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Entry bubble Time For a Tune Up

By: Jess | July 09, 2009 | Category: Money

When I lived in Pennsylvania, I never had to worry about scheduling routine maintenance for my car because every year my car was required to be inspected for various safety and performance features.

Maryland doesn't have that same policy. Now it's up to me to remember to take my car in for maintenance, and unfortunately by the end of the month, my car needs to be looked at by a mechanic.

Taking my car for a tune up in a new place has me a little nervous so I've been reading a lot about how to make the process as simple as possible.

I've pretty much decided I'm going to take it to the dealer because they are trained to work on my specific car. I also picked up a couple of other good tips.

I should:

  • Make sure I understand pricing. Will there be a diagnostic fee, is there a flat rate for labor or do they charge hourly?
  • Ask for a signed, written estimate of the cost that states the shop will contact me before doing anything beyond the amount stated.
  • Document all transactions in case something goes wrong and I need to file a complaint.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I don't need too much work done and that everything goes smoothly, but I'm still a little nervous. Do you all have any other tips or tricks I should know about that will help make the process easier?

| View Comments [7] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: cars   jess   maintenance   mechanics   repairs  

Comments (7):

blue comment bubble Posted by hoho on July 09, 2009 at 11:09 AM EDT

Most important aspect is my trust.Then it hardly matters where I go and how much I spend.I must decide what I trust most among all the given choices of shop and technician.Once decision taken ,then it is my risk only and I have to live with it.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Joan on July 09, 2009 at 12:01 PM EDT

I printed off the Troubleshooting tips included in your link to keep in my car.
Thanks!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Thomas on July 09, 2009 at 01:50 PM EDT

The best recommendation that I can give is to know what your owners manual says about recommend service. The old stand by of three months three thousand miles for an oil change no long applies in many of todays newer cars. Yet, most quick lube and even some mechanics still insist that it be done.

Another practice that you might want to be aware of is the parts pricing policy. There are a lot of mechanical shops that take their cost for the part then double it and then charge the the customer their new made up price. In most cases that means that you are paying way more then the manufactures list price for the parts.

Thomas

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ron on July 09, 2009 at 05:03 PM EDT

Jess,
Excellent link to the advice from some of the experts, I printed it out myself. I'm from Jersey, so we don't trust anyone ;) Although that was a little bit of an exaggeration, it is true. A dealer could be as much of a ripoff as anyone. With a name like Jess, you could be a guy or a girl, and I'm sorry, girls still do get ripped off more than guys at a repair shop (unless you are a mechanic yourself). Now that I've insulted dealers, mechanics, women, etc, I'll get to the point. I like to use the dealer when a car is under warranty because if something serious happens, they can't say you were negligent, and NORMALLY, they know the cars well. Problem is, they are NORMALLY much more expensive for larger jobs (If you watch Seinfeld, think of the Costanza episode at Putty's dealership). BUT, if your dealer is reputable, then, that is the way to go (you'll have a record of everything performed on the car, if there is a recall you have recourse, etc). If the car is out of warranty though, I'd look around and check places like Angie's list (or similar), ask neighbors, etc. To me there is no hard and fast rule here because I've been ripped off by dealers and independents, and I've had great service from both. You listed a complaint process (and I thank you for that as well), but, wouldn't it be nice to find an honest mechanic, and never have to go that way? Sometimes that guys is the old gas station down the road with a rusty old truck in front (IF IT's NOT under Warranty). Well, I have Corvette Convertible, so I've been very sure to go to the dealer as it was under warranty. ALSO, YOU MAY HAVE a LONGER warranty on the POWERTRAIN (engine, trans, etc). I like using the dealer for that work as well. BUT, as "Street Savvy' as I was, I got roped into at least $500 worth of Fluid changes, flushes, etc. AT MY DEALER.

Let your friends and neighbors help.
I'm a computer security expert of 27 years and could rip off anyone, but I don't, but I hear the crap of what people pay for 1 minute of my time, where they were charged 2 days.

Take care
Ron

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blue comment bubble Posted by James on July 11, 2009 at 03:01 AM EDT

Hi All,

If you really want to save money, use public transportation. Cars cost a TON! Between insurance, repairs, upkeep, gasoline and improvements to the car (e.g new radio, upgrades) you are almost better off moving someplace where you don't need to drive.

Thanks

James

p.s. feel free to check out my blog as well: http://www.dinksfinance.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by andy on July 14, 2009 at 11:44 AM EDT

this is a very interesting article, i hope to read more of yours



<a href="http://www.safestchina.com/wholesalers-nike">Nike Wholesale China</a>

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blue comment bubble Posted by Sluggo on July 16, 2009 at 07:26 AM EDT

And I suppose that if Thomas was in the resale business he would sell his merchadise for the exact amount that he paid for it, right. Everybody is in business to make a living, although doubling the price on some items it ridiculous, it is common practice in ANY resale to mark any item up. You have to remember that the shop that sold you the part, is the one that has to stand behind it and replace it for free if it fails during its warranty period, NOT the manufacturer, and this is why parts are marked up. If you want no warranty at all on parts, then try to have parts installed that you provide, (if you can find a shop that will even do that) and see how well that works out for you. All it would take is for you to supply a new part, and find out it is defective, and then you will pay double labor to have the same part replaced.

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