Brake Repair: How to Choose the Best Mechanic for the Job

If you are looking for a good mechanic for your brakes, you should consider visiting several different shops and speaking with the workers. Usually, shops that are busy with vehicles to service indicate that the shop has a lot of repeat customers. People are satisfied with the service at the shop. It is also more likely that the shop has reasonable prices. Visit the shop on the weekend, because you will have a fairer assessment of the number of customers who visit. During the week, many people are working. They might drop their vehicles off to be serviced, however.

You can also observe the cleanliness of the area that is prepared for vehicle repairs. A clean brake repair shop, might indicate that the mechanics are detail oriented and car about the shop's safety in addition to the shop's appearance. When you first visit the shop, the personnel should greet you. Within a very few minutes or a few seconds, someone should greet you and perhaps ask if you need help. You should not have to sit and wait for several minutes to be acknowledged. Greeting customers when they first arrive indicates a basic level of customer service. A shop that is extremely busy, might have employees who simply cannot get to all of the customers for a greeting. This, however, can show that the shop is too busy. It might take an extended period of time for the workers to fix your vehicle. The mechanics might be sloppy in their haste to keep up with the work flow.

Check to see if the mechanics are certified with Automotive Service Excellence. This means that the shop has been certified by the non-profit organization that seeks to raise the quality of work in this field. You will see a large blue and white sign in the shop if the mechanics have this qualification. There are about 350,000 people who are ASE certified, according to ASE. Mechanics can take tests to make sure that they have vehicle knowledge in several different areas, including brake repair.

Mechanics can take paper and pencil tests or computerized certification tests. When you visit a shop with the ASE sign, you know that the mechanics have proven that they have a specific body of knowledge. They also have resources to accumulate up-to-date knowledge in the field.

Some mechanics might have tested in one or two specific areas, while others have a broad range of knowledge. There are some mechanics who are ASE certified as Master Automobile Technicians. This means that the mechanic is top-notch in several different areas pertaining to automobiles. A mechanic who is certified in collision repairs is knowledgeable in repairing vehicles after an accident. Of course, if you take your vehicle in for a brake repair, you will want the mechanic to have professional knowledge in that area. Ask if the mechanic who is working on your vehicle is ASE certified. If that is important to you, it is possible that you might have to wait until an ASE certified mechanic is available.