Entry bubble Frustrated by Car Repairs?

By: Nicole | May 02, 2008 | Category: General

Car MechanicA coworker stopped me in the hall last week and said, “Girl, I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it to that conference yesterday.” Even though she’d just paid for tire rotation, tire balancing and wheel alignment at her local repair shop, her entire car began to shake violently while cruising on a major highway. She was 50 miles from home, so she used her cell phone to find the nearest dealer repair shop. There, she learned that the original tire and wheel maintenance had not been performed. $800 later the car was back on the road, but it was an unnecessary reminder that a good mechanic is hard to find.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution when searching for a mechanic. The FTC and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) publish brochures with tips about finding a good repair shop. Both agree that word of mouth is still the best way to find a trustworthy mechanic, but sometimes that’s not enough.

ASE Blue SealThere are other ways to research mechanics. Look for the ASE Certified Technician seal awarded to individual technicians who pass standardized tests. You can even search online for repair shops that have earned the ASE Blue Seal, which requires that at least 75% of the repair shop’s mechanics have an ASE certification. The Motorist Assurance Program is a nonprofit that also gives its seal of approval to qualified repair shops.

In addition, there are consumer review services where you can read the real life experience of other customers. The radio program Car Talk offers this service for free. Consumers' Checkbook and Angie’s List offer ratings and consumer reviews for a fee (but the money might be well worth the peace of mind!).

Needless to say, my friend won’t be taking her car back to that local repair shop. She could file a complaint with her local consumer protection office. I’ll write more about that in a future post. For now, do you have a repair shop experience you’d like to share?

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