When your car isn’t working, or has suffered an accident, your whole life grinds to a halt. Even if you are lucky enough to have a second vehicle, all of a sudden things needs to be canceled, rescheduled and shuffled around.

Then the question arises as to where best to take your ailing chariot to be fixed. If you are leasing, and have an extended warranty, then you are in luck. Take it in to the dealer, the same place that you get the oil changed, routine maintenance and maybe the occasional tire rotation.

Dealers are well equipped with the latest equipment to accomplish anything that might befall your car. They hire only qualified technicians and routinely perform so many repairs and services, that you can be assured of complete satisfaction. You will soon discover that when your lease is up that they also have a hefty hourly rate.

With jobs being scarce and folks tightening their belts in these recessionary times, it may be a very good idea to hang on to your vehicle when the lease is up. You’ll have a three or four year old car, and no more car payments.

Now is the time to go shopping for an independent shop that can help you when servicing is required or you have a little ding or scrape that needs fixing. Finding a reliable auto repair shop might seem a little daunting, since we all have heard someone we know who has a bad repair story to tell.

The best recommendations can come from friends and family. Perhaps they know of a great little place in the neighborhood that they have a relationship with. Maybe you live in a small town where there’s a shop that’s been around for a long time. That way you won’t have to drive to the city.

If you do have to look on your own, here are a few helpful tips to narrow it down. Get out the phone book and take a look at the ads, or do a Google search for auto repair in your particular city. Pick some in your area that look interesting, and take a fact finding tour.

Hopefully the shop looks neat and tidy outside as well as inside. If there are rotting carcasses of metal, lost in thickets of weeds, that may not be a good sign. General untidiness with grubby parts lurking in the corners should be enough to make you reconsider.

Pick an automotive repair facility that looks good from the outside and where you are greeted in a professional manner. Perhaps you’ll be offered a seat and told that a service person will be with you shortly. Maybe they’ll serve you coffee or tea.

Take a look to see what trade school and journeyman diplomas are framed and displayed. Sneak a look in the service bay. Does their equipment look in good condition and operational? Do they look busy?

When you speak to the mechanic or owner be upfront and ask questions about their hourly rates, diagnostic fees and guarantees. Find out what payment options they offer, debit, credit card, or personal checks. If they deal only in cash, you’ll want to know.

Getting off on the right foot can also be about something as simple as hitting it off with the owner or manager. You should be able to sense their commitment to giving you the service you require. Maybe you’ll spot some team photos on the wall and discover that you have kids playing in the same soccer league.

Finding accurate car repair information can be difficult due to the wide variety of vehicles on the road today and the vast differences between them. You can find helpful auto repair information – http://www.autorepair-info.com