Most people who own a vehicle often tend to value it more than anything they own. When the vehicle is new, much time is taken to choose from the best but regrettably, as it is just a machine, there is the likelihood that at some point it will experience some breakdowns. This means that routine maintenance and service is a must for the vehicle to last even longer. However, the maintenance and service costs are not that friendly as the breakdowns may occur at any time or anywhere. It is important to take care of the vehicle just as you do to your body to avoid breakdowns and for a long life performance.
The challenge many car owners face is where to get the quality services they require for the vehicle with the cost matching the value of the job done. The secret behind all this is sticking with one qualified auto mechanic, and are mostly found after doing several things such as:
- Look for an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certified logo once you visit an auto repair shop. This is a guarantee that your vehicle will be handled by professionals. You can also get a qualified auto mechanic who is not ASE Certified, but this is risky unless you are referred to them by someone you trust.
- As mentioned above, it is good to hear from friends and colleagues about where they take their own vehicles as they can refer you to better auto repair shops than you would on your own.
- Other than repairs, it is great to look for those shops that will offer other services like long warranty periods, extended hours of service, emergency towing when faced by accident. You should therefore not be blinded by cheaper services, but variety of quality services.
- Once in an auto repair shop, get more information on the services and products offered by asking questions and clarifications. For instance, it is good to understand if the facility, just like many top repair shops, have a nationwide warranty and even an in house warranty that covers more than the normal 12 months/12,000 miles. A reputable and top class facility will be ready to offer answers to your questions without hiding anything.
- For your own, you can further research on the past achievements of the auto mechanic you wish to hire. Past awards and positive customer reviews will help you gain more confidence and the negative will let you know what the mechanic does not offer to his best. Such prior research will help you make sure you are taken advantage of.
Among several pitfalls that you should avoid while finding the right auto mechanic may be running to a quickie lube shop for oil changes. The lube shops, which are mostly staffed by employees with limited skills may sell you anything as long as they get the cash. In addition, do not just assume a shop labeled with car brand names offers the best when it comes to the labelled brand. You might pay expensively for the services and products from these shops but it is not a guarantee that they offer premium services and products for the brand labeled. Lastly, never allow a mechanic to make guesses while attending to your vehicle. This also applies to their training and experience and the material they seek information from. Insist on information from Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
By avoiding the above mistakes and ensuring that you stick to one auto mechanic, especially one who is ASE certified, you will be in a great comfort while driving your way around the world!