Making Auto body repair More Tolerable

No one enjoys getting their car repaired, even if it’s just planned maintenance it can be a royal pain. You lose your car for a day or more, if you’re lucky you get stuck with a rental. The rental car always seems to be just wrong, if it’s winter the A/C is stuck on, and in the summer the seat heaters are stuck on. People live in fear of being ripped off by an auto mechanic as well. There are ways to make auto body repair more tolerable. Most of these are universal strategies so it doesn’t matter if you live in Corvalis, OR or San Antonio, Texas.
   
The first thing to do is to plan around and for it as much as possible. Obviously if you were just in a collision you won’t have much time to plan, but if it’s something you’ve known about for a while take the time out to plan around the day as much as possible. If you can’t get a rental, arrange for transportation by other means. Try to arrange a good time to pick up and drop off your car. Try to get a good idea of how long it will be, some repairs are quick and can be done within a day, others are massive ventures that can require an entire week or more. Try to get an idea from your mechanic.

Pick a good garage. Honestly this is the biggest factor; you want to pick people you trust who take good care of their customers. They’re less likely to have the terrible rental car. If you’ve never worked with a garage before, look for them online, see what people are saying about them, and ask other people from the area. It’s good to work with locals as a local because they know you’re potential repeat business and it’s in their best interest to treat you well.

People know the horror stories of bad mechanics. The stories circulate well because they’re more interesting than pleasant stories and more memorable than good service. However, most mechanics are ethical, especially when dealing with potential return costumers. That’s why ultimately your best defense is looking for a local place that knows they will rely on you as return business. If you live in Corvalis, OR you want a company in your town or the next one over. The further you have to travel the less likely they’ll view you as a potential relationship to build. Even if they’re ethical it might keep you as a lower priority. Once you’ve found a good mechanic though keep going back, whether it’s for auto body repair in Corvalis, OR, collision repair, or just to get your oil changed.