Gadgetory

let's face it even the most dedicated shade tree mechanic needs an auto repair shop once in a while and most folks need one a lot more than that I'm Brian Cooley here with my top five tips for spotting a good repair shop for about the most expensive biggest piece of tech you own number five look for certification things like ASE Triple A Better Business Bureau and your state's Bureau of auto repairs complaint records they do count for something especially if they're current and not from 1969 under the previous good owner now plenty of mediocre shops have these things in dusty frames on the wall but it's a stone number for tidy if grease a dirty shop can't be a good shop but all things being equal tidy tells you something this is auto repair not Grateful Dead trip dancing a certain rigidity of process technology and workspace make good things happen there are great mechanic sewer slobs I just haven't met one yet number three lots of questions from them to you nothing gives me the willies faster than a service writer or shop owner who takes in my car with barely a curt question or two you see details up front lead to the best least repair in my experience this is also key to getting it done right the first time not the second or third infuriating time number two no flushes when they urge you to do a preventive transmission cooling system or fuel injector flush that the car maker makes no mention of in the owner materials you need to flush the shop these are signs they're likely in the upsell business more than the auto repair business before I get you to number one here's what it won't be don't sweat getting your parts back I know that's a classic old-school sort of a thing but it's predicated on a toxic relationship from the get and you're not gonna be able to recognize that greasy bag of parts even came off your car or not shady shops know that my number one tip is basic but there's nuance to it get a reference but not from your friends those same ones who were fooled by that bag of greasy parts off some other car instead hit the forums that deal with your kind of car that's probably one out there and if you find one with enough members you're probably gonna find local ones who've been to every shop in town if you do have a friend who has car repair savvy of course ask them but just because you know someone who's had their car repaired doesn't mean they know car repair ask the right people or top five lists to wait the car lover go to see net on cars calm but on top five