There have been 6-7 cars enter my life since I bought my first 1988 Ford Falcon and the only thing I‘ve found to be almost as important as choosing the right car to begin with, is having a good mechanic to service it for maintenance and to fix it if it were to ever break down.

So, I wanted to share my insights on how to choose a good mechanic, not just in the Sydney area but this is true across Australia too.

What to Look For

Living just out of Sydney I grew up in the backseat of the car driving from one side of town to the other. I progressed to the passenger seat after my older siblings got their own car and eventually made it into the drivers seat when I turned 16 and got my Learners Permit.

This means that I’ve been around cars since I was old enough for the baby seat. I can change the oil, top up the levels but I’m no mechanic. Pay the professionals to “do the right job the first time” has been my motto with cars, plumbing, electrics and most other things.

The best mechanic I ever had was one that I could trust, this was my friends Dad who was a semi-retired mechanic who still worked from his big garage/shed at home.

If you have a friend or work colleague whose brother, cousin or uncle is a mechanic – build a relationship there, get to know them and introduce yourself.

A mechanic you know and can trust is probably the best sign you have.

1. Someone you know and trust.

That is the first thing that has served me well with getting cars serviced and repaired over the years I’ve been driving.

2. In today’s computer age you have to use the wisdom of the crowd.

I don’t know how many millions of people there are across Sydney who both use the internet and also have cars but let’s just agree that there’s enough people to form a pretty accurate opinion.

Google reviews are my “go to” when looking for a mechanic in a new town. This is the same for an auto-electrician, tyre place or anything really.

Search for “BMW mechanics in Sydney” or whoever it is you’re looking for and you’ll see the reviews. 3.5 stars with 100 reviews is not a good average score. If another mechanic is averaging 4.2 stars with 100 reviews that is a very big difference.

If you are looking for mechanics in Sydney or surrounding areas who look after BMWs you can also search here for some of the top workshops.

3. Cheap servicing deals

There’s been a lot of car repair chains offering really cheap servicing all across Australia. These are the cheap franchise type repair shops.

You’ll see things like “get your car serviced for $89” or something similar.

If you just think about this, $89 isn’t going to even cover their wages and their rent so how are they making their money back?

They are finding ways to bill you more and more, even if you maybe don’t need it right away.

4. Prices up front

A good mechanic won’t be able to diagnose your car over the phone and give you a price of “$300” for example.

Think of your own line of work, if you’re in business for yourself you will relate to this – it’s not really a wise idea to quote for a job that you have never seen. The best mechanics I’ve found want to have a look at what they’re dealing with before quoting.

5. Always busy

If you’re moving into a new suburb and you’re wondering what mechanic to take your car to, it will likely be safe to ignore the workshop that has consistently the LEAST number of cars out the front – unless you have some other reason to trust them.

A good mechanic is always busy.

A good mechanic will unlikely be able to see your car today, or tomorrow – if they are busy that is a good sign. It may be very annoying to you who needs their car fixed today, but take the bus to work for a couple of days and wait for your appointment.

These are 5 things to look out for when your needing a mechanic. Don’t just walk into a mechanic workshop blind and with no research or even a thought.

Mechanics in Sydney and all across Australia are not cheap, Australia is an expensive country to live in. So, get your car serviced by the right people the first time.