If you do not have a close friend who is a mechanic and who will give you the true information on what is going on with your vehicle, then the least you can do to save money on a repair is buy your own part(s) at the auto parts store. Bring your part(s) with you when you drop your car off to be repaired. With most repair jobs you can do this, and it will be beneficial to do so. When you get the estimate, tell them you are bringing your own part and you want to know only what the labor cost is for changing the part. Most repair shops make a huge profit on the markup of the parts they sell you, so you can eliminate this markup cost.
