Steve Sorensen Mechanical: Tips on choosing the best vehicle repairs and servicing centre

When it comes to vehicle repairs and servicing, you want to find a car mechanics service that is honest and reliable. That’s really the bottom line when it comes to finding a car mechanic service shop.

So what’s the best way to find a reliable mechanic and how do you really know that you have picked the right one? Many people avoid the warning signs that their car needs a service or that something might be wrong, because they are afraid of being ripped off by unscrupulous mechanics. No-one wants to be charged exorbitant prices and pay for things that don’t need fixing.

Items like brake and clutch repairs can be costly, so you want to be happy with the car mechanics service that you have selected. You want to be sure that if the mechanic says something needs to be fixed, that they are being honest with you and that they charge a fair price.

So here are 5 tips to help you find the right mechanic for you.

1. Ask family and friends: If people you know and trust recommend a mechanical shop to you, then that really helps in making your decision. Ask them what repairs they had done on their car and how much they were charged.

2. Compare prices: Make sure that you get 2 or 3 estimates for your work and compare the prices. Just because a car mechanics service is cheap doesn’t mean that they are competent. Cost should only be one element in your decision, you need to consider other factors as well.

3.   Location: Vehicle repairs and servicing can take anything from a few hours to a couple of days, so think about whether you can you walk from the car mechanics service centre to your work or home. Alternatively, can they drop you off at work or home in your car, and then drive it back to the mechanical shop?

4. Do they listen to you: Be wary of mechanics who appear to dismiss your questions or your concerns. The mechanic needs to explain clearly to you what needs to be done and to know that they need your authorisation to perform extra services. This gives you the opportunity to ask more questions and to take your car to another car mechanics service for a second opinion, if you believe the quotes are too high.

5. Go with your gut feelings: Once you have sorted out the first 4 points above, go with your gut feeling. If their shop is dirty, unkempt and looks disorganised, even if they are cheap, maybe you want to look elsewhere.

For brake and clutch repairs, log book servicing, minor or major servicing or any type of mechanical repairs, call Steve Sorensen Mechanical at Browns Plains on 07 3809 2711. 

Steve Sorensen Mechanical: How car service log book services keep your car in top shape

As Steve Sorensen’s car care centre in Browns Plains, we know the value of regular car maintenance. We see cars coming in all the time that need really expensive repairs, repairs that could have been avoided if the owner had maintained regular services at our Browns Plains auto shop.

Mechanical problems can be picked up really quickly with regular services, avoiding the costly repair bills that come when warning signs are ignored. It just makes sense to prevent a catastrophe, rather than try and cure one.

So one of the things that we get hot under the collar about at Sorensen’s Browns Plains auto shop are car service log books. The log book is a schedule of minor and major services that the manufacturer has said are necessary to maintain your car in tip top shape. It also includes the intervals when these services should be performed.

Lots of people ignore these services and just top up the vehicle’s fluids now and again, kick the tyres and hope for the best. The problem is that ignoring the scheduled services, set out in your car service log book, is just a pathway to disaster. You will end up paying more for repairs down the road, more than the costs of all the missed services put together – and then some more again.

So at Steve Sorensen’s car care centre in Browns Plains, we encourage all of our customers to bring their cars in for regular servicing as a preventative measure against costly repairs, which can blow out your future budget.

Depending on your kilometres, your car service log book will state whether a minor or a major service is required. If you know your way around a car you can do these minor services yourself, however a certified mechanic needs to sign your logbook.

This is because your logbook is a valuable asset when it comes to selling your vehicle. It is proof that your car has been regularly serviced and is a record of all the repairs undertaken. An up-to-date log book helps you achieve top dollar when you sell your car. So a certified mechanic needs to sign your logbook for every service.

What if you don’t have a car service log book?

Sometimes when you buy a used car it doesn’t have a log book. So if this has happened to you, pop in to our Browns Plains auto shop and ask us how often your car needs to be serviced to keep it in good shape. We can come up with a schedule for you and if you keep records of these services and the receipts, this will be as good as a log book when you come to sell your car.

So pop into Steve Sorensen Mechanical, the car care centre in Browns Plains and let us help you keep your car in tip top shape.