Things to Consider when Selecting the Right Repair Shop

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to provide you with information about your vehicle repair and help you select the right repair shop.  We know that selecting the right repair shop can be confusing and frustrating.  In fact, people have so many misconceptions about auto repair shops that we decided to provide the following information to help our customers make an informed decision.

Listed below are four misconceptions about getting your car repaired.  We offer a few suggestions to help you save time and provide you with seven questions you should ask every repair shop before you set up an appointment.

MISCONCEPTION 1: Your vehicle manufacturer specifies regular maintenance schedules just to get you into their shop so they can make more money on you.

Not true.  Manufacturers are making cars that last longer and require overall maintenance, however all vehicles require some type of preventative maintenance.  If maintained properly, you can expect your car to go over 100,000 miles without a major service.  For example, some engines have timing belts that should be replaced before they wear out or break and cause even more expensive damage.

MISCONCEPTION 2: A repair shop can give you an accurate price quote over the phone without seeing your car.

Not possible.  You can call 10 different repair shops and get 10 different price quotes and the likely hood is that every one of them will be wrong.  Unless the shop has had a chance to examine or test drive the car, there is no way to accurately diagnose your problem and give you a price quote.

As with any repair, there is a variety of options and it is best to have it inspected.

MISCONCEPTION 3: Most repair shops will recommend additional work to get you to spend more money.

The fact is, any repair shop that doesn’t inspect your vehicle and look for potential problems is doing you a disservice.  Quality repair shops do an extensive inspection on every car that comes into their shop to uncover inexpensive repairs that may be needed now before they turn into a major expense.

Something as simple as discovering and then replacing a worn belt may save you the danger and frustration of breaking down on a busy highway and an expensive towing charge.

MISCONCEPTION 4: All repair shops are the same.

No, in fact there can be major differences between repair shops.  The new car technology requires new diagnostic equipment and training to keep up with all of the changes.  The repair shop with the well trained and certified mechanics and the most up-to-date equipment is able to do a better and more thorough repair job.

Here are a few suggestions to help you find a good reputable repair shop.

Ask friends and relatives for a recommendation.  Ask them if they know if anyone has had a good, or bad, experience with a repair shop you are thinking about using.

Try and find a shop with a lot of repeat customers.  Customers will return to a shop that they trust and feel they were treated well.

Make sure they guarantee their work, nationwide, for at least 12 month/12,000 miles.

The seven questions to ask a repair shop before scheduling an appointment:

1. Do they have the diagnostic equipment required to service your car?
2. If they give you an estimate over the phone, do the absolutely guarantee that price?
3. Do they perform a full safety inspection to uncover any other potential problems?
4. Are their employees ASE Certified?
5. Do they offer to pickup and deliver your car to you after it is serviced; or offer to take you to and from work on the day your car is being serviced?
6. Will they provide you with a list of customers you can call for a reference?
7. Do they guarantee their work, nationwide, for 12 months/12,000 miles?

By asking these questions and following our suggestions, you will get all the information you need to select the repair shop to handle all your vehicle needs.