Paying for Spare Parts
How does it work in Doha when you take your car to a mechanic for repairs? Does the mechanic tell you what parts you need, and then you go to the auto parts shop, buy the parts, and bring them back to the mechanic, which is how it's done in the UAE? Or does the mechanic furnish the parts himself and you pay his markup price, which is how it's done in the U.S.?
Thanks, zackm. It works both ways here in the UAE, as well, but if you know of a few good auto parts shops it's good to be able to let the mechanic know you'll return with the necessary parts. Usually, when I'm running errands or just want to kill some time, I'll walk around the industrial area pricing random parts, just to build up my local knowledge of what's available, where, and for how much. When doing this, I often find other non-related interesting things.
You can do it either ways, depends on the garage and the mechanic, sometimes, they will advise you to source the parts yourself or they will do it for a fee. Negotiate.