Protect yourself from gougers
One thing I learned a long time ago, as a woman, is that there are a lot of times that people will try to convince you (me) that things are broken when they are not, or charge more money for something than they should. For example three years ago I took my sister’s ford escort to the local fast oil change shop (which I will leave unnamed, but it is a huge national chain) to have the oil changed. I was doing her a favor because she was having a hard time managing the time to get out and do it herself.
The mechanic that worked on the car tried to convince me that she needed a new water pump, battery, windshield wipers and timing belt! He gave me a huge estimate of the cost! I told him that I’d let my hubby check those out before deciding to do anything. Well, my hubby took a look at the car and said that the car didn’t need any of that! And even if it did need all that, the cost should be half of what was being estimated!
Aside from having to change the windshield wipers once, the car is still running fine three years later! No, it didn’t need a new battery. Needless to say I have not returned to that particular fast oil change shop.
That is why I like the repairpal.com website – it helps me find reputable mechanics and get estimates on line. That helps me to determine if I’m being treated fairly on repairs.