Before you go ahead with any repair or maintenance work on your vehicle, you need to know whether the auto repair shop or independent mechanic you’ve chosen is reliable.
Unfortunately, you can’t rely on advertisements alone since these are self-promoting and may not give you a full picture of the vendor’s reputation.
So how do you find a reliable auto repair shop in Memphis? This guide tells you all you need to do to ensure that your precious asset does not end up in the hands of unscrupulous mechanics.
Check Out Online Reviews
Online reviews are an excellent indicator of whether a business is meeting its customers’ needs. These reviews, often from authentic past customers, will give you a good idea of how the vendor operates.
You can find important information about any auto repair shop in Memphis on review sites like:
- Angie’s List
- Google My Business
- RepairPal
- Yelp
Take note that some of these review sites may require a subscription.
Use tools like the car repair estimator on Consumer Reports, CR.org/carrepair, and Mechanics Files at Cartalk.com to sanity-check any estimates you receive. Consider asking people on local social media for recommendations of independent mechanics or auto repair shops that they have used.
Ask for Word-of-Mouth Recommendations
A quality auto repair shop in Memphis will have a good reputation in the local community.
Ask your friends, relatives, and anyone with a car what auto body repair shop in Memphis they like best. Word-of-mouth recommendations are incredibly powerful as they reflect personal experiences.
Prioritize Specialty Auto Repair Shops
Specialty mechanics focus on a particular vehicle brand and are more likely to have the latest diagnostic tools and training. This specialization eliminates guesswork and makes the mechanic more likely to understand what work your vehicle needs.
Check Their Certifications
A quality auto body repair shop in Memphis should have National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification.
If your chosen mechanic does not have this certification, do not deal with them.
Check Their BBB Ratings
Auto repair body shops rank 12th on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for complaints.
On the BBB website, bbb.org, check on each auto repair body shop in Memphis that’s on your list to determine which shops to avoid.
What Warranties Do They Offer?
Warranties vary significantly from shop to shop and are a good indicator of whether your chosen auto body repair shop is ready to stand by the quality of their materials and work.
Ask about warranties before getting any work done. Use minor maintenance work, such as oil and filter changes or brake work, to guide you.
Try Out a Shop
It might be a good idea to use an auto repair body shop in Memphis for smaller repair or maintenance work to experience how they might handle your car, say, after a significant collision.
Note how well the mechanics communicate the car’s problem to you and how they treat your vehicle. Ask as many questions as you need about the repair works, including costs, parts, warranties, and technicians’ qualifications.
A good mechanic will patiently and competently answer all your questions and explain in detail the work they intend to do.
Check Us Out
If you need collision repair, routine maintenance, or paintwork on your vehicle, contact Desoto Collision Center. We are a highly-reviewed auto repair body shop group with seven locations in and around Memphis and in Oxford. Certified by the ASE, we stand ready to help make your car roadworthy in next to no time.
