Auto Repair and Maintenance: Keep Your Vehicle in Tip-Top Shape
Anyone who drives knows that auto maintenance and auto repair can be expensive and time-consuming. However, if you know where to look for auto repair and maintenance, there's a lot you can do on your own to save your car and your wallet. This Web guide highlights the best sites on the Web for do-it-yourself guides, advice from experts and fellow car owners, finding auto repair shops, and everything else you need to keep your car running and looking like it should.
Expand All Guide SectionsDo-It-Yourself Car Repair
Perhaps your car has been making a funny grinding noise when it starts, or maybe someone backed it ... read more »
Find Auto Repair Shops
OK, so the blow dryer didn't work. You can always send your car to the folks who really know what they're doing: auto repair technicians. The sites in this section help you locate car repair shops and offer advice on ensuring that the price you've been quoted is the right one.
Dulcinea's Insight
- When you go to an auto repair shop, check to see that it's certified. A seal of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is a well-known certification
- Always check to make sure an auto body repair shop will abide by your car's warranty.
Dulcinea's Picks
To locate a repair shop...
Car Talk
, the popular NPR weekly radio talk show, offers a helpful section called "Mechanics Files: The Ultimate Guide to Finding a Great Mechanic." Insert your zip code, car specialty, and the distance you're willing to travel to get to the garage, and you'll get a list of mechanics in that area. The best part of this feature is that customers rate the mechanics on a number of criteria; some even include comments.
Be Car Care Aware
offers information on car repair and maintenance. This section of the site locates (but does not review or rate) more than 100,000 auto repair and maintenance shops throughout the United States.
Pro Car Care
helps you find repair shops and learn more about your vehicle's problems. The search feature locates a qualified repair shop in your area. You can narrow your search by the specific problem or search by deals in your neighborhood. A great troubleshooting feature allows you to select the problem your car is having so that the site can provide an immediate potential diagnosis.
To avoid getting ripped off ...
AOL Money & Finance
provides this article, "Top 5ive Sneaky Auto Repair Tricks," to help you avoid getting ripped off by auto repair shops. After describing each ruse, AOL offers helpful tips on dealing with that scam. Have a look at "Spit-Shine Fixes" for example.
The Federal Trade Commission
teaches consumers how to avoid car-repair scams. The site has information on understanding repair charges and written estimates, choosing a car repair shop, and more.
Auto Maintenance
If you can, it's best to avoid auto repairs in the first place. Maintaining your car through ... read more »
Auto Maintenance and Repair Blogs and Forums
Drivers tend to take their cars very seriously: "Sure, my son graduated medical school today, ... read more »
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