Frequently Asked Questions

What Should the Price Difference Be Between Dealerships and Independent Shops?

We have seen numerous articles indicating that dealerships charge a certain percentage more than local independent shops, depending on the complexity of the work and the equipment required to perform it. While it's true that dealerships often charge higher labor rates to account for factory-trained technicians and tend to use original equipment manufacturer parts (OEM) rather than less expensive aftermarket parts, higher prices at dealerships is not an absolute rule. Independent shops can have a wide range because of the parts used—they may use OEM parts or those made by other suppliers. Some independent shops are very specialized and charge prices similar to a dealership because they use high-quality parts and have made investments in special tools and diagnostic equipment.

Why Do You Give a Range and Not a Single Price?

RepairPrice Estimates are presented as a range because our research has shown that each shop prices its services a little differently, based on the parts they use, how much profit they add, and the labor rate they employ. If you call several local shops and dealerships, you'll receive a range of quotes based on the quality of the parts used and the shop's investment in tools and diagnostic equipment. Convenience features offered—like loaner cars and staying open for extended hours—also factor in.

Using the price ranges is simple. If a shop quotes a price above the top of our range, you may be able to find a quality shop that will perform the work for a price within our range, but we recommend asking the shop why their price is higher, as there may be a good reason for it. Remember that there can be a trade-off between quality and value, and we recommend considering these factors along with the price.

If you encounter a price that is below our range, we recommend asking about the quality of the parts they use. We suggest avoiding extremely cheap parts just to save a few bucks because they will need to be replaced more frequently.

Why Don’t You Have My Exact Model?

For most repair information, the exact model of the car does not affect the time and parts required to perform a particular repair. For example, a Volkswagen Golf and a Volkswagen GTI share most mechanical and electrical systems. Other examples of this are the Volvo V70 and V70R wagon, the Subaru Impreza and Impreza WRX, and the Mini Cooper and Cooper S. We’ve been very careful to ask you for the right information at the right time—our estimates are customized to your car's engine, transmission, and whether it’s 4WD or 2WD. When a repair is distinctive to a certain model, we will ask you for the information.

Why Is My Model Missing?

In some cases, the needed data was not available to produce accurate estimates. In other cases, certain models are so rare and/or unique that we could not create accurate estimates. Please let us know if you don’t see your car on our list. The more feedback we get, the better we can judge which models are the most popular. Within days of our launch, we received a large number of requests from Oldsmobile Aurora owners. We've added the Aurora and are working to add other models as well. Don’t be shy—we want to hear from you!

Why Don’t You Have Any Cars Older Than 1990?

RepairPal doesn't currently cover cars produced before 1990 because the number of pre-1990 vehicles on the road is diminishing and because we focus on the most popular models and years. Additionally, the availability of parts for older cars is fairly limited and price data is difficult to acquire. If we don’t have confidence in our ability to generate accurate estimates, we won’t publish them.

What are RepairPal "Questions & Answers"?

We built a tab on our Advice section to capture all of your questions and give experts and knowledgeable visitors an opportunity to help out. Sometimes we're able to help by answering your questions, often with the help of our expert technicians. Other times, the amazing RepairPal community is able to provide an answer. This service is 100 percent free and easy to use, but we can't guarantee that you'll receive the answer you're looking for or that you'll receive it immediately.

I Am a Shop Owner/Manager: Why Is My Shop Not Listed?

There are hundreds of thousands of individual shops listed in our directory. They are constantly being updated and it's been very difficult to find, update, and clean listings of shops. We need your help to continue to improve. If you don’t see your shop, please use the feedback link to send us the information and we’ll add it. Likewise, if you see your shop and any of the information is inaccurate or incomplete, let us know. Just make sure to tell us that you are the shop owner!

I Am a Customer: Why Is My Favorite Shop Not Listed?

There are hundreds of thousands of individual shops listed in our directory. They are constantly being updated and it's been very difficult to find, update, and clean listings of shops. We need your help to keep improving it. If you don’t see your favorite shop, tell us and we’ll add the shop to our directory.

Why Don’t You Cover Canada?

Providing accurate RepairPrice Estimates for drivers in the United States was a difficult project, and we focused solely on the U.S. out of necessity. The interest coming from Canada since our launch has been extraordinary and we will expand our service to cover Canada as soon as possible.

What If I See a Shop Review That Is Inappropriate?

We rely on the community of RepairPal users to let us know when someone has posted a review to a shop listing in our directory that just doesn't seem right. In rare cases, we will remove reviews that don't keep with the RepairPal spirit of transparency and helpfulness. You can read more detail about our Shop Rating and Reviews Terms of Service.

I'm a RepairPal Fan. How Do I Get a Free RepairPal Bumper Sticker?

You can tell the world about RepairPal by placing a sticker on your car—or wherever else comes to mind! Let repair shops know that you're armed with the right pricing and repair information. The RepairPal sticker is made of the highest quality laminated vinyl and fade-resistant ink, and it's the perfect size for your rear window.

To get your free bumper sticker, simply send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

RepairPal
6005 Shellmound St, Suite 200
Emeryville, CA 94608

We'll pop a sticker in the envelope and send it back to you lickety split.

No answer to your question? Let us know.