How to choose a good garage and book online

What to check before choosing a garage#

• Opening hours: it's open when you can get there, including early mornings or Saturdays if you need them.
• The work it does: not every garage does everything. A body shop doesn't necessarily do wheel alignment, and a tyre fitter doesn't do diagnostics. See all types of car services to know what you're looking for.
• Indicative prices: a garage that shows “from” prices tells you where the conversation starts.
• Reviews: how many, how recent, and what they say about jobs like yours.
• A warranty on the work: RAR's rules for authorised garages (RNTR 9) require the garage to give you a warranty certificate for the work done. Ask how long it lasts and what it covers; the details are in our guide to repair warranties.
• The journey: how far it is and how you get away if you leave the car for the day.

How to read reviews#

An average score says little. Look at what people write and who wrote it:

• Recent reviews count more: a garage changes when its people change.
• Specific reviews are worth more than “great, recommended”: which job, which car, how long it took, whether the price was as quoted.
• Patterns matter more than a single review: if three people say the job finished later than promised, it's probably true.
• The garage's reply to a bad review shows how it behaves when something goes wrong.
• Reviews tied to a real job are harder to fake than ones anyone can leave.

What you can find out about the price beforehand#

The price of a job has two parts: labour and parts. Labour depends on how long the job takes on your car; parts depend on the make, the engine and what you choose: original or equivalent parts. That's why a price given on the phone without seeing the car is only a guide.

• Ask for a written estimate before the work starts, with parts and labour line by line.
• Ask to be called if the mechanic finds something else, before they repair it.
• Compare like with like: a low price may mean different parts or a shorter job than you think.
• Reconditioned or used parts can be fitted only with your written consent, and for steering and brakes RNTR 9 doesn't allow used parts from scrapped cars.

Don't approve work on the phone that you don't understand. Ask which part, why and how much, and take a few minutes to think.

What to ask on the phone#

1. Do you do this job on my car? Give the make, model, year and engine.
2. When can you fit me in, and how long will you keep the car?
3. Roughly how much, labour and parts separately?
4. Will I get an estimate first, and will you call me if something else comes up?
5. What warranty do you give on the work, and for how long?
6. Can I see the old parts after you replace them?

How to book online#

An online booking request saves you calling a garage that doesn't answer while it's busy. The steps are much the same on most platforms:

1. Pick the service you need and the city.
2. Pick the garage, by opening hours, prices and reviews.
3. Pick the job, then the day and time from the free slots.
4. Enter the car and, briefly, what's wrong with it.
5. Leave your name and phone number and send the request.

A request isn't a booking yet: it becomes one when the garage confirms it. Until then, don't plan your day around it. For what a service includes and how often to have one, see our car service guide.

When you drop the car off#

• Describe the problem precisely: when it happens, at what speed, cold or warm, since when. If a warning light is on, say which.
• Check the mileage written on the check-in sheet.
• Take valuables out of the car.
• Agree how the garage will contact you: a call or a message, and up to what amount it can work without asking.
• Keep the estimate and the invoice: you'll need them for the warranty and when you sell the car.

How to find and book a garage in CariX#

In CariX you search by service and city, and searching and sending a booking request are free for drivers:

• Each garage's page shows “Opening hours”, its services with indicative prices and “Reviews”. Only customers can leave reviews, after a job finished at that garage.
• “Is the price fair?” shows an indicative price for that service in your city, from the prices garages list in CariX. The real price depends on the car and the parts.
• A booking request without an account: pick the job, the day and the time, then leave just your name and phone number. If you also leave an email address, you're told by email at each step.
• The garage confirms, declines or suggests another time. You pay the garage directly.

Garages join CariX city by city, starting with Bucharest, so in some cities you'll find only a few for now.