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Let’s face it. Not all mechanics are honest. Some car owners have had the unfortunate experience of being ripped off. This especially happens when your vehicle happens to be an older model needing repairs. The mechanic can use excuses like “Well, it ain’t easy to do” or “You know or the repair you asked for didn’t include that.” When you hear that, you have a right to be nervous and the price tag could easily add up. Instead of dealing the runaround and over priced estimates you could do better by selling your used car. Most of us can’t get a family recommendation or a referral to protect us from being overcharged.

If you want to avoid being ripped off you had have to check the qualifications and certifications of the mechanic and the repair shop. Before doing that, you would want to find out if your state has any specific qualifications for car mechanics and if they are mandatory or merely voluntary. If you can determine they have qualifications you might want to check with the organization to verify that the mechanic’s qualifications and certificates are, in fact, valid.

If you decide to go to an auto mechanic for repairs it would make sense to check the local consumer agency to finds out if there are any complaints filed against the auto repair shop. Some take it a step further and check out the local forums on the internet to find information on the auto repair shop. You can’t always trust what you read, but it can give you an idea. This starts to get time-consuming but many go through this to avoid being robbed at the auto repair shop or by a mechanic they are considering using for the first time. But this is only the beginning.

Even if everything checks out, just because that particular auto repair shop has the proper qualifications does not make it honest and trustworthy. After you go through this preliminary background check, you’ll need to pick up the phone and give them a call.

Before you call, prepare a list of questions you want to ask. Besides the obvious question such as charge for labor (and parts if necessary) you’ll probably want to find out if you need to schedule an appointment and how long it would take to get one. Other inquiries may include whether or not they guarantee all the work they do. If there is a guarantee, what exactly is covered?

Of course, if you want the best deal, you’re probably thinking it makes sense to get a second opinion. Not just a second opinion – but a second third, fourth and fifth opinion if you can. Take your list of questions to all of the auto repair shops you’ve identified and compare their answers. Make sure you take note of how you’re being treated. Some shops are not forthcoming with answers to your questions which is a sure sign that they’re trying to hide something.

From the mechanic’s personality to whether the shop is clean is important and is an indication of what you can expect in the way of service. Are you being overcharged for parts that you might need? Are you sure you’ll even need them? You’ll need to do your research beforehand and that’ll take time.

Instead of going through all above and more, you might find that your used vehicle might fetch a decent sum on the open market when compared to an auto mechanic’s estimate. Also it may prove to be far less complicated. Quick Cash Auto, a cash-for-car business, is constantly getting calls from car owners who would rather offload their vehicles for a fair price than deal with the high price of auto repairs. Quick Cash Auto also has mechanics on hand that can fix any problem your vehicle may have and, in effect, increase its worth. Depending on the extent of the damage, selling your vehicle, with repairs needed and all, may still be the better alternative.