Growing up, My family had some great vehicles. We even still have several of them! The one major issue with most of our vehicles wasn’t that they had engine trouble, transmission trouble, cooling system trouble (though we certainly dealt with each of the aforementioned issues), The major problem was that we never could seem to find the switch that deactivated their cloaking devices. Those vehicles were run into CONSTANTLY. One of our vehicles, an old Chrysler Town and Country, had been in upwards of 5 accidents! This caused us to look for an auto mechanic near Idaho Falls quite frequently. After a little while we just quit counting.
No matter what we did, you could expect the car rolling up behind you, or the one making a left turn at the intersection to find a way to barrel into your stationary vehicle. One time we didn’t even get a block away from the repair shop after having fixed it after an accident, before having it get sideswiped In another hit and run while sitting at a stop sign… That old thing sounded like Sebulba’s podracer and looked as though we had stolen it straight out of the mouth of the crusher at the junkyard by the time we were through with it.
Needless to say, we had a lot of experience dealing with auto repair shops. We learned the hard way, that some mechanics are simply better than others. Here are several of the tactics we should have used all those years ago, and that in recent years have helped us to find mechanics we can trust to do the job right the first time.
Ask For References
I’m sure a lot of you reading this are sitting there thinking “Well duh, of course I’d ask my friends” But you’d be surprised how few people actually do it. So I find it to be my civic duty to remind you all, ASK YOUR FRIENDS WHO THEY USE! Don’t just search online for auto mechanic near me. Ask them whether or not they would recommend their auto repair shop, and most importantly, ask them the name of their mechanic. It’s a simple thing, but one thing you can be sure of, is if they know their mechanic well enough to know their name right off, that recommendation carries more weight than the one who simply states the name of the shop and that they are good.
Look For Certifications, But Take It With A Grain Of Salt
ASE Certifications or Automotive Service Excellence certifications are designed to prove to consumers that they are competent Auto Mechanics, with several certifications regarding each specific aspect of a vehicle. While any certification is a good sign, one that they do have some experience and comprehensive knowledge of a subject, it is not an end all recommendation. If it were me, I would be inclined to do business with a mechanic heartily recommended by a friend without a certification before doing business with one with the certifications, but lacking a recommendation. Reason being, certifications cost a pretty penny to get. Many mechanics opt not to chase after them because of the prohibitive cost. It’s not that they are any less experienced or knowledgeable than those that do, but they have found it more valuable to invest in other aspects of their business than annually paying to renew their certifications.
Get To Know Your Auto Repair Shop Mechanic
This one’s a big one, Make sure that once you determine to try a mechanic, Let them know who referred you. Most mechanics would give an arm and a leg to be able to fill up their week with caring for their regular clientele, so when you mention having been sent by one of their regulars, they’ll be inclined to take good care of you. Make an effort to do the little things like remember their name, details about their family, and ask for them by name. These little things transform you from just another customer into one of their customers. Once you become their customer, they feel more responsible for the care of you and your vehicle. You move to the top of their priority list, and that’s a good place to be!
Be Grateful For Routine Maintenance
This is another step many people skip over, but it makes a world of difference. Gratitude in any industry, Automotive repair included is a must if you hope to get world class service having a personal mechanic. I’ve spent some time working in a shop as well, and let me tell you, I had my favorite customers. It had little to do with what they brought in, what the vehicles needed, but it had everything to do with the level of gratitude they displayed for the services rendered.
One customer brought in an old Mazda they had attempted to do brakes on, and had thoroughly botched. Attempting to press in the spinback calipers on the rear, nearly causing them to seize, and having lost much of the hardware. We should have just replaced the calipers and been done with it, but the customer simply couldn’t afford it at that point in time. Instead we managed to save the calipers, dig up some replacement hardware from our bucket of bolts, and get him back on the road safely.
Takeaways
The process was not a fast one, and we weren’t making much money on the whole ordeal, but the level of appreciation they showed when it was all over rocketed them to the top of my list of favorite customers. Over the next few years we rebuilt almost the entirety of that car, and they were always thankful and appreciative of the work that was done. As a result, the work done on that car was the highest quality we could provide. We wanted to always give them a reason to be thankful!
If you show the same level of gratitude I can promise you that the mechanics at your shop will appreciate you more as well. Taking the time to leave a review online and mentioning your mechanic by name thanking them for the services they rendered is another great way to show your gratitude that both builds your relationship with your mechanic, and helps them to continue to build their business.
Trust Your Gut: Not “Auto Mechanic Near Me”
Finally, make sure that you trust your gut feelings when it comes to matters like this. Mechanics should do their best to make you feel comfortable and confident in your decision to use them, If you feel at all worried, or concerned about the integrity of your mechanic at any time, just find someone else! There are dozens of mechanics out there who are competent, honest people who will look out for your best interests. Some good signs of competent honest mechanics are:
They won’t make you feel dumb or belittle you while discussing issues with your car
They will take you out into the shop to demonstrate to you the issues as they bring them up, not corner you with a laundry list of repairs needed to release your vehicle from ransom
They will be open to answering your questions without becoming defensive
As long as you do your best to follow this advice I can promise you, you will find yourself a mechanic worth keeping for life. You won’t even need to search online for auto mechanic near me! And if you are unlucky enough to get hurt in an auto accident, check out this article for tips on how to negotiate a better settlement. Best of luck to you all!
