How To Deal With Mechanics
When you deal with car mechanics, use these precautions:
- Try the authorized dealer of your car first, because they know the
car very well and the repair may be free if it's under warranty or recall. Then again,
sometimes dealership repair costs are more expensive because they'll use
factory-authorized parts, where other repair shops will use quality
brand-name parts or reconditioned used parts at a lower cost.
- Ask to see their manuals: if there's less than 12 feet of shelf space
for manuals, they're probably not very well informed. If the manuals look
clean, or if they're all out-of-date, those are also bad signs. A
Computerized manual system is a very good sign!
- A happy mechanic is usually a good mechanic (except for the occasional
"charming con man", which you really have to look out for.) If they
treat you well and seem interested in helping you, that's another good sign.
Always get a written estimate before going ahead, and call some other
shops to see if you can get a lower price. Often a shop that specializes
in a particular type of service (e.g. muffler shop) will give you a much
lower price.
The Mechan-X Files at Cartalk.com is a huge database of
above-average mechanics that was created by the cartalk.com community.
If you are looking for a great mechanic, select SEARCH and you
can read the recommendations submitted by other Web sites for
mechanics near you.
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How To Deal With Mechanics 
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Time to complete:
| A few minutes |
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Money you'll spend:
| $0 |
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What you'll get:
| A good, honest mechanic hopefully |
Step-by-step instructions:
- Click here: Cartalk Mechanic's Database. A new window will open
with this page.
- Fill in the search box on the left side, then click Search.
- Click on a state, then click the button labeled Continue.
- Continue to follow the online instructions.
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Further Reading:
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A SmartMoney.com article 
