Saving Money on auto repairs.
Getting your car repaired these days can be a complex task considering all the electronics, computer devices, technology and knowledge an auto technician must have in order to get the job done properly. The report you give to your auto repair shop or personal mechanic about the problem can weigh heavily on how well and costly your repair will be. One thing I suggest to my customers at www.LaMobileAuto.VpWeb.com to never say to their mechanics when it comes to car repair is, "Just fix the problem; I don't care what it is I just need my car fixed!" This statement alone can almost guarantee that a repair bill that would normally be around $300.00 will be more like $700.00.
Most people that I have dealt with, as a mobile auto technician, do not understand that the technician doing their car repairs is actually getting very little of the money that was charged for that repair in his pocket. Auto technicians are being paid a small percentage on the FLAT RATE system that is being used for most auto repair shops. So that $189.00 brake job you paid for on your vehicle, maybe $32.00 of that went in the mechanics pocket, and that would be alot. The auto mechanics only get a small % of that repair job; the majority of the labor goes to the shop owner, as in any other business. For anyone who does not know what this is, this is a system by which every single job you can imagine to be done on a vehicle, whether it's a brake job, electrical system repair, suspension issue, or just diagnostic's, there is a designated labor time for this job. You probably have heard of or seen this symbol (ASE) at the current repair shops you go to. It's called ASE which stands for Automobile Service Excellence an organization formed in the 1970's which has set many standards for the automobile industry today including labor rates and times.
This is an issue that I personally deal with when it comes to pricing out repair jobs, because most people believe they are being charged by a time hour rather than a job hour that the automobile industry operates off of. This is why it would be in the customer’s best interest to be as informed as possible about the type of car problem they are having and instruct their mechanic to preform those specific repairs ONLY but give the car a general checkup or recommendation for future reference.
So never tell you mechanic to FIX EVERYTHING! If you are dealing with a reputable repair shop, they will usually not take advantage of someone who does not understand car repairs. None the less it never hurts to keep up with maintenance on your vehicle and stay as informed as possible as you can about these repairs. The more you know about your car repairs that eventually will have to be performed, the more you will be able to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars in repairs over the life of your vehicle by getting informed about the problem you are having which can be found on line in automotive forums, sometimes you can Google the problem, or even go to Just Answers. Other good sources are friends in the business, library, schools, and magazines.
Jacob J. Foto
Owner/Operator
WWW. LaMobileAuto.VpWeb.Com
504-723-2996
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