Auto Repair Tempe: How To Choose
As most car owners have experienced, dealing with a broken down vehicle in desperate need of repair is a stressful situation at best. You're under pressure to get your car running again and may not have the time to find a
quality auto repair shop in the Tempe, Chandler, Phoenix area. In a state of despair, you can easily fall victim to an unscrupulous auto repair shop where you're pressured into costly auto repairs through the use of clever scare tactics. You can avoid a scenario like this one, by locating a quality auto repair shop you can trust
before you need repairs done to your vehicle. Finding a quality auto repair shop starts with knowing what to look for. Elite Auto Repair in Tempe is a state-of-the-art service facility with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a Blue Seal of Excellence from the ASE (Institute for Automotive Service Excellence). We not only meet, but
exceed the criteria for a quality auto repair shop, with ASE Certified Technicians, quality parts and courteous service from our dedicated staff of auto repair professionals. When looking for a quality auto repair shop, you should carefully evaluate the points in the following checklist, to determine if a given car repair facility is committed to a high standard of excellence.
Finding A Quality Auto Repair Shop - Checklist
- Repair Shop Recommendations – Ask your friends, co-workers, family members, etc. where they take their cars to get quality auto repair work done. Check with members of local car clubs to get additional recommendations for quality auto repair shops in your area.
- Repair Shop Type – Consider an independent auto repair shop, if you're looking for the best value in auto repair services. Your other options are taking your vehicle to an auto dealership service department or taking your vehicle to a chain auto service center. Independent auto repair shops offer a key advantage over the other two options, which is better pricing for the same services.
Independent auto repair shops generally have more flexibility in their policies and can often offer discounts that auto dealerships and chain auto repair shops can't afford to offer.
- Repair Shop Ratings – Make sure that any auto repair shop you're considering is up to par by checking out its reputation with organizations like the Better Business Bureau. They'll tell you if there are any complaints, resolved or unresolved, on file with their agency.
You should also look for car repair shops who are members of one or more of the following associations: AAA (Automobile Association of America), ASE (The Institute for Automotive Service Excellence), ASP (Automotive Service Professionals), ATEA (Automotive Technology and Energy Association), ICAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair), Parts Plus, SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and TechNet.
Car repair shops with any of these memberships must typically meet and maintain compliance with stringent requirements in training, equipment and customer service delivery, which helps consumers like you make an informed decision about choosing an automotive repair shop. What's more, many of these associations require their member's participation in an arbitration process that's binding, should there be a need to settle a disagreement between you and the car repair shop you're doing business with.
- Mechanic Certifications – Ask about ASE certifications held by the mechanics of any auto repair shop you may patronize. An ASE certification is a sign your car is being repaired by a top mechanic in the auto repair industry.
- Quality of Parts – Find out if genuine replacement parts, generic replacement parts or rebuilt parts are used by the various car repair shops with which you're considering building a relationship. Higher quality parts may raise the cost of any repair work you have done, but may save you money in the long run, since lower quality parts may have to be replaced sooner..
- Quality of Equipment – You also need to factor in the equipment being used at a given car repair shop. It's best to find a shop with state-of-the-art equipment, including hand held computer scanners and diagnosis software, digital volt-ohm meters, logic probes, lab scopes, and online computer systems like CAS, Alldata, or Mitchell-On-Demand. A lack of the right equipment can make your auto repairs more costly in the long run if all of your car's problems are not successfully diagnosed the first time around.
- Written Estimates – Be sure to get the rates you'll be charged for a car repair job in writing prior to the start of the service. You should know that many shops charge based on a recommended time schedule to complete a specified repair, according to the manufacturer, regardless of how long it actually takes to do the work.
Before settling on a given auto repair shop, compare rates for the same job with different repair shops, but make sure you're comparing apples to apples, since the prices you'll be given for the same job will most likely vary from one shop to the next. Different warranties, different sources for parts and different qualification levels of the mechanics employed by the shop all affect the price you'll ultimately pay for repairs at a given car repair shop.
- Repair Timeframes – You also have to factor in the convenience of getting your car fixed at a given auto repair shop. You should look for a repair shop that has the capacity to fix your car in a reasonable time frame, which means days, not weeks. For major repairs, access to a loaner vehicle or shuttle service are also extras that can go a long way in making the auto repair experience more convenient and less stressful, since lost time from work can be an overlooked hidden cost of getting your car repaired.
Once you have compared several auto repair shops using the checklist above, you should pick a single auto repair shop to routinely perform all of the scheduled maintenance on your car, as provided by the maintenance schedule for your vehicle. Never think that hopping around from shop to shop for "specials" is a good deal, because after you're lured in with a "special" your wallet may soon be taken for a ride by an unscrupulous auto repair shop.
Sticking with a trusted auto repair shop helps you minimize the need for costly repairs in the first place. But in the event that a major repair is needed, you'll be able to face the situation with a minimal amount of stress by having your vehicle repaired at a shop you already know and trust. When your car needs a major repair or routine maintenance, you can count on Elite Auto Repair, an award winning auto repair shop in Tempe with an expert team of ASE Certified technicians who treat your vehicle like their own. Call us at
or stop by our conveniently located quality auto repair shop in Tempe for A+ service that's a cut above the competition.
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