How to find a car mechanic

silence1186

So I've been taking my car into service at the dealer every 6 months, and it's getting silly expensive. I've tried taking it to garages at local gas stations, but they seem less than trustworthy and try to sell me on things I don't think are wrong with my car.

Does anyone have any experience with any of the national chains like Meineke or Pep Boys? The only other place I've taken my car to is Mavis Discount Tires, when I got a flat, because I had recently seen an advertisement of their tire prices, and I KNEW the dealer was charging me above market for tires.

More generally: what's the best option between cost and trustworthiness for car service?

VishNub

What kind of car do you drive? If it's something weird, finding a non-dealer repair shop is harder.

That said, try Yelp. Keep in mind that the normal "only bad reviews get posted" thing is especially true for mechanics, so finding one with good reviews is hard.

Other places to look for useful reviews -- I found that the Car Talk website has a list of mechanics and reviews which was pretty good. Most cars/brands have specific message boards. Look through those and see if you find anything helpful.

silence1186

I drive an 09 Toyota Scion tC.

LostNinja

What servicing are you doing every 6 months? Are we talking about just a general oil change/tire rotation/engine check? For stuff like that you could always just look at some of the garage chains like NTB, jiffy lube, Sears auto, etc. They are usually cheaper than the dealership, and as they are known brands are relatively trustworthy (note there are definitely exceptions to this). You'd still want to check for reviews first though, and they won't be able to help you if something major needs fixed.

silence1186

LostNinja wrote: »

What servicing are you doing every 6 months? Are we talking about just a general oil change/tire rotation/engine check? For stuff like that you could always just look at some of the garage chains like NTB, jiffy lube, Sears auto, etc. They are usually cheaper than the dealership, and as they are known brands are relatively trustworthy (note there are definitely exceptions to this). You'd still want to check for reviews first though, and they won't be able to help you if something major needs fixed.

Either oil change, or rotating 5/10/15/30k mile service tune ups. They charge so much for tire rotation I can't really afford it.

Most recently the car hit 60k miles, so they did a 30k tune up which included tranmission flush, as well as separate brake fluid and power steering fluid services. While they were inside the car, they said the brake pads and battery were both bad.

LostNinja

silence1186 wrote: »

LostNinja wrote: »

What servicing are you doing every 6 months? Are we talking about just a general oil change/tire rotation/engine check? For stuff like that you could always just look at some of the garage chains like NTB, jiffy lube, Sears auto, etc. They are usually cheaper than the dealership, and as they are known brands are relatively trustworthy (note there are definitely exceptions to this). You'd still want to check for reviews first though, and they won't be able to help you if something major needs fixed.

Either oil change, or rotating 5/10/15/30k mile service tune ups. They charge so much for tire rotation I can't really afford it.

Most recently the car hit 60k miles, so they did a 30k tune up which included tranmission flush, as well as separate brake fluid and power steering fluid services. While they were inside the car, they said the brake pads and battery were both bad.

Yeah, you can get all of that stuff taken care of at most of the chain places I listed. You can look up their prices online and see if they are any better.

Had you been having trouble with your brake pads or battery before? It also seems unlikely they would notice either of those before you did if they were bad enough to need replaced. (Though I'm not a car guy and may be wrong)

silence1186

LostNinja wrote: »

silence1186 wrote: »

LostNinja wrote: »

What servicing are you doing every 6 months? Are we talking about just a general oil change/tire rotation/engine check? For stuff like that you could always just look at some of the garage chains like NTB, jiffy lube, Sears auto, etc. They are usually cheaper than the dealership, and as they are known brands are relatively trustworthy (note there are definitely exceptions to this). You'd still want to check for reviews first though, and they won't be able to help you if something major needs fixed.

Either oil change, or rotating 5/10/15/30k mile service tune ups. They charge so much for tire rotation I can't really afford it.

Most recently the car hit 60k miles, so they did a 30k tune up which included tranmission flush, as well as separate brake fluid and power steering fluid services. While they were inside the car, they said the brake pads and battery were both bad.

Yeah, you can get all of that stuff taken care of at most of the chain places I listed. You can look up their prices online and see if they are any better.

Had you been having trouble with your brake pads or battery before? It also seems unlikely they would notice either of those before you did if they were bad enough to need replaced. (Though I'm not a car guy and may be wrong)

Last winter I was away for a weekend and there was a cold snap. My car wouldn't start (presumably because the battery got too cold and it wasn't turned on for several days) and I had to have it jumped. So that actually made sense.

The brakes seemed okayish? I hadn't really noticed much noise, and but it'd been 20k miles since I last changed them, which was about how long the first set lasted until the second set, and the second set to the third.

DevoutlyApathetic

Brake pads needing changing should have come with a measurement of the pads with a pair of mics. Usually a couple MM's and you definitely want to change them before they're gone. Partly safety but mostly because if you wait too long things that aren't meant to abrade to slow you down will start to and then you're replacing a bunch of stuff that wasn't a wear item.

italianranma

Silence, barring some outlying circumstances, you may want to just start doing your own maintenance. While I was deployed overseas I couldn't find a mechanic who would work on my car and started watching youtube videos. All those things you've listed so far; oil change, tire rotation, fluid replacement, battery replacement, and brakes & rotor pad replacements are things you could learn to do in a few hours over the weekend, and Autozone or other car supply chains will even lend you the tools you need for free (100% deposit return). Your owner's manual will even tell you when to check or replace each part. I do still leave certain things to mechanics (really anything engine related) because the costs of screwing up are pretty high, but doing your own maintenance will give you the background knowledge you need to not get screwed over with price. Case-in-point, when I was last at a mechanic for an oil-change/smog test they tried to sell me a new fuel filter telling me that mine was dirty and needed replacing. I just about laughed in the dudes face because there's no way of checking that beyond actually draining the fuel line and removing the filter and there's no way anyone would do that much work casually.

The only other avenue is looking at reviews online of local mechanics, but people are so passionate and there's so much money involved that it's really tough to find objective reviews. So until you learn enough yourself you're going to have to trust without being able to verify.

silence1186

LostNinja wrote: »

What servicing are you doing every 6 months? Are we talking about just a general oil change/tire rotation/engine check? For stuff like that you could always just look at some of the garage chains like NTB, jiffy lube, Sears auto, etc. They are usually cheaper than the dealership, and as they are known brands are relatively trustworthy (note there are definitely exceptions to this). You'd still want to check for reviews first though, and they won't be able to help you if something major needs fixed.

What would be an example of something major only the dealer could do?

LostNinja

I recently had to take mine in when my AC broke (parts actually broke, it didn't just need freon). Other examples would be oil leaks or general part failure. You wouldn't necessarily need to take it to the dealer, other garages that do that kind of work could do it, you just wouldn't be able to get it done at a NTB or Sears. I just mentioned those chains as a possibly cheaper and trustworthy alternative to the dealership for regular maintenance.

witch_ie

Typically, I go to the dealership for my cars, but that's mostly to help maintain the warranty or because I've been too lazy to look for another mechanic. In the past, I've had good experiences with PEP Boys and Jiffy Lube, but it is important that you make sure the one you're going to doesn't have a bad history of poor work or gouging their customers. Online reviews are obviously helpful for this. Also, when you are ready for new tires, Discount Tires and America's Tires (same chain) offered free rotation when you buy your tires with them - or at least they used to. Also, I'm not sure how Scion compares to other Toyota brands when it comes to maintenance, but it seemed pretty easy to find non-dealer mechanics to work on my Toyota Corolla when I had it.

zepherin

silence1186 wrote: »

LostNinja wrote: »

What servicing are you doing every 6 months? Are we talking about just a general oil change/tire rotation/engine check? For stuff like that you could always just look at some of the garage chains like NTB, jiffy lube, Sears auto, etc. They are usually cheaper than the dealership, and as they are known brands are relatively trustworthy (note there are definitely exceptions to this). You'd still want to check for reviews first though, and they won't be able to help you if something major needs fixed.

What would be an example of something major only the dealer could do?

Electrical. If I'm getting a ground fault that needs to be traced out or a wiring harness that needs replacing I'll go to the dealership. I've used mechanics in different states, usually local, but if I have a local one fix an electrical issue, there are problems later on. Dealership gets it right first go. However I'm only 1 data point. For service I go to a 10 minute change oil while I'm in the car. I decline all of their hey get this done add one, but take the list with me and price shop.

I have a mechanic a friend suggested for transmission and engine issues.

Donovan Puppyfucker

If you can't get a good solid recommendation for a mechanic from family members or friends, asking around about mechanics in your area on reddit might help.

Honest mechanics that do good work and charge reasonable prices are hard to find, but when you do find one you're set. Basic maintenance like oil changes are really quite simple and easy for you to do in your own driveway and can save you big money over having the dealer do it.

zepherin

Honestly the cost to change oil, rather than going to a 15 minute oil change place was always minimal to the pain in the ass of recycling the oil. In my area for my car it costs $18.99 for the oil and $10.99 for the oil filter, roughly 30 bucks. The place near my house charges $39.99.

If you are in Maryland PM me I'll give you the mechanics and places I use.

BouwsT

I'm going to advocate for a group I'm involved in, I work for an independent garage up here in Canada and we're a member of NAPA AutoPro (NAPA AutoCare down in the states). I'd look into one of those shops, as we're vetted to become a member, have great North America wide warranties, and have won the JD Power awards for customer service 2011-2014 (2015 we came a close second).

Everything everyone else said is sound advice, but if you're looking for a local shop to trust, maybe give an AutoCare facility a shot.