Archive › 12. Jun, 2008

Use RepairPal To See If Your "Friendly Neighborhood Mechanic" Is Taking You To The Cleaners

by Molly on 12. Jun, 2008 in Organization, Task Management, Uncategorized

When I was in high school, and on and off there after, I would religiously take my car to the same mechanic, no matter what the cost. I trusted him to no end because he seemed so honest. I found him because he came across my Uncle on the side of the road, who had taken a nasty spill on his bike, and took him to the hospital. Once I found out that he owned a repair shop right near my house, I knew that I would always have him work on my car. I believed everything he told me and I never questioned the price, but I really have no idea if he was being honest or ripping off the ditsy blond who never remembered to change her oil. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t trust people, because that’s a quality in myself and in others that I admire, but I think you should give RepairPal a look before handing over the cash for your next car repair.

RepairPal gives you estimates on what you should be paying and it breaks it down by parts and labor. You’ll see dealership and independent shop comparisons and even reasons why a certain problem may be affecting your car. The information is based on your car type and location, but unfortunately there isn’t a lot of information for cars older than 1990 and the estimate range can be quite large. One reason the estimates may be so far apart, in my opinion, is because dealerships generally charge a lot more because they use name brand parts, but I could be wrong. RepairPal will also show you repair shops in your neighborhood and there’s an opportunity to read and write reviews. (I couldn’t find any reviews but RepairPal is brand new so I’ll give it time for that.) You can also store all of the repairs and maintenance you have done on your car and leave notes for future reference. If you’re into learning about your car then there’s an Auto Repair Encyclopedia which tells you all about the things that make your car go. You can also print out your estimate and take it with you, although I don’t know how many mechanics are going to be happy about that. Here’s my screencast tour of RepairPal: