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15 Ways To Avoid Repair Fraud
and save money on repairs
You might be thinking to yourself
at this point that there isn't much you can do to protect yourself
from repair fraud short of hovering over your mechanic's shoulder
when your car is being worked on. But the reality is there are a
lot of simple and easy techniques you can use to avoid being targeted
for repair fraud. Repair faud happens mostly to people who appear
vulnerable in the eyes of dishonest mechanics and shop managers.
All of the techniques listed below are techniques designed to reduce
your vulnerability. Most of these tips can be used by anybody even
if you have no understanding of mechanics. Using these techniques
will help you save money on car repairs.
1. Knowledge is king
One important way to avoid repair fraud and get more out of your
repair dollar is to be knowledgable about your vehicle and vehicle
repairs. Mechanics and shop managers know they cannot easily fool
a customer who knows what's going on. Does this mean you need to
become a mechanic and understand everything about your car or truck?
Absolutely not. But the more you know the better consumer you will
be.
Most repairs that the majority of
car and truck owners need can be broken down into a few categories:
brakes, tires, shocks, exhaust and engine tune-ups. There are many
pages within RepairNation.com designed to teach you more about these
automotive systems and common repairs for each. To use an example,
before having a brake job performed on your vehicle, read through
the brake section and learn a little about brakes and brake lingo.
Understanding just a little about common automotive repairs will
make you a more educated consumer. When you call around for price
estimates you will have the tools to know the difference between
a good deal and a bad one.
2. Avoid suprises
Never allow a service center perform work without first knowing
what the repair costs will be. Never drop your car off and say "fix-it".
To an incrupulous mechanic or service manager this is like asking
to be riped-off. Even if you visit a honest shop, or a shop you
do business with regularly, you could still end up with a repair
bill significantly larger than you expected. Avoid unpleasant suprises
and know in advance what the repair costs will be.
Repair costs are not always easy
for a shop to estimate. Often, it's difficult for a mechanic to
know what replacment parts will be needed to remedy a problem without
first performing a thorough diagnosis. But even in these cases,
an experienced mechanic will usually have a few general ideas about
what is causing your problem. Try to get an idea what the repair
costs would be for each possible repair scenerio. If the shop can't
give you an accurate repair estimate, that's ok, they really may
not know what the costs will be. Ask them to call you after they
have performed the diagnosis but before any repairs are made. If
the mechanic or shop manager can give you a few possible repair
scenerios and costs, set a reasonable dollar amount near their lowest
figure and let them do the repairs. But have them agree to call
you should the repairs exceed the amount you agreed upon. Make sure
to leave a telephone number where you can be reached.
Being contacted before repairs are
made will do four things:
- Eliminate any shock or suprises
when you go to pick your car or truck up and look at the repair
bill
- Allow you to discuss the repair
with the mechanic. Often there may be a multible solutions to
your problem. You also have the opportunity to opt for cheaper
parts such as a rebuilt starter vs. a new starter.
- Give you the option to refuse
a repair. If you think the repair price is excessive, you don't
have the money or you feel you are being treated unfairly, you
can get a second opinion or shop around for a cheaper repair.
Note: Many repair
shops charge a diagnosis fee
- It sends a message to the shop
manager that you are a saavy consumer on top of your game and
therefore not a good candidate to take advantage of.
3. Prices of parts
One of the easiest ways shops take advantage of customers is by
overcharging them for new parts. Parts prices can vary widely from
one vehicle to another and vehicle owners generally have very little
idea how much most parts prices cost. Unless you have bought a new
fuel pump for your vehicle lately, how on earth would you know how
much one should cost? The answer is; you wouldn't and a dishonest
shop could easily charge you double the cost.
One of the simplest ways to avoid
this is to know the cost of common replacement parts ahead of time.
You might think that is a big task, but it isn't. Repair shops buy
their parts from local auto parts stores. The price they pay is
generally similar to what you would pay if you walked into the parts
store to buy the same part. The repair shop may get a marginal price
break because they buy in volume, but most parts stores have gotten
away from charging walk in customers significantly more than shops
for the same part.
To know the price of parts, print
out and fill in a Parts & Service
Price List for each vehicle you own and keep it in your vehicle's
glove box. That way, anytime you call for a repair estimate or get
a high repair bill, you will know the general cost of the part being
replaced and know wheather you are being charged fairly. To make
this an easy task, just take the list to two local auto parts stores
and ask them to fill in the prices. Give them a day or two to complete
it before returning to pick it up. They may not know the prices
of some items like tires and alignment if they don't perform those
tasks, just ask them to fill in the prices of parts. Compare the
two lists and keep the cheaper. The next step is to call up two
or three repair shops and get a cost estimate for the repair jobs
on the list that the parts store left blank.
Bear in mind that almost all repair
shops add a percentage to their cost of repair parts. It may be
as much as 25%. It helps their profit margins. There is nothing
wrong with this as long as the amount is reasonable. But paying
200% more for a part is almost criminal. This is what you want to
avoid. The goal of using the parts list is to get you in the ballpark
of what common replacement parts for your vehicle should cost. Then
you will know when you negociate a repair price with a shop wheather
you are being charged fairly or not. Filling out this list will
also help familiarize you with names of common replacement parts
and help you come across to a service manager as a more educated
consumer - one that would not be a good candidate to take advantage
of.
Shopping around for
a better deal (and more tips)
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