Here is a list of signs to look for when checking out new mechanics.  If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may want to re-think your choice:

1. Your friends have had bad experiences at the shop.

2. The shop requires you to pay before the work is done.

3. The mechanic is not certified by any national association.

4. The parking lot is full of cars that don’t appear capable of movement.

5. The mechanic attempts diagnosis based upon your broad description.

6. The shop has lots of bad reviews online.

7. The mechanic does not appear to have specific knowledge of your make and model.

8. No estimate of time for repair.

9. Time for repair seems unnecessarily long.

10. The shop is very new or has very little history in the area.

11. The mechanic tries to suggest a myriad of other services for you at the time of your repair.

12. The mechanic suggests fixes which don’t add up.

13. The shop tells you you need to fix more things than you came in for, without a thorough explanation.

14. Lack of sufficient explanations.

15. The mechanic gives you a line like “good thing you brought this in, the car probably would not have lasted another 50 miles.”

16. The mechanic suggests one fix first, then when that doesn’t work, claims they “know” what has to be wrong this time.

17. Insisting they are the best in town without awards or recognition from the community to back it up.

18. The shop installs a new part, it fixes the problem but then fails soon after.

19. The mechanic won’t wait on you to call around to other shops or take the car other places to get estimates.

20. The mechanic cannot understand your explanation of the problem and asks you multiple times to repeat or rephrase.

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