Choosing the right garage to take your car to

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by: bythesea
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Word Count: 403
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 Time: 11:01 PM
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Whether you're looking for the best place to take your vehicle for its annual service or your car is in need of altogether more urgent attention, then you'll want to make sure you take it to a reputable garage.

Main dealers are a safe choice for many but such peace of mind tends to come at a price. If you're looking to go to an independent garage in search of a better deal then it's an idea to get clued up and do some research rather than just picking the first name you come across.

It can be an idea to use the internet to your advantage when choosing a garage to visit - and not only to find out which establishments are within your area. Customers love to complain when they receive bad service so the chances are that if one or more of your local garages have a bad reputation then you'll be able to read about it online. Type the name of the garage and words like ‘complaint', ‘ripoff' or ‘cowboy' into your favourite search engine and you'll be able to see if there's a wave of bad feeling out there.

Once you've got a shortlist of garages to consider, ring around for quotes on the work you would like carried out on your vehicle. If you make it clear that you're only after a quote at that stage then the mechanic in question should come up with a competitive price in order to win your custom.

Even better, if you can get a recommendation from a friend or family member who has direct experience with a particular garage then you can feel pretty confident that you're going to be treated well there.

If your car insurance policy doesn't provide you with a courtesy car when your vehicle is in for repair, then you may want to choose a garage that has such an option. Just be sure to read the small print to check that the car really is a ‘courtesy' - you don't want to return later to find a hefty charge added to the bill for the pleasure.

Don't feel like you need to be loyal to a particular establishment - if you feel the last garage you took your car to did a poor job or suspect that you were overcharged for the work that was carried out, then by all means take your custom elsewhere.

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