Maintenance and repairs are vital to your rideshare business. Lack of repairs will lead to lower ratings, and you’ll also put your passengers at risk if your vehicle isn’t running properly. Auto repair problems are time-consuming, so you might be out of operation for an extended period of time.
But if you find the right repair shop, you’ll be able to work with a reputable mechanic that can keep your vehicle running smoothly and lower your risk of costly repairs.
When you need to select a shop, you’ll want to:
1. Start Before an Emergency Repair is Required
Emergency repairs are costly. You’ll be out of a vehicle until the repair is made, and this can be a week or longer, depending on the issue. You’ll also pay more for emergency repairs because you’ll often go to the first shop that you can find.
This is a bad idea.
Rather than being at the mercy of a repair shop, make sure that you start researching mechanics well before you need an emergency repair. The goal is to have a shop that you can rely on in your phone to call them when an issue actually occurs.
2. Start Doing Your Research
If you’re pulling into a random repair shop without doing your research first, you’re doing it all wrong. You need to do your research and start using the tools you have available, like Yelp, Google Reviews, referrals, etc.
Your vehicle is your livelihood, so you need to make sure that repair shops are going to protect your investment. It’s important to read reviews about the shop and check the Better Business Bureau for complaints, but you’ll also want to ask if the shop carries auto shop insurance.
Insurance protects your investment.
A few great resources for finding a reputable repair shop are:
If you’re not researching your repair shop to find out what complaints they have against them, you need to start today.
3. Receive Multiple Estimates
You never want to overpay for a repair, but you also don’t want to choose a mechanic solely on price. The cheapest shop may cut corners or use used parts. You’ll want to start collecting estimates if the repair is an expensive one.
Estimates will allow you to:
- See if all shops agree on the vehicle’s issue
- Compare prices
You’ll want to choose a price that isn’t out of the average range. If the repair is $1,000 on average but a shop is quoting $200 or $1,800, these are two that you would want to eliminate.
4. Search for a Mechanic Warranty
Large repairs should come with a warranty of some sort. You’ll find that shops will often guarantee their work for a specified period of time. Larger repairs may also come with part warranties, which means that the manufacturer of the part will guarantee the part for a specified period of time.
Warranties or guarantees offer peace of mind if something happens during the repair process.
A full warranty on all services is the option that I recommend you choose when picking a mechanic.
