I used to think that all auto repair shops were exactly the same. That's what my dad told me. Being an at home "master mechanic" who saw cars as just another home repair, dad was sure that all those automotive car fix it folks were just guys with a wrench who had only one advantage over him - they already read the Chilton auto repair guide before him. He spent hours laboring over the guides learning how to fix various things on the car and once in a while he got it right. Ok, I'm picking on dad a bit. In reality before cars got really complicated with computer systems and all these new fangled sensors such as those notorious O2 Sensors that seem to fail with reckless abandon these days, he actually did a pretty good job of getting the old cars to work most of the time. But beyond dad, how do you find a truly great auto repair shop?

The fact is there are a lot of things that you can look for when picking an automotive repair shop. First I think it's important to consider the credentials. For example, ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certifications are a great place to start. Some shops have great mechanics who are not ASE certified, but the problem is without the certifications "you" don't know which of those guys knows what they are doing and which ones don't. The ASE certification is a great way to validate a mechanic's skills. If the mechanic received an ASE certification in an area such as brakes, your chances of getting solid repair work are improved. Note that an ASE mechanic may be certified in brakes, but not in engine work, so it's valid to ask the question of your service advisor as to whether the mechanic working on your car is ASE certified in the area you are going to have service.

Taking it five steps further, you can look for a shop with a Master ASE mechanic on board. A Master ASE certified mechanic is certified in every area of automotive repair - hence the "Master" part of the certification title. This mechanic is most likely a guru of automotive repair and could be your best solution to years of long and solid service. This person is also usually a person with years of experience as well and it's hard for me to think of a better "green beret" qualification than this. If the team that is working on your car is lead by a Master ASE certified mechanic and all the rest of the mechanics are at ASE certified in at least one area, you've probably found a great shop that can really help you out from a technical perspective.

The next thing to look for is that the shop is listed as an ASE shop. You can go to the ASE's web site at www.ase.com to look up shops that are ASE certified. The next level is an ASE "Blue Seal" shop. This level implies an even higher level of technical assurance than a standard ASE shop. Amongst other things, it tells you there is a Master ASE certified mechanic at the shop.

There are other things to look for in a shop. Are they friendly and courteous in handling your call when you call in, or do they make you feel like they're too busy for you? Of course, other things are honest and reliable work. One good way to know about service here is to check out the Better Business Bureau and see if the shop has an unusual number of complaints in its file. If they're a "member" of the Better Business Bureau, you're in even better shape since they must follow Better Business Bureau policies to stay a member.

There are many other ways you might use to tell if a shop is reliable and solid. One of the best ways of course is a glowing review from friends or family. Word tends to get around if a shop really stands out as a great place to take your car, average place, or a shop that is not so good to go to. This is a super place to start. If that's not possible (you're new to town for example) take a look at the shop's website and see if they have customer testimonials on there and see if there's anything that resonates with you regarding those.

Well, I hope that helps a bit with your search for a great auto repair shop. Finding one, I know, is a great comfort for that so important machine that takes you where you need to go! Thanks for reading and have a great day!