How To: Find a Reputable Mechanic without getting Ripped Off!!
Posted: Tuesday, August 09, 2005
by mcourson
The #1 fear of all consumers is am I getting what I paid for. Let's get one thing clear from the start, 90% of automotive repair shop's are honest and trustworthy, but the other 10% are the one's to stay away from. In this article you will learn how and what to do and say to stay away from these shop's. If you weed these shop's out from the very beginning then the chances of you getting ripped off will greatly be reduced.
Here is the most important thing you should never do. Never make cold calls when looking for a shop asking how much. You don't shop for car repair's like you shop for shoe's or your favorite book or movie. Most shop's charge an hourly rate and these vary greatly depending on the make and model you have. These hourly rate's are usually between $50.00 and $90.00 an hour, keeping in mind that dealership's generally have the highest hourly rate, and thier mechanic's usually make the lowest salary in the field. Just because the dealership represents the manufacturer doesn't mean that they know more about your vehicle. Non-dealer shop's generallly have the more experienced mechanic's with less turn over rate.
When choosing a repair shop you need to make sure they can do what you need done. More and more shop's today are specializing in certain area's. If you have a popular vehicle or one that has been in production for many year's the choices will be greater than if you have some exotic sports car or foreign import. You also want a facility that can perform all the Repairs and Maintenance on your vehicle while you own it. You start running into problem's when you have 2 or 3 different mechanic's tinkering around with your vehicle. I suggest that if your vehicle is under warranty using the dealership for unforseen repair's or what is known as "warranty work". You can have your regular shop do maintenance as long as they stamp your maintenance book to comply with your warranty requirements.
The very best way to find a reputable shop is by asking around. Ask your friends, family, neighbors, co-worker's, and even other places you do business with. Even if they can't tell you where a good shop is they will definitely let you know which one's to stay away from. Also I generally tell people to stay away from shop's that your friend's or co-worker's husband works. You might get a good deal, but if somethinf goes wrong it will create other problem's that you really didn't want to get into. The consumer has to realize they are as much responsible for bad shop's as the people that operate the shop. If they didn't have any business they wouldn't be in business. And remember only use the yellow pages as the last resort.
Now that you have found your new repair shop prospect, don't wait unitl your car break's down and your back is against a wall to check them out. This is another area that get's comsumer's into trouble because they know you are desperate. First, call the better business bureau and see how many complaints have been lodged against them, and how they resolved those complaints. Second, stop in and pay them a visit they won't mind, as competetive as this industry is they alway's welcome potential customer's. When you pull up in thier parking area, pay attention to the cleanliness of the area. Pay attention to the facility to see if it is maintained and kept up. When you walk in you should be greeted by someone answering phones, doing paperwork and so on. If the person is busy and you have to wait be patient as these shop's especially good one's tend to stay very busy. Take this opportunity to look around, do they have the proper license displayed, or is thier automotive literature or achievements and certifications hanging on the wall. Most important is it clean and organized.
By this time someone should be ready to assist you, take the time to notice the hygiene of the person helping you as well as any other employees you see. This will generally let you know what kind of work they do. Don't be afraid to ask questions. How long have you been in business? The longer the better. How many employees do you have? This will let you know if they can get your vehicle done in a timely manner. Do you have liability insurance? This will let you know if you will have a hassle if something happens to your vehicle while in thier care. Do you have your own towing service and night drop off? this will let you know what to do if you break down in the middle of no where or at night. These type of questions and the manner they answer will let you know how inportant you are to thier shop. Remember first impressions and gut instincts are your best weapon against getting ripped off. Ask what the hourly rate is, most shop's will have this posted. Ask how they handle diagnostic charges, most shop's charge to diagnose a repair. You have to remember there are two parts to a repair Diagnoses and Repair. In some instances your problem will be repair during the diagnoses and some customer's think the shop is tryting to rip them off when all they wanted was diagnoses..If the customer would realize that a repair has two parts they are coming out ahead in this instance. Diagnoses also keeps people form having the shop tell them what the problem is and then the customer going home and fixing it themself or having a friend do it cheaper. Warning this practice usually gets you in trouble and winds up costing you more in the long run.
Finally, most good shop's have a policy that if they said it was fixed and then it wasn't they take care of it. You have to remember that a cetain problem my have several components involved, one of those parts may have been the problem and the mechanic replaces it and the problem is fixed. Then 3 day's later the customer has the same problem, that doesn't mean the mechanic didn't do his job, because it was fixed when you left. Mechanic's don't have a crystal ball or magic wand, they can only fix what they find broke at the time the are looking at it. If you are having a major repair ask for an estimate never tell a mechanic just to fix it without knowing the full cost, even the simplest job so it seems can become very costly. Remember most states have laws concerning estimates and overages. The state I live in has a law that states any repair over $300.00 has to have a written estimate with parts and labor listed and must be signed by the customer, and the final bill cannot exceed the estimate by 10%. It is your responsibility to find out your state laws concerning estimates and repair shop's. You can call your Attorney General's office to find this information out. Remeber getting an estimate and then calling around to find a cheaper quote is only asking for trouble. There is no way of completely knowing 100% if you are getting ripped off, but if you follow the steps I have outlined you will greatly increase your chances of not getting ripped off and becoming a horror story. If a mechanic cannot or will not provide you with the information you request then that probably is not a place you want to do business with..A good shop should be helpful and informative.
mcourson was a professional mechanic with 20 years experience in all aspects of automotive repair and shop operations. Since retiring last year mcourson has been writing these articles to educate the consumer on automotive repair and mechanic selection.
This Article has been viewed 2,433 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)It's hard to take advice from a guy who has absolutely no grasp of punctuation. Learn how to use apostrophes, for the love of god.
"take the time to notice the hygiene of the person helping you as well as any other employees you see. This will generally let you know what kind of work they do." really? really??
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