Photo By goodluz at Shutterstock
Finding an auto repair shop that you can trust is extremely important, as any car owner will tell you. You want to make sure you’re going to someone that can get the job done right and that will do it for a fair price. But finding someone like that can mean putting in a little bit of time and effort. After all, you wouldn’t trust just anyone with your vehicle or your wallet, right? Well, when you know what you’re doing you can absolutely make an informed decision.
1. TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS
Talk to friends and family members about where they take their vehicles to get service done. They can help you figure out the places that have always treated them right. If they’ve been going to the same place for an extended period of time this is an even better sign that they’re being treated well and that they really trust the person who is providing the services to them. You can generally get a good starting list just by talking to people and asking a few questions.
2. CHECK ONLINE REVIEWS
Once you’ve talked to the people you know you want to also talk to people you don’t know. At least, you want to see what it is that they’re saying and how those things are going to help you make an informed decision. If the online reviews don’t match the things you’re hearing from your friends that’s generally a red flag. Now, seeing a few bad reviews mixed in with good ones is normal and you’ll want to take a closer look at those negative reviews to see what the problem really is and how it was handled (if the auto repair shop responded).
3. TALK TO THE SHOP
You’ll want to actually talk to the people at the shop to get an idea of how you feel around them. Do they make you feel comfortable? Are they willing to answer your questions? Can they give you quotes and estimates for general jobs? Don’t expect the work to always be that rate but the auto repair shop should be able to tell you that their oil changes average X amount or they charge X for tire rotations. These things allow you to compare how that shop is charging versus other shops in the area, but don’t base your decision entirely on cost.
4. CHECK THEIR CREDENTIALS
There are all kinds of credentials and certifications that auto repair technicians should be getting and keeping up to date on. You want to make sure that you’re checking into what certifications they actually have and when was the last time that they updated those certifications. When you do this you’re going to have a better idea of just how skilled they are and whether they know the latest technology for the type of vehicle you’re going to be bringing in.
5. ASK AROUND
Once you’ve got it narrowed down to just a few auto repair shops you want to go back to those friends and family members and find out what they have to say about that shop. Just because that’s not the place they go now doesn’t mean they haven’t gone there in the past and they could have good or bad feedback and advice to give you. This is what you want to look for after you’ve got it down to just a couple different places so you’re not running around and asking too many questions. You could easily get your feedback mixed up that way.
6. GET A SMALL JOB DONE
Once you think you’ve figured out the right auto repair shop in Southlake, TX it’s time you go to that shop and have them perform some type of small job for you. Get a quote up front and then have them perform the service. Once it’s over, pay attention to how much the job ended up costing compared to the quote. Consider how they treated you throughout the process and how long they said the job would take compared to how long it actually took. All of these things will show you just how good they really are.
7. CONSIDER THE RESULTS
Did you like the way you were treated and the way the service was done? Are you happy about the results of the small job that you had done? If you are then you’re done. You’ve just found your new Southlake, TX auto repair shop. You don’t need to worry about anything else. On the other hand, if you went through this process and you’re not happy after you’ve gotten that one small job done you’re probably going to be even more unhappy once you need to get something major done. That’s not where you want to stay.
8. START AGAIN
Once you’ve decided that shop just isn’t the right one for you it’s a good time to start looking around Southlake, TX for even more places that you can go. You’ll want to take a closer look at the options you narrowed down to earlier and see why it was you chose this place over another. You might want to try out a couple of those other places again and see just how they work for you. It could take a little time, but you can absolutely find a place you feel comfortable with.
Your auto repair shop should be somewhere that you feel comfortable going and that you believe you’re getting the best treatment. You should be certain that you’re paying a fair rate and that everyone you interact with actually has your best interests at heart (at least as much as possible). The right Southlake, TX auto repair shop is definitely going to help you get your vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible, and they’re also going to make sure that you know what’s happening with your vehicle every step of the way.
Contact the auto repair experts at Import Car Center today!