Finding a good auto repair shop or mechanic is an important step in taking care of your car. There is a great variation in quality of shops out there and of course, I always say going to an auto repair shop is like going to the dentist….no one likes to go there. The only good thing is that your auto mechanic is not putting his/her hands in your mouth!
So how do you go about finding a great shop in your area? I would recommend starting out by asking your friends where they take their vehicles for repair. Ask if the staff is friendly, knowledgeable and seem to be competent. Ask if they communicate well. Do they call you before any work is done? Are they up front with costs? Do they take a good look at your car before they give you an estimate? That last question is a very important one and one we hold dear at Stillwater Automotive. The last thing we want to do is hand someone an expensive invoice on their car repair and then say, “Oh, by the way, we also saw that you need several more thousand dollars in work to make your vehicle safe on the road!” We want to give you the best view of your vehicles condition so you can make a good decision before you agree to any work being done.
Next I would recommend doing a google search on the subject. Look to see what people who have been there are saying and look at how the shop responds to that. It is especially good to look at the negative reviews. Any shop that is doing much work will deal with some difficult people and get a bad review every once in a while. Look at how the shop responds to negative reviews too. Sometimes you may see that they take responsibility for their mistakes and try to make them right.
Once you have asked for recommendations and done your investigative work online. Give the shop a try with something simple like an oil change and see what you think. Is the office clean and organized, the people friendly and helpful with any questions that you have? Do you see their technician’s ASE Certifications posted visibly? Do you like the people there? How long have they been in business?
So in conclusion, ask for recommendations, look at reviews, look at how they are responding to their reviews, look for evidence that they have trained techs and that they have been in business for a good amount of time. Good luck and let us know if we can help you with your auto repair needs at Stillwater Automotive, inc.