If you’re not a car care expert, it can be hard to ignore that little voice inside your head that can’t help but wonder if you’re about to get ripped off every time you pull into an auto repair shop. A survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that only about 50 percent of people completely trust their local shop to fix their cars. That means that there is another 50% of the respondents that don’t trust the people who repair their cars! If you don’t know a lot about cars, you can at least know the right questions to ask and things to look for that can help you feel better about going in for your next auto service. Here are eight things that will help you choose a shop you can trust.
- Get referrals from friends. These folks have already done the hard work for you and have found an auto repair shop they know people can trust. In some unfortunate cases, they’ve made the costly mistakes, so you don’t have to. If you are new to an area, look at what other customers are saying on social media. We live in a review driven world, so use those to your advantage. Not all review ratings are the same. Look at the number of reviews, how recent they were posted and compare their website to their Google and Facebook pages. The fact that thousands of people rely on Milex Complete Auto Care / Mr. Transmission speaks for itself. For more than 50 years, consumers have trusted our services, so you can feel good about putting one of your most valuable possessions in our care.
- Look for a clean and friendly shop. It may seem simple but looks really do matter. The shop should be clean, with a friendly and comfortable reception area. The work area should be neat and orderly. The staff should be clean and professionally dressed. When the goal is to build trust and integrity with customers, we know details like this matter.
- Look for certifications on display. All those plaques and certifications are there for more than just decoration! Look for Better Business Bureau accreditation, Chamber of Commerce Memberships, and training certificates. Check out how connected they are to the community. Do they do sponsorships, work with any charities or volunteer. All of this will give you an understanding of what the business stands for. At Milex Complete Auto Care / Mr. Transmission was are Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited and a Member of the Cary Chamber of Commerce. We work with several local charities and always are looking for ways to give back. All our Technicians are required to continue personal update training for maintaining Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications.
- Mechanics specifically trained for your type of car. It’s fair to ask about specific training for your type of vehicle. Ask about their experience repairing the problem you are having. Look for a shop that prides itself on high standards of quality and honest assessment of every job completed. From a simple oil change to a transmission overhaul, look for highly experienced and skilled mechanics are qualified to work on your car model and make.
- Up-to-date equipment. Today’s vehicles are controlled by multiple computers and a sophisticated technology to operate properly. The use of this technology plays an important role in the diagnosis of your vehicle’s performance. Ask about the testing equipment that will be used to diagnose the issues. As vehicles have evolved rapidly over the past 10-15 years so has the diagnostic equipment. Look for a shop that has the latest computer diagnostic equipment and technicians that are trained to use it. This will allow them to pinpoint your vehicle’s failure and tell you exactly what is needed to fix it so you can be back on the road in no time.
- Watch for warranties. Sometimes a “new” part fails prematurely. The term “new” gets over used and in a lot of cases the parts are not new but remanufactured. Premature failure is higher for the remanufactured part versus a new part. Failure happens more than you think. When it does happen, you will want to know the terms of your warranty and that your shop has you covered for both parts and labor. What this means is if the same part needs to be repaired a second time you will not have to pay for the new part or the labor to fix it as long as you are within the warranty timeframe. Consumer advocacy sites recommend warranties on auto parts and labor for at least three months or 4,000 miles. At Milex Complete Auto Care / Mr. Transmission we care about providing quality work and service. That is why we offer a warranty that meets and even exceeds these recommendations.
- Get more than an estimate. A huge and unexpected repair bill is the kind of surprise we could all do without. Milex Complete Auto Care / Mr. Transmission offers honest and affordable service. Once we have had a chance to put your vehicle through our Complementary Safety Inspection, we will provide you with detailed information about the condition of your vehicle’s mechanical health. Your estimate will outline those recommendations in priority order for safety and to protect your car. We will give you information and the urgency of each item so that you can make the best decisions about the repair and maintenance of your vehicle. We will even walk you around the car and show you areas that require attention and answer any questions you may have.
- A little something extra. Milex Complete Auto Care / Mr. Transmission is backed by our nationally recognized company, but each franchise is independently owned and operated. That means it’s your friends and neighbors providing the services. They’re connected to the community and committed to getting you “Road Ready”!