A view from the car service center.
Workshop workers characterize the most typical clients and express their attitude towards them in different ways. The general picture looks like this.
The client is a "dandy". He arrives in a car hung with various "bells and whistles": additional headlights, brake lights, spoilers, active antennas, etc.
It seems that the main components of his car are not the engine and gearbox, but the tape recorder with speakers. Masters do not like such clients. As a rule, they are not able to appreciate all the work spent on repairing the object of their desire, but are ready to find fault with a trifling scratch, which supposedly was not there before.
The complete opposite of the dandies are the "workers". These are people for whom a car is not just a means of transportation, but a means of existence. These people mainly turn to the services of a service to perform the work that they cannot do themselves due to the lack of a special tool or capabilities. They do not pay attention to minor defects, but are quite capable of making a real scandal if it turns out that, say, white sealant was used to seal the cylinder head cover, and not the red high-temperature one.
"Rationalizers". Their cars are equipped with additional filters, electronic correctors, gasoline magnetizers, electric systems for protecting the body from corrosion, "tricked out" spark plugs. Having turned to the service with a knocking engine requiring major repairs, such clients are sincerely surprised that, it turns out, despite all the aspect-modifiers that they regularly poured into the engine, the oil still needed to be changed. Masters do not respect such people.
Very labor-intensive repair of cars of "riders" who are used to only driving them. Treating a visit to a car service as a visit to the dentist (go when the going gets tough), they neglect minor illnesses to such an extent that it is easier to throw the car away than to treat it completely. On such cars, it is easier not to unscrew the nuts, but to immediately cut them off with a grinder. These people learn with interest that a torn CV joint boot in a month leads to the replacement of the entire unit. In early spring, carefree "snowdrops" appear in the workshops, a variety of the same "riders". In their eyes, there is a silent question: "Why did the car run briskly last fall, but now it creaks like an unlubricated cart, the gears do not change, and the engine starts poorly?" They cannot understand that if the car is not preserved, many parts of its suspension, engine, and even the body itself deteriorate more from long-term parking under the snow than from daily trips.
A special category are female drivers. As a rule, their cars have all the scheduled maintenance done regularly, the engine is clean, and the cars are well-maintained. It is difficult for women to assess the real danger of any creaking or knocking noise, and they go to the workshops for any reason. Sometimes for trifles like replacing a blown fuse. Their cars do not cause mechanics much trouble, but the mechanics look down on them.
In general, as you might guess, car service workers treat almost all clients (in my soul for sure!) arrogantly and dismissively-condescendingly. And not only with us. This is explained, apparently, by the psychology of perception: "They ride, and we carry their sleds for them." There is even a saying: "The driver is just a gasket between the steering wheel and the seat, which should be changed first." Rich and not so rich, "teapots" and "know-it-alls", hot-tempered as gunpowder, and calm as tanks - we are all beyond the love and deep respect of those who tighten the nuts for us. Then who, if not loved, then at least respected by the masters, to whom do they perform the most high-quality and diligent repairs? Judging by our observations, the masters have the most successful relationships with those who know the specifics of car repair and have an idea, at least in general terms, of what and how to do. At the same time, such a person does not have to be able to "tighten the screws" himself, but his knowledge and ideas are quite enough to understand why it was necessary to do this and not another, what caused the deviation from the rule and the accepted canon, and most importantly - it is difficult for him to "pull the wool over his eyes". He can always forgive a blunder or mistake, but is able to strictly demand for a botched job. He always knows what he wants and knows how to achieve it.
Well, if there are no such skills, then there is no desire (strength, time) delve into the specifics of repairs, believing that the car was not bought for that? Then you need to choose a branded car service, where quality is guaranteed by its high reputation and strict control by the management. But we are not talking about this now. How to behave? The advice below will help you avoid typical mistakes that affect the quality of work and their price.
You need to prepare for a visit to a car service. Wash your car. Especially in the areas where repairs are planned. Remove all unnecessary items from it. Turn off the alarm and unscrew the secret nuts, putting them in a visible place.
Cover the seats with old covers, a clean cloth or polyethylene. Some people leave a bottle of mineral water in a visible place. This shows respect for the people who will work on your car. Try to make future work easier in every possible way. If the car has additional electrical equipment (electric windows, ignition system additions, etc.), leave the diagrams or warn about their presence.
Be prepared to clearly describe the damage that needs to be repaired and ask to check the operation of those units that need to be repaired in your presence. Do not diagnose yourself and especially do not give categorical recommendations. If you, for example, say "tighten the chain" after hearing that it is noisy, they will simply tighten it for you. And in a few days the damper will be destroyed and, for example, the entire cylinder head will fail. Ask the mechanic to listen to the engine himself (see suspension) and decide together which parts must be replaced and which must be repaired. Agree here on the list of replaceable elements and stipulate who will purchase them. If the service assumes responsibility for the quality (especially complex) parts, it is better to entrust their purchase to him, even if this will increase the cost of repairs a little. When buying parts yourself, choose the best of what is available. Do not save on small things - nuts, pins, covers, "rubber bands" and generally all disposable parts. Their replacement not only improves the quality of repairs, but also significantly simplifies it, and at the same time lifts the spirits of those who are directly repairing. If you have no idea how to eliminate a particular malfunction, do not be lazy to open the instructions or repair manual and at least in general terms get to the heart of the matter. This will add authority to you in the eyes of the mechanic, will make him work more carefully, and will allow you to control the progress of the work. If possible and desire, be present during the repair or at least regularly inquire about its progress. In the process of work, many small questions arise: to do or not to do, to change or not to change. It is better if they are resolved immediately. In addition, defects are revealed that will be very difficult to eliminate later, but at the moment - possible. For example, when a wing or rear panel is replaced, an unsightly picture of corrosion of the surrounding elements is revealed (for cars that have previously undergone body repairs), it is easy to fix it on the go, but you need to agree with the customer, since it requires additional costs on his part. Observe the work unobtrusively, do not stand over the soul. Finding and eliminating many "individual" malfunctions occurs by trial and error, and no one wants anyone to see that they are wrong. At the same time, be ready to answer questions that arise or explain something to the master. He knows the car in general, and you - the behavior and background of this example. In addition, only you know what oil is poured into the engine and what polish was used to treat the body.
Try to control the quality of work step by step. A minor body defect, not specified in the initial estimate, is much easier to eliminate before priming than after painting.
Discuss the warranty period and the procedure for filing claims right away. There are especially many questions about the quality of painting. For example, GOST allows for this type of work to have a light shagreen, the presence of small debris, but does not allow paint runs. Our advice is not to demand a very smooth surface. It can be easily obtained by applying a thin layer of paint. In addition, in this case, there will be no runs, while a light shagreen, indicating a thick layer, can be polished, and the presence of a small run even in an inconspicuous place will significantly reduce the cost of the work.
Nothing lasts forever, but you probably won't be happy if, say, the paint peels off right after the warranty period you were given expires. It would be better if you buy it yourself (after consulting with those who will be working with them) consumables and some specific products that may not be available in an average workshop. For example, if you have ever used silicone polish on your car, buy special products to remove it. Some polishes containing Teflon cannot be removed with anything, and all paint must be removed with a special remover. Buy only the best quality anti-corrosion primers, preferably two-component epoxy ones, which are known to pass the salt spray test satisfactorily.
When you visit a workshop for the first time, remember that your visit here will most likely not be your last. Therefore, make sure that the next repair will cause the mechanics less inconvenience: ask the mechanic to treat the threaded and other connections with silicone grease before final assembly. It, like the universal penetrating liquid (like WD-40), it's best to always have it in your trunk.
Don't haggle after you've been given the final price, but before that, ask for a detailed estimate for individual types of work. This is something that makes sense to discuss in more detail to avoid double payment for the same work. For example, if you need to replace the brake pads and brake cylinder, you can't automatically sum up the prices for these jobs, since to replace the cylinder you already need to remove the wheel and, for example, the brake drum.
And the last thing. Don't try to slip the master a tip, much less a bottle of vodka, as a thank you. This was the custom when his salary was 5-6% of what you paid into the cash register. Today, his earnings, including bonuses and other payments, are more than half of the amount you paid. Find other ways to show him your respect and appreciation. For example, give him a souvenir or something like that.