The RepairPal Certified shop program is designed to help you find a repair shop you and your family can trust. The shops that qualify for our program go through a rigorous approval process that ensures the shop will live up to its RepairPal Certified status. RepairPal reviews the experience and training of the mechanics, sophistication of the tools, quality of parts placed in your car, satisfaction levels of verified customers, the warranty offered and the prices the shops charge. When you visit a RepairPal Certified shop, you can be sure that you are getting very high-quality work from expert technicians at a fair price.
No, all shops must complete and pass the entire application process on their own merit. Once they are approved, however, shops pay a monthly fee to stay in the program. This fee covers oversight and marketing costs, as well as some additional benefits we offer RepairPal Certified shops.
RepairPal has a staff of ASE Certified Technicians who have owned and worked at auto service companies. RepairPal's team has deep experience working for dealerships and independent auto repair shops and are dedicated to setting a new bar for high quality in the industry. RepairPal Master Technicians have won numerous awards for their customer service and expertise.
First, the shop must complete a technical assessment covering all components the repair process. This starts with a thorough review of the technicians and service writers, including their experience, tenure, training and industry certifications. The assessment also covers the tools and equipment deployed at a shop, reviewing the state of technology the shop brings to the repair process. The technical assessment also covers the quality of the parts that will be used in repairs, as high-quality parts are critical for high-quality repairs. RepairPal knows the difference that each of these factors makes and requires support documentation that backs up every section of the assessment.
Second, to stand behind the quality of their work, RepairPal Certified shops must offer at least a 12-month/12,000-mile warranty on repairs and services, excluding minor maintenance and wear items (oil changes, wheel alignments, brake pads, etc.).
Third, RepairPal conducts a comprehensive survey to allow only shops with the highest levels of customer satisfaction into its network. RepairPal extracts a verified customer list directly from the shop's computer system to avoid manipulation and hires a third party to rate their experience at the shop. All shops receive a Net Promoter Score®, a customer loyalty metric used by companies worldwide. RepairPal Certified shops' NPS scores rate is comparable to and often higher than companies like Apple, Amazon, JetBlue, and Walmart.
Fourth, fair prices are important. Unfortunately, so many people have been ripped off by auto repair shops in the past. RepairPal invested considerably to build a price estimator that transparently provides a fair price range for hundreds of repairs on nearly every car built since 1990. RepairPal Certified shops honor the price ranges quoted in our Fair Price Estimator™, so customers can have confidence that they are paying a reasonable price for quality work.
Yes. RepairPal Certified shops are monitored continuously for high levels of customer service, fair pricing and ongoing adherence to the standards set forth for employee training and certifications. Our Automotive Group works to ensure these standards remain high and works directly with shops to retain RepairPal Certification, and in rare cases will remove them from the network if standards are not met.
Yes. All of the shops in the RepairPal Certified shop network must offer a 12-month/12,000-mile service warranty at a minimum. Many RepairPal Certified shops offer 2 year/24,000-mile and even 3 year/36,000-mile warranties!
Since we only pick the best shops with high-quality work at fair prices, there's a chance there might not be a RepairPal Certified shop in your area yet. If you think the shop you already go to could be a RepairPal Certified shop, we encourage you to recommend that shop to us.
The Net Promoter Score® (NPS) is a customer loyalty metric used by leading companies worldwide as the standard for measuring customer loyalty. For example, GE, Apple, American Express, Philips, and Verizon all use the NPS metric to determine their customers' satisfaction.
The idea behind the Net Promoter Score is this: The best way to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction is for your customers to answer one question: "How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?" Based on responses to that question, an NPS can be determined.
Any NPS higher than "10" is considered good, while any score above 50 is considered great. The average score for most companies is between 5 and 10, while the auto repair industry's average score is unfortunately negative at –13.
A shop's NPS is one of the most important factors we use to determine whether or not a shop is qualified to become a RepairPal Certified shop—the average score for shops in the RepairPal network is over 70.
All RepairPal Certified shops honor the RepairPal Price Guarantee, where the cost of repairs must not exceed the estimated range provided by the RepairPal Estimator. All of the price data in our Estimator is rigorously gathered and analyzed, which ensures you will always get a fair price estimate for your repairs. Learn more about the RepairPal Price Guarantee
In the automotive repair industry, having ASE certification is a strong symbol of quality. For example, an ASE Master Technician must pass all eight of the ASE automotive certification tests and have the required work experience. To be an ASE Blue Seal Certified Facility, at least 75 percent of the shop's technicians must be ASE certified in each area of service they provide. Several RepairPal Certified shops are ASE Blue Seal Certified Facilities.
There are many certifications and industry affiliations that illustrate a shop's commitment to quality and excellence. View our comprehensive list
Consumers are often overcharged for repairs in a few ways: by marking up part prices well above MSRP, inflating labor times for a given job above industry guidelines, and charging considerably higher labor rates than appropriate for the local market.
The RepairPal Estimator leverages parts and labor data from the same sources used by the automotive industry to calculate pricing. It uses MSRP for parts, industry agreed-upon labor times and local labor rates in a standardized formula so you can be properly informed of the fair price range for a given repair.
RepairPal Fair Price 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.
Once you have your estimate, you can continue on to find a shop — and many of our Certified shops feature an instant price and appointment option. If the shop offers this feature, you will see it mentioned on its listing. You can click the Instant Price link to see a more exact price quote from this shop.
If you call around to other shops and encounter a price that is below our estimate 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.
RepairPal Certified shops and RepairPal Price Guarantee shops agree to honor the RepairPal Price Guarantee. These shops have the corresponding logos next to their name in the shop directory on RepairPal.com.
Let's say you live in Las Vegas and you are having your radiator replaced at a shop that honors the RepairPrice Guarantee. If the RepairPal Price Estimate for this service ranges between $459 and $687 and they quote you a price above $687, the shop agrees to lower the price until it falls within the range.
One thing to keep in mind is that estimates generated by the RepairPal Estimator do not include taxes, disposal fees, diagnostic charges, or any additional repairs that may be necessary. Why is this? Because there is no way we can accurately predict every situation in every area.
In the unlikelihood that a participating shop refuses to honor the RepairPal Price Estimate, we encourage you to contact us immediately. Let us know
The shop agrees to honor the RepairPal Price Guarantee for thirty (30) days after the date the repair is performed. If you happen to be charged a higher price, they will refund you the difference. You will need to submit a reimbursement request to the shop within thirty days of the repair.
The RepairPal Price Guarantee only covers repairs that appear in the RepairPal Fair Price Estimator, which are specific to your vehicle and the zip code in which you live. The RepairPal Price Guarantee does not apply to repairs where consumers provider their own parts.
For most repair information, the sub-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.
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. Don't be shy—we want to hear from you!
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.
There are hundreds of thousands of individual shops listed in our directory and they are constantly being updated. But we need your help to continue to improve. If you don't see your shop, or if any of the information about your shop is inaccurate or incomplete, please let us know
We want to capture all of your questions and give experts and knowledgeable visitors an opportunity to help out. Sometimes our expert technicians are able to answer your questions. Other times, the amazing RepairPal community can answer them. 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. Go to Q&A
We have ASE Certified Master Technicians who have worked for dealerships and independent shops, and have won awards for their customer service and expertise. They have been Volvo and GM Master Technicians and one of them holds an Advanced California Smog Check License. Our lead parts expert owned his own body shop for 15 years and has purchased two NAPA Auto Parts stores. He has been building and showing muscle cars for 25 years and is also a California Licensed General Contractor.
Yes, RepairPal has published Community Guidelines that apply to all public forums. They can be found here
In 2016 we updated our review policy to limit the ability to submit ratings and reviews to customers whom we are able to independently verify had paid work performed at RepairPal Certified shops. This change has been implemented to limit potential gaming or other abuse as well as to protect the integrity of the RepairPal certification program. In addition, we believe this change better services RepairPal.com visitors who are looking for ratings and reviews by customers with verifiable first-hand experience, whether positive or negative. This is similar to other online websites such as OpenTable and Amazon who are focusing on delivering higher quality content to visitors.
Upon having services performed at a RepairPal Certified shop you may receive an email from us asking you to rate and review your experience and we encourage you to do so, even if the experience was negative. Please note that RepairPal will not remove negative reviews from displaying as long as they do not violate our Shop Rating and Reviews Terms of Service.
Customer verified reviews of RepairPal Certified shops gathered through direct surveys during our shop evaluations as well as on an ongoing basis as long as the shop remains in our certified program. While we do moderate customer reviews, we also rely on the community to let us know when a shop review just doesn't seem right. In rare cases, we will remove reviews that don't mesh with the RepairPal spirit of transparency and helpfulness. Learn more in our Shop Rating and Reviews Terms of Service.
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*Reduced deductible is not valid for any extended service plans purchased in Oregon or Washington.
**The minimum 12 month/12,000 mile warranty is provided by the RepairPal Certified shop, and is subject to exclusions, including but not limited to normal wear and tear items (such as tires, brake pads, clutches, wiper blades, etc.), wheel alignments and scheduled maintenance. For additional details, terms and conditions, please refer to your selected RepairPal Certified shop’s warranty at the time of purchase. CarMax is not responsible for the price guarantee/warranty, the repair guarantee or any charges or costs pertaining to the repair of your vehicle.
RepairPal Certified Shops are third-party service providers, and they are not owned or controlled by CarMax. RepairPal Certified Shops do not perform repairs under CarMax’s Limited Warranty, and they are not necessarily affiliated with specific vehicle manufacturers. CarMax receives compensation for this relationship.