Don’t get taken for a ride with costly car repairs

ISHPEMING — Car repairs are costly and inconvenient. Here are some tips that can keep you from being taken for a ride from car repair shops.

We’ve all heard that a good man is hard to find but some are finding out, a good mechanic is even harder to find. But we did find, Repairpal.

It’s a free resource that can keep car headaches to a minimum. So before you hit the road, you might want to hit your computer first. Repairpal dot com is a website that lists certified auto shops nationwide and provides information on the average cost of each repair.

“We check it out and make sure they are up–to–date on their training and tools. We do a survey of their customers and we get verified customers reviews. Once a shop passes through the rigorous processing that we do we list them on our site as being a repair pal certified shop,” said Jill Rotta, Director, Repairpal.com.

Repairpal.com has a top 5 tips for you to keep in mind:

1. Shop around, play the field – Don’t commit to just one mechanic
2. Know the magic number, that’s the average cost of the repair. If it’s too low they may be using substandard parts, if it’s too high they may be over–billing
3.Road trip check–up. Get your car inspected at least a week before you hit the road. Preventive car care is often cheaper
4. Don’t take the mechanics word for it and get a good warranty
5. Beware of false internet reviews

“I am suspect of any shop that has all 5 star reviews. It is unrealistic to please 100 percent of the people 100% of the time. You don’t know if you are reading reviews from family members or a paid service that is paid to blog for shop,” continued Trotta.

So before you hit the road for vacation or just heading to work…head to www.repairpal.com for a recommendation, because a good mechanic is so hard to find.