If you own a car, getting maintenance down on it is something you’re going to have to deal with at one time or another.
Unless you’re able to do all your own maintenance on your car, it’s wise to know what you should do in order to ensure that you’re able to get the repairs you need handled at a reasonable price. So to help you accomplish both of these objectives, here are three things to do when bringing your car in for maintenance or repairs.
Table of Contents
Learn The Right Terms For What You Need
Even if you don’t really know anything about cars as far as maintenance or repairs go, at least knowing what you’re talking about when speaking with a mechanic can make the whole process go much smoother for you.
According to Jim Gorzelany, a contributor to Forbes.com, knowing the right terms for certain car symptoms can help ensure that you’re able to get the help you need when repairs or maintenance or necessary. Knowing how to describe your car using terms like hesitating, knocking, shimmying, or surging can make it much easier for your mechanic to understand what the problem is and then make a timely repair. So before you show up to the shop ready to make all kinds of crazy noises to imitate your car, try to first find out what those noises are actually called.
Talk To The Shop Before Bringing Your Own Parts
Many people have been told that you if buy parts from the mechanic or shop that you’re getting your repairs done at, you’re going to be drastically overpaying. But according to Rick Muscoplat, a contributor to Family Handyman, the profit margins for car repair shops are lower than they are for things like clothing, restaurants, or furniture.
Additionally, while you might feel like you could save yourself some money if you bring your own parts to the shop, many mechanics are hesitant about using these types of parts because they can’t know where they came from, if they’re reliable, or offer any type of warranty on them. So while it’s good to know what price range you should be paying for parts, you should talk to the shop before you bring your own parts in for them to use.
Clean The Interior Beforehand
If you have planned to get some maintenance or repairs done on your car, TrafficSchoolOnline.com shares that you should always clean up the interior of your car before you drop it off at the shop. Not only is this just common courtesy when someone else will be in your car, but having a messy car can hinder a mechanics’ ability to do a quality repair, especially if they’re having to search through piles of garbage in order to find what they need.
If you’ll soon be bringing your car in for maintenance or repairs, consider using the tips mentioned above to be prepared for this.
