You’ve passed your driving test. You’ve bought a car. You’ve got your insurance covered and paid your road tax but there’s something else to organise. A mechanic. We cannot stress enough, how much easier your life will be if you find a mechanic before you have any major car troubles or your MOT is suddenly due.
But how do you choose a mechanic? Here are a few things to consider during your search:
- Ask your friends and family. Chances are that the people around you will happily give you their recommendations and some of them would have been going to the same mechanic for a number of years.
- Ask your driving instructor. Their job is to be on the roads every day…in a car…that works. You can’t really go wrong asking a professional driver who their mechanic is, they’ll probably be able to give you a few recommendations of mechanics in your local area.
- Know what you need. Understand your car. Some garages don’t have the capacity to deal with electronic or hybrid cars and some don’t have the capacity to deal with old or vintage cars. It doesn’t make a mechanic bad, it just means that they don’t have the tools or expertise to deal with your particular vehicle.
- Do your own research. You’ve got your recommendations so now it’s time to do your own research. Look online, check out reviews, go to the garages and ask some questions, find out what services they provide. Do they do MOT’s, are they able to look after hybrids? Take your car with you and find out if they have experience with your particular make and model. Car troubles can be stressful (and expensive) so make sure that you can not only get on with your mechanic but that you trust them too.
- Don’t assume. Don’t assume that the garage down the road or that one your mum told you about has the capacity to see you and your car straight away. Most of the time, good mechanics are constantly busy. This is also why you shouldn’t wait until you have major car troubles before finding the right mechanic for you and your car.
Finding a mechanic doesn’t have to be hard and it doesn’t have to be stressful. It will take a bit of time and a bit of research but your car will thank you for it in the future. If you’ve got no one to ask or maybe your new to an area, use websites such as The AA Garage Guide or Approved Garages Near Me.