Auto Repair – Chain or Independent?

Owning an automobile is a responsibility. You have to maintain your vehicle to keep it in the best condition. You want to ensure that each time you drive your car, it gets you from point A to point B without trouble.

Neglect the maintenance on your car and it is more likely to break down. Even with the utmost care, a vehicle is still going to run into some sort of mechanical problem at some point during ownership. When you have to seek repairs, you have an important decision to make – a chain or an independent auto repair shop.

Taking a closer look at chain repair shops reveals advantages and disadvantages. Chain repair shops often offer special deals and values, such as value-priced oil changes. While you can get a good deal on these initial repairs, others might cost you more than you planned on. They bring you in with the low price deals on basic repairs, only to raise the prices on more detailed or complicated repairs.

Because a chain shop works to maximize profit in all locations, they put together systems to standardize the process. Chain shops usually operate on a flat rate – they charge a certain amount per hour, and per job. Some repairs may take less time to make than the shop estimated – but you will still pay the estimated cost. You also have to consider that chain shop techs may rush a job to earn more money per hour. They have quotas and time is money.

On the other end of the spectrum are the independent repair shops. Here, you are likely to get a more personalized form of service. When you choose an independent tech, you tend to go back for each repair. You and your tech get to know each other, making the repair process less automated – you are not just another customer number.

Independent techs charge similar to chain shops – but most independent techs are on salary. This means they have no reason to rush the job to earn more per hour.

Independent techs normally have years and years of experience working on a wide variety of vehicles – compared to chain techs, which may have employees that just started working on vehicles. Choose your mechanic wisely and do your research to ensure that your car always gets the best service – and you get the best prices.