Electric vehicles (EVs) are quickly becoming a favorite for automotive enthusiasts, and for a good reason. These cars are reliable and efficient energy consumers, leaving little to negligible carbon footprints. These cars are also easier and cheaper to maintain than gasoline and diesel cars. However, as there are still fewer of them than traditional cars, finding reliable repair shops could be challenging in a population where traditional cars dominate.
That’s why it’s crucial to understand what to look for in a reputable electric vehicle repair shop so you don’t take your expensive automobile to a substandard shop. Below, we share four tips for choosing a reliable electric vehicle shop.
Check for Highly Trained Staff
A reliable EV repair shop must invest in highly trained and skilled staff to beat the competition. In fact, each repair department should have its specialized staff that attend to the specific car issue you need help with. If you’re looking for a vehicle body repair, the electric vehicle body shops you sample should have highly skilled and dedicated staff to handle your car’s body.
The staff should also be equipped with safety skills to remove and fix high-voltage electric components in your car swiftly. You can perform a small test to check if the one assigned to your vehicle understands where these components are and how they work.
Assess Their Tools and Equipment
You don’t have to perform an expert assessment to tell if the equipment and tools in the EV repair shop of your choice are reliable. While most of the tools used in repairing the latest model non-electric vehicles can also work in electric vehicles, there are instances where only specialized tools will work. You’ll have to check for specifics like battery charging equipment, insulated hand tools, non-metal work tables, and wheel dollies.
Check Their Electric Car Service Processes
A good repair shop should have an elaborate EV repair system and process that clients can look at when they visit. Ask the mechanics responsible to take you lightly through the basic procedures for solving a similar problem and check the steps against what you already know. Some of the most basic processes you should check include the following:
- How they disable electrical systems
- If they test the voltage before touching your electric vehicle
- If they use the right oil
- If they understand the location of all cables
- How they torque your connections
These processes should guide you in understanding what to expect from the team and whether to proceed with working with them.
Ask If They Provide Detailed Estimates
Any customer-centric auto repair shop will always prepare a detailed estimate for any repair and maintenance work they perform. You should ask for this in advance and check if it contains details of the expected costs for labor and parts to be used in the repair and maintenance work. Established and reliable EV repair shops would prepare transparent estimates to build great client relationships.
If you’re a first-time electric vehicle owner, finding the right repair shop can be challenging, but not anymore. Once you enter a repair shop, please pay attention to how the attendants respond to your queries and see if they are efficiently qualified to attend to your car. Don’t forget to assess their tools and processes before you put pen to paper. And just before you enter an agreement, check the price estimates to see if you can afford the charges.
