How to find a good auto shop in Arizona

PHOENIX - While so many things can go wrong with your vehicle, how do you know you can trust your mechanic not to repair more than you need?

You might not be able to tell until there is a problem whether a shop is reputable or not, or whether they will take care of you when there is a problem.

Dave Pennigton with NARPRO says don’t wait until your car is having problems to find a mechanic. Find a good shop before you need one.

NARPRO helps narrow down your search.

If they don’t maintain a 95-percent customer satisfaction level, they probably won’t be a NARPRO shop.

Another way to tell if a shop is credible is to go online to see what other people are saying about the shop.

He says not all reviews will be positive, but pay close attention to how the shop handles the issue. That will give you a good feel of how they will treat you.

If they don’t take time to take care of you at the front desk and tell you exactly what’s going on with your car, then run.

Also, don’t wait until your car stops to get it repaired.

Yellow check engine lights are warning signs, but Dave says not to play around when you see red.

When you get a red light, that’s a stop engine light, stop your car and get help.

If you continue to drive you’re going to have more damage on your car.

Dave says to avoid shops that won’t give you a written estimate, those that don’t charge for diagnostic time and shops that advertise extremely cheap oil changes.

I would stay away from that because you’re not sure what they’re doing as far as the products they’re using, the quality of the oil, the quality of the filters they use.

He adds, eventually those shops have to make up the costs somewhere else.