Auto Repair – Finding a Good Mechanic

Your car needs to be fixed and you don’t know where to turn. This is actually a pretty common scenario when it comes to the world of auto repair. Not many people have a mechanic they turn to for common maintenance any more. It used to be somewhat of a requirement but alas those days are gone. Not waiting until your car fails to start to find someone is a good idea. If you are searching for a mechanic there is some information you need to get before you decide to make him your go to guy.

Talk to your friends who have had auto repairs recently. When you’re looking for a good shop, you’ll do better off going to a friend’s mechanic than someone with flashy advertisements. If a friend or family member was satisfied enough to tell you to go to him to get your car fixed then chances are their faith is in the right place. People don’t send their family and friends to mechanics that don’t do a good job.

If you’re checking out shops to take your car to for routine maintenance ask about their charges. All shops charge labor in different ways. Some shops might be the same but don’t take for granted that just because shop A charged $50 an hour and rounded to the nearest half hour that shop B is going to do the same. Take the time to talk to the mechanic and find out how much the labor rate is, how long the auto repair is going to take, and how they bill is it by the hour strictly or do they round to the nearest half hour. Don’t hesitate to ask for the estimate in writing. You can save a lot of money just by knowing how much the shop charges for labor.

While you’re there have a look around their shop. If you know about the safety rules of working on anything then you know that a good mechanic is going to have a fairly clean shop. Costly accidents can happen if you work in a mess, and a good mechanic isn’t going to work that way.

A good test of any mechanic is the infamous check engine light. A good mechanic will let the car tell it what’s wrong with it. Most cars are equipped with an On-Board Diagnostics system and a good mechanic will use that to figure out what is causing the light. If you are taking your car in for any type of auto repair that starts with that light, think twice about sticking with a mechanic that wants to reset it to see what happens. The light is on for a reason, and the mechanic knows that.
Before you have any major auto repair happen you really should have a good mechanic. If you know what to look for and take your time to check some out you’re sure to get great service. Not only can you rest assured your car will be taken care of but you can also, probably, save a little money at the same time.