DON'T go to these mechanics!!

mechanics of reddit what are the biggest signs a shop is a bad choice such as being scammed or hustled into fixing things that don't really need fixed or bad mechanics if they tell you something needs fixed replaced ask them to show you 1. a reputable shop will have no problem showing you the issue 2. a good mechanic will be able to explain in relatable terms why it's a problem any shop that can't sit and explain what's wrong and why to fix it is either full of crap or incompetent also you are legally allowed to ask for old broken parts back had your brake pads replaced you can ask for the old ones the only thing might be that a lot of parts have a core charge so asking to keep the parts might raise the cost of your service i was driving my wife's souls for bilolero and it just died i'm not overly mechanically inclined but i'm able to at least check the basics and i couldn't get it going again had caa so we got it towed to dealership they told us that the fuel pump was gone was going to cost six hundred dollars wife's coworker told us about a backyard mechanic who she used extensively for her vehicles called him up he was a former dealership mechanic who was disgusted with his employer and decided to go out on his own okay good start i like the guy already without even meeting him had the car towed out to him probably 30 minutes later he called me in a completely incoherent rage once he calmed down he proceeded to tell us the 600 fuel pump we needed was in fact a 25 fuel filter he basically told us that either the mechanic working on our car was completely inept or we were likely going to be replacing the fuel pump on the mechanics buddhist car he called the dealership and tore them a new one for us they ended up refunding both towing fees and the diagnostics fees we paid we promptly switched over to the new mechanic and used him exclusively until we moved away from the area he always got a christmas bonus from us and many other customers i'd say he was better stock than most of the bars were but honest mechanics are incredibly hard to find find them hold on to them treat them nice they save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars any shop that refuses to show you the part or issue on the car when they recommend doing some type of maintenance likewise shops that advertise basic work for low prices oil changes for twenty dollars etc plus a 100 point inspection all they want is to get you in and upsell that 20 oil change into a 500 brake job take a picture of your air filter some unscrupulous jiffy lube employees will bring in a nasty air filter and claim it's yours and that you need to spend some 5x mark up for a new one take your car in and ask for something to be fixed that you know doesn't need it an honest mechanic will tell you it doesn't need it get multiple quotes make sure the diagnosis is correct i replaced a no 2 sensor for a friend 25 pep boys told her she needed a new catalytic converter 1 200 rad bastards word of mouth is still critical on this subject when you find your honest french you tell other people about that individual nearly every car has an enthusiastic blog even models you think wouldn't if you register free and spend a little time there you will find not only mechanics who give excellent advice but others like yourself who have corrected problems posted photos and elaborated on what didn't work or was a misdiagnosis the weak points of a car are unearthed on these free blogs and if you navigate them carefully you can glean a wealth of information lastly these enthusiasts will tell you who is honest where you live and share their experiences in repair pursuits stay away from national chains small independent shops have no advertising just their reputation talk to friends and relatives to find who they trust and have a relationship with i think a strong start for most people is understanding the maintenance that needs to be done at each mileage interval as well as learning how to diagnose issues things like this one know how to tell if you have adequate tread on tires 2. learn how to tell if you have pad life left learn what bad brakes sound like they chirp when you brake 3. learn how to replace your air filter it costs 10 dollars and is usually in a plastic box easily accessible under the hood four for other things learn to understand what sounds mean clicking when turning probably a cv shaft grinding while driving and wobbly tires when you get the car jacked up wheel bearing if you understand what the issue is you can appreciate what the cost should be as well i have more of a story i was a 17 year old girl at the time dropped my car off to be diagnosed being told we will call you in an hour as soon as we know what the problem is so we can go from there those passed by so i called them to ask what was up yeah we figured out the issue and started working on it we're almost done now and we will let you know when to come pick it up had no choice but to pay the 600 because they fixed my car without even asking me to do so the best part it wasn't even fixed whatever they fixed was not the issue also had a tyre shot try and sell me one used tyre for 90 i asked them if they thought i was stupid and left now i always take my father with me if it involves anything car related not a mechanic but in my area there are places that have about 100 reviews and they're all 5 stars surprise surprise i go there for transmission work and my car starts leaking oil the next day i go in and they basically say they don't have time i leave a two-star review they threaten me in the review and i get a voicemail asking for them to call back makes me believe if anyone else left a low rating they'd get bullied into removing it i was an adjuster for a major insurance company and handled mechanical and body damages i can actually write for this for body repairs if you get into an accident look for these things there are a list of things people need to watch out for when they go to find a body shop first what attracts you to this body shop if it was a commercial you need to freaking leave body shops worth the crap do not advertise themselves because the good ones are so freaking swamped they can literally turn away one of three people who walk in the door and still be too busy besides they should be spending most of their money on tools and upgrades did you read the reviews this baffles me that people will look up reviews for a gyros restaurant they'll spend 15 us dollars at but not a shop that will be doing 6k usd repairs on their freaking car really look at the reviews if there are dozens of bad ones go away if a body shop says they can get you in today that's typically a bad sign if an estimate is not written yet the car will sit for a few days before somebody gets to it you should expect to wait for good repairs just like you would expect to make reservations at a nice restaurant if they advertise that they fight the big bad insurance companies use only oem parts or anything that pits you against your insurance company that means your shop is not on good terms with insurance companies who effectively subsidize most of the collision repair industry because the owners know you will come to them because you're on their side and they hate those damned insurance companies too just like me in reality your repairs will freaking stall constantly for additional repair costs of which will occur 90 of the time so every time a new part needs to be ordered the shop will move your car to the back while they fight which means they call once a day to discuss the merits of the repairs or the parts used in the repairs instead of ordering them and getting it done like a normal shop typically will your one-week bumper job could end up taking 65 days i have actually seen this happen and then the shop decides they want 70 bucks a day in storage if they pay your deductible or your info guess what somebody has to pay that and typically it isn't going to be shot doing it out of the kindness of their hearts it's usually the technician who is now on a race against time to get the work done faster use your instincts if you get a bad vibe walk away nobody makes you go to a shop not the insurance company not the shop you make a repair decision now you may be asked to go to a shop by the insurance company because they have a rep there and you should do that just to get an estimate in their system isn't it sad that going to the mechanics comes with all this fear and baggage if they're using fear in any way telling you something must be fixed right now or it could be dangerous they might be right especially if it's about your breaks but if they are being alarmist about it that would be a red flag plus in general trying to get you to commit right now without giving the chance to get another estimate or opinion take a look at the shop if it's a mess disorganized parts and tools left laying around the outside is not up kept at all a lot of dead cars sitting outside and a less than professional appearance both the facility and the people that could be a red flag also i go to a local garage independently run and speaking as a woman part of the reason i go there is that they just speak to me as a person with a car no over explaining i don't get charged anymore or less than men do they are just a lot more interested in my car than they are in me which is how it should be the other thing i appreciate is that if they think your car is passed all help they'll tell you so they could have easily charged me hundreds in labor to try and track down a wiring fault in my clio but instead told me that it had been fixed so much and so haphazardly in the past it was pretty much a lost cause and they'd offer me a half price service on whatever cheap piece of crap i brought in next time know your car before taking it in for anything check for stains under it put it up on a jack and run a rag over your axles a common hustle is to put a little bit of power steering fluid or oil on your axles and tell you you have a leak i check all of my fluids before taking my car in for anything one shot i took my car to brought me into the shop where my car was up on the lift and showed me the place where my power steering fluid was leaking then showed me the reservoir that was almost empty but 30 minutes ago it was full full from the last time i filled it even do you honestly expect me to believe that on the way over here i lost all of my power steering fluid hard no i never went back alternatively if you find a place that's honest stay with them my car was actually leaking oil once took it to a place expecting a hefty repair nope the drain plug was stripped five bucks didn't even charge me anything for labor or to look at it they got all of my business until i moved away it says canadian tyre above the door a shot by my house is a two lifts in the guy's garage no alignment tools and he doesn't take cards or checks not even a money order only cash he doesn't give invoices or work orders and he sells used tires as new the tyre he sold me lasted 38 miles litica's garage in salisbury nc not afraid to call out his bull crap not a mechanic but freaking look at your car if a mechanic said something needs to be fixed a mechanic told me my serpentine belts were horrifically cracked and would snap soon and that i had an oil leak they showed me pictures of what they claimed was my car my husband was like oh no maybe you should look before you do anything so we looked my belts looked practically brand new the belts they showed me a picture of were absolutely not mine there was no oil leak but they did dump oil on my engine and claim it was a leak first of all you shouldn't be looking for a shop look for a technician you could have completely different experiences at a shop just because you got a different tech this can be deceiving because you see the same faces up front the service advisors recommendations come from the tech most of the time the service advisor doesn't even look at the car if you have a good experience at a shop ask for the tech's name go back for another service and request he works on the car ask to meet him or get contact info ideally do this with small repairs then when a big one hits you have your guy if he switches shops go with him that's the ideal scenario in my mind any truth to going the dealership roots due to mopper certified mechanics and quality parts if they tell you you need new muffler bearings run away as fast as you can they won't take you to show you the issue they can't explain how they came to the conclusion of the fault they can't tell you what tests they did if they tested anything they are unable to show you any data to back up their claims etc for example someone i know was having an overheating issue the mechanic said it was definitely going to be a coolant temp sensor cooling system flush possibly a water pump etc they did not pressure test the system they didn't have any scan tool data etc the fix coolant reservoir cap 15 part another was having issues with power windows mechanic quoted for new regulators and motors i tore the door panels off and looked at the switch all it needed was some grease on the regulator and some wd-40 and a bit of plastic removed and a bit of contact cleaner on the switch so many shops or mechanics will try and sell full-on jobs for minor fixes partially because some shops want that upsell and some require it and also if you work flat rate some people really think their need for that money is more important and are willing to charge you for that emissions test and fix for your check engine light when what you needed was a replacement gas cap because the rubber o-ring went out when you take it in to be checked and they tell you what they think it is ask to see what made them think that if they won't show you and they can't tell you what makes them think it is said thing be wary you don't have to be a master technician to understand what the mechanic is saying but if you're having a starting issue and they aren't testing the battery start a relay and starter itself then they are just part swapping if they tested the battery or the alternator they should have a sheet if you are getting a brake job done and they are pushing for a flush ask to see the fluid or if they tested the fluid if they did test it they should have the strips or tester if they push for rotors ask for the measurements and if they cut their own rotors and if they do rotor matching a good and honest mechanic will have no issue showing you what they found or answer your questions if you are willing to take the time to show interest in your vehicle then you can feel more justified in your bill but do be careful if you seem like one of the customers who questions everything because they automatically think the mechanic is trying to screw you you'll have a less than enjoyable experience like any other profession if you're polite to the mechanic a lot of them will be nice and as helpful as possible to you understanding the basics of how your vehicle works will help you a lot and keeping up on maintenance will help you in the long run and if possible learn what is being put on your car also remember that unless your mechanic works for themselves they don't make the rate for labor all we can do is try and give you the best work for the time and remember the mechanics labor triangle if it's done fast and right it won't be cheap if it's done fast and cheap it won't be right if it's done cheap and right it won't be fast worked at a dodge dealer and a toyota dealer double check your air filters they may still be cleaned even if they are marked as dirty 30 plus or an air filter is ridiculous also mark your tyres when asking for a rotation some techs get lazy and ignore the rotation if the tire tread is even on all tires don't pay for something they didn't do i like the ford franchise near me as i know a couple of people who work there there are actually two nearer but after a bad experience with one they actually knocked a screwdriver through my exhaust to make it so i needed a new one from what my buddies actually showed me where they damaged it so i haven't been there since the one i use is pretty good i know i pay more than an indie garage but my buddies know me and i like things in good order i once used a mercedes franchise when my c-series windscreen wipers develop default as i worked right near there i asked them to take a look i assumed it was a fuse or something similar as they wouldn't do anything but intermittent but they did work like that they called me up wanting ps 1100 for a whole new wiper mechanism and switch assembly i just said no way i'll just go pick it up i arrived to find no windscreen wipers in the dashboard out and in various pieces it wasn't drivable the shop manager said that we don't put defective parts back in after a lot of bad noise calls to mercedes they basically told me to frick off i ended up having to pay out what they wanted despite the wipers basically working i understand women get frustrated over not trusting garages but i can assure you as guys get the same treatment sometimes you don't really have an option but to take a risk but what i have learned is that if you don't get your car booked in straight away if you have to wait a couple of days it means they're in demand if in using them they're straight up with you and what's up then it's good too my old garage that i used was like that sadly the owner retired after his son right-hand man passed away but they were constantly busy the state of the place was somewhere in the middle which is also good if there's crap everywhere forever and a day that's a bad sign if it's all squeaky clean and not a foot wrong that's bad too it means they care more about the fake plastic sheen mechanics are usually completely inexperienced or overstressed or badly paid different kind of mechanic here bicycles the best suggestions in here so far are 1. ask for a service you're sure you don't need and see if the mechanic agrees with you if they do be wary 2. ask for explanations of what is wrong and why it broke and how the fix will be performed if the mechanic can't explain the procedure parts and cost up front be wary three have maintenance completed regularly i'm not sure if it's the same for cars but for bicycles there are parts that last a long time and parts that wear quickly often times foregoing maintenance will allow these quicker wearing parts to incorrectly wear your longer lasting parts regular maintenance will ensure serviceable parts stay that way for longer if you've been having regular maintenance performed and using your equipment as intended be wary of a full service replacement package in the bike shop a lot of the maintenance i do is stuff riders should know how to do anyway ask to watch the service being performed chances are good you can watch and learn and save yourself time and money in the future when you go to a shop for a major service 30k 60k etc and they come with an estimate with more items need service compared to you owner's manual you may want to get a second opinion shops have made their own list for servicing by combining different manufacturers recommendations source had a shop for 10 years and saw some ridiculous quotes they talked to me i have very little car knowledge six wheels goes braum my wife is quite knowledgeable about the witchcraft under the hood we'll tell mechanics that i don't know about cars she's the one who does if they still insist on talking only to me i get suspicious if you choose to ignore the one who knows what you're talking about you either can't listen or want to try to get one past me and for all those screaming that a car has four wheels you're forgetting the one in the boot and the steering wheel tools are dirty and just lying about everywhere car parts all over the place cars used as storage or workbenches obvious osha violations can immediately identify the quality of a shop by simply looking in the door not a mechanic but relevant i recently took my brand new car in for an oil change it was leaking oil afterwards so i took it back the next day a different guy was in they said apart unrelated to the oil change and totally nothing to do with the work done 24 h earlier was broken red flag so i should take it back to the dealer for a placement under warranty took it in the dealer's mechanic snaked a camera through the engine and took pictures of the damage for me so i could see what was wrong the cylinder head was cracked for those unfamiliar just know that it's a 1.5 inches thick piece of steel there was damage all throughout the inside the camshaft was damaged when they did the oil change they had left the oil gun sticking into the hole where the oil goes in and then turned the engine on with it still inside so the oil gun got crunched inside my engine the prognosis a new engine or my brand new car was scrap metal i got a second opinion from my brother's mechanic to be sure and he said the exact same thing turns out my local mechanic had not only caused the damage but every person there had lied about it to my face to try and get out of taking responsibility a letter from my lawyer to the shop owner was the only way to get my car repaired the damage was over five thousand dollars in parts alone not including labor until this happened i was not aware it was possible to cause so much damage doing something as simple and routine as an oil change that shop is now closed the moral of the story when a mechanic lies to you there's a good chance the whole shop will lie to you the attitude of a business always comes down from the top a good mechanic will show you what's wrong if you ask and not try to send you away when it comes to damage if they won't show it they're full of crap ask them how often your oil needs to be changed jalub says three zero zero zero which is not true for most cars on the road new oil express asked how much i wanted as the interval on the sticker before i even had a chance to ask for less y n t h equals 10 k three times less frequently than j tried to tell me anytime they say you need a new anything when you go in for maintenance it's probably a lie confirm it yourself worked at a shell station for a week in college doing oil changes got one done and told the boss he said she needs a new belt i was like no she doesn't he proceeded to walk over and cut the belt off and told me to get her a new one quit on the spot and told everyone i could about how bad the place was utilize the internet check yelp facebook google reviews etc the small independent shop i work at doesn't advertise much at all seeing lack of advertisements bring other people's answer to this question but honestly our quality of work is fantastic and we always bring the customer out to show them what's wrong with their car our reviews are great i feel we should be dropping names for the auto shops we've had some unbelievable experiences with crooked mechanics are the margins that low or is it just that easy to rip people off in this industry this is where everyone becomes a mechanic point first you should go and get more than one opinion but also you can't be ignorant the price a mechanic gives you is with labor some people calculate their worth per hour differently everyone is trying to make a living and feed their families very recent story my mom was quoted one dollar six hundred to fix her little car and she fixed it herself with a forty dollar part plus pliers she bought at the dollar store way to go mom and screw that place a few signs the mechanics remember your name and past servicing done on your vehicle bad mechanics don't bother to remember because they don't care not only do local police departments get their work cars serviced there but also their personal cars the majority of local area car parts and tire shops recommend them and tell you why not just a store or two any guy working a retail car parts shop can recommend his brother and may but multiple stores you may also phrase this to them as where do you take your own vehicles you deal with the owner more than any employee i found that when the owner is also the guy fixing cars and he still takes time to deal with customers he's got skin in the game and can't afford to be bad at what he does this is especially true when the whole family is part of the base they take the time show you what is wrong and why when they tell you your power steering fluid is dirty and needs to be changed then you ask them more in-depth questions about it and they answer them all what color are they really sure did they check the right fluid reservoir can you check again etc then you ask them how that's possible when you drive a 2014 suberu forrester which doesn't have any power steering fluid that's how you know then you leave a one star google review i used to work at a repair shop for five years and i still do part-time management for them 10 years in total over the years we've had many customers come to us and say that other shops have tried to screw them over on similar things that people have posted here nevertheless i'd like to give my insight from the mechanics that i've worked with note i'm not a mechanic one like with most scams if you're being pressured into getting an expensive job on your vehicle think twice before getting it done if the mechanic or mechanics or manager on duty are pushing you into having something done on your car that wasn't explained to you in detail and they seem to only want to get it fixed as soon as possible you're most likely being scammed it can be difficult to read people especially when you're expected to put faith into the guys who are supposedly going to fix your ride but just be cautious of how they behave an honest mechanic will explain to you what the exact problem is especially if it's an immediate safety issue and why it needs to be done two pay attention to the price of the part or parts and labor they are estimating your job on a good mechanic will in least in our shops case give you the receipt of the part that will be installed or replaced in your vehicle that was purchased from a parts dealer or your vehicle's manufacturer usually a dealership also remember that an estimate is not the final price that you may be paying keep communication with the shop and ask them if there'll be any update regarding how much you may be expected to pay if they are hostile or reluctant in telling you what the change in price or work may be as they further examine and repair your car you're most likely getting ripped off one common scam is that a shop will give a low estimate on your car's job say 150 a few days go by and you end up having to pay twice or triple the amount on the day they release your car unless there is a situation where the mechanic on duty finds a huge safety issue besides the initial problem with your car and gives you an update on what the estimate will be should you agree to the job you shouldn't be paying more than you have to three remember that labor the actual work done is part of the bill you cannot tax labor only parts so make sure you're not paying extra for the tax as well four it doesn't hurt to do your homework on your own car learn about your vehicle's anatomy and physiology you don't have to go into the nitty-gritty but have a basic understanding what each part does and why it's important to have it maintained and what happens if something goes wrong with it for example and while not necessarily true in all cases certain noises coming from your car can be a telltale sign of which specific part or compartment the problem is coming from five it goes without saying but poor customer service is a huge red flag for a bad shop for our shop and many like them that have good mechanics and management the shop should give you updates as they examine and repair your vehicle this is usually done by phone sometimes text message or mail and each time they should tell you what exactly the problem is or if they are still working on it what they think the problem may be and if further work is necessary shops that do not communicate with you or completely stonewall you even after you've tried calling them again and again or shooting them ml after email are most likely under bad management it doesn't necessarily mean they are trying to screw you over as there are other customers cars they need to attend to especially if it's a small shop however just go with an open mind on how they are treating you and the tone they're using as they do a job on your vehicle six beware of patch up jobs this is probably the most common scam done and i see it happening all the time with new customers we'll get a customer come in to have their car examined by one of our mechanics and after being told what the problem may be they are told what the job will entail much to the customers dismay and disagreement they'll leave our shop and go to another place a shady place and be told they'll immediately repair their vehicle on the same day and at a low and cheap price they get their car seemingly repaired but all that's being done is bandaging the problem and not actually fixing it the customer victim ends up paying for the patch up and give it a few days or weeks later their car is still suffering from the same issue and sometimes even breaks down on them as they drive it then they come back to our shop and complain about the issue patch up jobs are exactly that all the shop is doing is patching up the issue and not addressing the problem in the long term with the proper diagnosis and repair essentially they are making a quick buck from you if you go back and try to complain to them they'll just say that maybe you experienced some kind of problem while you were driving your car sometimes they'll entirely blame it on you for example we had a customer who came to our shop and complained that one of his pipes and his car's exhaust system was leaking and making a loud rumbling noise our mechanic told him after briefly examining his vehicle that he may need to get the pipe entirely replaced the customer became irate and said that he wasn't going to wait for something like this he went to another shop he paid 200 plus taxes and labor for their mechanics to literally patch up one of his pipes they used a cheap sealant and he shows up a week later and says the problem is still persisting we advise him once again to have our mechanics take a look at it on our lift and replace the broken pipe he still refuses and huffs away seven they may be biased but take a look at the reviews of the shop you're going to generally you want to pay attention to any pattern of customers having complaints with that specific shop put some work into it don't just skim through and look at how many stars or ratings there are actually read what customers are saying and sift through the reviews that you believe to be not legit if it's a local shop in your town ask some folks in the area who've taken their vehicles to that place usually a long time resident that can attest for that shop is a sure sign that that shop is trustworthy though not always eight make sure the mechanics on ut are certified technicians while having accreditation and education from a technical school isn't necessary to become a mechanic you should do some homework on finding out if the mechanic or mechanics on duty is aware of what they are doing some mechanics have different specialties some work on foreign cars only some work domestic some do only specific jobs such as brakes or mufflers some only work on non-commercial that is personal vehicles other work commercial vans semis tow trucks etc find out if the shop works only on specific type of bodies such as sedans pickups or motorcycles 9. unless you know your vehicle is not roadworthy or safe to drive don't get and pay for jobs that you don't have to again doing some research on your car specs won't kill you and it also doesn't hurt to consult someone a third party who may be well educated on the matter such as another mechanic from a different shop you can think of it like getting a second opinion from another doctor 10. another scam that's done frequently by dishonest shops are quick estimate scams or immediate payment scams unless it's something extremely minor good mechanics will never give you an estimate on your vehicle unless it's been properly examined usually on a lift if your car literally rolls up to the shop and the shady character who calls themselves a mechanic takes a quick look at your car and gives you a ridiculous price on the repair right on the spot especially if you ask them why it's necessary and they don't go into detail and become defensive about it you're being scammed hard like the patch up job scam they are trying to pressure you into getting a repair done on your car even if it's not necessary sometimes they'll take it around the corner not even on the lift and pin around by pacing around the car after 30 minutes or so they'll tell you the jobs finished and demand immediate payment you know you're especially getting shafted when they ask for cash only even if they told you they accept credit they may even press legal action if you refuse to pay or demand to speak with a manager if one even exists 11 make sure you know what you're paying for vehicle parts vary by price make model size material manufacturer and market pricing if the job being done on your car is for a big safety issue such as the ball joints on your vehicle's steering system you can expect to be paying a higher price than usual nobody wants to take their car to a mechanic but sometimes you may not have a choice machines don't age like fine wine like anything else they start to wither crack and break down requiring maintenance you want to make certain that a job is done right for the right price rather than having a cheap job done for a low price when you know the parts being replaced or installed are rather expensive [Music] [Music] you

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Id: v0mkVlv2RAI

Length: 36min 41sec (2201 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 18 2020