4 Questions to Ask Auto Repair Shops Before You Buy [Shop Around & Save]
There are multiple auto repair shops in every city across America. And though this is great if you need car repairs from somewhere close, it can also make things more difficult when you’re trying to find the best repair shop with the best prices, reputation, services, and customer care.
After all, how can you weed out the bad from the good? How can you know if you’re getting a good deal, or taken for a ride?
Easy!
Marlow Automotive of Plano knows a thing or two about being the best, which means we know how to help our customer’s spot the best in others, too.
Make sure you ask these 4 questions to every auto repair shop before you buy, and shop around and save!
1. Ask Your Auto Repair Shop “What Makes You Different from Others?”
If they can’t give you a great answer, or ‘sell’ you right there on the spot, then they probably aren’t any different from the others, and that’s a problem.
You don’t want a mediocre auto repair shop so don’t accept mediocre answers!
Take Marlow Automotive as an example, we know our strengths, and we know what makes us better than the competition, such as our Auto Serve software program that allows us to send pictures and live videos with explanations via email or text message to help show our customers exactly what is going on with their vehicle.
Getting a text or email and being able to see your car in our shop, being worked on, AND with explanations as to what we are doing and why? Now that’s different!
2. Ask Your Auto Repair Shop “What Can You Do for Me Right Now to Build Trust?”
If they don’t offer guarantees, estimates, diagnostics, free second opinions, and brake inspections, or shuttle rides, then what trust factors or extra value are they really giving you?
You would expect every auto repair shop to fix your car, but that should be just the bare minimum, which means the real reason to choose a repair shop is for the extras and perks, not just the repairs.
At Marlow Automotive of Plano, we give complete and thorough estimates to our customers for any repair or upcoming maintenance they may need, as well as free second opinions if you have a written estimate from another shop.
We want to look after you and your vehicle, which is why we will offer a ‘second look’ to any issue and let you know if the repair you’ve been told by another shop is in fact what is wrong and if their estimate is accurate or if we can do it better for less. We think that’s just good business, which is why we offer it for free if you already received an estimate from a competitor.
We also provide a free diagnostic scan of your check engine light, free brake inspections for safety, even free shuttle rides to make your auto repair process a smooth one. Can your auto repair shop say the same?
3. Ask Your Auto Repair Shop “Are You Full-Service or Do You Just Fix the Immediate Issue?”
Sometimes you go in for your brakes and drive out with new brakes, and though there is nothing wrong with that – why were your brakes worn in the first place?
Were they unevenly worn? Is there an issue with your alignment or the previous brake installation? Were they just old, or is there something larger at work?
Of course, if you come in for a brake issue, your auto repair shop should fix it, but we would hope they would inform you of what they saw while they were under your car as well. After all, you aren’t just paying them for their time, but their expertise – so you should be getting it!
At Marlow, we don’t just replace parts when we’re told to, we accurately diagnose what the issue is and see if there are additional problems that are causing it. But we aren’t looking for bigger and more expensive issues; in fact, we’ll let you know if it is cheaper to have us repair what is wrong or if it’s cheaper to replace the entire part or system.
Then we let you decide, because we think giving you all the information (including pricing) and then letting you make your own choice is the best, most transparent business practice.
4. Ask Your Auto Repair Shop “Will You Work with Me? Will You Fight for Me?”
Sometimes your auto repair shop deals with your insurance, or an adjuster, or warranties, and that means you want the shop owner and workers to be on your side. Working with a reputable auto repair shop makes it easier to get all paperwork through in a smooth and seamless manner.
And with Marlow’s long history, we are known for not only being on our customers’ side, but for advocating for them if they have a warranty with a manufacturer. When you have a vehicle with us for maintenance we will look for anything you might not realize is wearing out or failing that would be covered under your factory warranty at the dealership.
The dealerships don’t do this. In fact, most are hoping the warranty will run out before the repair needs to be done. If our customer wants, we can schedule the repair with your dealership and sometimes even take your car to the dealership for you to have the repair done for free!
And that is how you put your customers first!
Call Marlow Automotive for Your Auto Repairs Today!
We are here for you every step of the way, whether you have a major repair or just a minor checkup, we will provide the service, quality, and customer care that you and your vehicle deserve!
