Auto Repair - What to Consider Before Paying a Friend to Fix Your Car

If you are thinking about saving money on auto repair by having a friend or neighbor do the job, you should be aware of a few things to consider first. Though you will probably save funds when you choose a qualified person to make the fixes, you may be disappointed in a few things that you will notice when you make this decision.

You should first make sure that the person offering to do the job actually has experience with the type of repairs you need. Many people have changed their car's oil, tires, or brakes before, and would have no problem doing so for you. Just make sure that he or she has done the job more than once. This is because when you pay a friend or acquaintance to do maintenance for your car, you do not get a warranty or any sort of guarantee that it will be done right. The only thing you can do is trust that the person doing the job will fix the issue if he or she did not do it right the first time. For this reason, you need to choose someone who has both experience and a trustworthy reputation.

You also need to make sure the person you choose has the right tools for the job. Some repairs cannot be done in someone's driveway or garage since they require putting the car up high to have adequate access to the engine area. This is why you should probably have the person you have in mind take a look at the issue first to make sure he or she can make the repairs. If it turns out that a professional with the right equipment must perform the auto repair, you may be able to get a recommendation to a shop from the person who was originally going to do it.

A final complication that may arise when hiring an acquaintance for auto repair is not knowing how much you should pay. In some cases, it is easy since you just buy the parts you need, and then your friend may let you know how much he or she will charge you, either per hour or for the entire job. However, some people are not sure what to charge, and may leave it up to you to decide what is fair. This can be difficult to determine since you want to save money, but do not wish to pay your friend too little. For this reason, you should find out the hourly rate of your local auto repair shop, and then reduce it to a price you feel comfortable paying.

It may seem like a good idea to pay a friend or acquaintance to fix your car since you can often save money. But it is not always simple to determine what to pay, and friends do not always have the experience or tools to fix the car. This is why you should think twice before taking this route.