October 8

Simple Steps To Finding An Auto Repair Shop You Can Trust

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Simple Steps To Finding An Auto Repair Shop You Can Trust

Do you ever wonder what advice someone that actually works in an auto repair shop would give their mom? Well, I’ve worked in an auto repair shop for over 7 years. I will share with you some real advice I would give my mom if she were trying to find a repair shop to bring her vehicle to.    Let me put you at ease... I love my mom very much, so this is truly good advice.

How To Find An Auto Repair Shop

There are many things I would factor into choosing a good repair shop. If my mom were looking for one, I would share these go-to ways with her. 
  • Look at their Google reviews. Better yet, look at their responses to their reviews. Do they take the time to show they care about their customers' experience by responding to the reviews? How do they respond to negative reviews? Let’s face it, most businesses get bad reviews from time to time. The mark of a business that truly cares about their customers is the way they respond to people that have had a bad experience. You want to know that if something goes wrong with your vehicle, the shop will actually care to make it right and treat you with dignity and respect. 

  • Ask someone you trust for a recommendation.  Nothing beats a personal recommendation. If someone you are close with has had great experiences at a shop, chances are you will have a great experience there too!

  • Check to see if they have ASE certified technicians. This is a BIG one. Becoming an ASE certified technician is no joke. You have to go through the same amount of training and testing as you would to become a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). A big factor in saving money in the long run is having problems with your vehicle diagnosed correctly and done right the first time. There is nothing worse than throwing money away on a repair that wasn’t needed or a repair that will have to be re-done by someone else. 

  • Check out their website and see if they have a good warranty. There are a wide range of warranties that different shops provide. I would suggest you find a shop with a parts and labor warranty with a minimum of 3 years and 30 thousand miles. The shop I work for has a 5 year and 50 thousand mile warranty. Car parts can go bad before they are supposed to, which means a repair would have to be done AGAIN to replace the part that went bad. A shop with a good warranty would replace a bad part at no cost to you. This is a HUGE benefit with choosing a shop that has a good warranty! 

3 Signs You’ve Found A Good Auto Repair Shop.

After you’ve found a shop that looks good, it’s time to give them a try. There are 3 things you can look for that show you have found a good one! 
  1. A good shop will tell you what they plan to do and give you a range of what it will cost BEFORE starting any work on your vehicle. No one likes finding out that something has been fixed on their vehicle without their knowledge and then proceeds to get charged hundreds of dollars for that unexpected repair. A trustworthy repair shop will get your approval before starting any repairs on your vehicle. 

  2. A good shop will tell you exactly what is going on with your vehicle in a way you can understand. If you are feeling pressured into a repair and are unsure why you need it, don’t be afraid to speak up and say something. It may be that they don’t know your level of knowledge. They should tell you in a way that makes sense. If you are still feeling pressured and unclear after voicing your concerns, that may not be the shop for you. They should also tell you everything they find. Just like you wouldn’t want a doctor to leave out important information regarding test results, you wouldn’t want your technician to leave out important information regarding your vehicle after they’ve looked at it. This is a KEY reason you want to build a relationship with an auto repair shop you can trust. So you can have peace of mind knowing they are not skipping over anything or worse, telling you to fix something you don’t actually need. You deserve to know exactly what is going on with YOUR vehicle. 

  3. A good shop is willing to give you a priority list. Even though you are grateful for the expertise of your technician you wouldn’t want them to tell you that you must fix everything they find all at once. In many cases, there are repairs that are needed right away and other repairs that can wait until your next visit. A trustworthy repair shop would be happy to provide you with a priority list. **Insider Tip: Any good shop will tell you ways to get the most bang for your buck. Sometimes you can save money in the long run by doing a repair now instead of waiting, if that repair is located in a similar area to what is already being worked on. 

If you are on the hunt for a good repair shop, give these tips a try! Let me know how they work for you in the comments below! 

| Julia M. | Victory Auto Service & Glass |


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