Diamond in the Rough: Finding a Trustworthy Mechanic The dishonest mechanics have given the honest ones a bad name. The situation has escalated so much that the question is no longer, “will I run into a dishonest mechanic?” but rather “how will I ever find the honest one—the diamond in a very big rough?” Fortunately, there are a lot of honest ones out there that want you to find them just as much as you do. Here are a few good ideas to help you find those diamonds.
Reviews Take advantage of the internet’s rating systems. If you’ve found a mechanic that you’re interested in pursuing, check their “local ratings.” Certain websites exist for the sole purpose of pulling together the best customer reviews of shops. These websites include the BBB, Yelp, and Google. Users are allowed to get on and share their opinions with the public. The BBB (Better Business Bureau) publishes complaints and letter grades a company on their performance. They receive or lose points according to 16 different categories. The points determine the overall letter grade. You can check out how many complaints the company has had (which few companies are without). More importantly, you can see how many they’ve resolved (as that is an indication of how willing the company is to work with the day-to-day problems). Yelp and Google will give you a rating on a 5 star scale and allow you to read personal reviews. Here you get to find out exactly why the customer was happy or unhappy. You will see a lot of biased opinions here and will have to make a few concessions on either end of the spectrum, but overall, you can see how well liked or disliked certain mechanics in town are. Should you run into a mechanic or two that has little to no information on the web, you can try asking around.
Reference from friends
Chances are that someone you know has some information about that mechanic that you don’t. Start asking neighbors, associates, co-workers, etc. to see if they know anything about said business. You can always dig a little deeper by asking the people around you. Referrals are the number one way to go when trying to find a trustworthy mechanic. You can talk to people who have actually tested the waters. Friends and acquaintances almost always give reliable, honest, unbiased feedback. If the mechanic ripped them off, you’ll know about it. If they treated them well, you’ll know about that too. When referrals fall through or you can’t seem to get any reliable ones, the time may come for you to take a step into the shop yourself. Toe your way into the waters by entering and talking with the mechanic. Ask about their services and take a look inside their garage if you can. Look at the state of the garage. Is it clean? Is it orderly? Do the cars in there look like they’re getting worked on or gathering dust? Also look for what kinds of cars are getting fixed. Should you find classic cars in the garage, you’ll know that someone with money trusts them. If a classic car is placed in their possession, you can bet these guys are reliable. Also send your car in for a test run. Ask for some basic maintenance on the vehicle that you know the normal price to (like an inspection, oil change, etc.). Find out how much they are willing to charge you and compare. If they’re looking to rip you off on a small job, what are the odds you’ll be able to trust them on a larger job? Give them a try yourself if the internet and referral systems aren’t working out. Part of the decision will have to come down to a leap of faith, but when you do your homework, that leap of faith shouldn’t be as frightening as it could be. CNR Insurance offers car insurance in Frisco to help cover the price of damages to your vehicle. Brent and Sally have sold car insurance in Frisco for decades. They seek to help their customers in every aspect of their vehicle maintenance. Finding a good mechanic to begin with is one of the most important foundational points in the process.
Photo credit: Kendrack, Mark Fidelman