- 1). Ask a specialist in diagnostics to assess repairs and maintenance for the car. A diagnostician has no reason to add nonexistent problems to a list of repairs, but he will want to include all the real problems to earn the customer's future business. Compare what the diagnostician found to what other shops tell you.
- 2). Ask friends, family or an insurance agent for recommendations. Make sure they have actual experience with a mechanic's work.
- 3). Call any potential repair shops to ask for a list of their trade association memberships and call those associations to confirm membership. Check a shop's complaint history with your state's consumer protection agency or the local Better Business Bureau. This history also may include the resolution of those complaints. Look not only for the mechanic with a low number of complaints but also for a mechanic with a good history of complaint resolution.
- 4). Ask mechanics about their ability to work on your make and model and check their shops for certifications to work on that make and model. Also look at the cars on the work bays or on the lot. A number of cars of the same or similar make and model indicate an ability to work on your car.
- 5). Determine the shop's prices and the warranty on work done. Shops often post that information in plain view on the work floor.
- 6). Talk to the mechanics in the shop. Their willingness to answer questions and the clarity of their answers are indicators of their honesty.
- 7). Instruct the mechanic to diagnose the car and reject any mechanic whose estimate is grossly in excess of the diagnostic mechanic's estimate. Review the proposals for a clause specifying the installation of new parts rather than used ones.
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