Sooner or later you have to take your car to a garage, and the best way to handle the situation is to give them as little leeway as possible by being precise in what you want them to do to your car.

For example, don't say, "Cure the misfire", which means they could deliberately misunderstand the instruction to give your engine an overhaul, but rather say: " 'Phone me if the misfire is not due to something small". Give them written instructions to ,phone you before tackling anything expensive, try to get a written quote and, if you're a female, always take a man with you, because they'll assume you know nothing. If you have the slightest doubt about their honesty, or if some of their excuses are difficult to believe, then contact the manufacturer of the vehicle. He has a representative in each area to look after your interests, from the manufacturer's point of view, not from the dealer's point of view. This is especially true of warranty repairs, because some dealers will try to avoid such work, by delaying the customer with ridiculous excuses.

Buying parts has also become a hazardous enterprise. Fake parts, ie parts that look and pretend to be genuine, but are inferior, are entering the country at an alarming rate. Generally these are fast-moving items such as filters, spark plugs, tyres, and even windshields. Between the fake and the quality factory-approved part is the non-franchised part, which does not pretend to be genuine, and whose quality varies from shocking to excellent.