Should I have my car repaired at a tire shop?

May 11, 2009 8:26 AM

My car has 130K miles and I think I'm going to stop going to the dealership for repairs despite a great deal of trust in them; it is just too costly. I plan on going to an independent mechanic near my office, but it's one of those tire shop/muffler shop places who also seem to do other repairs/maintenance. Do these places actually fall into the category of an independent mechanic or are they simply rolling the dice when they are out of their area of expertise (like tires, brakes, or mufflers)? And second, where can I get the recommended maintenance *activities* for my vehicle based on mileage. I always followed my dealership's recommendations, so I need a better idea on what might be needed bringing it into an independent shop.
posted by teg4rvn to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

where can I get the recommended maintenance *activities* for my vehicle based on mileage.
Your owner's manual should have a handy little chart that says what should be done at what mileage.

As for what sort of shop you should go to...I'd ask around. Find a couple of people who you know take good care of their (older, out-of-warranty) cars and ask who does the work.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:37 AM on May 11

I always go to independent repair shops too. A good way to find one is usually word of mouth from friends/coworkers. Yelp can also be useful (not always though).

Otherwise call around, describe what you need done and find out how much they charge. Then go on repairpal.com and see how much it should cost. You can then rule out shops that are charging too much.
My impression with these muffler type places is that they don't do good work and also overcharge. I am getting my cv axle replaced this morning and just by calling around, I found a place that quoted me a rate considerably less than the muffler/tire place.
posted by special-k at 8:46 AM on May 11

It's probably going to depend on (a) whether you're taking it in for service or repairs; and (b) how well you can say "no" to an employee who's recommending $500 worth of repairs when you just wanted your tires rotated.

As Thorzdad recommended, you need to try asking some friends whether they have a trustworthy mechanic they can recommend. I'd also avoid chains (Meineke, Midas, Sears, etc.), but that's just my opinion based on how I've been party to those types of places absolutely trying to screw me on a simple repair (one wanted $1200 to repair what ended up being a loose lug nut).

If you don't have any friends who can give recommendations, try (on a lark) taking it to two completely different shops and describing a problem you're having. This should give you a sense for how careful you need to be when commissioning repairs to a vehicle for which you don't know exactly what the problem is.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 8:46 AM on May 11

Your owner's manual should have a handy little chart that says what should be done at what mileage.

it's possible, but it might just have a chart for the mechanic to cross-reference to the service manual. Like, "At 50,000 miles, do service A4" or something.

also, unless you've been driving it a lot (134k miles is about 11 years at the average rate of 12000 miles per year), you should be able to find a service manual that will go into detail. Check in the reference section of your library for a Chilton's manual with your car in it.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:49 AM on May 11

Those chain repair shops are only going to upsell you. And more times than not, they're using crap parts/materials and the mechanics are right out of VoTech school or they are just regular idiots.

See if you can join Angieslist.com for a month and find a reputable mechanic in the area.
posted by jerseygirl at 9:02 AM on May 11

Car Talk may have some reviews of your area mechanics as well.
posted by mkb at 9:05 AM on May 11 [2 favorites]

For oil changes, breaks and tires, I always take it to a chain store. They usually have a lot of coupons, so you'll be able to get it done a lot cheaper than independent places. I just went last week, and they called me up and told me I had a lot of problems and the total would be $700. I said I'll think about it, picked up my car and never looked back. This happens every time I take it in for an oil change type thing, it is always something different and it never ends up being an actual program. If you go in knowing what exactly you want, and know that if there's any problems you're not going to have them do it, it is really not a big deal.
posted by geoff. at 9:26 AM on May 11

it never ends up being an actual problem with the car *
posted by geoff. at 9:27 AM on May 11

Google maps, surprisingly, is very helpful.

After wrecking my car in some ice, I limped it home and fired up google maps, one repair place in the area (an independent) had dozens of 5 and 4 star reviews, so I limped my car over to them.

Thankfully, your car is not in such a state where it needs to be repaired now, but in a situation where you need to get it fixed NOW, google maps will work in a pinch.
posted by hellojed at 9:31 AM on May 11

(Should mention that repairs, which consisted of replacing HALF the suspension, overnighting parts from Ford, and fixing the power steering, took all of 3 days. They even stayed open an hour after closing because I couldn't get a ride to the repair place earlier. Independent places rock)
posted by hellojed at 9:34 AM on May 11

You don't need to go to the dealer for most repairs and maintenance. It is good to find a local shop, and avoid chains. The best way I have found it to ask around, and also to use the Mechanics Files from CarTalk, as listed above. They sort by zip code.

My key measure, to determine of a shop can be trusted, is to see what they want to sell me. If they want to hook my car up to their machine, to vaccuum out my brake fluid, transmission fluid, clutch fluid, or radiation fluid, I know that they really want to hook the machine up to my wallet. I decline the offer, and they don't get another chance to cheat me.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 9:46 AM on May 11

I went to a chain place (Midas) to get my oil done. The guy managed to upsell me on the valve cover gasket, but it was something I knew needed doing, so I said go ahead.

Unfortunately, they managed to crack the valve cover itself, since my specific vehicle only requires a finger-tightening of the bolts that hold it in place; something the dealer mentioned they see all the time because they know better but most places don't.

I'm about to get my timing belt done, coming up on 140,000 miles, and I'm going to use the dealer, but ironically, I'm doing it because it's cheapest there--they want $400, but another dealer wanted $650, and my trusted, non-chain mechanic wanted the same. Don't know what a chain would charge, but I don't want someone working on my car that has never done a timing belt install on this particular car...

Plus, the dealer warranties their work. I think it depends a lot on the work being done. I know I'm paying more and effectively getting ripped, but on the other hand, I don't have to worry, they use OEM parts, and they won't actively damage my vehicle.

A good, trusted independent is nice for some things too, if they know the car, and know how to read the tech manual.e
posted by disillusioned at 9:56 AM on May 11

No, you should not have your car repaired at a tire shop. The odds of them having all three of: t
1) the diagnostic skills, 2) the proper tools and 3) the time to repair your car are tiny.

I highly recommend using a highly rated independent mechanic for all work including oil changes. Find a mechanic who people rave about and who does just Honda/Toyota or GM or BMW or ...

Money well spent, less money than the dealer too. Save the tire shop for tires.
posted by zippy at 11:00 AM on May 11

Nthing the Car Talk website for locating a good mechanic. They should have plenty of info on maintenance schedules, too.
posted by HumuloneRanger at 1:58 PM on May 11

I know I'm going to be a lone voice here, but my local Ford dealer's prices are competitive, if not lower, than many independent garages on service.

We happen to own two 2002 Ford Escapes, and neither was purchased new from this dealer. However, we bought them both brand new elsewhere.

I replaced the tires on the one I drive with no name products from a chain tire center a few years ago. They were supposed to replace the valve stems as well, but did not. Three out of the four valve stems have failed, and I have no doubt the fourth will go soon.

We took my wife's Escape to the local Ford dealer for regular maintainence at around 45K miles. I told them to go ahead and put a set of new tires on it. They replaced her tires with the recommended Continnental OEM products, and this cost less than what I paid at the chain tire store.

Since this all went down we have had nearly all of out maintainence done by the local Ford dealer. They have never tried to upsell us on anything, and more often than not I am pleasantly surprised at what they charge.

I do believe that there are still a few honest, fairly priced, new car dealer dealer shops out there.

Despite the fact that I acknowledge that Fords may not not be the best vehicles on the road (but we've had great luck with ours), my next vehicles will probably come from my dealer; largely because of the fairly priced good work from their shop.
posted by imjustsaying at 2:39 PM on May 11

Find a locally owned garage, preferably one that specializes in your brand (volvo, honda, etc) or region (germany, japan, american). You will pay more than the run of the mill Mineke or National Tire & Battery, but you'll get someone who is experienced and has a passion for automobiles. You should be able to see the owner if you drop in on any given day, but he may be busy, so be sure to schedule an appointment 2-3 days out.
You could possibly check out Car Talk's website for their mechanic's database, but I've heard that bad reviews are sometimes purged, leaving only good reviews. As long as the place has been in business for a good long while, and have a lot of good testimonials, you should be set.
Your manual (or service manual) should have recommended maintenance at X amount of miles.
posted by ijoyner at 9:06 PM on May 11