Monday, September 28th, 2009

How do you find a good, and HONEST auto repair shop?

Sorry to discriminate against auto repair shops, but but recently got got swindled…

I have a 2001 Nissan Maxima that I bought about 4 yrs ago with 30K miles on it. It now has 60K miles (not bad for 4 yrs) and I need to give it a check-up - a little rattling in the back / underneath has prompted this.

I live in Chicago, so there are many auto repair shops, but how do I find a good one? Ask friends? Not too many have cars. What about going to a dealer shop? Will that cost more? Any suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks!

Dealerships generally cost a little more. But might be the best approach to take. The best way is through recommendations of others, but you say you have no car friends. Warranty is important and ability to have recourse with management if a dispute arises. So for you I would recommend the dealer, they will have a warranty and there is recourse through the corporate structure. You will pay a little more, but I think that you will more than get you money’s worth by being able to have peace of mind in this process. Peace.

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7 Responses to “How do you find a good, and HONEST auto repair shop?”

i wish i was rich Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 1:12 am

It will cost a little more to take it into the Nissan shop but it is worth it. They will also warranty their work. Chances are if its just a rattle it wouldnt be anything impotant. Atleast they can give you an estimate becasue thats what you really want. They might even fix it at no cost.
References :
http://www.edmunds.com/dealerships/Nissan/Illinois/CookCounty/Chicago.html

Mariposa Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 1:29 am

Ask the people you trust at work. More than likely there is someone who has lived in the area for awhile and knows who to trust.
References :

Showtunes Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 2:07 am

If you dont know any car-people to ask, then you can go to a few just for diagnosis and compare the results. If you know enough your best bet would be to take it in when you already know what the problem (Ive caused problems with mine just to test a repair shop before). Just dont have it fixed until you know theyre being honest.
References :

Garacaius Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 2:25 am

Dealerships generally cost a little more. But might be the best approach to take. The best way is through recommendations of others, but you say you have no car friends. Warranty is important and ability to have recourse with management if a dispute arises. So for you I would recommend the dealer, they will have a warranty and there is recourse through the corporate structure. You will pay a little more, but I think that you will more than get you money’s worth by being able to have peace of mind in this process. Peace.
References :

coffinfart Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 2:58 am

go to somewhere like a oil change shop or like walmart automotive and ask where they take their cars. since they only do oil changes and tires they will know where to go since they know something about cars, they know who is a ripoff by now and who is honest
References :

maybayus123 Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 3:23 am

If possible you could try to find one with a website that has customer ratings. Other than that just ask around for recomendations. I would go to several auto part stores and get their recomendations on local shops.
References :

fat_keebler_elf Says:
September 29th, 2009 at 4:05 am

call your local b- a-r beruea of auto repair and ask them
References :

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