It is believed that UK motorists spend more than £300 million per year to fix messed up repair jobs or problems that a mechanic or would be mechanic has missed when fixing another problem. There is a big skills shortage in fully qualified and experienced mechanics and motor vehicle technicians. With the emergence of higher tech cars and everything being driven by diagnostics and computers there is a lack of lateral thinkers out there in the trade! This works out at costing us around £500 each per year. Although there are lots of things you can do yourself to maintain your car such as checking your tyres, water levels, coolant and oil levels to make sure that your car stays in the best condition possible, it's never going to eliminate the need for regular servicing and required maintenance entirely. Filters, brake pads and disks and other engine parts reach the end of their natural life and require checking and changing at regular intervals We've all heard stories about unscrupulous mechanics taking people for a ride and charging them for things they shouldn't be paying for - so how can you protect yourself against ending up in a similar situation?
Many people have had unnecessary parts fitted to their vehicles, and in some cases, they've paid for parts that haven't even been changed or fitted at all. Women and young drivers are the most likely to fall foul of rogue mechanics, due to a perceived lack of knowledge or experience when it comes to cars and motoring. Ladies look for garages that are members of Foxy Ladies Motoring scheme!
Ideally, you should find yourself a good car mechanic or garage before you need one. There are plenty of great mechanics and garages out there, and when you find one stick with them! Don't be swayed by advertising offering cheap MOT's for £30 or even £20 because you will more often than not find a list of items that need replacing in order for your car to pass it's MOT! A garage or service centre cannot possibly perform an MOT for so little - they will not cover their overheads so will need to make it up in additional labour and parts profits - so be forewarned! Talk to friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbours and take on board their good and bad experiences with garages they have used, both with local independent garages, and the bigger chains. Word of mouth and recommendation is the best way to find yourself a good, reliable mechanic, and make sure that you don't get ripped off. Here at ACC UK Ltd of Farnborough, Hampshire, Independent Volvo & Toyota Service, Repair and MOT specialists over 70% of our new customers every month come through word of mouth referrals from our existing customers - so we must be doing something right!
Steps to Finding a Good Garage
Check out your local dealerships and independent garages - get some quotes for the required work or service so that you can compare quotes - also see if they provide a courtesy car and if it is free of charge or if they offer a free pick up/drop off service.
Look on the Internet for garages in your local area - try and get 3 quotes for a great comparison. Find out how much they are going to charge you for the same work, what kind of parts they use, and how long they are likely to take to carry out the job.
Look at their website to see if they hold accreditations to professional industry bodies.
When you have some quotes, ask your peers whether they have experience with any of these garages.
If your vehicle has diagnostic issues ensure the garage you take it to has the capabilities to quickly identify the problem - this will save time and money - not all garages have the capability
Keeping on Top of Charges
When you've chosen a garage, get a written quote for all the work that is due to be carried out. Find out the cost of any parts needed beforehand, and if you want to try and keep the cost down, ask about the possibility of getting the parts yourself and providing them to the garage - it is worth noting that the garage will not guarantee any parts you provide - so by trying to save a few pounds on parts may result in additional costs if the parts are faulty or are not genuine .
Always remember to keep any paperwork that you get in a safe place - best to keep it with your log book and owners manual - good to have a paperwork trail when you come to sell your vehicle on. A good garage should give you a fully itemised bill where you can see how much you've paid for parts and how much you've paid for labour.
Arm Yourself with Knowledge
Remember that one of the main reasons that unscrupulous mechanics get away with ripping people off is because the people hiring them don’t know anything about the car that they drive. It doesn’t take much time or effort to get a bit of basic information on your vehicle before you visit a garage – and if it makes you seem more knowledgeable about your car, then it’s less likely you’ll be taken for a ride. We have all seen undercover programs where cars have been taken to a garage for a service and certain parts that should be changed during that service are sprayed or marked with a chemical only seen under a UV light and when the owner gets their car back after paying the bill these parts they have paid for have not even been fitted - it happens and garages like these give the honest garages and mechanics out there a bad name - recommendation and reputation really is a strong indicator of a good honest garage - we all want to save money but cheap is not always a good indicator and sometimes neither is a high street brand name.
Never tell a mechanic that you know nothing at all about cars because by doing that, if you are unfortunate enough to have unknowingly found yourself a suspect garage or mechanic then you may as well write them a blank cheque! Be confident and firm, at the very least know the basics like the make and model of your vehicle, engine size, the type of oil used and when you last had it serviced (date and miles) and don’t be bullied into accepting anything you’re not happy with - tell them if need be that you will take it away for a second opinion. Make sure you are consulted before any additional repairs are made above and beyond what you agreed in your written quote - sometimes other faults are revealed when parts are removed from your car during repairs - this is in no way a sign of a dodgy mechanic or a garage that is looking to rip you off. If in any doubt you can always ask the garage to keep the parts that they have removed/replaced so that you can take them with you!
