Repair Quotes: Are You Being Scammed?

California’s lemon law provides protection for certain consumers whose new vehicles need repeated repairs. Unfortunately, there are many situations where auto repairs become necessary on both new and used cars.

Whenever your vehicle is in need of repair, you are at risk of potentially being scammed by unnecessarily high costs and fees charged by dishonest mechanics. You need to know how to identify signs that an auto repair quote is unreasonably high for the work to be performed.

How to Tell if Car Repair Quotes are a Scam

When you get a quote for car repairs, you could end up being charged for unnecessary work, or you could end up being charged unreasonably high part and labor prices for the work performed.

There are a few things you can do to try to avoid being scammed and help to ensure that you aren’t being overcharged. You can:

• Get to know your car: This is the hardest thing to do because it takes time, effort and technical knowledge. However, you can do some basic research into the inner workings and parts of your vehicle and what a reasonable cost for those parts might be. The more you know about your vehicle, the less likely you are to fall for a scam repair quote to fix it.
• Pay attention to how a mechanic answers your questions: A mechanic should be able and willing to explain not only what a quoted service is, but also why it has to be done. If your mechanic is not willing to fully inform you about the details of a proposed repair quote, this could be a red flag that the quote is unnecessarily high.
• Find a trusted service professional. You don't want to go to just any mechanic or service professional to get a quote for repairs. You should check the reputation of the mechanic, do research into the mechanic's history, online reviews, and how long the mechanic has been in business.
• Don't believe promises made over the phone. You don't want to go into a mechanic's shop on the basis of a promise made over the phone, only to be up-sold or overcharged once your car is up in the air and repairs are already underway. Be sure to get an accurate in-person estimate that details exactly what work will be done and for what price.  If you cannot get this, then go elsewhere to a mechanic who will offer you more pricing transparency.

Even if you are an informed consumer, dealing with auto repairs is a big hassle. Those who have dealt with repeated repairs of a new car are encouraged to seek help from a lemon law lawyer right away to find out if you have any legal options or legal recourse available. Call The Bickel Law Firm, Inc. today to find out more.