Many people find a mechanic when their car breaks down. This is the absolute worst time to choose a repair shop. You are desperate to get your car fixed quickly and you don’t have time to shop around. If you car is running now, this is the time to pick a repair shop. Find a place that you like and have regular maintenance done to minimize breakdowns. Here’s how to find a good repair shop for your car.

There are different types of shops to choose from. You could find a small neighborhood repair shop, use chain shops or go to the dealership for service. Of course there are pros and cons of each.

The small neighborhood repair shop is often owned by the head mechanic. If he is knowledgeable about your kind of car, does good work and has fair prices, this can be a great way to go. Look for someone offers good advice about the repairs and maintenance your car should get. A good mechanic should be able to tell you what needs to be done right away and what you can wait on. The bad news is that this kind of shop doesn’t usually offer conveniences like a shuttle ride, a rental car or a pleasant waiting room with wi-fi. It can also be less consistent. If the head mechanic is out sick, you might not get the service that you expect. If they have a few big jobs, it might take them longer to get to your car.

There are many chain shops like Jiffy Lube and Discount Tire Centers. These shops are attractive because they often advertise good prices and they get you in and out pretty quickly. The down side is that you need to manage your car’s overall maintenance. Each of these places does one or two things but doesn’t look at your whole car. They won’t remind you when it’s time for maintenance, and they won’t alert you to something that isn’t in their specialty.

Many car owners go to the service department of the dealership that specializes in their car’s make. As experts on your model car, their technicians can often diagnose and fix problems quickly. Since they are usually big shops with a lot of volume, their turnaround times and quality of work are likely to be consistent over time. Many dealerships offer pleasant lounges, shuttle rides and even loaner cars. Dealerships, however, have a reputation for being more expensive. This is often undeserved. If you call the dealership service department and ask for the price on a specific repair, the price you’ll get is usually competitive with other repair shops. Dealerships do try to upsell you, though. They often try to get you to follow a maintenance schedule that is far more aggressive than what the owner’s manual calls for. If they see an item that shows wear, they will often recommend replacing it even though it might last for quite a while longer.

Check references on the shops that you are thinking of using. The Better Business Bureau collects and tries to resolve complaints about auto repair shops. When a consumer files a complaint with the BBB, they contact the business and give them the opportunity to resolve the problem. If it is resolved to the consumer’s satisfaction, they’ll say so. If a business ignores the BBB, that’s a very bad sign. The BBB also assigns a grade to each business. This is a great resource because the BBB is unbiased.

You can also find consumer-written reviews on a lot of directories. Take them with a grain of salt, though. Many people run to the internet when they have a complaint, but don’t write a review if they’re happy with the service they received. Anyone can write whatever they want to on these sites. Their complaints may be valid, but they also might be unfair. Still, if one repair shop has many complaints over a long period of time, that’s a clue that their customers aren’t satisfied. Read the reviews to see what they say. If they give facts and details about their experience, you can better determine whether the complaint is valid.

Try out your selected shop on routine repairs. If they do quality work at good prices when you’re not backed up against the wall, you can trust them when your car suddenly dies and you need it fixed quickly.