Consumer Protection Week: Repairing Your Vehicle
By: Charles Frazier
Updated: March 5, 2013
It's day two of National Consumer Protection Week, and all this week KNWA and the Attorney General's office are helping keep you and your family one step ahead of scammers.
If you're planning on taking your car in for a repair, here are a few things to remember:
If you're planning on taking your car in for a repair, here are a few things to remember:
- Ask for recommendations from friends, family, and other people you trust. Look for an auto repair shop before you need one to avoid being rushed into a last-minute decision.
- Shop around by telephone for the best deal, and compare warranty policies on repairs.
- Check with our office or the Better Business Bureau to see whether there is a record of complaints about a particular repair shop.
- Make sure the shop will honor your vehicle's warranty.
- Look for shops that display a certification - like an Automotive Service Excellence seal. Certification generally indicates that some or all of the technicians meet basic standards of knowledge and competence in specific technical areas. Make sure the certifications are current, but remember that certification alone is no guarantee of good or honest work.
- Ask if the technician or shop has experience working on the same make or model vehicle as yours.
- Before you arrange to have any work performed, ask how the shop prices its work. Some shops charge a flat rate for labor on auto repairs. This published rate is based on an independent or manufacturer's estimate of the time required to complete repairs. Others charge on the basis of the actual time the technician worked on the repair.
- If you need expensive or complicated repairs, or if you have questions about recommended work, consider getting a second opinion.
- Find out if there will be a diagnostic charge if you decide to have the work performed elsewhere. Many repair shops charge for diagnostic time.
- If you decide to get the work done, ask for a written estimate. The estimate should detail what is to be repaired, the parts needed and the anticipated labor charge. Get a signed copy.
For more information on how to keep yourself safe, click here.
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