Tag Archives: auto advice

Understanding Your Auto Repair Bill: Why Am I Paying for Time?

I understand that anxiety far too well. Understanding money matters has never been my strong suit. Understanding money matters related to my car was even weaker. Now that I am immersed in the context of car repairs on a regular basis, some of that anxiety has been replaced by knowing that a job well done is worth the cost, and you often get what you pay for. In this first of a three part series, I will break down the cost of diagnostics and labor rates.

Should I Price Shop for Auto Repair?

By price shopping, we recognize that you’ll often save money in the short-term, but we believe you might spend more in the long term. There’s that old (and true) idea that you often get what you pay for. In automotive repair, there’s a lot that you should want to “get.”

6 Qualities to Look for in an Auto Mechanic Shop

Building a relationship with your mechanic is important because someone who is familiar with your vehicle, its maintenance and repair history, and who knows you will be more likely to take the greatest care of you and your car. This trusting relationship will reduce the stress of the inevitable major repair and you’ll be able to drive down the road confident in your vehicle’s performance and safety.

Should I Repair or Replace My Vehicle?

As vehicles age (or face expensive repairs), many people weigh repair costs against the vehicle’s worth. If the repair cost exceeds the vehicle’s worth, they will often sell or trade in the vehicle. By “worth” here, we’re referring to resale value. I recommend a different approach. Blue Book and Edmunds (etc.) can help you decide what to sell yourContinue reading “Should I Repair or Replace My Vehicle?”

Dollars & Sense: Why Do Labor & Parts Cost So Much?

Your stomach drops (and maybe your jaw does, too). You begin mentally calculating how much money you have in your bank account, the date of your next paycheck, and then you wonder if you’ll have to dip into your savings to pay for this auto-repair bill. Suddenly, you begin to question everything. Can I really trust this mechanic? Was the problem really important enough to fix now? Should I have gotten an estimate from another repair shop to compare?

Dollars & Sense: Are Free (or Cheap) Diagnostics a Myth?

Good thing automotive diagnostic testing and evaluation is free or at least cheap, right? Diagnostics, or the process of finding a fault, is……..a process. A good mechanic will use many different resources and tools to navigate this process based on the detailed description of the problem he derives from the customer. You will not get an accurate outcome from a shop who does this on the cheap.