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5 WAYS TO AVOID GETTING OVERCHARGED BY MECHANICS

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We’ve all at some point
experienced or watched someone we know experience being charged for unexpected
and completely unnecessary extras when taking vehicles for repairs or
servicing. The frustrating part is that even after all the added extra expenses
the car sometimes comes back from the workshop in a worse condition than it
went in, after spending a ridiculous amount of time at the workshop. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency
shares 5 ways to help you avoid these unexpected and unnecessary extras that
are taken from us during repairs or servicing.

SEEK A SECOND OPINION
Or even a third and fourth
opinion. When given a diagnosis for repairs as much as you can shop around on
price and second opinions for the repairs. Spend some time surfing the net and
seeing other mechanics to get information that can save you thousands of naira
off your repair bill. Sometimes, with these mechanics the diagnosis for repair
might be right, but the price for the repair would have been greatly
exaggerated. So, do your research.
TRY TO ISOLATE THE PROBLEM
BEFORE GOING TO THE MECHANIC
Try to determine beyond
reasonable doubt what is NOT the problem with your car. To do this, you should
have basic knowledge about your car and its mechanics. When you are able to
narrow down what is definitely not wrong with your car and what are the likely
things that can be wrong with it, it will be easier for you to shut down a
mechanic trying to rip you off.
Also, if you can properly isolate
the problem of your car before seeing a mechanic, it makes it easier for them
to test the car and get the problem solved without wasting much time or having
to go back and forth.
KNOW YOUR CAR’S ROUTINE
SERVICE ITEMS
You car’s routine service items
are usually listed in the car’s owner’s manual against each service interval.
If you don’t have the hardcopy of the owner’s manual, you can get the soft copy
online. You should check for surprise extra charges on your invoice after
servicing and question it before attempting to pay for it. Your mechanic should
be able to explain the extra charges or be ready to finance it.
LEAVE STRICT INSTRUCTIONS TO
BE NOTIFIED OF EXTRA COSTS
Most mechanics will naturally not
hesitate to notify you when there are extra costs, because they naturally would
never use their personal funds to pay for your vehicle’s servicing or repairs.
However, it is still advisable you instruct them to alert you about extra costs
for repairs or servicing, just in case. When they notify you about these extra
costs, understand the need for the extra cost and based on the advice of a good
mechanic, determine if the repair can wait till the next service or whenever
you can afford it.
LOOK FOR A MECHANIC YOU CAN
TRUST
It might be a long arduous search
but once you finally find one, it can make everything a lot easier for you and
eliminate the option of having to go from pillar to post seeking for second
 and third opinions. Look for this mechanic ahead of time and establish a
working relationship with him by having him do your basic maintenance. Then,
when major problems arise you will know where to go. You can use referrals for
this – ask friends and family about their mechanics and favour the referrals of
those that have been using a particular mechanic for a long period of time. You
should know that you can have more than one mechanic you trust; it doesn’t have
to be only one.

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