I prayed that they would have an incredible time reeling in some incredible fish while creating incredible memories.

Then when it happened, when I looked up and saw Briella straining to reel in some big doozies, it was just all worth it. Every second of it was worth it at that moment. And when Jeremy caught a brown shark and battled with that sucker for several minutes, smiling the whole time, it was worth it. And when everyone (but the green-faced woman) got to see a shark bite off half of one huge fish Jeremy was reeling in, it was also worth it. 

What’s more—my daughter and husband will never ever forget that trip! Not ever. Had we caught some great fish, it would have been memorable. But now, forever imprinted in their minds (and mine) will be a memory that we can go back and revisit—the memory of “do you remember when we went fishing in Ocean City and we all caught great fish while mom fed the fish the whole time?”. We can joke about it and remember.

That’s the fruit and the win. There is always fruit, there are always wins, no matter how awry the plans go … you just need to learn how to look for them.