Nov 20, 2009 5:09 pm US/Pacific
Save With Dave: Save $95 With Repairpal.com
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
You know the pain of paying for auto repairs. But if you do your homework ahead of time, you could save a lot of time and money.
"You can tell the belt needs a little bit of maintenance also," says Scott.
Scott Caster is the owner of "Advanced Auto Center" in West Sacramento.
"We're just a mom and pop family owned auto repair business with three employees," says Scott.
He's also a member of the free website "Repairpal.com." The company, based in Emeryville, promises to "take the mystery out of auto repair" by using industry stats from different cities.
"The customer can do their homework and figure out what they car really needs," Scott explains.
Here's how it works: You put in your make and model, then type in your zip code and the repairs or maintenance work needed. For example, an oil and filter change for a 2008 Honda Accord came out to $23 to $40 in West Sacramento.
A water pump repair for a 1997 Ford Windstar is $371 to $544.
Then you can call the auto shops listed on the website to see if you're getting a good price. Repair Pal also has an encyclopedia for all sorts of auto lingo, so you know what your mechanic is talking about.
Contrary to what you might think, Scott says 60 to 70 percent of his customers are women.
"You'd be surprised, a lot of women do know a lot about cars. But, if they need to information, they can go here and get the information they need," says Scott.
In fact, Scott says women are more diligent about maintaining their cars, which will save you more money in the long run.
One important note, Repair Pal does not include diagnostic costs, local sales taxes, disposal and shop fees or the cost of additional work.
By picking an auto shop with the average cost, you would save about $95 with those two examples we told you about.
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