Car Repair Costs
When your car breaks down, needs to be fixed or just requires general maintenance beyond adding a quart of oil or some windshield wiper fluid, finding a great car repair cost can be difficult because of the myriad of choices available. The following are a few easy steps you can take to ensure you'll get the best work for the best price.
Check with Your Friends
One of the easiest ways to find a good, reasonably priced mechanic is to get referrals from friends and family. If a family member has trusted their car to a regular shop over the years, then they might be a good bet for you also.
Check the Web
A lot of local newspapers have yearly competitions to determine the best businesses in the area and often publish those results on their web pages. Many of these competitions are based on public opinion polls and past customers. It's always a good idea to check if the repair shop is a member of the Better Business Bureau or has had any complaints filed against them. A few of these steps will go a long way in ensuring you don't get ripped off.
Check the Dealership, Then Check the Competition
The dealership will often be the most expensive quote you get. Even though it's a dealership, there are many great shops in your area that can do as good of a job. You don't always have to get the work done there (see section below on warranties), but it provides a great starting point to know what you'll be getting into. Once you have gotten their estimate, go to a few other repair shops in town for their best quotes. With four or more repair quotes in hand, you have a pretty good chance of getting a much lower price than if you just went to the shop down the street.
Check It out in Person
If you can take your car in to get an estimate, you stand a much better chance of getting a more accurate quote, which means less "extras" when it's time to pay the bill. It is often hard to diagnose problems and estimate the cost of repair over the phone. This can potentially lead to extra fees and parts that you didn't expect to need. Having the shop actually look at the car can give you both a better idea of what is going to be involved in the repair.
Check the Estimate for Add-Ons
Most auto repair shops add on extra fees to a repair invoices that don't always make it into the quote. Some of these fees the shops add on for the inconvenience of throwing away your old parts, while some are extra taxes associated with the repair. The most common add-ons are environmental taxes and disposal fees. Also check the labor rate. Some fixes may only take a few minutes, but most shops have a minimum fee of one hour, no matter how quickly the car is fixed.
Check the Warranty
If your car is still under the factory warranty, check your warranty before you have any work done by an outside shop. Some parts on a car must be replaced or fixed by a factory-authorized repair center or local dealer. Any repairs made by an unapproved shop may void your warranty.
