Electronic diagnostic tools are expensive and specialized, adding to repair costs.

AutoMD.com says that American Consumers are overpaying by more than $20 Billion on repairs. It is promoting an online auto repair service, which it claims can save you money.

The service walks car owners through the actions they need to take to make sure they get a fair price, and to help ensure that they are not paying for unnecessary repairs,

By using tips in AutoMD.com’s Consumer Guide to Fair Auto Repair, the cost savings could be even greater than the nearly 14% achieved in an AutoMD.com study.

A quick look at the site reveals mostly generic repair advice, and sparse listings of auto repair shops, which includes many car dealerships. It might be different in you locale. AutoMD.com’s Consumer Guide to Fair Auto Repair uses four steps to ensure a fair repair experience at the repair shop:

• Diagnose Problem Diagnose the problem before you go-with online diagnostics question-tree tools and how-to guides to perform a tangible, physical diagnosis (determine the issue or find questions to ask so you are not hit with unnecessary repairs).
• Fair Auto Repair Estimate Tell the shop you will be using an online website such as AutoMD.com to get industry standard auto repair labor hours and labor rates, as well as true part costs–and that you want your replacement parts back (this is a little insurance upfront to make sure you are not paying for unnecessary repairs). After they provide an estimate, counter with the fair price estimate to make sure the quote is within those guidelines.
• Compare Auto Repair Shops Before authorizing work, use an online Shop Finder – at a site like AutoMD.com where you can compare the shops’ average hourly labor rates, reviews etc. – to locate other area shops and call them to get several quotes over the phone.
• Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate – once you are armed with an online fair price estimate, and quotes from other area shops, ask for a lower price.

“With American car owners spending roughly $150 billion a year at repair shops, AutoMD.com is dedicated to putting that 14% savings (and we believe it could be as much as 20%), equaling over $20 billion dollars, back in their collective pockets,” said AutoMD.com president Shane Evangelist. “Add to that the amount consumers can save by not paying for repairs they don’t need, and the savings could double.”

The AutoMD.com Consumer Guide to Fair Auto Repair provides a step-by-step roadmap for car owners: from how to diagnose – to establishing the fair price estimate – to identifying the best and most affordable shops – all interwoven with insider tips from auto repair experts and mechanics covering everything from what questions to ask, what not to say, as well as how to dissect an actual auto repair estimate.

“Bottom line: ‘Repairing’ the auto repair process by encouraging consumers to know before they go is critical for today’s cash-strapped consumer, and AutoMD.com, with its new Consumer Guide to Fair Auto Repair, is designed to do just that,” concluded Evangelist.