There are great mechanics out there, and typically their hourly rates are reasonable for the work being performed. There are however, some shops that should be avoided. Unfortunately, whenever we deal with people there will always be a wide range, and a few of those towards the bottom of the list need to be left alone. Since a majority of our customers are the other mechanics, the ones at the top of the list, they will agree... the terrible ones give the industry a bad name.
Rule #1 Ask around. Even if you have just moved into an area, there are people around you that would love to help a newcomer out. Mechanics are classically advertised by word of mouth. For every good referral you will get, you will also hear horror stories about the ones to avoid.
Rule #2 Look around the lot. Are there quite a few vehicles in various states of dismantlement? Does it look like they have been abandoned for months? Is the general condition of the premises at least organized looking. A repair shop cannot always be spotless because of the nature of the business, but the good shop owners take pride in their job and have procedures to keep the place clean and safe.
Rule #3 There is nothing wrong with checking out the Better Business Bureau for your area just to make sure there aren't outstanding complaints. Appearances can sometimes be deceiving. Dishonest mechanics can get by on appearances for a while. You don't want to be one of the victims before Rule #1 catches up with them.
Rule #4 Fear Tactics. This is one my wife ran into years ago (and I am still steamed about it). She got a coupon for an unbelievable deal on a front brake job. She asked me about it and I told her it couldn't be true ($59 front brakes-$99 all four). If it were true the brakes themselves would be of terrible quality. Anyway, like every good wife out there she felt she needed to check it out anyway. That afternoon I got a tearful call from her after the mechanic told her it would be $500 to repair her brakes and he was going to call the police if she tried to drive away because they were so dangerous. I called him, then called their corporate office in another state, and went by to get the car released.
There was NOT a safety issue with the brakes. Brake shoes have a safety mechanism built in to warn you that it is time to replace them. Most of the time when you hear that awful noise of metal on metal, it is the "chirper" tab. It is time to replace the brakes, but if you can stand the noise you have a few days to get the car somewhere for repair. The moral here is "If a mechanic uses coupons to bait you in and then fear tactics to take your money, it would be better to tow your car somewhere else". Let me add one thing here, use Rule#1 and tell everyone you know about their deceptive practices.
Mechanics should be your friend and trusted partner. There will be times that they have to share bad news with you, but knowing you can trust them makes it easier to take. There is no place for deception in the automotive trade. If you give your business and money to the honest mechanic, and tell everyone you know about the bad ones, it will be a better industry for all of us.
Autopartstomorrow
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