HOW TO FIND AN HONEST MECHANIC
Finding Honest Repair Shops
From About.com

As a professional mechanic I have some pride in what I do and it is important to me to be able to do a good job as inexpensively and quickly as possible. However, I don't sacrifice quality for speed; I want to do the job right the first time. This makes me happy and most important it makes my customers happy. There is a saying in my business and sometimes it's all too true, "There's never enough time to do the job right the first time, but there's always enough time to do it right the second time."

If one of my customers has to bring back his car because I did something something wrong, that hurts my pride and it tarnishes my image. Worst of all, the next time he needs a repair or service he might not bring it back to me. That hurts my business. I ran a poll with the question: "Do you trust your mechanic?" And I was surprised to see that 46% of those who responded said no, they don't.

This got me to thinking, if you don't trust your mechanic, why do you bring your car back to him? If you didn't trust your doctor, you would find another doctor. Your mechanic is very much like your doctor. He has to diagnose and treat your car. In fact if you want to take it a step further your mechanic has to be better than your doctor because your car can't tell him where it hurts.

Over the years I have built a relationship with my customers. I know them almost as well as I know my own family. I know where and what hours they work, I know what time their kids have to be at practice and when they take their vacations. I even know what they grow in their gardens. You can't build this kind of relationship if you think of them as "the '92 Ford" or "the '89 Chrysler." My customers are important to me, not only because they provide me my livelihood, but also because they are people and most of them are my friends.

Everybody wants to work with a mechanic they can trust. Finding one can be difficult but there are some simple steps you can take to find a reputable and highly skilled auto care technician. Doing a little homework will not only save you money, but you will find a mechanic you can trust and one the will give you peace of mind.

1 Shop around for an auto care facility before you need repairs. Having to find a shop when your car is on the back of a flatbed is not a good time to find a quality shop. With the average cost of a new vehicle exceeding $20,000, you will probably be driving you car longer. Basic automobile maintenance is the best way to keep your car running smoothly and avoid costly repairs.

2 Ask the shop for references and follow up with calls to them. You don't walk into a new doctors office cold, you want to know how good he is first. Physicians always provide a list of references to prospective new patients, and your "car doctor" should be just as forthcoming. Don't be afraid to ask for references. A few minutes on the phone goes a long way to ensuring you get the quality car repairs you need

3 Ask family, friends, and co-workers to recommend a reputable shop. Personal recommendations account for 60% of all car-buying decisions. This same method should be used to find a quality care center. Most of my new customers come in on a recommendation from another of my customers.

4 Call your local Better Business Bureau and check a shops reliability and performance before you have repairs done.

5 There is an old saying; "Quality is not expensive, it's priceless." This is true when looking for a shop. Don't shop for price alone. It's important to remember that you're not just paying for the cost of the part and the time it takes to install it, but you're also paying for the professionalism and technical expertise of the technician.

6 If you do a lot of traveling, look for a shop that is backed by a national warranty program. Such warranties cover both parts and labor for 12 months or 12,000 miles.

7 Look for signs that the shop has the equipment needed to properly diagnose your car's problems. Nearly all cars built since the early 80's have computer-controlled systems designed to increase engine efficiency, reduce emissions and aid in engine troubleshooting. If a shop doesn't have the proper equipment to diagnose your car, you may be taking a risk by having it repaired there.

8 Look for a repair facility that employs ASE-certified technicians. It is not generally known that automotive technicians must undergo training and testing every five years to maintain their ASE certification. The ASE symbol is prominently displayed by repair facilities that employ these highly skilled auto care professionals

9 Ask if the repair facility uses brand name parts when repairing your vehicle. Brand name parts are typically engineered to original manufacturer's quality or better and often carry warranties.

10: Choose an auto care center that provides a customer satisfaction policy. Such policies allow you peace of mind, not to mention saving you money. Once you've selected your auto care center, a good rule of thumb is to give your technician time to do a good job for you.

When you find a good shop and mechanic, stick with him. You'll probably see an ad in the paper for a cheap brake job or cheap tune-up and will be tempted to go for the savings, but cheap work could very well end up costing you more than your regular mechanic would charge.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that everyone makes mistakes. You have, I have and so has your mechanic. It happens. A good mechanic will stand behind his work and if he should make a mistake, he will stand by his work and do whatever it takes to correct it. When he does, you know you have a good man under your hood. It's also important to be a good customer. I don't mean good in the sense that you always go to him when you need service and repairs, but by being a reasonable person. Don't bring you car in at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon and expect a tune-up, oil and filter change and four wheel brake job and expect it done because you're leaving on vacation the next day. Yes, it has happened to me, he had the car packed and the wife and kids were all standing around waiting.

If you had a repair done and two weeks later something else goes wrong, don't go back screaming and hollering. I had a customer with a 1986 Ford Thunderbird that I fixed an electrical problem with his A/C. Three weeks later he came back with the A/C not working and all he did was scream at me, threatened me with a lawsuit and made some disparaging references of my parentage. After I brought his car in and checked it out, I found that his high pressure A/C line had popped and all the Freon leaked out. When I showed it to him and explained that it was not related to the electrical repair I did, he was very apologetic and quite contrite.

Finding a good mechanic can be a daunting task, but once you find him you'll find that in addition to quality work, he also brings you many miles of trouble free driving and a lot of peace of mind.

Don't see something you need to have done? Call (949) 830-4204. Auto Repair Service Mission, offers a wide range of solutions to the literally thousands of possible repairs and improvements for your vehicles.

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