Do You Have a PCT? Finding a Trustworthy Mechanic.
One of the biggest mistakes we make as car owners is what I like to call shop-hop. We hop around from repair shop to repair shop or mechanic to mechanic for convenience, in hopes of finding the cheapest price or worse yet, the answer we want to hear about our car instead of the answer we need to hear. This is bad for several reasons. It’s hard to track your car health, service, and repair history and mechanics are not all created equal.
Finding a good mechanic/technician or auto repair garage and sticking with them is important to the health, reliability, and predictability of your car. It also keeps you sane and less likely to make poor, impulsive, or uneducated decisions.
Cars can very easily be likened to our bodies. They have thousands of moving parts, internal communication systems, and a strong frame to support their load and work. When cars breakdown, need maintenance, or repair, it is important that we treat our cars like we would our bodies and self. They need care, expert diagnosis, medicine, and skilled technicians performing repairs.
When we are sick and need to see a doctor, often we go to our PCP or primary care physician. Our cars need a
Primary Care Technician
or
PCT!
Watch this video on what is a PCT.
Ladies, I go to Dr Picazo, an OBGYN, every year when I need to maintain my woman’s health. I’ve had one PCP for 10 plus years, Dr. Solis. In my auto airhead days, I couldn’t name one mechanic that worked on my car.
Now that we understand the importance of having a PCT, sheCANics, let’s figure out how we find her or him! When looking for an auto mechanic/technician most car owner’s concerns are amount of time to do the repair or service, price, and reliability. Other concerns that are significant to us women are communication and respect. Do I feel respected as a car owner and customer? Are my cares and concerns acknowledged and addressed? I want to feel safe, confident, and comfortable.
The first thing people like to say when finding a mechanic is “get a referral.” Ask around, right? Word of mouth is the best kind of advertising and social media makes it extremely easy for us. Ladies, I would FIRST ask another woman if they have a recommendation. A man’s car needs and automotive experiences can be quite different from that of a woman’s. Chances are if other women recommend a PCT, it’s because they feel comfortable and confident with them.
Once you have a recommendation or a PCT you want to try out, put your #sheCANic and natural women skills to the test and see if they are the right fit for you. Here are my criteria I think make for a great mechanic/technician and every #sheCANic should consider when selecting their PCT. Do not be afraid or timid! This is YOUR car and YOUR hard earned money. It should go to the PCT you feel deserves it!
Are they friendly, patient, and show concern not only for your car, but your well-being?
Whenever talking to a PCT, they should listen to your concerns, communicate with you their plan for diagnosis, repairing, or servicing your vehicle, and ease your worries. You should not feel stupid or scared to ask questions. You should not feel anxious or worried but reassured that you are making good decisions about caring and servicing your car. Talking over the phone is nice, but I like to talk to my PCT in person. You can get a better feel for them, their personality, their demeanor towards you, and how they interact with their employees and other customers.
When there is a problem with your car can they explain it so you understand what is going on?
I believe this is very important. If a PCT cannot explain to you what is going on with you car where you understand the diagnosis and are comfortable with the repair, RUN. Actually DRIVE. One of my favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Are they willing to show you, on your car, exactly what is wrong and why it needs to be replaced or repaired? If you can’t be there in person and are not comfortable with the diagnosis over the phone, they should be 100% willing to show you on the car when you are present. Most failures on cars can be seen, heard, or felt. That means if a mechanic can see it, hear it, and feel it, so can YOU. If you are not present at the time, ask them to save your old parts to help explain the diagnosis and repair. Trust this engineer when I say cars are not rocket science. You don’t need an engineering degree to work on a car or to diagnosis one (although we are headed there)!
A good PCT understands the balance between taking care of your car to-the-nines and having money.
They aren’t going to try and upsell you everything under the sun. They know cars are expensive. Their main concern is your car is running well, you are safe, and you are preventing expensive repairs later on from lack of quality care. They will tell you, “Hey I checked your brakes while you were in for an oil change and you will need new pads by the end of summer!” or “Your tire tread is looking low, save up some money because they will need to be replaced in the next 3 months.” Or “I noticed you have a small oil leak. You may want to keep an eye out for it…” and so forth. You should not feel pressured to approve a repair.
A good PCT is more concerned with fixing the problem than making money.
If you have a reoccurring issue or problem your PCT is struggling to fix, they shouldn’t be charging money left and right for every little thing they do to figure it out. A good PCT is patient and thorough when diagnosing and repairing a car and charges you a fair amount for their time and work.
If there are any issues, a good PCT is respectful, understanding, admits faults and limitations.
We aren’t all the best and we can’t do it all. A good PCT knows their limits and communicates it to you. They also recommend other automotive business that can help you if they can’t.
I would not focus on appearance of the shop or rely too heavy on it.
Clean bathrooms, nice waiting areas, pristine garages are appealing but are expensive and drive up overhead. Dealerships get an A+ for cleanliness but they fail when it comes to price. A clean shop has no correlation to a PCT knowing how to diagnosis and repair a car. It does however reflect on the shop's organization, internal management, and structures. Make a note of it but don’t dwell on it. This is a dirty job! Some of the best mechanics I find in dirty shops. Furthermore, if there isn’t a nail salon or something else I’d rather do than sit and watch TV or read a magazine, the bathrooms and waiting areas are all the same to me; boring and uncomfortable. There is ALWAYS some place I’d rather be.
Let’s talk about online reviews.
Use them as a guide not a means to an end. They can be extremely subjective especially if they have a small number of reviews.
Though not required to be a PCT or own a repair garage, certifications are and should be important to you.
Automotive certifications and trainings show your PCT takes pride in his or her own continuing education and development, which means they will take pride in you. Ding ding ding. This should hold more weight than a clean shop, waiting room and bathroom. ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) is the main certification program for PCTs. Make sure their ASE certs – there are 8 tests total – are current as they expire every 5 years. A master technician has all 8. What other trainings or certifications do they have?
I know it’s a lot and I hope this helps you find a trustworthy mechanic. There are several websites that help car owners find a woman friendly auto repair shop.
https://www.girlsngarages.com/women-owned-automotive-businesses
Good luck #sheCANics!
For more great, relatable, easy to understand auto advice, grab a copy of the Girls Auto Clinic Glove Box Guide.