Car Tips #120: How To Avoid Bad Auto Repair Shops

Image: Morguefile.comFor simple car maintenance chores such as changing air filters or swapping out windshield wipers, most of us can do these without much of a hassle. But for more serious repair issues, we go to a good auto repair shop.

But the catch is that there are a lot of bad auto repair shops out there, so how can you find out which ones to avoid? One simple thing that you can do is to see if the business is listed with the Better Business Bureau.

While this isn’t a guarantee that the business is necessarily honest, many good repair shops join to show that they are trustworthy. If a shop gathers a lot of complaints from customers on BBB sites, avoid them.

The Internet Is Your Friend

Back in the day dishonest repair shops counted on news traveling very slowly, and took advantage of this by cheating customers until their bad reputations caught up with them.

But the Internet has made shady auto repair shops easier to spot. If you log onto business review websites such as Yelp or Angie’s List, you’ll find some of the most honest reviews that you can find.

People are very blunt, on the Internet, and will lavish praises on businesses that take care of them, and critical venom to those that don’t.

But be careful when reading these reviews and pay attention to how many reviews each shop receives. If the number is relatively small, and the auto repair shop only has a handful or less than 20, be careful if most of the reviews are glowing reports because they’re probably fake.

If a auto repair business has at least 50 or more, it means the reviews are probably legitimate. Pay extra close attention to the negative reviews and determine if the complaints  are really the customer’s fault and not the repair shop. And yes, there are bad customers out there too.

Do An Interview In Person

If you have the time, drop by the repair shop to see, first hand, how the business treats you. Are they rushed? Are they rude or cold? Are they polite and courteous? Is the service writer knowledgeable and accurate? Does he or she give you a pending diagnosis of the problem and what it may cost to fix it?

If your gut reaction tells you that the business is crooked or uncaring, this is the type of work you can expect on your car.

Also visit or walk by the repair bay to see how clean and organized everything is. Do the mechanics seem detailed oriented? Are the service bays dirty, disorganized, or cluttered? If yes, this is a reflection on the type of service you may receive if you drop off your car there.

Ask Your Friends or Co-Workers

There’s an old saying that word-of-mouth advertising is the best kind because these recommendation bring in more business and encourages the repair shop to keep its standards high.

Source: car.tips.net
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