Finding The Right Shop To Work On Your Car
Sunday, April 30th, 2006Don’t mess around when choosing a mechanic to work on your car. Keep an ear open for recommendations and warnings when your friends and family have car troubles. If you know beforehand of a body shop you feel comfortable with, you wont need to make a rushed or incomplete decision when you need one.
Ask friends and associates for their recommendations. I stay in touch with homeschooling families. Theyre often part of a larger group that can share recommendations for mechanics theyve felt were honest and reputable.
Check with your local Better Business Bureau regarding the reputation of a particular body shop. Ask about the number of complaints, if there were any, and how the complaints were resolved. Dont be too anxious if there were some complaints. No one pleases everybody, and there are some people you cant satisfy no matter what. But if you see a pattern of the same kinds of problems, beware.
Next, pay a visit to the shop and ask if they handle your vehicle make and model. Check to see how long theyve been in business. What kind of feel do you get about the place? Are you treated with courtesy? Does the staff behave professionally?
You dont need to white glove test the place, but it should be neat, and organized. Also, times are achangin, and modern equipment is an absolute must.
Sometimes, vehicle manufacturers recommend specific repair procedures and tools for the repair of their vehicles. Ask if the shop is trained in these procedures and has the necessary equipment.
Are there any civic and community service awards hanging on the walls? Its a nice touch. Do you see diplomas or certificates of competence? You want a technically competent staff.
Look around the place. What kinds of vehicles seem to be in the repair stage? Does everything look like its being handled professionally? Dont be shy about talking to folks in the waiting room to see theyve tried the shop before and how pleased they are with the service theyve received in the past.
My number one suggestion is to ask around and see where others have had satisfactory car repair work done. Even if youre feeling stressed and in a hurry, ask at least 15 people. That way, youre likely to get the same place mentioned more than once. A little time spent on the basics can save you a load of trouble in the long run. And once you find mechanic you trust, your cars future looks a lot brighter.
|
About The Author John Sanderson This article courtesy of http://www.mustang-facts.com FROM GIFTED TO AT RISK: Money for Michigan’s brightest students dwindlesSunday, April 30th, 2006FROM GIFTED TO AT RISK: Money for Michigan’s brightest students dwindles Sins of the fathers — and mothers — can be forgiven and corrected Why Does This Unknown Author Keep Winning All These Awards? - PR Web (press release)Saturday, April 29th, 2006Why Does This Unknown Author Keep Winning All These Awards? - PR Web (press release) Homeschooling conference educates parents - Airdrie Echo Washington Times Op-ed Conferences are a Vital Resource - Home School Legal Defense Association Carnival of Homeschooling, Week 16 - About - News & Issues INTERVIEW: JUDY ARON - DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AT NHELD - Free Market News Network Growing concern drags bullying into spotlightFriday, April 28th, 2006Growing concern drags bullying into spotlight Resolution for SBC Annual Meeting Urges Action on Call for an Exit Strategy from Public Schools and Asks ThatThursday, April 27th, 2006Resolution for SBC Annual Meeting Urges Action on Call for an Exit Strategy from Public Schools and Asks That Why Public Schools Hate Home-Schooling ParentsWednesday, April 26th, 2006Home-schooling is a great success. That’s why many public-school authorities hate home-schooling parents. Home-schoolers are a direct challenge to the public-school monopoly. This monopoly makes it almost impossible to fire tenured public-school teachers or principals. As a result, tenure gives most teachers life-time guaranteed jobs. They get this incredible benefit only because public schools have a lock on our children’s education. If public-school employees had to work for private schools and compete for their jobs in the real world, they would lose their security-blanket tenure. That’s why school authorities view home-schooling parents who challenge their monopoly as a serious threat. Many school officials also can’t stand the fact that average parents who never went to college give their kids a better education than so-called public-school experts. Successful home-schooling parents therefore humiliate the failed public schools by comparison. Home-schooling parents also humiliate school authorities who claim that only certified or licensed teachers are qualified to teach children. Most home-schooling parents thankfully never stepped foot inside a so-called teacher college or university department of education. Yet these parents give their children a superior education compared to public-school educated kids. Also, many public-school officials resent home-schoolers because the typical public school loses about $7500 a year in tax money for each child that leaves the system. Tax money is the life blood of the public-school system. Tax money pays for public-school employees’ generous salaries, benefits, and pensions. Is it any wonder why school authorities don’t want to lose their gravy train? For these reasons, until fairly recently, most state legislatures either outlawed homeschooling or tried to strangle it to death with regulations. In 1980, only Utah, Ohio, and Nevada officially recognized parents’ rights to homeschool their children. In most other states, legislators continually harassed or prosecuted home-schoolers under criminal truancy laws and educational neglect charges. By 2004, however, pressure from parents, Christian home-schooling organizations, and recent court rulings pushed all fifty states to enact statutes that allow home-schooling, as long as certain requirements are met. These requirements vary for each state. In spite of these statutes, many states and school authorities still harass home-schooling parents. That is because the Supreme Court slapped parents in the face when they gave local governments the right to regulate home-schooling. As a result, many home-schooling parents are still harassed by local school officials. If you are a homeschooling parent, you must know how to protect your legal rights. To do this, you should seriously consider joining the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). Founded in 1983, HSDLA provides its members with legal representation against local school officials who might harass you, demand to supervise your home-schooling, or demand to periodically test your home-schooled children. You can join at their web site, http://www.hslda.org. The Rutherford Institute is another well-known organization dedicated to protecting parents’ rights and providing legal help to home-schooling parents. Their website is http://www.rutherford.org Article Copyrighted 2005 by Joel Turtel. About The Author: Copyright Joel Turtel - http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com Home Schooling FAQTuesday, April 25th, 2006Home Schooling FAQ Maine Department of Education - Home Instruction Home Schooling in the United States - Population Division Working Paper 53 NCHE: North Carolinians for Home Education Home SchoolingMonday, April 24th, 2006Home Schooling Home Schooling — Ohio.com Home schooling - WikEd Homeschooling in the Yahoo! Directory Home SchoolingSunday, April 23rd, 2006Home Schooling Home Schooling - A Viable Alternative to Failing Public Schools - Help Homeschool: HSLDA-Home School Legal Defense Association: Love@Home Schooling: With Frugal Unit Studies Home SchoolingSaturday, April 22nd, 2006Home Schooling Learn in Freedom! Education Reform, Home-Schooling Resources Homeschool.com |
