Determining the Fair Price for Repairs

Your goal before you take your vehicle to a repair shop is to figure out what the repairs should cost and bring the benchmark estimate with you to compare it with the one you’re given.

* If you believe you know what’s wrong with your car (or have narrowed it down), and are headed into the shop either for diagnostic confirmation, and/or to get the work estimate, the next step is arming yourself with an objective estimate of what the repair should really cost.

* Your first stop should be the AutoMD.com Fair Price Repair Estimate —with this, you have a solid pricing benchmark, peace of mind, and a physical weapon that could help you save significantly on your bill.

* Simply fill in your make/model/sub-model and zip code, and the name of the repair. The estimate is customized for your zip code, vehicle type, and factors in your average local labor rates, how long the job should REALLY take and real-time parts pricing. Prices are available for more than 10 million jobs.

* The AutoMD.com estimate breaks down the total estimated price:

1. how many hours it should take to fix
2. average local labor rate/hour
3. what the labor component costs
4. what the parts cost
5. An estimated lowest price in your area.

* If you’ve confirmed that the shop will let you bring your own part(s), and you plan to do so, you can immediately customize the estimate to remove the parts costs.

* PRINT your AutoMD.com estimate(s) and have them with you when you head to the shop.