How to choose a garage to service your car

Leaving your car with any garage is a huge gesture of trust, which is why choosing a garage to service your car can be so hard – way harder than it should be.

Not only is there the trust issue, you want to make sure they know what they are doing, they’re a convenient distance from your home or work and that they won’t break the bank.

There are a lot of dodgy, substandard garages out there, so having some solid criteria to help guide the selection process can be essential to saving you time, money and disappointment.

That’s where we can help!

Follow our advice below and you’ll be singing your chosen garages praises for a job well done in no time.

Consider the experience-value sweet spot

Why should you have to pay heaven and earth to get a job well done? Using franchised garages can look good on paper but a studies have shown that quotes provided by franchised garages average at about 18% more expensive than quotes provided by independent garages. That said, you should also be wary if someone is offering a service for way below the average asking price.

We know importance of experience, so before a garage can appear on approvedgarages.co.uk, its staff must meet strict knowledge criteria and have a lengthy history of being able to deliver good quality service to its customers. Our reputation, as well as theirs, depends on it.

Always shop around to make sure you hit your own experience-value sweet spot and remember that right here at approvedgarages.co.uk is one of the best places to start your search.

Ask around and check online reviews

Nothing beats the honest recommendation of a friend or relative you can trust.

Before hitting the internet, make inquiries amongst your family and friends about the experiences they've had with the various car service garages in your area and if they can recommend a garage to you. You can then find the garage online or pick up the phone to get your quote on.

Of course, there isn’t always someone you know personally that you can ask about these things, so online reviews are another essential source of information when it comes to finding out whether you can trust a garage and if they deliver the service you need to a good standard.

This is why all garages on our database must display their customer reviews in order to appear in our searches. That way you can factor in trusted customer feedback before picking up the phone or enquiring online (plus it keeps the garages on their toes).

Search smart, not hard

At the end of it all, there are so many factors that can creep into play when choosing a garage, the search can end up being a long, tiring and confusing slog. Why not use specialist online garage search services to alleviate the strain and help you spend your time more efficiently?

Sites like approvedgarages.co.uk exist to make your search for a trusted local garage as quick and painless as possible. We make sure all garages on our site provide:

• the latest information about their garages,
• their customer reviews,
• the most up to date photos of their garage,
• and a full accurate list of services they provide;

on their listings, so that you can make an informed decision right from the very start.