How to take your car in for repair

For owners of motor vehicles, the well-known old saying can be rephrased as follows: do not forego repair and car service. Sooner or later, any motorist has a situation where you have to go to a service station. Well, if the problem is not too serious, and it can be fixed in half an hour in the presence of the customer. But often serious repairs are required, for which you need to leave the car at the service station for several days. What will be done with it during this period of time, the owner will not be able to control. And anything can happen - replacement of parts, theft of things, draining gasoline, damage by negligence or malicious intent. And the quality of the repairs carried out sometimes turns out to be unsatisfactory. To eliminate or at least minimize the likelihood of such unpleasant surprises, you need to hand over your car to a car service organization in compliance with certain procedures and rules. Even if you have already contacted this service center and know the people working in it well. 

Preparing for a trip to a car service

Before going to the service station, wash your car thoroughly. Dirt can hide some defects, but on a clean body it will be much easier to see even the most minor cracks, scratches or other damage that will be recorded in the acceptance certificate. If it is damaged during repair work, a valid claim can be made. If you don’t wash the car before handing it over, service workers may claim that the defect was simply not visible under the dirt.

Leave all valuables, tools and accessories at home or in the garage so as not to tempt the craftsmen who will work on your machine. Of course, not all of them are potential thieves, but you can never know in advance. Remove the spare tire, jack, pump, and spare parts that you usually carry with you from the trunk. It is quite possible to remove the wiper blades and other easily dismantled parts that will not be required during the repair process or during the acceptance of the repaired car. Do not forget to look in the glove compartment, there may also be something valuable left.

Don't take your car in for repairs with a full tank. There are times when gasoline is drained at service stations. Therefore, it is better to leave as much as necessary to get to the car service, and after receiving the car from repair - to the gas station.

Think carefully and, if necessary, make a list of problems that need to be addressed. Correct wording matters a lot. Indicate the need to replace a specific part only if you are absolutely sure that it is the source of the problem. If there is no such confidence, it is better to simply describe what you do not like about the behavior of the car. For example, you can order a replacement, and the craftsmen will do the corresponding work. But the cause of the malfunction may turn out to be different, and then you will waste money on repairs that were not required, but the problem will remain. It is better to ask to eliminate, for example, a knock in the area of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbthe front suspension.

To prevent you from being sold spare parts at exorbitant prices at the service station, it is useful to familiarize yourself in advance with the current prices for parts that will supposedly need to be replaced in your car. This can be done, for example.

Formation of relations with the service organization

Going to the service center, take your documents with you - your own passport, car passport and vehicle registration certificate. They will be needed when you submit your vehicle for repair.

Although the Rules for the provision of maintenance and repair services do not prohibit a verbal agreement between the customer and the car service, do not neglect the preparation of a written contract. Such an agreement will facilitate the resolution of disputes, including, if necessary, in court. And at the same time it will increase the responsibility of performers.

If the machine is to be left in a service organization for safekeeping, it is highly recommended to conclude a maintenance and repair contract. In other cases, you can limit yourself to a work order or invoice.

The contract must contain:

1. Details of the client and the contractor.

2. A detailed list of work to be performed.

Be sure to make sure that there are no items that are the same, but repeated under different names, so that you do not have to pay twice for the same thing. Also, the list should not contain works and services that you did not order.

Often, unnecessary services in a car service are imposed during scheduled maintenance, taking advantage of the fact that the client does not have a clear idea of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbwhat exactly is included in it. Extra services are extra costs, so read in advance everything related to routine maintenance in the operating instructions. And agree to additional work only if the car service employee gives weighty arguments in favor of their necessity. In doubtful cases, it makes sense to conduct additional diagnostics in an independent diagnostic center. But the customer will have to pay for it.

Sometimes hidden defects are discovered already during the repair process and it is required to perform work not specified in the order. In this case, the owner must be informed and give his consent. It is better for the client to come to the service station in person to make sure that he is not being misled and to make changes to the order.

3. Timing of repairs or maintenance.

If the deadlines are not specified, the repair may be delayed for a long time.

4. Cost of work and payment procedure.

5. List of spare parts and consumables to be provided by the contractor.

Be sure to agree on their quality, otherwise you can install cheap parts from unreliable manufacturers or used spare parts.

The car service is responsible for their quality. If the service station employee insists otherwise, it is better to look for another contractor.

6. List of spare parts and consumables provided by the customer.

If the part has a serial number, it must be specified. Spare parts brought by the client must be inspected by a service station mechanic, who will confirm their serviceability or point out defects.

7. Warranty obligations and a list of documents that must be issued to the client upon completion of the repair.

The beginning of the warranty period is the date when the repaired vehicle or its components are handed over to the customer.

Of course, no warranty should be required for diagnostics or other services that do not affect the design of the vehicle.

Treat the paperwork with full responsibility and carefully check all the data entered in them.

Delivery and acceptance of the vehicle for safekeeping

The transfer procedure involves the simultaneous presence of the owner of the vehicle and an authorized representative of the service organization that performs maintenance and repair.

First of all, the documentation for the car is checked and the client's application is specified.

Then the car is inspected and checked for technical condition. All existing external damage must be recorded in the acceptance certificate, which is issued on the basis of the inspection. The condition of the body, bumpers, glass, headlights and other external elements should be noted.

Separately, you should mark any, even minor, defects that are not included in the repair plan and will not be eliminated. We remind you once again that it is in the interests of the client to hand over the car in its purest form. By the way, the corresponding item is usually available in the acceptance certificate.

You should also fix the internal condition of the cabin. Take photographs, they can become an additional argument in court if it comes to that.

The document indicates the passport data and technical characteristics of the car, as well as its equipment. It should be noted here whether there are wiper blades, a spare wheel, a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, a towing cable, an audio system and other electronics.

Be sure to record the serial number in the act. There are cases when a serviceable battery is replaced with an old one, breathing its last.

It may be worth writing down the serial numbers of some other parts or assemblies, for example, the engine.

Pay attention to tires, in particular, the release date. They are easy to replace with defective or more worn ones.

Note (photograph) the mileage readings. In the future, you will be able to conclude whether your car left the limits of the service station during the repair period.

By accepting the vehicle for safekeeping, the contractor undertakes to ensure its complete safety. The service organization is liable for any damage caused to the vehicle while it is being repaired by them, including theft or complete destruction, for example, as a result of a fire.

The more seriously you approach the delivery of your car to a car service, the more likely it is that the contractor will treat the order with all responsibility. And correctly and scrupulously executed documents will allow you to demand the correction of poorly done work and count on compensation for damage, if any.