How many of us go phone call to phone call shopping auto repair shops for estimates to do a specific repair to our vehicle? How many of us have had those cost estimates differ from significantly low to enormously high? How do we then sort through the information we get and decide on which auto repair shop will do the work for us?
Most shops don’t seem to understand the importance of customer service, then there are those of us that operate on the basis of what is in the best interest of our customers. With this in mind, we have come across several customers asking for an estimate or would just walk in and ask us to “do a tune up” on their vehicle.
Now let me ask, how many different definitions are there for a tune-up? Honestly, it differs between shops and that’s why you get so many different variations in your estimates. Go with the cheapest and you might just be getting plugs and wires and inferior parts. Go with the most expensive and you might just be getting everything from plugs all the way to all filters and fluids replaced.
What can you do to make this ordeal more simple and be more educated on what service it is you truly need and use that knowledge to get a more accurate representation of estimates between repair shops? Since your definition of a tune up might be different between several auto shops, start by asking the first one you call what they see is recommended by the manufacturer.
A good quality auto repair shop will have the resource to tell you. Once you have the info, ask the auto repair shop to break down their estimate or if it’s a “package” price, break down each and every part they will be replacing. Use this same method described above for each subsequent auto repair shop you call. Use this knowledge to help you determine which auto repair shop you feel provided you with the best experience, those that answer your questions politely, those who were willing to take the time to break down the estimates and one that offers a warranty for the work performed, they may not be the “cheapest” but they are typically the ones that will treat you right and use quality parts on your vehicle.
Hope this short article helped.
