8 Tips For Finding A Car Repair Shop in Tucson
Don’t wait until your car breaks down to look for a car repair shop. Search out the best car repair shops in Tucson ahead of time, and your efforts will pay off in less aggravation and more savings later. Review your vehicle’s owner’s manual first, so you understand your car’s needs ahead of time, and then you can look for a shop that does quality, professional work to keep your car in top condition all the time.
Tucson has dozens of auto repair shops, and searching for the best can be overwhelming. Begin at BRAKEmax Tire & Service Center. We are sure we can measure up to any other car maintenance shop in the city! Here are some things to look for.
The Top 8 Tips for Finding a Car Repair Shop in Tucson
Here are tips to use while searching for the best car repair shop and car mechanic in Tucson.
1. Talk to your friends, relatives, and co-workers
Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find a car repair shop you can trust with all your car care needs. Ask people you know specifically about BRAKEmax Tire & Service Center, too. This personal insight is invaluable in sorting through all the shops in Tucson. Ask questions like: How were they treated? Was the shop clean and organized? Did the staff answer all their questions willingly? Was the work done on time and to their satisfaction? Are the prices comparable to other shops in the area? This kind of information from people you know personally can’t be found anywhere else.
2. Read as many auto reviews as you can find
Reviews have become popular as a way to evaluate businesses of all kinds, including auto repair shops. Although they aren’t input from people you know first-hand, most reviews are genuine ratings from real people in your community. Online reviews cannot be deleted by the business, so you can be sure both negative and positive reviews are represented. Check the business’s website; you will often find reviews there, too.
Some of the most popular review sites are Google, Amazon, Facebook, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Angie’s, and Foursquare. Check as many as you can.
3. Ask about the car shop’s business licenses and certifications
Once you have narrowed your search down to a handful of shops, call or visit each one. Make sure they have a business license, which is a document issued by the state giving the company
permission to operate a commercial business. The company owner must meet requirements set by the state to obtain the license and then maintain the required quality to keep it.
Having a business license conveys to consumers a level of confidence in the company by the state. It shows the owner is willing to meet the requirements for safety and quality. In fact, some customers won’t do business if the business license isn’t prominently displayed.
The mechanics in an auto repair shop should be certified by the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) organization. Auto mechanics with the ASE certification are experienced professionals with the skills necessary to work on your car. Don’t let anyone without this certification do the work, even if someone offers to do it cheap. This can lead to expensive problems later and may void your warranty.
All of BRAKEmax’s technicians are certified by the ASE. These certificates should be posted in a visible location in the business. Ask the store manager if you have questions about certifications.
4. Yes, compare prices
Compare all the prices but make sure you are comparing auto services that are exactly the same. Also, check the brands they use for their products, such as oil, fluids, and tires. Ask if your car will get the air filter, for example, recommended by the manufacturer for your car. Or will it be a generic filter the shop uses for all cars of the same size?
Keep in mind that the lowest prices don’t automatically translate to the highest quality. And if a shop’s prices are vastly lower than those of all the other shops in the area, ask why. What is the shop doing to hold their prices down? Are they compromising the quality of their services? Or will your final bill show lots of add-ons that increase your costs?
Prices are definitely important, but the phrase “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is” should resonate here. Be wary. Ask questions.
5. Try the repair shop out, but start small
Once you have zeroed in on your top contender, let the shop perform a small, routine service on your car. This will tell you a great deal, from when you drop the car off to checking the work after you pick the car up.
Be observant:
- Did the shop begin work on your car at your appointment time?
- Did the person checking you in explain any paperwork you were asked to sign?
- Were you given a quote or estimate, if appropriate?
- Did the shop offer to drive you to work or back home (within reason)?
- Was the work done in a reasonable amount of time?
- Were your questions answered adequately?
- Was your final bill vastly different from your estimate or quote?
- Were services or products added to your bill without your consent?
- Was the service done to your satisfaction?
- Did anyone mention specials or coupons to you?
- When you left the shop, did you feel valued as a customer?
Make an appointment now to check out BRAKEmax!
6. Location, location, location
It’s true in real estate, and it’s true for your auto repair shop, too. The shop that checks all your boxes should also be near your home or work. If it isn’t, you quite possibly will end up at the auto shop nearest you anyway, even if you haven’t checked it out yet. Your time is valuable, and traveling long distances for a service isn’t practical, no matter how good it looks in your evaluations.
7. Ask about warranties and guarantees
Warranties differ among shops, so ask about them ahead of time. Does the shop guarantee the lowest prices in town? What are the guarantees given on repair work done by the shop? What conditions need to be met for the warranties to be honored? What will void the warranty? These are questions you need to be answered before you are in an emergency.
8. Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion
Maybe even a third, especially for large repairs or parts replacements. It may take a bit longer, but it shows you are a savvy consumer. Safety and cost are considerations when a repair isn’t done properly, so it’s worth it to take the time for another estimate.
Make sure the estimates are for exactly the same repair and parts. If an estimate is much higher than the others, it might signal the addition of more services or parts. Or maybe one of the shops isn’t diagnosing the problem correctly. Ask questions!
Making the auto shop decision
Don’t ignore any instincts you are feeling about a car repair shop. Everything may look right at a business, but you feel something is off. If you have researched the shops on your list, visited them, and maybe even had one undertake a routine Tucson oil change or other service, but you just didn’t feel right there, pay attention. Choose a shop where you felt welcomed and respected and where all the boxes on your checklist were checked to your satisfaction.
We know that BRAKEmax Tire & Service Centers will meet your expectations!
