AutoMD.com(TM) Ranks Best and Worst Cities for Auto Repair
 |
Car Owner Fears About Unfair Repair Shop Quotes Confirmed Advocacy Report Measures Affordability, Price Disparity Range and Shop Integrity
CARSON, Calif., Feb. 24 -- AutoMD.com (www.automd.com), the most comprehensive and unbiased free online auto repair resource, today released its Advocacy for Repair Shop Fairness Report, the first to analyze how the top-50 most populated U.S. cities stack up when it comes to providing consumers with fair auto repair cost estimates. In the report, Memphis ranked as the best city for fairness and consistency of prices quoted in auto repair, while Chicago ranked as the worst.
For the report, AutoMD.com mystery shoppers conducted a fairness check of over 600 shops in the top-50 DMAs* (including a range of dealers, independent shops, and franchises like Pep Boys) by requesting quotes on a typical auto repair job: a front brake replacement job for a Ford Focus. To measure pricing integrity, the mystery shoppers called back two weeks later with an industry standard price estimate. The best and worst list was then calculated based on each city's rankings for three critical factors, weighted equally:
1. Repair Affordability: The average cost-per-job for that city based on
prices quoted by repair shops
2. Price Disparity Range: The percentage variance between the lowest price
quoted and the highest price quoted in each market
3. Shop Integrity Factor: The percentage of shops that shifted their
original quoted price by more than 5% when presented with an industry
standard price estimate
"If you are one of the 88% of car owners who feel that they are not getting a fair shake at the repair shop** ... this report shows that you are probably right," said AutoMD.com President Shane Evangelist. "Repair shop quotes in more than half of the cities for the same job had a variance from lowest to highest of over 150% - with over two-thirds of the shops overall changing their price quote when presented with an industry standard price."
Underscoring that few car owners are immune to the challenges of repair shop pricing, Evangelist noted that even in Memphis, the report's top ranked city, there was a 135% price quote disparity - with one in four of the city's repair shops tested changing its quote when presented with an industry standard price.
AutoMD.com's Advocacy for Repair Shop Fairness Report rankings for the Five Best and Worst Cities are:
Five Best Cities for Auto Repair
Price
Disp- Shop
arity Integ-
(%Var- rity Afford-
iance (%Shops ability
In Price That Rank Price Shop
Highest Lowest Average Quotes Switched (Average Disp- Integ-
Price Price Price For Same Price Price arity rity
Rank City Quoted Quoted Quoted Job) Quotes) Quote) Rank Rank
1 Memphis $200 $90 $141 122% 25% 5 10 1
2 Jackson-
ville $190 $80 $130 137% 50% 3 12 4
3 Omaha $190 $80 $149 138% 33% 8 13 2
4 San
Antonio $215 $86 $141 150% 50% 5 17 4
5 Austin $190 $100 $152 90% 67% 9 3 19
Five Worst Cities for Auto Repair
Price
Disp- Shop
arity Integ-
(%Var- rity Afford-
iance (%Shops ability
In Price That Rank Price Shop
Highest Lowest Average Quotes Switched (Average Disp- Integ-
Price Price Price For Same Price Price) arity rity
Rank City Quoted Quoted Quoted Job) Quotes) Rank Rank
46 Raleigh $250 $60 $168 317% 83% 29 44 38
47 Washing-
ton DC $367 $140 $214 162% 92% 43 22 48
48 Albuq-
uerque $312 $99 $171 216% 88% 31 36 47
49 Honolulu $545 $151 $273 262% 75% 50 41 26
50 Chicago $425 $150 $226 183% 100% 46 30 50
"With such drastic quote fluctuations within each city -- and a chronic lack of integrity in the actual prices quoted -- consumers clearly need to arm themselves with research before setting foot in the repair shop," continued Evangelist. "The bottom line is that information is power; and, fortunately, car owners now have access to online tools so they can compare local repair shops, establish a local market repair invoice price and make sure that they get a fair deal at the repair shop."
To see if your city is best, worst or somewhere in-between, see AutoMD.com's complete Advocacy for Repair Shop Fairness Report rankings below or click here.
Price
Disp- Shop
arity Integ-
(%Var- rity Afford-
iance (%Shops ability
In Price That Rank Price Shop
Highest Lowest Average Quotes Switched (Average Disp- Integ-
Price Price Price For Same Price Price) arity rity
Rank City Quoted Quoted Quoted Job) Quotes) Rank Rank
1 Memphis $200 $90 $141 122% 25% 5 10 1
2 Jackson-
ville $190 $80 $130 137% 50% 3 12 4
3 Omaha $190 $80 $149 138% 33% 8 13 2
4 San
Antonio $215 $86 $141 150% 50% 5 17 4
5 Austin $190 $100 $152 90% 67% 9 3 19
6 Long
Beach $200 $125 $162 60% 58% 24 1 9
7 Phila-
delphia $265 $95 $152 179% 42% 9 27 3
8 Tucson $211 $100 $152 111% 75% 9 7 26
9 Virginia
Beach $212 $80 $157 165% 58% 14 23 9
10 Las Vegas $275 $100 $157 175% 58% 14 26 9
11 Nashville $225 $90 $143 150% 75% 7 17 26
12 Charlotte $230 $109 $163 111% 67% 27 7 19
13 El Paso $297 $125 $171 138% 58% 31 13 9
14 Miami $180 $90 $127 100% 92% 1 6 48
15 Cleveland $312 $135 $180 131% 58% 37 11 9
16 Denver $250 $149 $203 68% 67% 40 2 19
17 Boston $265 $110 $161 141% 75% 20 16 26
18 Colorado
Springs $238 $100 $162 138% 75% 24 13 26
19 Los
Angeles $240 $95 $161 153% 75% 20 19 26
20 New York $230 $80 $158 188% 67% 16 32 19
21 Arlington $250 $70 $162 257% 50% 24 40 4
22 Kansas
City $250 $50 $152 400% 58% 9 50 9
23 Minnea-
polis $321 $119 $161 170% 75% 20 24 26
24 Portland $244 $90 $178 171% 58% 36 25 9
25 Dallas $257 $90 $159 186% 75% 18 31 26
26 Detroit $219 $65 $128 237% 83% 2 37 38
27 Houston $226 $65 $161 248% 67% 20 39 19
28 Fresno $280 $100 $210 181% 58% 42 28 9
29 Indiana-
polis $274 $55 $139 398% 75% 4 49 26
30 Mesa $235 $90 $173 161% 75% 34 21 26
31 Baltimore $275 $140 $191 96% 83% 39 5 38
32 New
Orleans $275 $60 $172 359% 42% 33 46 3
33 Columbus,
OH $309 $159 $209 94% 83% 41 4 38
34 Fort
Worth $300 $65 $166 362% 58% 28 47 9
35 Atlanta $209 $74 $159 182% 83% 18 29 38
36 Oklahoma
City $230 $60 $158 283% 75% 16 43 26
37 Louis-
ville $240 $70 $169 243% 67% 30 38 19
38 Seattle $399 $130 $215 207% 58% 44 35 9
39 San Jose $278 $130 $215 114% 83% 44 9 38
40 Milwaukee $290 $65 $156 346% 83% 13 45 38
41 San
Francisco $380 $130 $237 192% 67% 47 33 19
42 Oakland $450 $95 $264 374% 50% 49 48 4
43 Phoenix $340 $90 $177 278% 75% 35 42 26
44 Sacra-
mento $450 $175 $247 157% 83% 48 20 38
45 San Diego $275 $90 $186 206% 83% 38 34 38
46 Raleigh $250 $60 $168 317% 83% 29 44 38
47 Washing-
ton DC $367 $140 $214 162% 92% 43 22 48
48 Albuq-
uerque $312 $99 $171 216% 88% 31 36 47
49 Honolulu $545 $151 $273 262% 75% 50 41 26
50 Chicago $425 $150 $226 183% 100% 46 30 50
* Designated Market Area
** A recent AutoMD.com survey shows that 88% of car-owners have felt
overcharged at the repair shop, with 74% reporting the shop either
suggested or charged them for repairs not needed.
About AutoMD.com
AutoMD.com(TM) (www.automd.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of US Auto Parts Network, Inc., , is the most comprehensive and unbiased free online automotive repair resource designed to empower car owners with the best way to repair their vehicles. Backed by a team of automotive data specialists and certified auto mechanics who are advocates for the car owner, AutoMD.com allows both car owners and DIYers to 1. Diagnose car problems, 2. Know how much auto repairs should cost, 3. Understand the steps needed and the time it should take with How-to Auto Repair guides, and 4. Find the right local auto repair shop at the right price for their issue.
Unlike other repair sites, AutoMD.com does not rely on revenue from repair shops or dealerships, so car owners can rest assured that AutoMD.com repair shop listings are completely unbiased and designed to help car owners choose the best, most affordable shop for their vehicle issue.
