|
Do your own maintenance. It's easy, it helps you learn more about your car, and because you (should) care more about your own vehicle, it'll give you a chance to notice and research anything that looks off that someone else may not bother mentioning. When you reinstall or torque any bolts, mark them with a paint pen. It'll help you easily check to see if things are shifting under load (e.g. suspension bolts) and if you for some reason need a shop to work on your car it's blatantly obvious if they didn't even remove the drain plug or whatever.
Honestly, unless I personally know and have had a beer with a mechanic they're not touching my car. I've had too many dishonest shysters try to rip me off in the past, and the dealership isn't even the half of it. It's unfortunate but I am not capable of doing everything myself nor do I have the right equipment, so I still have some things which require a shop. I'm lucky that I've found good people to build relationships with over the years when I need work done.
|