Frequently Asked Questions

Before you start guessing on the repair . . .

Before you start guessing or ask me to guess, it is important to know that guessing is generally a very bad idea. EVERY DAY I get an e-mail from someone who has spent hundreds of dollars trying to fix a miss or a surge and still has the problem. You should know that it will cost between $50 and $100 to have someone properly diagnose:

• your oil leak
• your engine miss
• your suspension noise
• your vibration
• your brake problem
• your overheat
• your idle problems
• your no-start condition (not spending $25 here is just dumb) or
• your transmission problems.

It is OK to tell the repair shop upfront, "I love to work on my car myself, but in this case I don't know what to fix. I want to hire you to find the problem and then decide if this is just a part or something I can repair on my own." At this point the shop knows they better be right on their diagnostics because once you replace what they said was wrong and the problem isn't gone, they know you will be coming back looking for your diagnostic money back or a recheck.

What is important, is to set the estimate parameters. It is OK to sign the repair order and after your name, write "OK to $75" or "For estimate only and up to $50". Heck I do that all the time. Ask them, "How long does it normally take you to find my oil leak?" They may say "We can do that well within an hour." You say, "Please put everything in dollars for me, how much is an hour? Then say, "What happens if they don't find it after spending $65 of my money, what are the chances that will happen?"

Before you start trying to fix it >