While there are a lot of life stressors, worrying about car repair is near the top, for me anyway. My family has never been very good at taking care of automobiles. My dad would tend to drive his cars until the wheels fell off and laxed on many routine maintenance items. He wasn’t very handy when it came to things around the house and especially with vehicles. Inherently, so am I.

I’ve gone through a slew of mechanics in my time. I’ve had the…

  • “no patients for you” mechanic
  • “up-sell to hell” mechanic
  • “let’s fix the minor things before the major stuff” mechanic
  • “what is wrong with you, why did you wait so long” mechanic
  • “over charge for the little things” mechanic

It has been a rough ride for me to find the right mechanic. I’ve not been the perfect car owner over the years either, I’ll admit. A good mechanic though will treat you fair, honest, and your best interests at heart. After all, you are paying them.

A couple years ago I started taking a stab at working on my own cars because I didn’t like taking them anywhere. Thankfully, I currently have two vehicles that give me little trouble (A Ford and a Kia, believe it or not LOL). But there is always the regular maintenance. So I learned to change my own oil, flush the radiators, replace minor cosmetic things such as broken lights. I started to get comfortable doing some things on my vehicles and it felt liberating to tell you the truth.

What happens though when something major happens? I had a list of mechanics I could go to, but no one I wanted to go to. During my time trying to learn working on my vehicles I can across some YouTube personalities that really taught me that I just need to find the right mechanic (or continue learning more about automotive repair). Here are a few I recommend if you’re looking to find some great resources…

and probably my absolute favorite…

Finding a Mechanic

So how can you go about finding a mechanic. If you don’t already have one you probably just wait until the need arrises, that’s what I always did. Word of mouth is a great way to find a mechanic, but maybe you don’t share the same type of needs as your friend who suggested a mechanic to you. Maybe you have a European vehicle and your friend suggested a place that specializes in Asian cars.

Mechanics Files

Car Talk has a database of mechanics. You can search in your area and see reviews for local shops.

Car Talk - Mechanics Files

Nextdoor

I feel Nextdoor is a great resource to find experienced mechanics in your area. Just create a post with your year/make/model of your vehicle and one of your neighbors can tell you where they take their similar car and the experience they had. Neighbors can also chime in if someone suggests a place which they have had a bad experience.

Interview a Mechanic

You got a place and maybe a name. Next you need to see if they fit the bill. Assuming anyone that has a shop and works on cars is a bold assumption. Here’s some things you can ask and look for…

  • How many years of experience do they have

  • What training do their mechanics have

  • What vehicles do they specialize in, and do they specialize in INSERT_YOUR_CAR_HERE

  • Accepted forms of payment

    Make sure they take your Amex before you get the work done! Also, is there a discount for cash payment.

  • Can you bring your own parts

    This isn’t a huge one. Mechanics have a hard time offering a warranty for parts they didn’t purchase. But if you have a specialty car, this could be a dealbreaker.

  • What warranty does their work come with

  • Hours of operation

    Maybe you can only go without your car for the weekend, if they don’t do work on the weekend you’ll need to know. Maybe they offer a loaner car, you could ask about that as well.

Don’t wait until it is an emergency to find a mechanic. You deserve the freedom to find the right mechanic for you. If you interview a mechanic and they don’t seem like the best fit, just walk away. Trust me, they will forget about you just as fast as you’ll forget about them. Regular maintenance is a great time to try out a shop.

My Mechanic

Of course I have to mention my mechanic, the inspiration for this post!

Chris Biggerstaff @ SDS Auto and Tire