When your vehicle starts making worrisome noises or begins to run strange, you know its time to bring it in. How much it will cost, however, is a completely different story. Often times we have customers calling us for estimates on their vehicle before they have brought it- price shoppers calling around town to compare prices. This often proves quite difficult as we haven't actually looked at the vehicle to confirm what the problem actually is.
This is where the problem lies. When looking for a automotive repair shop you can't choose solely based on what they estimate the price of the repair will be. Over-the-phone estimates are often very vague figures that may not actually reflect the total cost of the repair. Many shops will "spitball" a figure that sounds appealing over the phone, only to upgrade that cost once you actually go in. In our experience, its better to find a reliable and trustworthy shop to take the vehicle in first and then get your estimate together. This will prove to be a much more precise number and give you a better idea of what to expect.
Here at Auto House of Clovis, we do perform over-the-phone estimates to the best of our abilities based on the issue the customer is experiencing, however, as stated above, we don't recommend this method. Once we inspect the vehicle and discover the issue, we contact the customer right away to communicate to them what is going on, how much the estimated cost will be (including tax), and how long we will have the vehicle. Our estimates are valid for a full 30 days to guarantee that you get the best price possible for your services.
So remember, if you need an estimate, calling around town may not be your best option as these numbers will be quite vague and will not reflect the actually severity of your vehicle.
