Automotive Repairs and Service

Before you entrust your vehicle for repair and service, it is would be a good idea to check the level of facilities at the repair and service shop. The repair shop should have neat and well organized service floors and modern equipment. It should prominently display the service policies and repair rates about various jobs and also warranties.  It should have qualified and experienced mechanical staff. Also look for its training and service excellence certifications from the competent automotive authorities such the Automotive Service Council or Better Business Bureau, as well as its AAA-approved auto repair status.

The first step is to contact the service manager and explain your problem as clearly as you can. You should remember that what you tell the service manager may indicate your knowledge about your car and it may count towards the quality of their service and the billing against you. Try to pinpoint clearly what problems you face in your vehicle. It would be quite helpful to prepare a list of all the problems you face.

Just explain the problem and do not try to diagnose it yourself. Your incorrect diagnosis may indicate your ignorance and may cost you heavily in that the repair shop may list the problem even if it does not exist and charge you for it.

If the mechanic wants to take a test drive of your car in order to find out the fault, sit with him in the car during the ride. You would be in a better position to explain the problem during the test drive.
Having done that, ask the service manager all the questions about the possible causes. Be as detailed as possible. Do not be intimidated while asking the questions or rush through them. The service manager should be willing and able to answer all your questions.

Ask for the written estimate or the work order on the repair and service charges. The written estimate must consist of the parts, their prices and the labor charges. Also ensure that they do not change any part without seeking your permission or offering satisfactory explanation. If any part of the job is to be performed at a different shop, it must also be noted on the written estimate.

You may ask for the tear down estimate for some complex repair problems such as transmission failure. The tear down estimate must detail the charges for reassembling that part, the price of the gaskets, seals, and other parts destroyed during the teardown process. You must also ask for the approximate time the teardown and the reassembling will take.

If any additional work is required to be done after the detailed estimate and work order is signed, your authorization must be sought before taking up that piece of work and billing you for additional charges.
The invoice about the repair work must provide the detail of any work done under the warranty of no charge. Labor and parts, including those used, reconditioned or rebuilt should be itemized and identified separately.

In case, however, you have not asked for or received the estimate and have just handed your vehicle  on trust, it would still be better to look at the bill when it is presented to you and not  just pay it off in a hurry to take away your car. Try to discuss the cost of each item on the bill.. Rest assured you will get some adjustments or discount if you really feel that you are being overcharged.

Sometimes, the repair shop men purposefully charge you what they want since you cannot figure out the costs of the spare parts and the labor charges in their invoices. So if your invoice says: "Break job $200, you must ask them what a break job is and why it should cost as much as they are billing you with." A little prodding is most likely to result in slashing the charges.