Jun 24, 2008

What Should That Repair Cost?

Few things give you that queasy feeling that trying to figure out what a vehicle repair should cost does. While Americans make roughly two million visits to an automotive service facility every day, they are no better informed about these major expenses than they were 20, 30 or even 40 years ago. The variables are substantial, and it has been very difficult to find an unbiased source to guide you…until now. RepairPal, which modestly calls itself “the most accurate, relevant and impartial source for auto care and repair available to consumers,” has just gone in business. The free service offers objective, fair service price estimates, an extensive auto shop directory and expert insights from certified mechanics. It gives consumers unbiased information about specific repairs so they can make informed, timely and cost-effective repair and maintenance decisions throughout the entire ownership cycle of their vehicle.

“We’re bringing transparency to a huge industry, an industry that affects nearly every adult consumer,” said David Sturtz, CEO and co-founder of RepairPal. “Auto repair is fairly unique in that it remains completely nontransparent for consumers, even in the Internet age. The result of this information asymmetry is that pricing for almost all repair jobs varies widely, even for the same brand within the same city. Our goal is to minimize the anxiety and uncertainty consumers typically face when they service their cars.”

RepairPal uses a unique, patent-pending system that relies on multiple sources of difficult-to-acquire proprietary data to provide accurate repair price estimates for more than 20 billion unique estimates on 94 percent of passenger vehicles.

The “RepairPrice Estimator” limits the risk of paying too much for a service or repair by delivering unbiased, market-based price estimates specific to a consumer’s car brand, model, service type and location. To ensure accuracy, RepairPrice Estimates are constantly tested against user feedback data and ongoing market surveys. The “Smart Shop Directory” is a resource for finding a great local auto shop by car brand and service specialty. The directory includes more than 286,000 independent shops and dealerships, tire, muffler and glass specialists, as well as collision repair facilities. It includes user ratings, reviews, and a unique feedback mechanism designed to assess each shop’s pricing practices and estimating accuracy.

The “Expert Advice” section offers expert insights from RepairPal’s team of ASE-certified and highly experienced mechanics. This arms consumers with the specific information they need to understand the services recommended by their mechanic and avoid possible scams. It also tells them which parts and procedures are included before they bring their car in for a specific service and whether a particular problem is common for their make and model.