Car Repair Estimates and How are Costs Calculated

Why do you need car repair estimates?  Well, before a wedding ring, there's an engagement ring (a "promise").  Before a business venture, there's an agreement (a "promise").  Before a binding deal, there's a contract (a "promise").  Like it or not, the world is run on arbitrations and binding agreements, and car repairs are no exception.  The car repair estimates you get from your automotive service technician (nobody calls them "mechanics" anymore) are promises to do no less, no more than the estimate.

Estimates themselves may vary, based upon what services the technician is being called upon to perform.  He may need to give you a/car body repair estimates, b/systems estimates (for A/C or transmission problems), c/engine repair estimates.  Regardless of what kind you get, however, they're an absolute given in any automotive repair transaction.

How does a technician create a car repair estimate? He uses a car repair estimates calculator, and if he's a good technician who wants your repeat business, he'll show you step by step how he does it.  Just in case, you don't know, here's how one works:

A car repair estimates calculator is a computer diagnostic tools, and all the service technician needs to do is to enter (into his hard drive, and theyll all have one if they're a reputable business) a description of the problem, how periodic it is (it happens every second v. every day, for instance), the extent of any damage (if he can see it), the year / make / model of the auto.

The calculator on his hard drive, in most cases, will have every foreseeable detail already considered, from the probable cause of a the sound in your transmission to the repairs needed to replace a fender.  Most service stations have a thousand details of a thousand repairs right in the system, and the estimate is only a few minutes in coming.

For car body repair estimates, the technician will enter the extent of the damage, the severity (metal torn v. metal dented) and the actual parts that need replacement as opposed to those that are probably still serviceable.  Again, the estimate should take only a few minutes.

If you're a little unsure of the process, you can familiarize yourself with it before the visit to the car service center.  Many car repair websites invite the customer to do their own diagnostics on their car, based upon what experiences they can write down about automotive performance (or the accident they just had); thus, they can go to their service center with inside information, as can you. 

The estimate should have four elements, no matter who does it.  First, it should list the repairs needed.  Second, it should list the parts that will be used.  Third, it will include the labor charges.  These three elements should be calculated at the bottom of the page, so there are no surprises when it's time to pay the bill. 

And here's the fourth element of all car repair estimatesthey should be free, always, because no service has been done yet. 

Category: Automotive

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