How to Tell if Your Mechanic Is Honest

Many people lack the knowledge or equipment to perform mechanical work on their vehicles, forcing them to turn to professional mechanics for assistance. However, that lack of knowledge can also be a disadvantage when dealing with a mechanic, especially if it’s not someone you’ve ever worked with before. How can you be certain that your mechanic in Everett, WA is being honest with you about the needs of your vehicle, and that they’re not just trying to add on unnecessary services to increase your total bill?

Here are a few key signs you can trust your mechanic and feel comfortable with the work they’re doing.

They ask before proceeding with any repairs

It is quite common for a vehicle owner to take their car to a mechanic to have them perform a diagnostic test, and for the mechanic to find something else wrong with the vehicle that’s unrelated to the reason you brought the vehicle to them in the first place. A dishonest mechanic will perform that extra repair work and add it to your bill without asking, whereas a trustworthy mechanic will alert you to the issue, explain its seriousness and the cost of repair or replacement, and ask if it is okay to proceed. The latter is an example of a mechanic who cares about giving you high-quality service, not just enjoying a big payday.

They show you the old, replaced part

If you do not have much experience in working on cars, there’s a decent chance you will not be able to tell an old part from a new part. Dishonest mechanics might just tell you they’ve replaced the part and charge you for it, even if they didn’t actually do the work, especially if the fix was somewhere else in the vehicle. Honest mechanics will show you the old car parts, and will be more than willing to do so if you ask them to.

You can find plenty of positive recommendations

Online reviews make it easy for you to gauge the general experience most customers have with a company. Check reviews on Google or Yelp and see what other customers are saying about the mechanic’s services. One or two bad reviews shouldn’t put you off, but a large pattern of negative reviews should be a major red flag. In addition, you should talk to friends and family whose opinions you trust and find out who they work with for their mechanical needs.

They look for opportunities to save you money

This is part of providing high-quality customer service. Mechanics shouldn’t insist on you using branded parts—in many cases, you can get just as good of results from generic parts and save a significant amount of money in doing so. Mechanics should focus more on quality and savings than on brand name, and should give you a choice of parts whenever applicable.

For more information about some of the signs you can trust your mechanic in Everett, WA, we encourage you to contact the team at Auto Truck Service Inc. today.

Categorised in: Mechanic