Car Repair Tips | Office of the Attorney General

Choosing a Car Repair Shop

You need your car, and when you leave it in the shop class for repairs, you ca n’t help worrying about the cost and the quality of the work that ‘s going on under the hood .
Your best auspices from imposter and faulty repair influence is to find a reputable mechanic or repair denounce before your car needs to be repaired .
Do your homework to check on a rectify shop class ’ s reputation on-line and with friends and family. When you ‘re researching repair shops, you can besides find out whether they have any mechanics that are ASE ( Automotive Service Excellence ) certified .
Before you go to the rectify patronize and the locomotive crack lightly is on, consider taking it to an car parts storehouse who may run a computer diagnostic test on your vehicle loose of charge. You can then compare this to what you are told by the repair shop.

Under the law, it is illegal to:

1. knowingly make a false or misleading statement about the need for parts, replacement or repair service;
2. state that work has been done or parts were replaced when that is not true;
3. represent that goods are original or new, when in fact they are second-hand or refurbished; and
4. advertise goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised.

Under the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act, you normally do not have to use a franchise for even sustenance or a manufacturer ’ s surrogate parts to maintain your manufacturer ’ mho guarantee. For more information about your guarantee rights under federal police, visit hypertext transfer protocol : //www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0138-auto-warranties-routine-maintenance .

Authorizations to Inspect and to Repair

You should get a written mandate to tow, inspect, test drive, diagnose, or disassemble any separate of your car for the purposes of providing an calculate of animate costs, prior to the action being taken. This authorization should describe the actions to be taken, the charges, and whether any parts will be removed or the vehicle disassembled. For more information, see the Texas DMV ’ s site on Smart Repairs .
You may be asked to sign both the authorization to inspect and the mandate to commence repair bring at the same time. The authorizations may be on the same piece of newspaper, but they should require a separate signature. Read each one carefully before sign .
The mandate to commence repairs should besides include the date and time that you signed the form. If you decide to have repairs made, make sure the initial oeuvre order clearly specifies the work to be done, fees, completion date, terms of payment, and more. For more data, see the Texas DMV ’ s locate on Smart Repairs .

Things You Should Not Do

You should not allow your cable car to be inspected, disassembled, or lifted up on a rack until you have obtained a copy of the inspection mandate forms with your signature showing the data outlined above .
You should not assume that a friendly verbal agreement will get your car fixed without arguments, lawsuits, or repossessions. Get everything in writing.

You should not allow anyone to speak for you in negotiating car repairs on your vehicle. Deceptive shops will use this as an excuse to add on extra charges, on the grounds that some other person authorized the repairs .
You should not disclose your credit card report phone number, driver ‘s license act, or any other personal information unless you clearly specify that giving the information is only for loanword approval purposes, or unless you have approved the oeuvre, the work is finished, and you are ready to pay for it .
You should distinctly indicate in writing that giving this information does not constitute an authorization to inspect or repair your vehicle. The mandate to inspect or haunt is a completely distinguish authority that should besides require your signature. Deceptive shops will extract this personal data from you, begin work without your mandate, and then claim that you authorized the work because you provided this data and would not have done so unless you had authorized the repairs .
You should not leave valuables in your car.

Common Car Repair Issues

Watch out for these potential problems:

1. The shop waits until the vehicle is up on the lift and partially disassembled before getting your authorization to proceed with the repairs. By then, you are essentially forced to: (a) authorize overpriced repairs or risk getting your car back in a disassembled and unusable condition; or (b) pay a large and unexpected fee to have your vehicle reassembled, only to discover it no longer runs at all;
2. The shop shows you dirty oil with metal filings in it as evidence that you need a new transmission. Virtually all used transmissions have dirty oil with some amount of dirt and metal filings. This is normal and is not necessarily a sign that you need a whole new transmission. However, once the transmission is disassembled and reassembled with the same old seals and parts, it usually does not work the same as before;
3. The shop starts repair work on your car without first getting your authorization to perform the repair work, and then charges you for repair work that you did not authorize;
4. The shop gives you a verbal estimate as to the cost of repairs, then charges a higher price;
5. The shop represents that repair services will be completed by a certain day in order to induce the sale, then fails to have the repair services completed by that day;
6. The shop fails to disclose reassembly or inspection charges before starting repair work;
7. The shop advertises “Free towing” and then requires you to pay for your towing costs;
8. The shop says it will provide a free rental car during repairs and then requires you to pay for the rental charges;
9. The shop says they will provide repair services pursuant to a warranty then charges you for repair work covered by the warranty;
10. The shop starts repair work before obtaining written approval of the loan from the finance company, in those instances where you borrow money to pay for repairs. If the loan company does not approve the loan, and the work is already done, you may still be liable for the payment if you can’t show the deception;
11. The shop fails to notify you and secure your additional approval, in writing, for any additional work to be done that was not set forth in the original written agreement;
12. The shop charges for a computer diagnosis without telling you in advance it was required.

Resolving Disagreements Over the Bill

If the charge is much higher than the estimate, or if the work was done without your authority and you feel that you have been overcharged, question the bill. Have the shop write out the reasons for the difference in cost, and keep this written explanation together with the exploit estimate, concluding bill, and other paperwork. Make sure the automobile mechanic returns your old parts. ( The automobile mechanic may return some parts, such as alternators and brake shoes, to the parts supplier for a refund, so you may not be able to get all of them. )

even if you are unsated with the machinist ‘s explanation of the difference between the estimate and the concluding charge, keep in beware that if you refuse to pay a repair beak — even a charge in dispute — the machinist has the legal properly to keep your car until you pay. You can then file a complaint with the Attorney General ‘s office or the Better Business Bureau and/or file a minor claims court law suit against the automobile mechanic .
If you suspect that the haunt workshop has not properly repaired the vehicle or charged you besides a lot and you ca n’t get them to resolve the problem to your gratification, your first measure should be to take your car to another animate shop. Give the second automobile mechanic a copy of your enumerate receipt and decree an inspection of the alleged repairs and parts. Get this report in writing. If you notice the same problem with your cable car is recurring, or find a new problem that should not have arisen, you will be in a better position to negotiate a refund from the first mechanic if you get a moment machinist ‘s opinion of the shape done in writing .
If you paid by credit batting order and are unhappy with the repairs that were performed by the mechanic, then you may dispute the care with your accredit card party. To dispute the charge, you must do thus in writing to your credit tease company and it must be done within 60 days after you have received the recognition card beak. Make certain you send the dispute letter and all relevant information ( receipts and documentation supporting your placement ) to the charge question address and not the payment address. The Federal Trade Commission ( “ FTC ” ) has an exercise of a sample challenge letter that you may use. The credit card company will investigate the issues you have raised and find out the mechanic ’ second side of the challenge. The recognition poster party will let you know whether they agree with you or not. For more information on this submit, you can go to the FTC web site .