LinkVETS - The Veterans Resource Network

When I lived in Pennsylvania, I never had to worry about scheduling routine maintenance for my car because every year my car was required to be inspected for various safety and performance features.

Maryland doesn't have that same policy. Now it's up to me to remember to take my car in for maintenance, and unfortunately by the end of the month, my car needs to be looked at by a mechanic.

Taking my car for a tune up in a new place has me a little nervous so I've been reading a lot about how to make the process as simple as possible.

I've pretty much decided I'm going to take it to the dealer because they are trained to work on my specific car. I also picked up a couple of other good tips.

I should:

• Make sure I understand pricing. Will there be a diagnostic fee, is there a flat rate for labor or do they charge hourly?
• Ask for a signed, written estimate of the cost that states the shop will contact me before doing anything beyond the amount stated.
• Document all transactions in case something goes wrong and I need to file a complaint.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I don't need too much work done and that everything goes smoothly, but I'm still a little nervous. Do you all have any other tips or tricks I should know about that will help make the process easier?

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