BornChaos

I thought it would be interesting to find a post on how to pick out a good shop in a flock of bad shops so I did a couple searches using topic only and search all for advice on how to find a good shop. Couldn't find anything so I thought I'd start something in the newbie section so I would avoid any flaming lol.


Feel free to share your experiences and how you personally determine wether a shop does good or bad work. This topic is intended to be a semi-guide for anyone searching for a reliable, regular shop for those of us who dont have time or skill to do more challanging repairs. The topic seeks to answer the following questions directly:

1) It's probably obvious that a better shop does better work, but how do you always tell?

2) Do you rely on warranties, or certifications or awards, etc. to speak for themselves, or do you get in there and simply visually inspect it?

3) are warranties, certs, or awards always strong indications of a good shop?

Anything that has to deal with customer service, mechanics, actual service, parts, warranties, awards, etc. is welcome here.

I'm currently looking for a shop around here that I can go to when I need things done and I just don't have the time to do it but I'm considering the following before I even go to the shops (because there so damn many of them):

*ASE Certification
*County Awards
*Years in Buisness
*Customer service (warranties, whether you can bring your own parts, etc.)

Tofer

i have yet to do this but i think it would be a good test. make sure they do free quotes, then "Sabotage" your truck first, pull a simple wire to get a CEL to come on, and take it in. (make it obvious so they dont spend hours looking for the problem.) if they are stright up and honest about what was causing the problem then go back for real work. again this is only a thought, i have never tried it, but i think if they are honest about a simple wire "coming loose" then they will be honest about what the real problem is.

littlerunner

as a serv manager for a toyota dealer my opinion of ase cert is not very high,its great to have but someone with book knowledge can pass the tests & not have clue as to hands on how to rpr ur rig,ask arnd town-word of mouth is usually the best indicator,but be sure to get whole story on reports,very few facilities dealers are out to GET you,sometimes its just a matter of who thinks what is fair to cust & shop in case of dispute,ive askd cust sometimes when have a disagreement on somethin-what do you think is fair?when i do this we usually come to an agreement we can both live with,sorry got on a rant,back to ase-good to have,recognized by manufacturer-can be indication of what kind of tech but dont let that be all you go on,look at how clean the shop is-chances are if it is they do good work(care about what they do)if its nasty & unorganized think again

tc

What kind of shop? Regular service, or 4x4?

I recently went through the search for a 4x4 shop...Talked to people on the trail about who they use - the same name came up a few times. Went and talked to him, checked out the shop. What really sealed the deal was when I saw him on the trail. Went back, talked to him again. Super nice guy, knows his stuff, knows that happy customers and word-of-mouth referrals are what keep him in business.

Had him do my ARB's and gears, they came out great. Had a little air leak issue, and he dealt with it great.

littlerunner

word of mouth syas it all