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Getting the Right Mechanic

Author: Levi Quinn

Before starting, it is only fair to state that if the following article does anything to persuade you that motor mechanics are, as a rule, any more dishonest than any other occupation it would be misleading. There are, without a shadow of a doubt, some mechanics that do not play by the (unwritten or written) rules when they know they can get away with it. The same is true of any service industry, but somehow – possibly because of the occasionally high sums involved – mechanics get the rough end of people’s cynicism. This is not fair. Nonetheless, you will obviously be keen to find the best mechanic you can for the sake of your car and your wallet. Here are some common sense tips that can help you with that.

Firstly, do your own research. This takes more time than asking a bunch of people online or checking websites to see who is rated highly. Why is this? Well, the motor maintenance industry is not like banking, for example. One bank’s rates will be the same in its branches all over the country or the state. However, review sites and forums, handy though they can be, are not immune to abuse. If you were an unscrupulous service provider with an online presence and an awareness of how the world of Internet marketing worked, would you not pose as an unbiased individual online and try to big your service up? You bet you would. Instead, ask friends and family who have lived in the area for some time who they use. A straw poll will give you the best leads.

Obviously, it is best not to get carried away by a garage that has flashing signs and offers free lattes while you wait for the repairs to be done. The service may be brilliant, but how much of that money could have been spent improving the job that they should be concentrating on – getting your car back on the road. This is not to say that a well-kept, welcoming garage will necessarily do a bad job on your car or overcharge you – but they will be no more likely to do a good job than some Mom and Pop garage on the outskirts of town.

Then there is the old saying – if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If a firm is able to fit you in today, can charge you a price that sounds more than fair and say they can do the job quickly, you have to wonder why they can do all of these things. If a garage can do a job quickly and charge less than the others, you have to wonder why they can fit you in today. In any normal sized town a mechanic who can work well, quickly and cheaply would have a full appointment book for the rest of the week at least. If they will take a couple of days to fit you in, then that is fair enough. It shows that other people are going there, and leaving happy with the work that has been done. In short, word of mouth is important, and good work speaks for itself.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Getting the Right Mechanic

Updated: 16/03/2010