Mistake #1 Don’t choose a shop that does not have your best interests in view!
The most important part of the repair process is what the shops core philosophy is on servicing the customer. This is the foundation and most important issue to consider when choosing a shop. . Here are a few things to consider when choosing a shop”
- Are the customer service representatives asking you lots of questions about how long you’ve had the car, prior services performed, and future intentions for the cars use?
- Using your intuition: what is your initial gut feeling about your first contact? Don’t discount this, especially if you’re a woman.
- Are they giving you lots of information on what the repair process consists of?
- Are they offering a free vehicle inspection and prioritizing and explaining any services needed.
- Do you feel that they are genuinely interested in what you desire to happen based on what you’ve told them?
- Call the shop and question the staff about the items I mentioned. Take notes on the results. Try calling our shop at (916) 924-8040 and inquire about getting your car serviced. Note the difference.
Mistake #2 Choosing a shop based on price alone!
Price alone can be used as bait to lure you in and should never be the determining factor to choose a shop. It’s too easy to practice bait and switch tactics designed to just get you in the door with intent to make up the difference later.. Here are some important things to know when shopping for price”
- What is the warranty for the service?
- Are they using quality parts and technicians?
- How is the service? Especially when you complain.
- Could the shop be low balling the price because they’re so lousy that’s the only way they can get business?
- Are they truly fixing what’s needed or recommending what’s best for you or, are they just interested in any job they can get.
- Did they give you any options?
Mistake #3 Don’t design your own service intervals!
Every car is different and they are more technical than ever before. Not having a good maintenance plan is the fasted way to blunder your way into higher repair costs. Check out these important tips for designing a maintenance plan”
- Each car manufacture has specific service intervals for things like; spark plugs, or timing belts.
- There are widely agreed upon industry recommendations for service intervals not mentioned by the manufacture.
- Specific services often need to be done in a certain order.
- Some services have overlapping labor and can save considerable expense if performed together.
- Factory and or other maintenance services should usually be verified nessesary by a physical inspection prior to performing the service. At our shop we also help prioritize and bundle services together in a way that works best for the customers needs and budget.
That’s it for the tips. I hope you’ve found them helpful. You might also be interested in a personal consultation with me. Just call (916) 924-8040 and ask if you can talk to Tom about your car. Or drop me an email at [email protected]/standardautocare
Tom Hipp, Owner and service manager