Customers research carefully and still end up disappointed
The Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific commissioned a survey of 100 recent auto customers in six western states. Almost all of them compared more than one business, and 65% compared three or more. Even so, two out of three picked a shop based on reviews or word of mouth and walked away disappointed.
Where people look is split. Referrals reach 60% of customers, search engines 51%, and review sites 47%. Nearly half of customers ages 25 to 40 now use AI tools to find a business, compared with 7% of those over 55.
What builds trust once they find you:
Clear pricing and estimates topped the list at 77%, ahead of reviews at 56%
63% strongly agree a surprise charge is the fastest way to lose their trust
Photos and documentation matter more as the bill grows, from 35% on jobs under $750 to 58% on jobs over $1,500
81% would cancel or avoid booking after seeing bad reviews or unanswered complaints
Why it matters: Reviews get a customer to your door, but what you show them after that decides whether they say yes. A written estimate with parts and labor split out, photos on bigger jobs, and a call while the car is in the bay all landed high on this list. None of those cost much to do.
The report also found 52% of customers would return to a shop that was clear and reliable even if a competitor charged less. One more point stands out. A bad review is someone else’s opinion, but a complaint with no reply sits there as the shop’s answer, and that part is fully in your hands.
Toyota recalls 30,978 RAV4 plug-in hybrids over a power loss risk
Toyota is recalling 30,978 2026 RAV4 Plug-in Hybrids because of a software problem. The glitch can keep the hybrid system from working right, turn on warning lights, and limit performance. In some cases the vehicle can lose power at higher speeds, which raises crash risk.
Dealers will update the software for free. Owners should get notices by December 6.
Why it matters: These are brand new vehicles, so the fix belongs to the dealer. Still, RAV4 owners are everywhere, and a warning light on a hybrid often sends people to whoever they trust first. If one shows up at your counter, checking for an open recall before you start diagnosing can save you time you cannot bill.
It is also one more sign of where hybrid work is heading. More of the problems on these vehicles live in software, not in parts you can see and swap.
Recyclers launch an audited standard for used OEM parts
The Automotive Recyclers Association and United Recyclers Group launched CARE, short for Certified Automotive Recycler of Excellence. It is a new certification for salvage yards and recyclers that sell used OEM parts. Unlike programs where a business just signs off on itself, CARE requires yearly audits to keep the label.
To earn it, a recycler has to show it follows documented steps on:
Grading parts and backing them with a warranty
Tracking which vehicle each part came from
Screening safety parts for open recalls and pulling them from sale
Handling customer complaints and fixing what went wrong
Why it matters: If you buy recycled parts, the big question is always whether the part is what the listing says it is. A standard that traces each part back to its source vehicle and checks safety parts for recalls answers some of that up front. It also gives you something to point to if an insurer or customer asks where a part came from.
This lands a few weeks after eBay pulled airbags from its site over safety concerns. Knowing where a safety part came from keeps getting more important.
Quick Hits:
🛞 Online tire seller Tires Easy added 16 Colony Tire locations in North Carolina and Virginia as install partners, bringing its network in those two states to 170 shops.
🤝 Left Lane Auto acquired J&L Tire & Service, a two-location dealer in Wisconsin, and is keeping all 42 employees as it grows past 100 locations.
📐 ADAS Assist launched a calibration verification platform built by collision pros, after the founders said a third-party estimate scrubbing tool they used was only about 70% accurate.
👩💼 Shop marketing company KUKUI named Heather Myers CEO, moving up from chief technology officer to lead the company’s push into AI tools for repair shops.
📅 AutoShop Answers released its 2027 training calendar, adding onsite training for multi-shop groups, a women’s-only weekend, and its first West Coast class.
One question for you: What do you think makes a customer trust a shop on their first visit? The estimate, the photos, the way someone explains the work, or something else? Whether you run the counter or work the bay, hit reply and tell us.
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