How to Find the Right Car Mechanic
Your car is one of the expensive purchases you have ever made in life. If you are like most car owners, your vehicle is your joy and pride. You are required to take care of your car from time to time. And just like choosing a physician to treat your disease, choosing the right mechanic will ensure that your vehicle remains in top shape for long. But it can’t be denied that the market is full of untrustworthy mechanics. These mechanics do a shoddy job on your car, overcharge you and even perform some unnecessary repairs to make more money.
That’s why choosing the right car mechanic is a daunting task. To help you, we have shared our top points to keep in mind. If you follow these checks and measures, you have high chances to find the right motor specialists that you’re looking for.
Look For Personal Reference
Ask your close friend or family member if they know some good mechanics. After all, their suggested mechanic is more likely to be trustworthy. However, make sure to ask questions about the quality of the work, experience, and cost. Better still, if you have some who is an automobile freak, they are more likely to suggest you a quality mechanic. And if you have a friend who owns a similar model of vehicle you have, you have even better chances to get the right one. Even if you don’t know anyone directly, you can put the work out in your friend circle to get some advice from the friends of your friend.
Ask for the Mechanic’s Certifications
One fairly authentic certification is by ASE. To get a certificate from ASE, mechanics have to go through knowledge and skills testing, and also have some specific years of relevant experience. Apart from ASE, some mechanics are recognized by manufacturers to work on specific types of vehicles. If a mechanic owns a manufacturer certification, it means they have passed all tests and are skilled in repairing the cars within their brand.
Do They Have Certain Affiliations?
Does the auto shop display AAA-approved auto repair or AAR sign?
AAA screens the quality of the services at auto shops. Shops that are approved by AAR have to sign contracts to deliver quality service performed by certified mechanics. This way, the shop with AAR sign ensures high-quality services for customer satisfaction.
Get Started with a Small Job
You need to know the doctor during a routine check-up rather than in the operating room. The same goes for your car. First of all, start with a small repair to determine the quality of their services.
You’ve found a shop that you are ready to give a try; what do you do next to see the quality of their service? Get the oil change or a routine inspection done from them. Once the work is done, assess the performance of your car. How’s your experience with them? Did you feel they were the right mechanics? Was the price reasonable? Did they make unnecessary repairs or try to sell or added other services? Was their service quick?
If your experience is positive with them, you can visit them to make more significant repairs.
Check the Reviews Over the Internet
The beauty of the Internet is that you can find services quickly, along with their reviews. For example, if you search an auto shop over the Internet, you are likely to get reviews along with it, that’s too on the search page of Google. Websites such as Yelp provide you with an excellent general overview of the mechanics listed with them.
Another way to find reviews on auto mechanics is car forum. However, be careful as some studies are too good to believe, while some are highly negatives. A five-star or one-star doesn’t give you a full picture. Here’s a golden rule—always check to see what the reviewers in the middle are saying.
So these are some ways to find the right car mechanic. What are you thinking? Let us know by commenting below.