Increasingly more and more people are reporting bad quality repairs and steep prices when visiting garages in Britain. In light of so many cowboy garages being named and shamed people are finding it harder to choose a garage they can trust. To help you find the right garage we have provided a quick run down of points to look out for.

When choosing a garage for repairs there are several questions you should be asking yourself before committing to leaving your car behind.

A good starting point is seeing how busy the garage is. If the garage tells you to bring your car in right away then this isn't necessarily a good thing. Use your common sense to gauge the reaction to your problem over the phone. Did the mechanic listen to your problem entirely? They may just want to book your car in straight away to gurantee the work. Once your car is in the garage and work has started you obviously can't leave with it half finished. An empty garage could also be a sign of a poor track record. If you live in a busy area and they are not fully booked then surely alarm bells must be ringing?

Asking for a completion date can also hint towards reliability. The garage may say the work will take a week. This could be a sign that they are very busy which works well in their favour. If the mechanic sounds vague or disinterested they may be incompetent and genuinely not now how long the repair will take. This inevitably raises the question of how skilled is the individual under the bonnet?

Whether to choose a small garage or chain for repairs can be a tricky choice. Take into account what work needs to be done and find out if any new parts are going to be required. A large chain garage may be quicker as the person who is working on your car won't need to answer the phone or do other admin and shouldn't get distracted. A smaller garage may not hold as many parts in stock and so may have to order parts for you.

The next point to take into account is the hourly rate for labour charged. It is recommended to enquire how much time is going to be charged before hand or you may have difficulty tracing the charges on your final bill. The average rate for mechanic work is £45 an hour. Recent surveys have identified which areas tend to cost more for basic work carried out. Areas around London tend to be the most expensive while quieter regions like Lanarkshire have some of the cheapest.

If you need replacement parts for your car ask beforehand if you can have the old ones back. If this innocent question meets with bewildered, "raised eyebrows" then surely this is a bad sign. Requesting your old parts to be returned is the only sure fire method of knowing that your parts have actually been replaced.

Due to questionable practices by some of Britain's mechanics many people are now prepared to look elsewhere. Considering the price of travel compared to hefty charges for cowboy work many people travel abroad for repairs. It is even becoming commonplace for people to book a service when booking their holiday.

A recent research conducted on a variety of car models has revealed that labour costs for services in France are much cheaper than those in Britain. Similar to car prices being cheaper on the continent the same can be said for repairs and maintenance.

The report found that services were on average £110 cheaper in France andservices for some models were up to £300 pounds cheaper. The average quote for an hours labour in London was £100 compared to £35 in France. To put it in perspective; as the length of the job goes on the mark up does to. So if you own a model of car that is usually takes longer to service you can see the savings mount up.