Buying Parts and Having a Shop Install Them

Auto repair shops get their revenues from several things—mainly from the labor involved in doing a repair or replacement and from the part that they install. If you will notice, parts offered by these shops are more expensive than those that you will find in your local store or in online auto parts shops. Given, the parts that they offer are already available, so you don’t have to wait for a few days unlike when you shop online. But, the mark-up on these parts can sometimes be considerably huge.

One solution that many drivers try is to buy their own parts from the local shop and to bring the parts to the auto repair center for installation. Many shops and mechanics are okay with this, with some mechanics even favoring this practice in case the needed part is not available or is not easy to find. But, there are others who are not into this practice. Some of them will perform the job, but they will not provide you with a warranty for the part, sometimes even for labor. So, you will be at the mercy of your car. There are also some shops that will totally refuse to install a part that is not bought from them.

I haven’t heard of any rule or regulation that prosecutes auto repair shops that refuse to install a part because it isn’t bought from them. So, if you’re someone who wants to save on the high cost of replacement parts offered by shops by buying a cheaper one from your dealer, you need to be clear with the shop that will perform the service. If the shop will not agree, then you can always take your car to another shop that will, or do the installation yourself if you’re familiar with the process.

Read More..

Working With Auto Repair Mechanics How to Identify Them

Once you got yourself out of the phone and finally in the auto repair shop, its imperative that you know the type of auto repair mechanics/technicians youll be dealing with. Knowing their style and what theyre all about when it comes to getting your car problem repaired, is crucial.

Like the quoters, there are also different kinds of auto repair mechanics. And they fall in 3 major categories that you should be aware of, if you want to make sure that youre going to get the best results for your car repair problems.

a. Part Pitchers - These are the types who keep pitching parts at the problem until it goes away or until the bill reaches a certain amount (that they feel will suffice.) They are usually; either under-skilled or just dont care.

They have a certain swagger, have a tendency to loud and blunt with their estimation. Theyre not a big fan of testing and most likely will jump right at the problem.

b. Diagnostic Divas - These are those that appear to love to tinker and test, check and re-test. You might even mistake them for analytical experts for the amount of time they put in doing all the tinkering and testing, just to get to the problem. The most telling quality for these folks is whenever you call in to check on the status, youll keep hearing the same old thing, "Were still running diagnostics... looks like this one is harder than we thought. You should probably leave it here another day." The bottom-line of which is, another 3-8 hours more of labor.

They also tend to linger longer when checking out the problem in your car - just so they can find more stuff to sell you with. And that would not be too bad, if they were not billing you for the check-up!

c. Shortcuts Shorty - These are what most would call the "out-of-the-box thinkers." They are the perfect auto repair mechanics to call when you youre on a very tight budget, as they will almost always find a way to cut down on the time and expense for any given situation. The only downside (and the most critical one at that) is that effects of cutting corners in auto repair can be quite horrible and all the more expensive!

They will commonly just eyeball the problem or do a quick diagnostic, take 2 minutes looking at the car while thinking of a fast action plan, and then swing into gear. They can make a 4-hr job into 2, cut $600 part down to half and almost promise that the car owner will be back in a months time with more additional problems. (Big shops just love them!)

Scott Stephens is a spokesperson for Auto Repair Report. Auto Repair Report teaches drivers how to save thousands of dollars on Auto Repair [http://www.AutoRepairReport.com] costs... Without needing to become a mechanic! Check it out today!

Read More..