What to Ask to Get the Most out of Your Service Appointment

If you were to make a list of 100 things you wanted to do today, there's a good chance that "take your car in for a service appointment” is not on it. But why not? There's no need to waste time.

Here are some good questions to ask to get the most out of your next service appointment at Acura of Brookfield.

Are you ASE certified? An ASE certified mechanic has fulfilled the voluntary requirements of the US National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. To become certified, a mechanic must have at least two years of experience and pass at least one specialty test. ASE certified mechanics must renew every five years. Although ASE certification doesn't guarantee anything, you probably want your mechanic to be ASE certified much in the same way, you'd like your doctor to have a medical degree.

Are you familiar with this make and model? There are plenty of good mechanics properly trained to handle routine maintenance and repairs on most vehicles. But your vehicle is not routine. It's yours. It gets you to and from work. It gets your kids from one activity to the next. It, therefore, behooves you to make sure your good mechanic has experience working with your non-routine vehicle. The best place to start for expert mechanics on your vehicle is to check out the service department where you bought it.

How much do you charge to diagnose the problem? It's hard to fix your car's problem if the mechanic doesn't know what the problem is. In order to find out what the problem is, the mechanic needs to diagnose the problem. This takes time. Find out beforehand what the diagnostic costs are. Quite often, the service department will waive the diagnostic cost if you opt to have it fixed there.

Are you clear on why I brought in my vehicle? Remember when you were in middle school and you were given an assignment and you got home and realized you weren't entirely sure what you were supposed to do? Chances are you didn't do the assignment, did poorly on it, or ended up having to do it late. You don't want the mechanic to be like a lost student who's not quite clear on what it is you want done. Before you leave your vehicle, make sure the mechanic can clearly state what the plan is. Also, make sure he has a phone number in case clarification is needed.

How did you arrive at this estimate? A good, honest mechanic will have no trouble explaining how he or she arrived at your vehicle's repair or maintenance estimate. Most will volunteer estimate basics without needing to be prompted and most will go into more detail if asked to do so. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification or explanations for specific items if you're not sure what's going on or if you think something just doesn't sound right. It's the mechanic's responsibility to make things clear.

Asking the right questions gets you the service you deserve and helps the mechanic provide the best service based on what you want.