Where should I get my car serviced?
In the old days you had your local mechanic who knew everything about engines and was a good bloke, and you’d never dream of going all the way to the next town to find another unless the first one literally set fire to your car.
Nowadays, it can feel like the personal touch has disappeared with the loss of all those little roadside mechanic shops, and you never know who to turn to. So many options in the Yellow Pages or on Google: how do you choose?
You never want to ignore the personal connection if you’ve found yourself the perfect mechanic already, but what if you’re still looking? That’s where we come in!
Where was it done last time? Was it a reasonably pleasant experience or, at least, relatively painless? Did all or most of the following occur:-
- When you arrived (on time!) did they immediately acknowledge you? You made a booking, sure – but did they remember the details?
- Did they listen to you? When you said things like “there’s this odd knocking noise” did they note that down for later examination?
- Did they fully understand your requirements? Did you get the feeling they knew a diff from a distributor cap and could follow what you were saying?
- Did they make it clear what they intended to do? Surprises are nice for birthdays, but not so much when it comes time to pick up your car again!
- Were you advised when the job would be finished and the likely price? Nobody can see the future with perfect clarity, but did they at least give you the general idea?
- Was parking easy and the yard tidy? Did you feel like you were safe from being run down by random forklifts on your way to the office?
- Was the receptionist friendly and the office tidy?
- Was the waiting room acceptable? (Subtract points for any coffee table magazines older than you are, for a start.)
- Did they actually do the job you wanted? (This is the big one!)
- Was the price close to that expected? See above about nobody being a fortune teller, but they should have come pretty close, surely!
- If they found additional work was required, did they seek your approval first?
- Was it ready on time?
- Did they clearly explain the final invoice?
- Did they indicate when your car is next due and what would then be needed?
- Was the vehicle clean when you collected it?
OK, all fairly clinical and the minimum that should happen. However, were you really comfortable? Were you given all the time you needed to get an explanation clear to you? Was their advice particularly pertinent for you? Did you feel they really appreciated your personal circumstance and tailored their scope of work and payment plan accordingly? Are they consistent in their manner?
Would you say that the overall degree of your satisfaction and comfort is a big thing in choosing to go back next time and whether you would recommend them to friends? That last point is probably the clincher – would you be confident in recommending them?
Use the above as a guide to compare your current service and repair workshop. Do not feel forced to attend the workshop insisted on by a new or used car salesman under threat that either the warranty will be voided or that they have greater technical knowledge. Under current Consumer Law, the warranty is protected provided your service mechanic carefully follows the Manufacturer’s Logbook procedures. And technically, there are now laws in Australia that require the manufacturers to make vehicle information fully available to all legitimate repairers.
Remember, the choice is yours!
