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Car Maintenance You Shouldn't Try at Home

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Car Maintenance You Shouldn't Try at Home

In a troubled economy, many people look for ways to cut costs by doing household tasks themselves. Some automotive jobs can be done fairly easily at home, particularly if you know something about cars. However, taking on the wrong job on your own will only cost you more time, stress and money in the long run. My name is Jill, and I want to tell you about which car maintenance tasks you can safely tackle on your own and which really do require some help from a pro. I'll break down the needs of a typical car and tell you exactly why you might need to ask for help sometimes.

Three Subjects To Discuss When Considering A Collision Center

10 February 2016
 Categories: Automotive, Blog

Whether you've been in a minor fender bender or a major accident, it's important to find a certified and reputable collision center that can have your damaged car looking like new again. It's important to take some time to find the right collision center for your vehicle. It's beneficial to be able to visit a couple centers to talk to representatives and evaluate which will best suit your needs. Here are three important subjects that are valuable to cover during each of these conversations. The manner in which the collision center rep addresses these issues can help you decide on the center to which you'll give your business.

Ongoing Training From Manufacturer

You should always ensure that the collision center's mechanics are certified to specifically work on your vehicle's make and model. It's common for automotive garages to display information about such certifications in their office or waiting area for customers to see. Talk about your make and model and ask to see proof that the shop's staff is not only certified in this type of work but also receives ongoing training from the manufacturer. Many automotive brands provide training for mechanics to learn exactly how to work on the various vehicles in the brand's line of products. It's important to ensure that this training is updated -- you don't want to pick a shop that last sent its mechanics for training five years ago if you have a new vehicle, for example.

Flexibility With Parts

Many collision centers will give customers the option of having a combination of new and used parts installed during the job. Doing so can help to keep the repair bill low, which is especially ideal if you're paying for the work yourself instead of going through your insurance company. When you visit the shop for an estimate, you should get a list of the parts that will be needed for the job and a breakdown of which parts should be new and which can be either used or refurbished. The latter can work effectively but carry a lower price tag than the former.

Regular Updates

It's ideal to choose a collision center that not only gives you a firm date on which your vehicle will be repaired but also provides you with updates along the way. This strategy represents a high degree of transparency that is appealing to many customers. Many shops will call you periodically throughout the repair work to let you know how it's going and also inform you if there are any unexpected issues that have been encountered.

Keep these tips in mind as you check out auto shops like River's Truck Center, and you'll be able to find the right collision center for the repairs you need.