Automobile repair shop
Encyclopedia
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s are repaired by auto mechanic
Auto mechanic
An auto mechanic is a mechanic with a variety of car makes or either in a specific area or in a specific make of car. In repairing cars, their main role is to diagnose the problem accurately and quickly...
s and electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
s.
Types
Some auto part
Auto part
This is a list of auto parts, which are manufactured components of automobiles:-Body and exterior:Body components, including windows and trim:-Engine cooling system:* Air blower* Coolant hose* Cooling fan* Fan blade* Fan clutch* Radiator...
s stores also maintain service
Service (motor vehicle)
A motor vehicle service is a series of maintenance procedures carried out at a set time interval or after the vehicle has travelled a certain distance...
operations. Examples include Pep Boys
Pep Boys
The Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack , branded as Pep Boys Auto and commonly abbreviated as Pep Boys, is a full-service and tire automotive aftermarket chain....
, Walmart, and Sears Auto Center
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
.
There are also independently owned and operated businesses, and regional or national chains and franchises. Examples of chains and franchises include Midas and Firestone
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
Complete Auto Care.
A third type of repair shop is the service departments of car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
s. These shops are the only ones authorized to perform warranty and recall repairs by the manufacturers and distributors, except in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Specialty
Muffler
A muffler is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. A US Patent for an Exhaust muffler for engines was granted to Milton and Marshall Reeves in 1897....
s, transmission
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
s, body parts, tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
s and automobile electrification, windshields, and oil changes. Examples include MAACO
MAACO
MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting is an American franchisor of auto painting and collision repair shops based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1972 by Anthony A. Martino and Daniel I. Rhode. Maaco's reputation is low pricing and questionable quality...
and AAMCO
AAMCO
AAMCO is an American transmission-repair franchise founded by Robert Morgan and Anthony A. Martino during 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
There are also independently-owned specialists who only work on certain brands of vehicles, such as European car specialists and BMW repair specialists.
In the UK, a garage does not typically specialize in one area of the vehicle. Instead, they tend to repair all mechanical and servicing requirements, the only specialty being body repair and painting.
Body Shops
Many Automotive repair shops also offer paintwork repairs to scratches, scuffs and dents to vehicle damage as well as damage caused by collisions and major accidents. In order to insure a high quality, permanent repair, current body shop paint technology requires blending into the existing paint, instead of just painting a single panel and therefore normally require the vehicle in their shop for a minimum of a few days.See also
- Automotive Service ExcellenceAutomotive Service ExcellenceNational Institute for Automotive Service Excellence is a professional certification group that certifies professionals in the automotive repair and service industry. It is an independent, non-profit organization created in 1972 in response to consumers wanting the need to distinguish between...
(ASE) - Breakdown (vehicle)Breakdown (vehicle)A vehicle breakdown is the operational failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that the underlying problem prevents the vehicle from being operated at all, or impedes the vehicle's operation so much, that it is very difficult or nearly impossible, or dangerous to operate, or else at risk of...
- Preventive maintenancePreventive maintenancePreventive maintenance has the following meanings:#The care and servicing by personnel for the purpose of maintaining equipment and facilities in satisfactory operating condition by providing for systematic inspection, detection, and correction of incipient failures either before they occur or...
- Reliability centered maintenanceReliability Centered MaintenanceReliability Centered Maintenance, often known as RCM, is a process to ensure that assets continue to do what their users require in their present operating context....