There are lots of car repair shops and mechanics you will find when you drive down the road, but all may not be created equal. Since your car is your prized possession and is an extremely useful and helpful asset, you should not risk it to anyone other than a good car mechanic for regular servicing, maintenance and repairs.
It is only a good mechanic who can ensure that your car will run longer, perform well, give proper mileage and provide the maximum comfort and peace of mind. They will also save you from a lot of time, money and hassles by eliminating the needs of unnecessary major repairs and by rectifying issues in their initial stages.
Also read – Tips to Saving Money on Car Repair and Servicing
The steps to follow
Therefore, you should follow these points to make sure you end up handing over your car for repairs to a good car mechanic only.
- First, do a bit of digging to find out a mechanic or a shop that services a big fleet of the car in your area. This is a mark of their quality, because taxis, delivery vans and government vehicles stay and ‘sleep’ on the road and therefore needs good mechanics for their service and maintenance.
- Second, search for a good mechanic online preferably holding a license from your state’s authority and insurance from a reputed insurance company in your country.
- Third, make sure you interview the mechanic and ask the right questions to find out how efficiently they can handle the particular model of your car.
Lastly, in addition to the above, make sure that you also check out a few other things about the car mechanic or the shop to which they are employed. The questions may include:
- Do they honor the specific warranty of your car?
- Do they display their warranty information?
- Does their warranty cover part and labor both?
- Do they display the pricing without any hidden charges?
- Do they employ only certified mechanics?
- Do they display the training certificates and service awards?
- Do they provide a written estimate?
- Is the staff courteous and helpful?
In short, you will need to find out how comfortable you are to work with them.
Make proper comparison
You are also required to shop around to find the best car mechanic and not stick to the first one that you come across. With the written estimate that you collect from different shops, you should compare their services and price quotes to make the right choice. Compare their labor charges, price of parts, and all other inclusions in the estimate. This will save you from overpaying.
Look beyond price
This may seem like a no-brainer, but this happens to be the primary selection criteria for almost all car owners when they look for the best car mechanic. If you are prudent and want to give your car to no one else than the most reliable car mechanic, you must look over and beyond the price factor.
It will be highly unwise and even dangerous to assess a mechanic’s quality of service by the price he charges. Sometimes, a low-cost mechanic may offer better services, while you may not be satisfied with the service of an expensive mechanic. In most of the cases, it is found that a Car Mechanic that charges median prices will tick all the points in your car repair and maintenance checklist.
Finally, you will be better off if you start small with your car servicing endeavor. Most prudent car owners usually have a reliable ‘go-to’ mechanic before they take their car for urgent repair. This will also help you to test the skill of a new mechanic in your town and add the name in your phonebook for future car repairs.