Finding what causes that rattle
Ling noise you hear in your
car getting your oil changed?
Checking your tires all things important
for keeping your car in shape.
And it's something that we could all
probably use a bit of a refresher on.
That's why we have Mike Quincy from
Consumer Reports with us here today.
He's taking your questions about
finding the right mechanic and making
sure you get the right bang for your
buck when it comes to car repairs,
you can get your question answered
in real time,
so here's how you get your question to Mike.
You going to text it to us.
It's really easy 336379.
5775 Remember, this is a text only,
so please don't call,
but text us in we'll get it done.
Alright so Mike.
First and foremost,
you know this is one of those things
that we get emails about all the
time people have taken their car in.
The mechanic is not doing what
they thought they should do.
So let's start at square one.
How do we find a mechanic we can trust?
I think the 1st place to go
is if you're on social media.
I mean go to the the the,
the Facebook regional or or local areas.
I mean my my street has a Facebook group.
My town has like two or three
Facebook groups get on there and
say I'm looking for a trusted
mechanic and you'll be surprised,
but their recommendations will
just start flowing in. OK,
and when we look at mechanics we
want to look for certifications.
We want to look at specialty shops,
explain those last two things.
Sure that the the the certification that
that most mechanics have to go through,
they usually have a sticker in
their in their shop window to
show that they're certified,
and you could always ask to
see it if you're wondering.
But the but the the point that you bring
about special shops is is a good one
because of some of the more boutique
brands like I remember years ago,
when when SAB was an actual manufacturer.
Yeah, really, it shows how well I am,
but there were very specific
Saab mechanics in my area.
That's all they worked on,
so you can.
If you have a porche BMW and you
wanna go for an independent mechanic,
get get specific recommendations for for
those that specify for your manufacturer.
Yeah, I can think of specific Volkswagen and
Honda mechanics right here in the Triad.
OK, so let's talk about other things
to consider before picking a mechanic.
So I mean in terms of what kind of
maintenance that you're that you
might need the the the Bible of
your car is is the owners manual.
It's surprising how few people actually,
you know, look at this,
but inside this incredible book
will tell you exactly what you need.
But it's also important to
know what you don't need.
For example,
a lot of cars engines have a sealed
reservoir for their transmission fluid.
It never has to be replaced.
So if you have a mechanic
that says at 50,000 miles,
we're going to replace
the transmission fluid.
Well, you know that's nonsense.
So the more you know,
the more you know.
Alright, one of the things on the
graphic was give the shop a like a
dry run first before you actually
like commit to a bigger repair.
How do you do that like you ask
them to do an oil change or a tire
rotation or something like that?
Sure, sure, that's that's
a great way to start.
You're going to get an idea of how much
time and attention the mechanic or
or the shop owners might give to you.
Their attention to detail with the kind
of work, that kind of prices they want,
whether or not the.
The job was done on time.
All that stuff,
I think a dry run is a great way to go,
right? And that is before you get into
a situation where you have to get
your car fixed right then and there.
All right. Speaking of that,
how do you gauge of what you need
fixed and how much it's going to cost?
'cause most of us we don't know
really what our car needs were
depending on that mechanic,
and we're also depending that he's going
to or she's going to be trustworthy,
right? I'm probably going to sound
a little bit like a broken record,
so bear with me, but that owners
manual is going to tell you some of
the real critical things things you.
Definitely cannot afford to to neglect.
For example, a lot of cars have a timing
belt and this is, and this is a super
important component of your engine.
If you don't replace the timing belt
and it breaks, you could have to.
You're gonna be on the hook to replace.
Probably your whole engine.
So in terms of the interval for the mileage,
some cars like 6070 eighty
1000 miles for the timing belt.
Make sure that you know what
that mileage interval is.
And again, you could go to your dealer.
And get it done 'cause they're trained and
they have the tools and all the software
and and they probably do a phenomenal job.
However, an independent mechanic is
probably going to be cheaper, and again,
you find somebody that's a Honda specialist,
a Toyota specialist, that does timing
Belt C and several times a week.
And you probably can can
save a little bit of money.
I mean,
that isn't to say that that the the
regular car dealer maintenance areas
or service departments aren't good.
A lot of them are,
but if you're looking to save a little
money and these days, who isn't?
I would definitely get the recommendation
for good independent mechanic.
Alright, let's talk about specifically
when you go in to get something fixed.
Are you asking for something in writing
or are you asking for an estimate?
How specific do you need to be?
The more specific the better.
For example, Consumer Reports
has this feature on our website
consumerreports.org called the car
Repair Assistant and and you punch
in your your your make and model
and year of your car and it'll give
you a rough estimate about how much
the repair is going to cost you.
Take that estimate to your mechanic and
you compare it with what he or she has.
The idea that she has or he has for
for your car just to get a rough idea,
are you in the ballpark or is is one
of these numbers completely crazy?
Alright and it is not a big deal
to ask upfront how much is it?
This is expected to be
and to get it in writing
absolutely. I mean, you can clearly say why.
Why is this cost so much money
and they might say, well,
the parts are super expensive or the tools
that we need or the software that we
need to repair your car's super expensive.
But you know, ask anyway.
And and also asked to get the
parts and the labor broken out.
You wanna see exactly where
your money is going?
And if someone says I just
don't have time to do that,
then you probably need to
go to another mechanic.
Alright, what we're gonna do?
We're gonna take a quick break
and we are going to take your
text questions when we come back.