Car Repair Shops – What to Look For
My mother lives in Phoenix and this active 82-year old takes her PT Cruiser everywhere. When she called me last week to tell me her air-conditioning had gone out and two different repair shops indicated they had found many things wrong with the car, well, to be honest, she was pretty mad—or what she calls it, “darn-pooped.”
Because she had pretty good luck with this 2007 model, this was her first experience with a major repair on it and I told her that there were things to look for before your choose your repair shop. Since I live in New Mexico and my husband’s dealership sold her the car, of course I felt bad.
The next morning, I hurried off to our car dealership to design and hold a seminar for our small town, especially for non-technician-like people, on what to look for in a repair facility. That’s how important it is because your vehicle is what takes you everywhere in life—I felt it time people knew they had choices.
Franchised Car Dealerships
No matter what manufacturer make you drive, any of the company’s franchised dealerships can repair your vehicle. It’s best to utilize franchised dealerships for your warranty work, recalls you might receive, and until your manufacturer’s automobile warranty expires. Read you manufacturer’s warranty and if you don’t understand what it covers, take a trek to your closest dealership and ask. Or call the manufacturer directly and ask—you can find their customer service number in your owner’s manual.
If you choose a franchised dealership for non-warranty repairs, to ensure reliable and fair cost repairs, make sure they have ASE Technicians (technicians who must past stringent tests), a Master Tech that understands all components of a vehicle, belong to the Better Business Bureau, and will give you a good explanation and firm quote on what it will cost to repair your vehicle. If you aren’t comfortable with the Service Writer assigned to your repairs—talk to the Service Manager. If you’re still not happy, ask to talk to the General Manager or the Dealer. In our shop, my husband’s door is always open to our customers and they know it—that’s how he built his dealership’s reputation.
Independent Car Repair Shops and National Chain Shops
These shops are formed usually by excellent master technicians who want to venture into the world of vehicle repair on their own and be business owners. Good ones will tell you to go to a manufacturer approved facility for your warrant and recall work. But don’t shoot the messenger here, they may not know your problem is still covered under warranty—that’s why it’s important to understand your original warranty.
To choose a good car repair shop, see what sort of recommendations from organizations they have. Are the endorsed by the AAA? To be an AAA certified repair facility, the repair shop must go through in investigation by AAA, and pass it, before they are issued a recommendation or certification. Ask if they have ASE certified techs. ASE techs work everywhere, not just at franchised dealership—so do master techs.
Ask to see the shop and check out if it’s well organized and clean. Is it a busy shop? If it is and there seems to be a lot of activity and at an organized pace—it’s probably a good shop. Ask if their repairs are guaranteed and for how long? Remember, a car repair shop may have a labor guarantee (if something’s wrong that is the technicians fault), and a parts guarantee (if one of the parts they used failed). A good one will have both.
If You Still Aren’t Sure
I know with myself, if my husband didn’t own a dealership, I would be lost choosing a good repair facility. I like to tell people, I only know where the key goes in and where the gas goes in—beyond that, I’m lost.
Warranty Direct can help you make a good choice for your repairs. This extended car warranty company has been around a whopping 28 years and they know which car repair shops have a commitment to quality repair and customer service. They have a list of vehicle repair shops they trust. Beyond that, if you like the shop where you take your vehicle, and they aren’t on Warranty Direct’s recommended repair facility list—tell the owner to contact Warranty Direct to get on the list.
Peace of mind and knowing that you will receive quality repairs that fit the cost you’re paying is gold in the auto repair industry—and they know it too. If a shop you’re looking at doesn’t seem all that concerned about you or your repairs—skip them, it’s not worth the fight later.
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Filed under: Vehicle repairs
Nice blog! Keep up the good work.
Fixing the problem is easy but understaning it is the problem. As soon as you know what wrong with it i think you are done. Thank you for your post, very informative. Alex