Almost everyone would like to save money on auto repair. By finding and learning to "work with" the right shop, a lot of time and money can be saved. In a modern auto repair facility, time is literally money. Highly skilled technicians, required to repair today’s vehicles, are also highly paid. Properly utilized, their skills can save thousands of dollars in unneeded repair.
As consumers of auto repair service, there are things that can done to make their job go much faster. In a shop that bills for time spent, this will save you a great deal of money. For instance, when asking for repair, the information you give has a major effect on the time the diagnostic process takes as well as the outcome. Asking for specific services, rather than giving symptoms, will almost guarantee an expensive and poor experience.
Technicians learn the client’s request through a written work order. They do their best to meet the client’s expectations on what is requested. Most technicians are highly skilled and can do this quickly and efficiently. What they cannot do is differentiate what is really desired from what is being requested. For example, a vehicle that is runs rough, for a few minutes, first thing in the morning. The client states, "I need a tune up." This may seem to make sense, but in effect the client has diagnosed their own problem and requested a specific [incorrect] service.
The technician checks the tune up items and yes, the plugs are worn, the air filter is dirty and the fuel filter needs replacement. They may also notice a worn belt and dirty coolant and suggest they be replaced. Since the vehicle was driven-in by the client and is now at full temperature, it does not run rough, nor was that mentioned.
The work is performed to a very high standard, everything precisely correct. Next morning the vehicle still runs rough when started. This could have all been prevented, by simply stating the symptom, rather than making a service request.
Suppose instead the client stated, "My vehicle runs rough when first started in the morning." Arrangements could be made to drop the vehicle off the night before. The technician would attach instruments to monitor several key factors, before the vehicle was started. It might quickly be determined the cause is a leaking intake manifold, that seals as soon as the engine warms. The proper repair is made, quickly and at a much lower cost.
When the exact problem is difficult to explain, asking to have the technician ride with you can also greatly speed diagnosis. Try not to assume a technician will just somehow know what you want. Often vehicles come in with the complaint, "Has a noise on bumps." Driving the vehicle, there are several noises. Many have been there for years and are just part of the way the car drives. The "new noise" is what the driver is concerned with.
The technician drives thousands of vehicles and cannot possibly know which noise is new and which have always been there. Trying to do a good job, they diagnose each noise. This takes a lot of time and the client pays for more than they wished. This could easily be avoided by pointing out the noise in question.
By specifically giving symptoms and communicating wishes, a great deal of time and money can be saved. The vehicle can also be repair properly the first time, in far more cases. Combined with finding the right shop, the client is well on their way to saving a great deal of money and preventing a great many problems.
