How to find a good mechanic: What to look for
What to look for when choosing a mechanic
If you want to find a good mechanic in your area, go to iatn.net and click on the Repair Shops tab at the top of the screen.
The International Automotive Technicians Networks is a ground of independent auto repair shop owners that have banded together to share knowledge and ideas about auto repair. The owners are good mechanics who genuinely care about the car repair industry and want to stay up to date on the latest repair advice and technology.
Good mechanics charge more
Don’t ask me how to find a good mechanic and then ask if he’s cheap. There’s no such thing as a good, cheap mechanic.
• Good mechanics go to school every year to keep up with technology.
• They own the latest scan tools and diagnostic machines.
• They work hard at finding the root cause of your car’s problem, and they charge for that diagnostic time—just like a doctor would.
• A good mechanic saves money by fixing the problem right the first time and not replacing good parts. because they don’t guess and install unnecessary parts to try and fix the problem.
So get over it. If you want an honest, reliable, good mechanic, be prepared to pay what they’re worth. Also, expect to pay for their diagnostic time. Read this to learn more about the charges for diagnostic time
Rule #1: Avoid the chain and franchise-operated repair shops
Chain and franchised repair shops look cleaner, have brighter signs, and advertise like crazy. Corporate requires them to pass an appearance inspection regularly. OK, it’s nice to go to a clean-looking shop. But you’ll pay for that in other ways.
You’ll be pressured into agreeing to additional services you most likely don’t need
• Chain/franchise shops have incredibly high (and unrealistic) sales quotas, so you’ll be upsold— The corporate and franchisor expect certain sales revenue from every location, putting a lot of pressure on the managers and technicians to upsell the customers. In most cases, the technicians in these shops are on a flat-rate hourly pay schedule with a commission incentive if they find additional repairs or recommend installing additional (and mostly unnecessary parts).
Since they can’t charge more per hour than the really good shops, they have to make it up by upselling you on unneeded services and parts. For example, every brake job customer is sold new calipers whether they need them or not. Nobody gets out of a chain repair shop without new calipers, while most locally owned shops rarely replaced brake calieprs.
• Chain shops make you think they’re a bargain because they give you discount coupons— You may feel you’re getting a good deal with a $50 or $75 off coupon, but when you add in the cost of the unnecessary services and parts, you’ll almost always pay more at a chain or franchise shop. The only exception to this rule is if you live in a small town and the franchise owner is your neighbor. Those shops tend to be a bit more trustworthy.
Find a locally owned shop with good online reviews
A neighborhood shop can’t afford to scam its customers because they depend on word-of-mouth advertising to bring in new customers.
• Do a search for “auto repair shops near me”— You’ll most likely find several hole-in-the-wall shops you didn’t even know existed because they’re not on main streets with big signs.
• Check out the reviews on sites like Yelp and NextDoor.com— You’ll always find a few disgruntled customer reviews. However, what’s more important is how the shop responded to the negative review. If they resolve the problem, that’s the sign of a reputable shop. If they make excuses and blame the customer, and you see that repeated again and again, that’s not the shop you want.
• Go to the shop in person— Ask to meet the owner and introduce yourself. Explain that you’re looking for a reputable shop for your future business. If you feel good about the owner, try them for your next maintenance.
©, 2016 Rick Muscoplat
Posted on by Rick Muscoplat