How To Choose The Best Repair Centre For Your Car
Posted in: Driving Tips, Fleet Driver News, News.
Every car will need to visit a repair centre at some point – whether it’s for repairs or routine maintenance like an MOT or service. It’s important to choose a repair centre that’s affordable, reliable and relatively local. There are likely to be many repair centres in your area to choose from. Here is how you can select the right one.
Get recommendations from family and friends
Asking family members or friends where they go to to get their car fixed can be a great way to find a trusted repair centre. You’ll be able to find out which mechanics they’ve had a good experience with, as well as which ones they’ve had a bad experience with (so that you can steer clear of them).
Compare prices but also compare reviews
If you know what is wrong with your car, you may be able to shop around for quotes simply by ringing up different repair centres in your area. While this could help you to track down the best price and save you some money on repairs, you do need to make sure that you also check the online reviews for each car repair centre. Some repairers may be charging less to make up for a bad reputation, and may be more likely to botch up any car repairs.
Use a manufacturer-approved repairer if you’re covered by a warranty
If your vehicle is relatively new and still covered by a warranty, it could be important to use a manufacturer-approved repairer to make sure that any repairs are fully covered. For example, if you own a Porsche that is under warranty, it could be worth looking for a Porsche centre in your area. Such a centre will only use manufacturer-approved parts. Some manufacturer dealerships may be able to also offer manufacturer-approved repairs.
Consider specialist repair services for specialist repairs like tyres and windscreens
While a general repair centre can carry out most types of repairs, you may find that it’s faster and cheaper to visit specialist technicians for certain fixes. Examples include tyre repairs/replacement, windscreen repair/replacement, electrical repairs, car reupholstery and scratch/dent repair. You should also consider seeking out specialists for performance modifications, new paint jobs, vinyl wraps, tow bar installation and classic car restoration.
Know when – and when not – to go DIY
It is possible to do some car repairs yourself, although on many modern cars the amount of jobs you can do without the right training and tools is very limited. Some maintenance tasks worth DIYing include replacing windscreen wipers, topping up fluids and putting air in tyres. With some older and cheaper cars, you may be able to consider tasks like doing an oil change, replacing headlight bulbs, changing air filters or replacing wheels yourself. Just make sure not to get too ambitious – you don’t want to cause extra damage to your car while trying to fix it, because you don’t know what you’re doing or haven’t got the right tools. Watch YouTube videos beforehand to get an accurate idea as to how easy a repair task is.
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