I enjoy reading the tips and suggestions on finding an honest or good mechanic. These can be found on various government and consumer websites, and in a variety of auto repair articles. I think the same guy wrote all the suggestions, and for all 50 states!

You’ll be advised to check around by word of mouth (WOM), and make sure that you see ASE or AAA posted somewhere. Check out the facility—make sure it’s clean. Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). You’ll be acronymed and common-sense-suggested to death. Unfortunately, none of it will really help either for quality or price.

I know AAA certified shops that can barely change oil. I have worked with ASE certified technicians that frightened me with their diagnostic theories. I know shops that are considered great that have serious BBB scars.

And WOM is the worst method. I have heard clients rave about how wonderful a particular shop is when “I KNOW it’s run by a thief!”

The sad fact is that very few people know what goes on with car repair, and even less comprehend repair pricing—even shop managers and purported experts in the field know very little.

Tips and suggestions only scratch at the surface of the automotive underworld. Sure, some tips might help. But what’s really needed is experienced insider information.

The consumer needs to know what really goes on with repair “pricing” in order to make sense of auto repair costs. With the right guidance and information, the playing field can be leveled, and the automotive customer can easily take charge of car repair prices.

Traditional tips and suggestions are only a band-aid on an open, gaping wound. Relying on these is like trusting a blind man to lead you across a major interstate. You might make it, but wouldn’t you rather follow a traffic cop.

The advice is all the same for auto repair scam prevention. You’ll be told to find an ASE certified shop. Ask around. Check out several different repair facilities first. Are they clean and neat? Do they provide written estimates? Check with the BBB. Is it AAA certified? Some will even advise to “ask for the parts back.”

Traditional tips and suggestions merely put a band-aid over an infected, gaping sore. Strong antibiotics are required to address the root source of the problems in the repair industry. To provide repair customers with the above advice is like sending a soldier into combat dressed in a pink tutu. We have to stop scratching at the surface.

There has not been any “new” advice in decades. More importantly, no one has answered why car repair scams have reached an estimated 40 billion dollars per year. Moreover, why is there still no solution to stop car repair scams?

The first hurdle to conquer is the perception of the frequency of auto repair scams. Many folks just don’t believe that car repair fraud is all that bad. Some even argue that the vast majority of repair shops do an honest day’s work, and that a few bad apples are making the rest look like crooks.

This is an interesting argument, and raises a number of questions.

1) If it is only a few “bad apples,” where are they hiding the 40 billion? 2) If most repair shops are honest, why does every state warn against car repair scams? 3) Why are auto repair shops at the top of consumer complaint lists every single year, in every state?

This is even expanding across the continents. For example, just last week Australia listed car repair scams at number 4 on their top 10 consumer complaint list.

The perception of frequency gets distorted because there are a number of levels to repair scams. There are the blatant rip-offs covered in the news. For a great video visit “Repair Scams Caught on Video” @ www.repairtrust.com. Then there are the common scams such as exorbitant prices and estimates, and aggressive scare tactics to get service customers to perform services. These occur every day.

The repair scams uncovered by RepairTrust not only found the tactics listed above and more, but a powerful undercurrent of scamming at the foundation of the automotive service industry.

In reality, most car repair scams go unnoticed by the service consumer. Service customers just have no idea that they were ripped-off. This under-the-radar scamming occurs in dealerships, local shops, and franchises. Affiliation with ASE, AAA, BBB, NADA makes no difference.

An ASE patch on a technician’s arm, or an AAA or BBB sticker on the door of a service center means absolutely nothing in terms of a scam-free facility. Word of mouth recommendations can be just as devastating, as even shops that “seem” honest aren’t.

Check out “Car Repair Prices: There Are No Honest Mechanics” @ Isnare or RepairTrust for further discussion on this. Also, for NEW and FREE scam prevention tips visit the Car Repair Scam Articles @ RepairTrust.

Traditional tips are ineffective in today’s service industry. Service facilities have found new and ingenious ways of ripping people off. In truth, many of the old tips and suggestions have actually become weapons allowing service centers to indulge in car repair scams more than ever.

The car repair playing field must be leveled. Service customers need solid answers, and they need to be equipped with information, understanding, tools, and an insider’s view of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of price-gouging.

Navigating the dim underworld of today’s service centers with outdated information will cost a fortune.

Almost as debilitating as a physical injury, an automobile in need of repair can disrupt many aspects of daily life, resulting in inconvenience and prompting stress and uncertainty — a situation, Ray Moon at, Ford Doctors is determined to change for its clients.

The Ford Doctors automotive professionals have been recently featured on NBC’s Dateline and in the Houston Press. The Ford Doctors understand that automotive repair can be as perplexing as a medical diagnosis. They have established plans and procedures to ensure a “Fix it Right the First Time” diagnosis, to deliver quality repairs and to maintain the highest customer satisfaction and warranties in the automotive industry.

“I truly believe that we have set new standards for all repair shops to aspire too, with our 24/24 warranties and BBB membership,” said Ray Moon, owner, who spent several years training with Ford Motor Company and working with large impersonal dealerships before opening his own shop almost 20 years ago.

“I saw how mechanics and dealerships cut corners and I wanted to offer solid solutions for my customers,” Moon said. “Guessing, or throwing parts at a car and making several trips back to the shop to finally fix it correctly is a gamble. I don’t want to risk or gamble with our clients or their family’s safety or money, as too many shops do. Cheap prices always represent cutting corners, inferior ‘made in China’ parts or guess work, not better quality or workmanship.”

“By using our proven repair philosophy, ‘Test, Verify, Repair & Retest, and final test drive’ we have accomplished what most shops only dream of: “Fixed Right the First Time.” he said. “I’m proud to say that we provide the highest quality and workmanship you’ll find anywhere.”

Moon backs up his claim by offering a “Fix it Right the First Time” Pledge and a “24 Month/24,000 Mile” Warranty, one of the highest in the industry. This ensures correct diagnosis and repairs — or customers don’t pay for future repairs stemming from the visit.

Servicing only models of Lincoln, Ford, and Mercury vehicles, the Ford Doctors are ready to make car care safer and easier. Ford Doctors is a recipient of the “Top Shop Award” from our customers, and a 100% “Repair Effectiveness Rating” from the State of Texas. [PRWEB]

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