5 Traits to Look for at an Auto Service Center

It can be really hard to fin a good, friendly auto mechanic that you can trust with small jobs like changing your tires as well as big job. Auto repairs are a necessity, unfortunately. Our cars break down, it just happens. But, the thought can be less daunting if you know a good place that does auto repairs that you can trust. Here are a few things that you can look for in an auto service center to make sure that you’ve got a quality one.

Friendly and Hospitable Workers
Workers should be approachable and kind, not belittling or rushed. Pay attention to how you are treated when you walk into an auto repairs service center. If you aren’t at least greeted within the first few seconds of being there, you can pretty much take that as a red flag and walk out. Other behaviors to watch out for are patronizing attitudes, judgmental intonation, and sarcastic demeanor. None of these are funny or attractive on someone who is supposed to be helping you fix your car.

Affordable Prices
Finding affordable auto repair services that are also good quality is a jackpot find indeed. They are out there, though, you just have to do your research and look for them. When you need new tires, call around different places and compare prices. Remember, though, don’t always just go for the cheapest deal. Their tires may not be as good of a quality as other places so even if they are cheaper initially, you’re going to have to get them replaced a lot sooner than you would somewhere else.

Guaranteed Quality Work
If an auto repairs shop knows that they do high quality work, then they should be willing to guarantee it for a certain period of time. This could be several years or based on the mileage depending on the part that is being guaranteed. Don’t ever accept any work that is done ‘as is’ with no room to discussion. This gives the workers the opportunity to be lazy or not do the job correctly without concern of any kind of consequence. Make sure to ask about the warranty or guarantees before they start whatever work they are going to be doing.

Honest and Open Employees
You want a mechanic to tell you if they find something wrong with your car while they are working on it. However, you don’t want them to make things up and take advantage of your lack of knowledge regarding cars. If a mechanic that you just started going to tells you that there is something wrong, get a second and third opinion to make sure that they aren’t being dishonest. This may take a little time but it’s all apart of the process of finding a good mechanic that you can go to every time something happens with your car, unexpected or routine.

Comfortable and Clean Facilities
This goes a long way. If you have to sit for an hour or more in the waiting room of an auto shop, you want to feel clean and comfortable. Plus, if the bathroom and the waiting room aren’t kept clean, you can only imagine what it’s like out there where they are working on the cars. Also, having a comfortable waiting room with a vending machine or even complimentary drinks and cushioned chairs means that the owner understands the plight of the customers. Not everyone can come back later for their car. Some people have to wait with their cars. When a place has somewhere nice to sit and relax, it shows a real concern for the customers and how they feel.

If you find somewhere that has all five of these qualities then you have really hit the jackpot. The best place to start looking is at locally owned mechanic stores. This mom and pop shops are usually the best place to get good quality, affordable work done. They are usually much smaller and can’t take in as much work as some of the bigger, fancier places but it will be worth the wait. It’s better to wait a bit to get good work done then spend way too much money with dishonest and rude workers to get your car fixed the same day.