How to Discuss a Problem with an Auto Mechanic

Tony Molla:Hi I am Tony Molla from ASE. We are continuing our look at how to find the good repair shop. And in this segment we are going to give you some tips on how to communicate for better automotive service. It's important to be as specific as possible with the service consultant behind the desk when you are dropping your vehicle off to have maintenance or repair worke done. If you are having a maintenance stop, be specific about what you are looking for. If you are looking for a oil change and you want a filter as well, mention it. If you want to check the air cleaner for example during the stop, or check all of your fluid levels, you should mention it. You will find that in many cases in fact in most cases, most repair shops have maintenance service packages that will cover all these things for one convenient price. When you are dropping your car off to have a service problem looked at, it gets a little bit more complicated. You want to be as specific as possible in describing the problem that you want the technician to address. This is important to keep diagnostic cost down. Because the longer it takes the technician to find the source of a problem, more money you are going to pay for his diagnostic time. Describing when the problem occurs, under what condition it occurs. Does it happen when the car is cold or warm? Does is it happen first thing in the morning or after the car has been running for a while? Try to think of as many things as you can to describe when and how the problem occurs.

If there is a specific odor or noise associated with it, mention that. Remember when diagnosing a problem a technician needs all the information they can get. If necessary keep a little notebook in your car and write down the symptoms as they occur. Remember the more information you can give to service consultant or technician about the problem, you are attempting to have fixed, the less expensive it's going to be.

The most important thing you can do at the service desk is to ask questions, if you don't understand what the technician or the service consultant is telling you, ask him to explain it in simpler terms. Good repair shops will take the time to make sure their customers understand completely what they are paying for and what exact work is being done. Coming up next, we will give you some tips on what you should do when things don't go so well and you are not satisfied with the service you received at your repair shop.