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Questions To Ask Your Mechanic

Before a technician even lays a finger on your car, approach the head mechanic. There are three categories of inquiries you should make about his business: the credentials of the garage and competence of the workers, the price of the work being done and, finally, the policies and extra services. Let's take a look at the first recommended set of questions.

Are you affiliated with the Automotive Service Association (ASA)?

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) only affiliates itself with garages that have a consistent record of excellent service. If you cannot see the familiar ASA sticker or seal in the mechanic's office, ask if he has been given their kudos.

If he has, you can rest assured that the work done in this garage is of high quality. Warning bells should go off in your mind if he hasn't been approved by the ASA. Bringing your car to a garage that has no signs of an ASA inspection means you might be in for some questionable service.

Do you have an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certificate?

Another, more common known indication of quality service is an ASE certificate posted up somewhere in the garage. ASE workers do on-site evaluations of vehicle repair establishments across the country, handing out certificates to those places that conform to ASE standards. When you can't spot this exclusive piece of paper, ask if this garage has been approved. Again, if it hasn't, it's a sign that the workmanship is questionable.

What credentials do your technicians have?

Today's cars are made up of a lot more than pieces of metal, nuts, bolts, and axle grease. Many components of modern cars run in sync with a computer, which can sometimes make seemingly simple jobs a lot more complex. Therefore, the technician who handles your car needs to be kept abreast of the latest automobile innovations.

Make sure these guys have been trained at a trade school and are not untrained rookies. The last thing you want is a careless, lazy worker installing a new transmission or doing some brake work on your ride.

By Paul Anderson
Automotive Correspondent