Protecting The Consumer From Auto Repair Shop Problems
We want to start by saying that not every mechanic or auto repair shop business is one that will rip you off and take you for a ride. Most mechanics enjoy the satisfaction they get from working on vehicles. The problem comes when the bad mechanics decide you are a great target. To protect yourself from having any problems with the mechanic or auto repair shop you choose, follow these ten easy steps. You and your bank account will be glad you did.
1. Talk to your friends and family and find out where they take their care for repairs and minor maintenance. They will be straightforward with you on how the service is at a particular business and the experiences they have had. The mechanic you choose needs to be able to fix the small things for you or complete routine maintaince in a timely and quality fashion before you should allow them to repair major problems.
2. To ensure the auto repair shop is a good choice for you and your vehicle, take it in for an oil change or to have your brakes looked at. This will give you a reasonable idea of the shops integrity with their customers. If they charge too high for a small service, you can bet they will be outrageous on the larger repairs.
3. Make a list of what you want done to your vehicle and bring it in to the shop. Do not ever allow the mechanic to fix whatever is wrong with it. You might be paying more for the repairs than you paid for your car.
4. Take the time to have a conversation with the particular mechanic working on your vehicle. The two of you should test-drive the car together before repairs are made so they can understand what you find wrong. Be very clear with what the problems are and in explaining them.
5. Talk to another auto repair shop business and see what they say about the vehicles problems. You need to feel comfortable about what they are telling you before you go ahead with repairs.
6. Never agree to any work being done unless you have an estimate down on paper. This will give you a starting point so no other things can suddenly be added without your knowledge. If they will not give you a written estimate, LEAVE!
7. Also have any parts and labor guarantees or warranties put in writing to protect you later on.
8. Ask the mechanic or auto repair shop personnel to save any parts taken off your vehicle. This needs to be done before you agree to any work. They need to be able to tell you and show you the problems with the particular part and why it needed replacing. This makes them accountable for any work they do.
9. Before you pay the bill, ask the mechanic to take another test drive to make sure that what ever was going on with your vehicle is now fixed.
10. When paying the bill, make sure you ask questions about things you are not sure of. Pay with a credit card or check to have the option of stopping the payment if the vehicle was not fixed correctly. If you take it home and it starts to act up again, you need to have away to make them correct it. It also gives you a statement of payment.
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