Top Mistakes that are Costing You at Your Tempe Car Repair Shop!

It’s practically unanimous, everyone in Arizona hates getting car repair.

• It means you have to do without your car.
• It’s time consuming.
• It’s costly.
• It can be uncomfortable, even intimidating, since you seldom feel certain that your Arizona car repair shop isn’t overcharging you or being less than honest with you.

If you would like to need car repair as seldom as possible, keeping up with routine maintenance will go a long way. Believe it or not, paying for routine maintenance now will save you money in the long run.

Oil

One of the most important things you can do to avoid unnecessary car repair is to show your oil some love. The owner’s manual that comes with your car will tell you how often you should change your oil. Don’t skip oil changes and check your oil regularly. Running out of oil is the number one cause of engine failure in Tempe, AZ.

When changing the oil always use the type of oil recommended in the owner’s manual. There are two things to pay attention to when choosing oil, the type such as non-synthetic, synthetic or partial synthetic, and the weight such as 10W-30, 5W- 20, etc. Using the correct weight of oil and keeping it clean and full are extra important in the challenging Arizona heat and terrain. When changing the oil, you should always change the oil filter, otherwise sending clean oil through a dirty filter will just get the new oil dirty. It’s like mopping the floor with dirty mop water.

When performing routine maintenance don’t neglect the other filters such as fuel filters and air filters. These can cause sensors to fail, making your car run badly and setting off that dreaded check engine light. If you continue to ignore the problems, it can cause important components such as the catalytic converter or fuel pump to fail. Those are costly repairs.

Fluids

In addition, when checking the oil don’t forget the other fluids such as coolant, transmission fluid and brake fluid. Keep them at the optimum level. Once again, the owner’s manual will tell you how often these fluids need to be completely replaced.

Ranking right up there in importance with oil is coolant. Low coolant levels are another common cause of engine failure. Most people know that they need antifreeze in order to keep their radiator water from freezing in cold weather, but many don’t understand the important role antifreeze plays in keeping your water from boiling away in the Arizona heat. Adding antifreeze to your radiator water in the amounts recommended in the owner’s manual will raise the boiling point of the water in your radiator. This is important because an overheated engine often results in a bad head gasket, cracked cylinder head or cracked block, any of which can cost thousands of dollars to repair. Never, ever drive your car when it’s overheated. It’s imperative that you pull over and shut it off immediately, no matter how inconvenient.

When you need a good car shop

While good maintenance may delay the need for car repair or lessen the extent of mechanical problems, eventually every car needs repairs. When that day comes you will need an honest, trustworthy car mechanic in the Tempe, AZ area.

One of the best ways to find a good car repair shop is through recommendations from friends, family or coworkers. Ask your Facebook friends to weigh in. Don’t underestimate the value of personal recommendations, especially if more than one person tells you they have had good experiences in dealing with a particular Tempe car mechanic.

Other places to look for reviews and recommendations for car repair shops include AAA, Angie’s List and the Better Business Bureau. There is some good information to be gleaned from Yelp, such as whether a car repair shop specializes in certain types of cars or certain types of repairs, but the reviews tend to be negative due to the fact that unhappy customers are often looking for some place to vent, while happy customers are off driving their smoothly running cars.

Once you have some recommendations to go with, it’s a good idea to check out a car repair shop before actually having any work done. This is comparable to checking out a dentist before you actually need a root canal. What’s your first impression? Although the work area can’t be spotless, it should appear orderly. The waiting area should be fairly clean and the staff should be pleasant and helpful. The establishment should appear to be fairly busy, with cars coming and going. Don’t be afraid to ask the staff how long they have been in business, if they perform all types of car repair or specialize in certain types of repair. You can also ask what type of parts they use and what type of warrantees they offer.

Possibly most importantly, ask if the mechanics are ASE certified. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence is the major certifying body for automobile mechanics in the country. In addition, inquire if they have the most up to date diagnostic equipment. If you have a late model car the days of the shade tree mechanic are over. Today’s engines are run by computers and it requires up to date diagnostic equipment to diagnose which components are malfunctioning.

The best piece of advice is, once you find a Tempe car repair shop that does good work at a fair price stick with them for life. It is seldom worth shopping around for a bargain rate car repair shop any more than it’s worth shopping around for a bargain rate doctor or dentist. You often get what you pay for, so if they do good work at a reasonable price stay with them.

Scottsdale Muffler & Automotive offers a wide range of auto repair services by specialists in every area of performance as well as general car repairs and maintenance. You won’t find any better quality work performed at a better price. We are a family owned and operated business that takes pride in their work and has built a loyal customer base over the last 20 years in business. Most of our regular customers have also become our friends. Call us today and see why our reputation is so outstanding.