What To Know Before You Visit a Mechanic

When I bought my first car, a dark blue tank of a car, a 2004 Buick Century, I didn’t know anything at all about cars. Soon afterward I began to work at the Sears Auto Center, my first job in the automotive industry. I fell in love with cars or maybe it was the people I got to empower by sharing my knowledge. 

Whatever it was, I now run the automotive education platform Mechanic Shop Femme and focus on teaching regular everyday drivers about their cars. And if you are just buying a car or maybe just trying to learn how to take care of your old clunker, it’s important to understand when you’ll need to visit the mechanic. 

There are five key times that you’ll need to take your car into a mechanic shop. For routine maintenance, emergency service, a pre-purchase inspection, and state inspections if your state has one. By keeping these times in mind, you’ll be more prepared and in control of the car repair process. 

Routine Maintenance 

After buying your car, you’ll want to begin to plan for routine preventative maintenance. Routine maintenance is the most common reason you’ll be in a repair shop. This includes oil changes, tire rotations, fluid changes, and other services that are dictated based on time and mileage. Performing these preventive maintenance services at the time they need to be done helps maintain your car and prevent major repairs in the future.

Check your owner’s manual, it will have a chart that will guide you to when you need to do preventative maintenance. So much of the information I get asked can be found in your owner’s manual. Since every car has differences in the maintenance schedule, you’ll learn more by looking into your own personal handbook for your car. 

Scheduled Repairs

It’s always good to know in advance the maintenance your car will need based on time or mileage, but what about repairs? There are some repairs you can plan for. These include things like tires and brakes, and sometimes other repairs like suspension or a/c parts replacement. 

How far ahead in advance you can plan will entirely depend on what repairs are needed. It’s something you should touch base with your mechanic about and make a plan. When you take care of your routine maintenance with a trustworthy mechanic, they can help you plan for the repairs you will eventually need. This allows you to budget and plan for the more expensive prices. When it comes to tires, it will also help you get a better deal by knowing in advance and looking for sales. 

Emergency Service

Emergencies are often the most stressful of the mechanic visits you’ll have during the life of your car. Whether you have a check engine light on, your car is overheating or brakes are grinding, you’ll need an emergency visit sooner or later. By having a regular mechanic that you trust these more difficult visits could still go smoothly. If you are in a lurch, you can find a mechanic on RepairPal.com, a site dedicated to making sure that consumers have the best possible experience from mechanics that know what they are doing.

Pre-purchase Inspection

During my class on how to buy a used car, the most common thing that my students question me on is when I tell them to always take the car to a mechanic. While this visit is crucial to a quality car purchase, it’s one that’s often overlooked. Taking a car you are considering purchasing to the mechanic is a significant way you can avoid buying a lemon and even overspending. Some mechanics offer this inspection for free. Others charge anywhere from $20 - $100 but are still worth every penny. This inspection will help you catch any significant failures before you buy the car so even if they exist, you are prepared. The mechanic will be able to tell you many things from the condition of the brakes and tires to any present safety failures 

Annual State Inspection

If your state has an annual inspection, you’ll have to take your car in to a mechanic for that. Some states require just an emissions check while others, like New York, add a safety check to that as well. If you have a trustworthy mechanic, you should be prepared and able to pass that inspection with ease. Research what is included in your inspection in your state if you are curious about it. 

Before a Road Trip

If you are headed on a road trip with family or even alone, getting your car checked out by a mechanic is crucial. A simple check-up will save you the hassle of preventable failures during the road trip. I’ve seen folks get towed into the shop mid-road trip because their brakes failed, something that usually could have been avoided entirely by getting a check-up. The check-up will allow you to enjoy your trip frustration-free. Your mechanic will check your tires, brakes, fluids, suspension, and brakes as well as other areas that may be prone to fail. They’ll also make sure your tires are filled to the proper PSI before you head off. 

By keeping these key indicators in mind, you’ll stay as prepared as you can be for any repairs that come your way. Informing and educating consumers is what I do, it allows folks like you to not be caught off guard when repairs are needed and have the ability to preplan what can be planned. This ultimately allows you to save money and take better care of your car. 

Chaya Milchtein writes about cars for regular people, culture and queer life. She empowers people to do the impossible in the bodies they have and be authentically themselves. Follow her on Twitter @mechanicfemme.