how to tell an honest repair shop from one that is not

every trade has people who take advantage, and auto repair has a worse reputation than most, because the customer usually cannot check the work and often cannot check whether it was needed.

here is how to tell, and it is worth reading even if you never come to us.

the signs of a shop worth using

they show you the old part. not offer to. show you, unprompted.

they explain what they found before doing the work, in terms you follow, and the explanation includes why rather than only what.

they separate urgent from soon from eventually. a shop that says everything is urgent is either frightened or selling. a good one will tell you the rear brakes have a year left.

they put it in writing before starting, and they call if the price is going to change.

they say "I do not know yet". diagnosis is genuinely hard, and a shop willing to admit uncertainty is more trustworthy than one that is certain about everything.

they tell you when not to spend money. this is the strongest signal there is, and it is the one an unscrupulous shop never gives you.

the warning signs

pressure and urgency, particularly the suggestion that the car is unsafe to drive away, when it is not accompanied by a clear explanation of what specifically is unsafe.

work you did not authorise appearing on the bill.

refusing to return old parts. in Ontario you are entitled to them back, with some exceptions for parts returned to a supplier under warranty.

a quote that will not itemise. parts and labour, separately, is the minimum.

findings that grow. you came in for an oil change and are leaving with a four figure list. sometimes genuine, particularly on a neglected vehicle, but it deserves a second opinion.

scare words with no detail. "your bushings are shot" means nothing. which bushings, and what happens if you wait?

getting a second opinion is normal

any shop worth using expects it on a large job and will not be offended. if somebody is offended, that tells you something.

take the written quote with you. a second shop looking at the same vehicle and the same list will tell you quickly whether it was fair.

where we stand on this

we publish the reconditioning work and what it cost on every vehicle we sell, including the vehicles where the number is embarrassing. that is not a slogan, it is on the page for each car.

we do it because the alternative, "210-point inspection", tells you nothing at all, and because a business that will show you the ugly numbers has less reason to hide the ordinary ones.