dBC-Channel.com

No matter how well you maintain your car, sooner or later you’re bound to end up taking it to a garage - whether for an MOT, a service, or a repair job on car lifts. Unfortunately, most of us find visiting the auto centre about as much fun as a trip to the dentist’s. 57% of the women interviewed by InsureandGo said they felt intimidated in garages, and a whopping 84% expected to be ripped-off. Sadly, both these fears are born out by a substantial body of consumer surveys and mystery shopper research.

In 2002, the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) carried out a mystery shopper survey that involved putting test cars in for a service at 250 UK garages. It’s shocking enough that, in 40% of cases, mechanics didn’t bother to give the cars a full service before handing them back; but it’s particularly alarming that the figure rose to 58% when the researcher was a woman.

So, besides breaking down far more often than other drivers, the seven million women who don’t know anything about their cars is leaving themselves vulnerable to the botching and overcharging of unscrupulous mechanics.

The DTI figures prove garages target women for crooked mark-ups because they know they’ll away with it - and that’s why four out of five women expect to be ripped off.

Once again, the obvious solution for women drivers is to find out more about their cars. That way, you’ve a much better chance of getting the ten-point inspection you paid for rather than the three-point one they could only be bothered to do.

Reports by the National Consumer Council suggest that two factors, specific to the car repair industry, mean motorists are at risk of being exploited when visiting a garage. First of all, we don’t know as much about the car as the mechanic does. If he says a job or replacement part is an essential, we have no choice but to pay for it; if he misses a fault or fluffs a repair, we have no way of knowing about it.

The other reason women motorists make easy targets for an unscrupulous mechanics is that we’re very often in a bit of a panic. You’ve heard of panic buying when there’s a fuel shortage or a big storm coming? Well, having our cars break down elicits a similar reaction in most drivers; we just want the thing fixed, money-no-object - at least, not until the mechanic hands over your bill.

So the best advice for female motorists visiting a garage is to work against these factors. Always try and diagnose the fault before taking your car in for a repair on auto lifts. Even if what you say isn’t the source of the trouble, it will show the mechanic you’re a lot savvier than the woman who turns up with no idea other than ‘it makes a funny rattling sound’.

Also, turn back to your trusty manual and specify what brand of replacement parts you need. If possible, ask the mechanic to show you what’s broken before leaving him alone with your car. That way, if you can’t identify the part yourself, you’ll at least be able to see if any actual work has been done in the area when he’s finished.

To take care of the panic buying factor, spend as much time as you can afford shopping around for quotes on your job. Ask the garage you choose to confirm the estimate in writing so you avoid any unpleasant price-hikes once the work is done.

Above all, try to be calm and self-assured at the garage. If you suspect you’re being duped, say as much. Even if the mechanic is charging a fair price, he won’t begrudge you for questioning it. And don’t be afraid to walk away from a garage. After all, with 26,000 car repairing outlets in this country, there’s plenty more fish in the sea.

We all knew women make better drivers; now we know they make better mechanics, too. It doesn’t mean you have to put on overalls and invest in some nice spanners, but there’s no excuse not to dust off the manual and find out a bit about your car. Just a basic knowledge of car maintenance will dramatically cut down the number of trips you make to a garage - and it’ll mean you get good service and a fair price when you do visit one.

Read valuable info for cheap new playstation 3 - your personal tips store.