My friend asked me how to find a good mechanic and I realized I had no real answer

Last week, my buddy Mark was stressing because his car started making a weird noise and he just moved to a new city. He asked me how to find a decent, honest mechanic and I totally blanked. I just told him to check online reviews, but that feels like a gamble. How do you all actually vet a new auto shop when you don't know anyone in town?

2 comments

2 Comments

blake43221d ago

I had to figure this out last year after moving to Phoenix. I started by looking for shops that specialize in my car's brand, like a Honda-only place. Then I called and asked for a basic service price, like an oil change, to see how they talked to me on the phone. I also drove by at closing time to see if the lot looked organized or just chaotic. It's a process but you can get a feel before you commit to a big repair.

leoward21d ago

When I moved to Austin, I found a local shop by checking Google reviews for ones that mentioned honest pricing. I went in for a tire rotation first, which is cheap, just to see how they treated me and my car. The guy took time to explain a worn brake pad he noticed, no pressure to fix it right then. That small visit told me more than any phone call could.