car repair prices five moneysaving tips you must know before having your vehicle serviced anywhere

Car Repair Prices: Five Money-Saving Tips You Must Know Before Having Your Vehicle Serviced AnywhereWriten by Theodore Olson

Never accept Ball Park Estimates. Be on alert when youre told: About $800 and your car will be perfect. Or, It should run around $200 bucks. If you went to a hotel and asked how much a room was for the night and the clerk said OhId say around $200 bucks. Would you accept that? Of course not!

When service centers suggest additional work, ask them to prioritize the suggestions in terms of immediacy and safety. Have them fax or e-mail an itemized estimate for your review.

When in doubtWAIT! If you are feeling pressured by a service representative to authorize work or charges of which you are unsure, wait until you have all the information you need. Get a second opinion if necessary. Service representatives are great at phrasing automotive concerns in a very ominous light.

Get all estimates in writing, and itemized. This will allow you to scrutinize the charges. It will also let your service representative know that you mean businessfair business. Just asking for the break down will cause service representatives to think twice about price-gouging you. If a service center cant provide a complete and professional estimate quickly, go somewhere else.

Be nice, sincere, and shrewd. Seriously, service representatives will go to bat for you if you treat them with courtesy and respect...

Here's an example:

When I was a flat rate technician, I found a note to the technician in the clients car I was servicing. It stated (paraphrased):

Dear Technician, you folks have always done an incredible job on all my cars. I am sorry to be so picky, but my car is brand new and it has an irritating rattle at 65mph from inside the dash.

Dash rattles on new cars are every technicians nightmare. Theyre time consuming, and they dont pay. These types of concerns frequently get written off as No Problem Found, or Could not Duplicate. However, in this case, I spent 2 hours diagnosing and repairing this clients rattle. I was only paid .3 hours for the repair, which amounted to $4.33 in my paycheck, but I didnt mind.

The point is: when you treat your service representatives with respect, youre less likely to get price-gouged, and more likely to get your car fixed correctly the first time.

IMPORTANT: Having said this, being nice does not mean agreeing with everything your representative tells you. If youre always agreeing to your service representatives recommendations, hell keep making themthats how hes paid.

Even if he seems like a friend, it saves to be shrewd and to ask questions. In terms of being nice, thougheverybody likes to help the nice guy whenever possible.

-Theodore P. Olson (Ted)

Resetting Check Engine Light

Ted holds extensive certifications from Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, General Motors, ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) and more. Over a twenty-year period in the automotive service industry, he has served as a technician, shop foreman, shop manager, shop owner, service advisor, service manager, and service industry consultant.

Other Works by Ted Olson Include:

• ARREST the Automotive Service Industry!


• Maintenance Myths: A Step-by-Step Guide to STOP Getting Ripped Off!


• Auto Repair: The Shocking Truth About Who's Ripping You Off and Why!


• Automotive Service Pricing Strategiesa fair pricing guide for service centers


• Being the Besta comprehensive customer service handbook for service advisors


• Service Center Personnelan auto repair informational for general service staff


• Service Mission Statementa philosophical proposal to improve customer service