Choosing the right garage for your vehicle

We have all been in this situation before. Your car starts smoking or making noises you thought were synonymous with old cars only, and now you are stuck trying to find a decent garage. Most car owners develop a relationship with a particular mechanic, so the driver never questions the mechanic’s judgment. 

But then again there are many new drivers driving new cars from bonds with no idea where the oil dipstick is located. 
You have heard all the horror stories, you have seen the outrageous amounts brand dealerships charge, so you are looking for a nice local garage where you will feel confident. 

However, most of the local garages are run by people who learn mostly from experience. Here is a list of tell-tale signs that maybe, this is not the best garage to take your car. 

Recommendations 
First off consider your friends’ or colleagues’ opinion or experiences at the garage. This may seem like a no-brainer, but in all seriousness when you need to choose a garage, ask your friends. Let their experiences help you in finding a good quality place and a good price.

When you have chosen a repair shop that you think sounds reputable, take your car in for something minor, such as an oil change. If you are satisfied with the price, quality, and timeliness of the service, you should be more confident when you need to take your car in for more serious repair. 

Payment
When a garage requires you to pay before the work is done, think again. Most reputable garages will give you an estimate, perform the work, and then charge you after you are sure the problem is fixed. This is the only reasonable business practice that makes sense, because having you pay before you can be sure the problem will actually be fixed just screams shadiness.

The parking lot being full of cars that do not appear capable of movement is another indicator of poor management. This may also seem like a dead giveaway, but many people in the search to save money will end up at a place like this. The general appearance of the garage, including the cars outside, can give you good insight into the quality of the service performed. Do you want your car lined up among the sea of dead cars? I think not. 

Mechanic
Most of the time one symptom can have a wide variety of underlying causes. While listing a variety of possibilities is not a bad thing, a mechanic who seems to know exactly what is wrong based upon your simple description probably has no idea what is going on and is just guessing at this point. 

Without a thorough diagnosis, it can be very difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong. However, it could also be okay for the pro mechanic who has been in the business for a while to guess. It is okay to prep the customer for an idea of what their problem is going to be. But as a customer, take it with a grain of salt.

Some repair garages specialise in certain brands, while others attempt to do everything. Either way, they hopefully see a large volume of customers, and because of this should have some knowledge of your car’s specifics without thought. 

Simple things such as a knowledge of engine size, which wheels drive the car, and approximate model year, among many others, can let you know that this mechanic has worked on cars such as yours before and will most likely do a better job. 

Time
Garages, which cannot provide an estimate of the time it will take to fix your car most likely have not worked on a car like yours before or simply are backed up and should be avoided. 

If the garage has quoted you a time for your repair that seems incredibly long, ask or look around at other garages first and ask how long it would take them. If the repair estimate is unreasonable, finding another garage is a great idea, as the one you are at most likely has no clue what they are doing. 

New garage
While every garage needs customers to build up a history, newly opened garages may not be the best place to find good quality or the best deal. This is especially true for those new to driving and have little knowledge about cars. Garages that have been in the community for long have to be doing a good job, otherwise they would have gone out of business a long time ago.

Good online reviews
If you do not find recommendations from family and friends to be sufficient then you can go online and find which car garages are highly rated; all you need is the right blog. Pay more attention to consumer reviews as their information is more reliable.