Today's cars, light trucks, and sport-utility vehicles are high-tech marvels with digital dashboards, oxygen sensors, electronic computers, unibody construction, and more. They run better, longer, and more efficiently than models of years past.
But when it comes to repairs, some things stay the same. The following tips should help you along the way:
Do your homework before taking your vehicle in for repairs or service.
- Read the owner's manual to learn about the vehicle's systems and components.
- Follow the recommended service schedules.
- Keep a log of all repairs and service.
When you think about it, you know your car better than anyone else. You drive it every day and know how it feels and sounds when everything is right. So don't ignore its warning signals.
Use all of your senses to inspect your car frequently. Check for:
- Unusual sounds, odors, drips, leaks, smoke, warning lights, gauge readings.
- Changes in acceleration, engine performance, gas mileage, fluid levels.
- Worn tires, belts, hoses.
- Problems in handling, braking, steering, vibrations.
- Note when the problem occurs.
- Is it constant or periodic?
- When the vehicle is cold or after the engine has warmed up?
- At all speeds? Only under acceleration? During braking? When shifting?
- When did the problem first start?
Once you are at our location, communicate your findings.
- Be prepared to describe the symptoms.
- Carry a written list of the symptoms that you can give us.
- Resist the temptation to suggest a specific course of repair. Just as you would with your physician, tell us where it hurts and how long it's been that way, but let the technician diagnose and recommend a remedy.
Stay involved. . . Ask questions.
- Ask as many questions as needed to fully understand your repair. Ask for laymen terms if needed.
- Don't rush the technician to make an on-the-spot diagnosis. You may ask to be called and apprised of the problem, course of action, and costs before work begins.
- Before you leave, be sure you understand all shop policies regarding labor rates, guarantees, and acceptable methods of payment.
- Leave a telephone number where you can be called.
Partners
What our clients are saying about us
We have established longterm and stable partnerships with various clients thanks to our excellence in solving their automotive needs!
I've visited this business several times for regular maintenance and repair. The service has always been fantastic. The wonderful woman in the office is friendly, knowledgeable, and very easy to work with. The mechanics are thorough, extremely knowledgeable, and straight forward without trying to up-sell you at every turn. This is the type of garage I grew up around. The money seems to go toward hiring highly qualified people, and not toward making the garage look trendy or sporty. If my mom lived in this area, Auto Performance Center is where her car would go. I can't give any higher praise than that.
Best Auto RepairGarner, North Carolina
Great service! I've been a few times now and they've been incredibly friendly each time. They have been very helpful; they fixed a check engine issue for a fair price. They're also very quick with the repairs. They diagnosed my check engine issue and fixed it that same day. I also had them look into another problem that my car has been having, and even though we haven't found a definitive answer, I greatly appreciate that they were willing to look at it as much and as in-depth as they did. They're great mechanics and don't give false info - other shops before them had diagnosed my car incorrectly, but once they looked at it, my issues were actually getting fixed. I definitely intend to keep using their services and highly recommend them to others. Update 6/16: I wanted to add to this about the issue we were unsure of - turns out it was as simple as replacing the gas cap, which they managed to figure out and fix for me!
Highly RecommendedGarner, North Carolina