Today I dropped my car off to be repaired. Someone backed into me while they were parking their car. No harm no foul, but I need my car fixed so I reported it to the insurance company because I waited a month for her to do it and she did not. I need to worry about myself and my car and not rely on others to pay for it because obviously she wasn't going to on her own.
ANYWAYS! I spoke to a man that my job deals with for our collision repairs. Nice gentleman. A bit fishy though. We women have this thing called intuition. It's a wonderful thing. And when you become a mother it gets even better and stronger. Now the way this man spoke gave me a bad feeling. I am a very good judge of character because I can read people easily. He told me what he was going to do to the car and it almost seemed like he was going to do a shitty job and pocket the cash. Uhmm no buddy. I have a black car, and even though it's a minor scrape, if not done properly, it will look like trash. I will not have a crappy car fix because someone wanted to hit my car.
My car should look the same, if not better, than it did before. It wasn't my fault so therefore it needs to be fixed. Now I do not know much about car. You press the gas and it goes VROOM and you press the break to make it stop going VROOM. Oh and if you don't feed it, then it will stop in the middle of the road and die... (personal experience) Other than that, I'm pretty much clueless. I, like many woman, know nothing about cars and that is why when we enter a dealership or repair shop, guys believe they can screw us over by talking car language and confuse us. That's wrong and it stops here.
I have many friends that work on cars and I talk to them before I go get work done because I know they are just going to give me an honest remark. Every woman needs a close friend in the car business to go to for any questions they have. Either way you should learn about this big machine you are driving. Read the owners manual. Familiarize yourself with the things that are in your car. That way you will know what the flashing lights mean and when you need to get things repaired.
When you do have to choose a repair shop, make sure the technicians are ASE certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. Get a feel for the shop as well. Ask to be see some of the repair work they are working on. Have them explain step-by-step what they will be doing to your car. I had a gentleman at a repair shop that did this and it gave me a great piece of mind. I was not only learning more about cars and repairs but about the service I was about to have done.
Pay attention to your car. Funny smells, weird noises, the way it acts if it differs from the way a car is supposed to act. When you experience something out of the ordinary, at least you can describe it to them. (I smell rotten eggs when I accelerate; there's a knocking sound, ect.)
Always get a second opinion. If you're not sure about what you're being told, or even if you just want a second persons' opinion, go somewhere else. Don't repeat what the other shop said; just provide the same information about the problem and see what the mechanic finds and what the shop will charge to fix it. Before a repair, ask to see the part, where it goes and why it needs to be replaced, and then ask to see the old part after the repair is made. If you feel pressured to make a repair, walk away.
Before you get any repairs done, call your dealership and see if it is covered under warranty. Many people make this mistake and spend thousands out of pocket on repairs that their warranty could have covered.
Always ask for the old parts back. That way you can guarentee that they were replaced. This is where repair shops get you. They say they will replace the part and then 2 months later you hear the same noise or smell the same smell again. Make sure you cover your own ass and they aren't pocketing your money.
Bring a man with you. Someone you've sopken to about the problem and who can relay the message to the repair man and they can better diagnose and write up a slip. Men listen better to other men, especially about cars. Women may be better to look at but they do not car what comes out of your mouth. They are too busy walking behind you and watching you bend over to show them the part you "think" you are talking about. Bring a man just for clarity and that way you don't have to sy much. Just confirm what your friend is saying.
Review the invoice. Just like when you go to a restaurant you look at your reciept. Mistakes can happen. Maybe he was distracted by another car and added their statement onto yours. When you review it, ask him to explain what everything means abd have him walk through each step he did. You will not only know what happend with your car, but you will learn more about car repairs.
Lastly, get initials. If he tells you that he's going to give you a deal that's not listed on any coupon or there's nothing in writing, then get it in writing! Repair shops will say they will give you a deal and then next thing you know, you are paying full price, or more, for your repair.
There's so many thing you can do to save money on your next repair that us women need to learn. Don't let that next repair cost you more than what it needs to be
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