The first and one of the fundamental points is the actual choice of the service station where you are going to be serviced. If the car is under warranty, then, of course, all work must be done at the official technical center of the brand. However, when all warranty obligations end, you can try to find either a better service station, or a cheaper one, or one that has both of these advantages at the same time. You can choose indefinitely, but there is one piece of advice: before you finally go under the wing of a new «garage», you need to go there to replace, for example, brake pads and see under what conditions, how and at what price the services will be provided. Be sure to pay attention to how the receptionist works. In the best case, he should be ready to provide you with any information regarding the cost of repairs. The receiver is obliged to warn that the final cost of repairs may be higher. For example, if, when replacing the CV joint boot, it turns out that the elements of this hinge are on the verge of failure, then they will also have to be replaced, and this will increase the operating time and its cost. A good technical center will warn you about this. Adds positive ratings to the car service and the availability of all necessary consumables in its warehouse. Also, do not forget that you have the right to provide your spare parts and operating materials, and not a single service station has the right to refuse you this. Yes, by the way, friends, no «be fooled» for all kinds of bonuses from the service, since no one will work at a loss, this is a fact.
It is necessary to pay attention to such a moment: at a normal service, before starting any work, the seats and steering wheel of your car must be covered with clean bags so that the mechanics do not damage or stain the interior trim. Be sure to pay attention to whether all the work is done by a professional tool. This is an indicator of quality. It is also worth learning from the car's manual about the places where the jack is to be installed. Not noticing that the side was bent when the car was raised initially, it will add financial burden to you the next time you visit the service, since it will be impossible to prove that you did not bend the sides. Pay attention to how and with what the wheel nuts are tightened. And if this operation is performed at the post «by eye» and without torque wrench or pneumatic wrench (with the possibility of setting the required tightening torque), we strongly do not recommend visiting such an institution. Another subtlety: look at how the wheels are laid after they are dismantled - if the outside is down, then there is a possibility that non-professionals work at this service. After all, restoring a damaged disk surface can cost a lot of money.
Now consider the trip to the service station itself after you have made your choice.
To visit a car service, you need to prepare. Wash your car. Take away everything superfluous from the cabin, turn off the alarm, unscrew all the secret nuts and put them in a conspicuous place.
So, you stopped at the post, and the most interesting thing began - direct communication with the master. You need to establish verbal contact with a completely unfamiliar person who, like you, can meet a dozen or even two people like you in a day. Explain in a simple way that the car does not work the way it used to, and also try to convey to the person the problems that have arisen due to defects. It is very important not to make a diagnosis on your own and not to give any categorical recommendations. Since many services work on the principle: never save on the customer's money, then your request: «All silent blocks need to be replaced», will be executed immediately, even though the machine is at «old» can drive another fifty thousand. Ask the master to listen to the engine on his own (diagnosed the chassis), and then decide together which parts need to be replaced and which parts need to be repaired. It is necessary to agree on the spot the list of replaceable elements and stipulate who will purchase them. If the service takes responsibility for the quality (especially complex) parts, it is better to entrust their purchases to him, even if this slightly increases the cost of repairs. When purchasing spare parts yourself, remember that the service in this case is only responsible for their correct installation, so the rupture of some rubber element after a hundred kilometers should not surprise you if this element was purchased two to three times cheaper than the original part.
Another good advice: just before going to the service, do not be too lazy to study at least superficially the instruction manual for the operation and repair of your car in order to get to the heart of the matter, albeit shallowly. This will increase your credibility in the eyes of the mechanic and give him an incentive to work more carefully, as well as eliminate the overpayment for performing any unnecessary operations.
If you want to see the progress of the work, then you can be present at the repair. And remember, following the letter of the law, no technical service has the right to refuse you control over the entire process of servicing your property. Often, no one resists, only the conditions for being at car maintenance sites are different: you may be required to wear a yellow vest, or go into a specially designated area for this - behind the yellow line. During the repair process, certain problems may arise, for example, defects not noticed during inspection will be revealed, the elimination of which is not difficult. In this case, the mechanic is obliged to coordinate with you all issues not discussed during the initial inspection, so that you, as the customer, have a choice: do - do not do, change - do not change.
Being on the territory of the service station, it is necessary to observe the work being done unobtrusively: you do not need to stand over the soul of the mechanic, and you will be calmer this way. Since, having seen how the workman strikes with a hammer on the wheel hub of your car, you willy-nilly can fall upon him with criticism, they say, «knock yourself on the head», although according to the repair technology, such operations are allowed. Be prepared to answer all the mechanic's basic questions. For example, what kind of oil is poured into the engine, when certain parts have changed, or how the car behaves in a given situation.
It would be nice to clarify the issue of guarantees that the service is ready to give for the work performed. This should be done during the preliminary cost estimate for repairs and maintenance.
You should not bargain and enter into disputes after the completion of all work and the announcement of the final amount of the repair. To prevent this from happening, you must ask in advance to draw up the most detailed calculation for all proposed work. And if something is not clear to you in the provided document, do not be afraid to ask and clarify what this or that amount is charged for.
And the last thing: after the repair, you are required to give back or at least provide the dismantled old parts that have been replaced. Once again, I would like to focus on how useful it is to know your car. Namely: its main parameters, for example, the volume of engine oil to be filled in, coolant, which oil and liquid must be filled in and in what containers they are supplied to the market. This is necessary so that after adding four liters of engine oil, you can pick up the remaining liter. The service is obliged to return it to you by law.
Upon completion of all work, you must take your car from the mechanic of the technical center. He is obliged to demonstrate everything that was done or not done in accordance with the invoice, the indicated amount of which was confirmed by you and certified by the receiving master.
So, that's not all, since there are a million situations for every car out of a million, but armed with these simple rules, you can more likely save yourself, your wallet, nerves and car from incompetence, incompetence and greed of some car service workers.