Can I Take My European Vehicle to Any Mechanic?

Let’s be honest here, the short answer is yes. Yes, you can take your European make of vehicle to any mechanic. However, do we recommend that you do? No. And here is why!

Many European makes of vehicles are tuned a little differently than American makes and models of cars. This means that sometimes you might need special tools, or specific pieces of equipment while tuning up the engine. Now if you are talking about taking your vehicle to any mechanic for a simple service or an oil change, that’s a little different. There is a little more to it than just that, but all in all, you are not required to ever go back to the dealer if you do not want to.

However, you need to remember that, even though you can choose who works on your vehicle, it does not mean that every mechanic is qualified to do so. As we said before many of the European spec cars may need special tools or sizes that many mechanics in America don’t carry.

As we said before, there is a big difference between just taking your car to go get an oil change and having, let’s say, your transmission worked on. When you need to have major mechanical work done to your vehicle, we highly suggest a specialized shop or dealer ship.

Why do we suggest that you go to a certified shop or dealership? The mechanics that work at those repair shops have gone through special schoolings and had to maintain knowledge about most of if not all of the European makes and models of cars, all the quirks that some cars are known for, and how to fix them by the book. This means that they have the best hands on experience as well as knowledge about your vehicle’s engine

That is the main difference between when we suggest that you, yes, can take your car to any mechanic and when we recommend you SHOULD take your car to a specialist mechanic who is trained to work on European vehicles. If you have any other questions please give us at The German Auto Doctor, we would be happy to answer your questions.