Recently, on the heels of the latest Consumer Reports study which revealed that out of 5,400 consumers polled, 27 percent stated they weren’t happy with the auto repair service they’ve received, the website Money Talks posted a great article about how to find a good mechanic. The Consumer reports study stated that of the afore mentioned 27 percent of dissatisfied consumers, 38 percent said it was because the price was too high, while 28 percent said they weren’t happy with the service they received. The article offers many tips and suggestions, every one of which NARPRO either suggests to customers, or our mechanics actually do themselves.
Here’s a highlight of some of the tips and suggestions from the article, and how NARPRO and our honest mechanics fit into each one!
1) Research, before you need a mechanic! Just as the article states, at NARPRO we always suggest that it’s best to find a good mechanic before we need repairs. That is actually part of the reason NARPRO.com was created…to help consumers find and honest mechanic ahead of time. If you do not find a good mechanic before you actually need one, you could take the risk of being rushed into a decision which could be the wrong one – and which could cost you more money and time in the end.
2) Avoid dealerships. Of course, if your car is under warranty and you need to repair it, definitely take advantage of the dealership and your warranty. However, if the warranty has expired, it is always better to take your car to your independent Portland, OR auto repair shop, such as you neighborhood NARPRO shop, instead of going to the dealership or to a large chain. AutoMD reported that drivers can save up to $300 a year by using an independent shop instead of a dealership.
3) Read reviews. This is another area where NARPRO.com comes in extremely handy, because of our online, Full Circle Review system. NARPRO.com makes it easy for you by posting on each of our shop’s pages actual reviews form customers, as well as responses from the shop itself. So you can see how customers feel about the work they received, as well as how the shop responded to them.
4) Pay attention to certifications and memberships. All NARPRO mechanics are ASE certified, and a majority of our shops are ASA and AAA members.
