Where to get your car repaired is one of the most common — and challenging — questions for ordinary consumers. The new issue of Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook, out today, includes a thorough guide and ratings of 429 area repair shops. This is exerpted from that article.

When they need repairs, most car owners ask their friends for suggestions. Another way to get references is to talk with local business people. Ask them what they have heard about a nearby shop and whether they know of any other shops that are better.

If you want to know about a specific shop that's convenient, you can ask the shop for names of customers to call. Be sure to ask for customers who have had repairs in the past week, customers who live in your neighborhood, or individuals in some other limited group — to reduce the chance you will be given names of the shop owner's friends and relatives. Even then, be aware that the shop is not likely to put you in touch with a customer who just stomped out in a rage.

Communication counts

Your chances of getting your car fixed right and avoiding unnecessary repairs depend heavily on your ability to communicate. Even a mediocre mechanic can fix most cars if he or she knows what is wrong.

Distinguish between what you know and what you think. If you know what needs to be repaired, tell the shop. If you know that your car's battery has gone dead because of a loose fan belt, don't just say the car won't start. Otherwise, the service writer may write an order to check the distributor points, the battery, the fuel pump and various other components — each at some cost to you. The more you know about cars, the more you can explain and the better off you will be.

But if you don't know what repair you need, definitely don't make a guess just to sound knowledgeable. Simply describe the symptoms. If you mention a specific repair — say, repair of the water pump — the shop may check or even replace the water pump, and only then go on to fix what is actually wrong, possibly worn-out alternator bearings.

Be careful in describing the symptoms. Note changes in how the car sounds, smells and drives since the problem developed. Tell how long the problem has been going on. Explain when the problem happens: in hot weather or in cold weather, when the engine is hot or when it is cold, at high speeds or at low speeds. If the problem is hard to describe, ask the shop to have someone take a test drive with you.

Write down each problem you want worked on and all the symptoms you can think of before you go to the shop. Leave a copy with the shop and keep one for yourself. Ask the service writer to give the shop's copy to the repair technician who will work on your car. Your own copy might be convenient for reference later when you deal with the shop.

Go to the shop when it is less busy. You might have a better opportunity to describe your car's problems if you go to the shop in midafternoon, when things are usually least hectic. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are often good days.

Talk with the mechanic who will be working on your car. If you get to know a mechanic and are satisfied with his or her work, ask for the same mechanic whenever you bring in your car. If you don't know any of a shop's mechanics, you may want to ask for one who is ASE-certified [National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence] for the specialty area in which you need repairs.

Pick it up right

Just as there is a right way to drop off your car, there is a right way to pick it up when the work is finished.

Don't pay until you are given a clear copy of the invoice to keep. The invoice should include the shop's name and address, your name, and your car's license number and mileage. It should indicate the labor charge; the name, number and price of each part replaced; and whether parts are new or rebuilt.

Be sure to keep your bill. You might want to show it to another shop to see if prices you were charged are reasonable. More important, you may need it as evidence. If the repair is unsatisfactory, you will need to prove the work was paid for. Also, if some other shop later tries to charge you for a repair you have just had done, you will be able to defend yourself.

The shop's warranty should be printed on the bill. If not, have the repair technician or write-up person pen it in and sign it. If parts have been installed, be sure to ask for copies of any special warranties on them.

Inspect the car before you pay. If you can't tell much by inspection, feel free to ask the service writer or repair technician to go with you for a test drive. Also, take a look at any old parts you asked to have saved.

If you don't feel the car is fixed right, it is best to leave it until the work is done. If you need the car immediately, or if you don't discover the faulty repair until you have left the shop, be sure to build evidence as soon as possible. The best approach is to get the service writer to put a signed, dated acknowledgment on your copy of the bill saying that you brought the problem to the shop's attention. Alternatively, you might keep a copy of a note you send to the shop citing the problem and your intention to bring in the car to have it corrected. Do not rely on the service writer's oral promise that you can bring in the car any time for a free adjustment. You may find later that the writer can't remember the promise and believes the problem you complain of is new, caused by something you did after leaving the shop.

Miscellaneous charges

Find out before authorizing work what charges in addition to parts, labor and tax will be included on your bill. Many shops add on an ambiguous "shop charge" which can add significantly to the final bill. For example, when our shoppers got prices for the replacement of a water pump, some shops included "shop charges" as high as $30.

Shop owners say these charges simply reimburse them for such items as grease, oil and shop rags. Some told our shoppers that the charges covered "environmental expenses" — those required for the proper disposal of hazardous waste such as motor oil.

Shops have different ways of setting the amount of this charge. Some just have one set price that gets added to the bill. Others calculate the charge as a percentage of the labor charge, the parts price, or a combination of both.

Some states have outlawed these types of charges. California, for example, prohibits shops from billing customers for "shop supplies, miscellaneous parts, or the like," restricting charges to parts and labor. But these charges are legal in Washington.

Even without a detailed investigation, you may boost your chances of getting good repairs by selecting the right type of shop. Checkbook's ratings indicate that independent shops look better on both quality and price than those that belong to new-car dealerships.

To some extent, dealers' quality scores may suffer because they work on more difficult jobs. Dealers argue that they are blamed for manufacturing defects, that they tend to work on cars when the cars are new and the owners are especially critical, and that they get the jobs that are too difficult for gas stations and independents to handle. Nonetheless, if the work you need is not covered by a new-car warranty, consider using an independent garage.

Reprinted by permission from Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook, a nonprofit, no-advertising magazine that rates many types of area service firms. For information on Checkbook, call 206-332-9696 or visit www.checkbook.org.