Recommendations from friend & family is good. Or referral from some trusted mechanic/shop, etc. But what can be interesting is you may have a good recommendation from these sources, then check Yelp and you can see mixed/bad reviews for the recommended shop.
Sadly in my area (South Bay Area, California) seems ridden with mediocre shops, none that seem to be quite outstanding.
Wonder if Angies List is any better. Anyone have tips on finding good repair shops if you are starting from ground zero (no recommendations, no idea where to go).
If you donāt find anything with the Mechanicās Files (you might have to search a wider area) then Angieās List would be the next step, weāve used it to find a great contractor but already have a great repair shop (since 1993)
Having had a ābusinessā before, I know angieās charges for you to get there and not sure if the ratings/reviews are all true. Recently yelp got bad press because some businesses claimed they were approached and asked to pay up for good reviews (or disappearing poor ones).
I havenāt had much luck in Southern CA yet. But one thing I find useful is to visit the most run down shop with an old geezer in the bay. If they have been around for a while, then the chances of honest service is higher.
I visited two shops that didnāt meet the above standards but were āhighly recommendedā by acquaintances. Unfortunately they were crooks (and my co-workers donāt know jack about carsā¦), they are both ran by a different owner now.
Some months back the LA times had 2 or 3 part article about yelp, which wasnāt very flattering.
Apparently, a lot of legitimate reviews get weeded out, because youāre a first time user, or because it was too long, too detailed, etc.
Not to mention, there is the persistent rumour that business owners somehow track down the people who left bad reviews . . . . and make it clear itās in their best interest to change that bad review, or remove it
There is no perfect system, but I like to āplay the statsā. Ask everyone you know; family, friends, coworkers, people you socialize with. See if certain names pop up repeatedly.
I found the best source is the guys in the field. I have a brake shop, they do brakes very well, but nothing else, I ask where do you go for an alignment, I go to xxx because when they align a car it is not just within specs, but the center of specs, who could ask for a better reccomendation than that. My General mechanics were running late, I needed my golf clubs as I had plan b to get to golf league, I had to wait as the guy was torquing the trans pan after a fluid and filter change with a torque wrench, and the manager did not want to disturb the mechanic in the middle of a job. I was impressed.
