What Should I Look For When Choosing A Repair Shop? | Malave's 2nd to None Auto Service

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Car Tips

Should an oil change be just changing oil?

As I've mentioned before on this website, car repair is a lot like medicine.

When you're sick and have to visit the doctor's office, you can choose to have an orderly check your illness, or you can have a qualified doctor review the problems with your health.

An oil change at a discount oil and lube joint is like going to a doctor's office that doesn't have a doctor on duty. At reputable shops, ASE certified technicians are on staff in case potential problems are spotted by the lube department.

It's just like a physical exam or health check-up.

What Should I Look For When Choosing A Repair Shop?

An easy way to tell how much a repair shop cares about its customers is the time its employees spend getting various certifications. Some of these certifications are more important to me than others. The 'certs' and affiliations that I believe are most important are:

AAA Approved Repair Shop
Automotive Service Association Gold medallion shops
Member of the Automotive Management Institute (AMi) and ALWAYS make sure that the shop has
ASE Certified Master Technicians

A good shop will have these certifications on display when you enter the shop. REALLY good shops will also do their best to TEACH you why your car needs certain repairs. They'll take you into their bays and show you what needs fixing and teach you WHY. I can't stress this enough: You should NEVER feel like you don't know what your money is going towards...you should be able to ask questions and get REAL answers! If you're not getting this from your current shop, it's time to find a new shop with real customer SERVICE!