Car mechanics

I am outraged by what has happened today because situations like this happened many times now. We all know that mechanics fix your car and help you maintain it, but sometimes they do the opposite or redundant work. Some of you may know where I am going with this, but bear with me. Two most memorable situations.

Two years ago, our family car was dented by a motorcyclist claiming that he is poor and does not have insurance, sure, we'll just let our company do that. So after $600 spent on a bumper, the mechanic told us that our air conditioner filter needs to be changed and that it was breathing smog in there. We'll guess what, We got it changed at Jiffy Lube 2 months ago, and my dad doesn't want to change it, but they said it was dangerous and my mom pressured my dad to change it.

Today afternoon my mom went there to change the oil, but she ended up telling me that the tires are changed too. I was like, mom, dad changed it at their place like 2 weeks ago. The mechanic told my mom that it was dangerous to drive with those tires and that she must get new ones. How can relatively new tires be dangerous? They took the old tires and made her pay a "recycling" fee too. The primary goal of this trip was to get the oil changed for 30 bucks but my mom ended up spending more than $500.

They offer to do this or that everytime we go there, maybe they think that my mom is very gullible because she's Asian or something and there's a language barrier. Man, this is the last draw, I'm not sure what to say to the manager.

Looking to remarry. Mechanic needed.
You fix the cars, I'll do the rest.

Similar experience just a few days ago. My car hasn't been starting up - so I take it to a mechanic to have it looked at (paid a tow truck.) Next day I get a call - it's the mechanic - he said he hooked up my car to a "diagnostic tool" and tells me my "ECU, ICU, crankshaft sensor, fuel pump, and fuel filter" all need to be replaced - total labor :400$ plus parts. I looked around online - parts would cost me over 1500$!!! I tell him NO. So I ask him (owner of the shop) how much for just having looked at my car - he says "80 dollars." That's where I tell him - your employee said 35$ yesterday. He has a quick chat with that employee while he's still on the line with me and replies "OK FINE... 40 dollars." POINT IS - they pull numbers (excuse my language) out of their ass - and tell you to replace sh** you don't need. They KEEP those old parts and re-sell them, while overcharging you for what they ordered. I had my mom's friend (he's the mechanic I should've gone to in the first place) look over my car - fuel pump, and EVERYTHING ELSE WAS FINE (I saw him hook my car up to a machine). All it needed replaced was a 28 DOLLAR PIECE I FOUND ON EBAY (OVP RELAY.) Total money wasted: 120$ (two tow trucks, plus that original mechanic's bull# diagnosis) - my car's running perfect now.

I had an even worse thing happen to mine.

Bought the car new at a Chevy dealer. Took it in for each checkup and inspection by the book.

About a year later, my friend noticed the oil was very 'black' looking.

So another six months, more stuff, oil changes, at the dealer, finally took it to Sears to have new tires.

When I got back from shopping the guy said: 'I broke a screwdriver trying to get your oil filter out'.

I was stunned when he told me that by the color, this was the original filter (colored black or blue) from the factory, and that he was sure the oil had -never- been changed. He figured that someone had over tightened the filter (which he finally got out) and the dealer just left it since he couldn't get it out.

Made sense, now, as to why the oil was so black.

Took it back to dealer and told him the story and he denied it ever could or did happen, but looked 'worried'. Ended up not going back to him.

Can you imagine them doing this to a customer who brought the car there? AND, they have a rep for being the most honest in town.

Guess that tells you something when a service uses 'honesty' as their slogan (implying that truth is a problem in the industry).

Sorry to hear that happened to you.

Oh, one other - had the auto-window fail. Guy said he replaced it. About two months later it fails again. This time I talked the guy into 'fixing' it inexpensively since even HE couldn't defend a car needing two auto-window motors in two months. Of course I'm sure they didn't replace the original, so I'm out about $200. Oh, and these guys also have a rep for being 'honest'. Hahaha.

I am not making an attack on mom here, so please don't take it the wrong way, but it might be in her best interest to take a basic auto mechanics course at the local community college.

I don't get ripped off by mechanics because I know when they're full of it.

Another recommendation, if you think your mechanic is doing unnecessary repairs, make sure to get the parts being replaced and go to another mechanic for a second opinion. My state, and perhaps others, has an oversight body that fines mechanics for unscrupulous practices.

Also, if that mechanic is ripping your family off, find another one. They're not all alike.

My mechanic of 7 years is honest, fast, dependable and affordable. He's never once tried to sell me on a repair that my car didn't need.

An auto repair course might be nice, but I assure you they are not going to tell you everything about a car (such as the automatic window motors, or even the windshield wiper motors), just the motor and drive train.

Have you seen the 'stings' they've done on TV where they secretly film repairmen and contractors 'breaking things' then claiming they need repaired?

We did have an honest auto mechanic, my wife's brother, but he's since moved out of state.

Originally posted by Badge01
they are not going to tell you everything about a car (such as the automatic window motors, or even the windshield wiper motors), just the motor and drive train.

True, but that knowledge will give mom confidence when she goes into the shop.

I think that unscrupulous mechanics can smell ignorance of automotive principles. Any knowledge will confuse their n00b sense and throw them off the scent.

The automotive repair industry is rife with charlatans, thieves and dishonesty.

Search for an honest repairman and stick with them.

When you discover that you have been ripped of or sold unneeded services, call the better business bureau and your states attorney general.

The elderly and women are prime targets. Don't let these SOB's get away with it!!!

reply to post by die_another_day



yep
everything whaaa and MM said
i worked for one of these sad people and the reason why i left...

women and the elderly are taken for a ride

do not trust every big dealer
they can be as bad as back street mechanics

find an honest mechanic or do it yourself
ask your friends for an honest one

if you think you are being ripped off
you probably are being ripped off.

ps...
to the person who said their oil was very black looking, if your car is a diesel then it is normal enough, diesel oil goes black very quickly...
as for computer read-outs, ask the garage for a copy before they do the work....

chickenfeet

Originally posted by die_another_day
We all know that mechanics fix your car and help you maintain it, but sometimes they do the opposite or redundant work.


So after $600 spent on a bumper, the mechanic told us that our air conditioner filter needs to be changed and that it was breathing smog in there. We'll guess what, We got it changed at Jiffy Lube 2 months ago, and my dad doesn't want to change it, but they said it was dangerous and my mom pressured my dad to change it.



Today afternoon my mom went there to change the oil, but she ended up telling me that the tires are changed too. I was like, mom, dad changed it at their place like 2 weeks ago. The mechanic told my mom that it was dangerous to drive with those tires and that she must get new ones. How can relatively new tires be dangerous? They took the old tires and made her pay a "recycling" fee too. The primary goal of this trip was to get the oil changed for 30 bucks but my mom ended up spending more than $500.

i'm not gonna trim this much cause i am a mechanic 'retired' and he wanted to talk to one...

first, someone said that the mechanic industry is rife with charlitans...i suppose so but the people at friggin jiffy lube are not mechanics...

there are very much reputable places/dealers ALL over the place and more often than not, imo people think they are getting ripped off cause they prices for parts/labor is high and/or they take their car in for one thing but to totally fix it they need three things and for reasons they don't understand, it is the mechanics fault.
i am not saying you are doing this, just that it happens, ALL the time.
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i have never done the opposite or redundant work.

matter of fact, i quit a dealership because i was looking over a new batch of used cars they bought at auction and recomended repairs for this car. these repairs were from my opinion as the tech, needed. i made the recco and they didn't do it and put in on the lot for sale anyway.
i packed my tool and left. the car was not save to drive and had no biz being sold.

where did you get the bumper put on where they would tell you that your air conditioning 'filter' needed changed?
bumpers are body work. a/c systems are not.


i am having a hard time following your post. what did you get chaged at jiffy lube?(btw, never take your car to a pit like jiffy lube)..
who/where diagnosed your a/c problem?
they knew a lot from putting a bumper on seeing as a/c systems are closed systems. if they leak(and they do, all the time) they do not leak smog. the leak r12 or r134a. you can't see it though. you have to shoot dye into the system and put glasses on so you can see it, and you can bust the sniffer out. and you bust out the vac to see of it holds pressure and how much...

they have different levels in certifications for a reason. i was an ASE certified tech but not in all areas.
you see a guy with a patch in that says certified, that don't mean he is the master at all. he might be certified on steering and suspension or brakes(you have to take those tww first)...
also, i am thinking the guys are jiffy lube are not certified in anything.

also, being certified don't mean you're a good tech and you could be the man and not have any certs. i learned a ton from a guy that owned a shop but had no certs.
point is here with all this, you get what you pay for and you have to take your car to the right place.

to the oil change turned into tires and $500
again, to jiffy lube


did she get the very same two tires or the other two changed?

oh yeah, these guys are not mechanics...i don't know what to call them but not mechanics....anyway, what happens when you go to these places to change yoru oil is they look at everyhthing. if your furl filter looks old they will recco a new one. if your oil pan is leaking thy will recco a new one. tread guages on the tires and depending on the wear, they will recco new ones.
so, that is probably what happened with you mom....IF they changed the two front tires last week and then today they told her she needed new fronts again, there is something wrong with that. even if they had impact breaks or nails in the sidewall, they would be under some sort of warranty.

what is the possibilit they told her that her two back tires need replaced and there are 3 tires she can get and this his how much they cost?
as far as the recycling fee, EVERY shop charges those. you have recycling/disposal fees and 'shop fee's. look at your bill. you will have $4 or something like that added for shop fees. that takes into account for rags and things like that.

my last point about this one would be is, just like people get second opinions with everything else, why did your mom just pay the 5 large and get the tires? can't wait a day and take it to somewhere else?

not laying blame, just trying to say it is not always the techs fault.
much like with other places, they get improper blame. depending on the type of shop, you are made to make recco's(legit ones)..if someone comes in for tires, we HAD to shake the front end down and if they had say a bad tie rod, i HAD to recco it to the desk. the desk would recco it to the customer...did they need it? yeah, they did? did they need it right then? don't know. it could snap in 5 minutes or 5 months. did i rip him off and try to get him to fix something that didn't need to be fixes? no. i did my job.

we have to inform them, within reason. if i am putting breaks on, i need to check tires, front end, maybe scope the bottom real fast. no need to pop the hood. there is a liability issue too. say you some in to my place for tires and i see that you need an outer tire rod on the right(which would mean you would also need at least a thrust angle alignment...that is NOY ripping you off. you HAVE to have that) and i do NOT recco it to you. 1 day later you are driving down the road and it snaps. you skid out and have it towed to another shop and see that you have new front tires. they ask when you got them. you say one day ago. they say that place SHOULD have noticed it and they SHOULD have told you.
now you're pissed and people actually do call and they do threaten suits.

i know this is long but maybe it gives you some perspective. i would not be saying they do it cause she is gullible and/or asian.
the actual people looking at the car are doing what they are supposed to do. $500 for tires.
thats pretty steep for two tires imo.

my recco would be stop taking your car to a pit like that and take it to a legit shop. you don't have to go to a dealer but take it to someplace like a goodyear(conrads) or a firestone..
those are full out shops and have ASE certified master techs. not ever tech there is a master tech but they are legit wrenches.

when you go to places like juffy lube, grease monkey, stp and those types of 'pits', you are going to bottom of the barel places. these dues get a tool set for christmas and they thing are are techs.

prices are high on labor too cause it is an expensive trade. sure, the shop is making money but they have to pay me pretty decent. they have to pay me to continue to take education courses. i have to dish out big dollars for tools. the shops proves diog equipment and certain specialty tools but those impact wrenchs you hear are owned by the techs.


parts are expensve.

the shop has to charge you a disposal fee or a recycling fee because they have to pay it and they pass it off themself.

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a lot of peeople used to fix their stuff themselves but not so much anymore. there are a lot of changes being mae and even though you may know what to do, you need certain tools or whatever.

if you can fix your own car you are very fortunate cause it is a hassle and it does cost a lot of money. that said, it's not easy despite what lots of keyboard techs will tell you and it is needed.

Originally posted by dOOBiE300E
Similar experience just a few days ago. My car hasn't been starting up - so I take it to a mechanic to have it looked at (paid a tow truck.) Next day I get a call - it's the mechanic - he said he hooked up my car to a "diagnostic tool" and tells me my "ECU, ICU, crankshaft sensor, fuel pump, and fuel filter" all need to be replaced - .

these are the type of places that you need to avoid but honestly, it shouldn't be that hard to find an honest, qualified shop.

i mean seriously, you think that the local goodyear or whatever or chevrolet dealer is taking peoples parts and reselling them?

i worked in several shops and we never did. i never worked in crap shops though.

where are you guys taking your cars man?

about the parts...EVERY shop makes money off the parts they sell you. get used to it.


if you need an alternator, they will make a few bucks off if you. that said, say you get it diagnosed and they say you need a belt and a hose and a this and a that.

bring the stuff yourself if you don't want to get ripped off on the parts. if you feel you are getting ripped off.

people used to do that all the time. bring their own oil and filter and stuff like that...

why not?

Knowledge is power. If they know you know what you're talking about, they don't try and manipulate the situation in their favor. If your car ever does anything "sketchy" google the problems and get your own diagnosis. If you spit the diagnosis to the mechanic as you're taking it in, they'll think twice about cheating you out of money. People will only take what you give them.

ok i'm a mech ok and i havent worked for a dealer or shop outside the airforce so i cant speak for them but before taking your car to a shop get some background on it first then use common sense you can change pretty much any filter in your car

and if they said her tires where bad maybe they had goges on them from hitting the curve on the side wall or something but if people actually were better informed and read the user manual they wouldnt get tricked as much it tells you how to check stuff

and replacing light bulbs on cars is easier than at your house

before you go knocking mechanics maybe you should take a look at your self and see the root cause for some of this nasty bussiness

oh and never hire someone to tear your car appart who claims to be a mechanic and is not certified or you'll be sorry

yeah, you can google...learning can never be bad but say your car has a miss and you google it...you're gonna get a million hits with tons of answers.

imo, the best thing for people to do is take their car to a reputable shop and just pay the labor. i don'r know what it is round you but here is is at about $68-$72 per hour.
find a place you are happy with and stick with it. keep all your paperwork from all work done.

that is all you can do.

in the end, no matter how you cut it you are going to need your car fixed at some point. someone has to do it.
i don't know about you but i'm taking it to the place where the certified techs are that will guarantee thaeir work, even though i have to pay $68 an hour verses jim's auto shop that will charge me $25 an hour and has parts out back.

Just gotta find a good shop, I do my own work cept for tuning and I'll tell ya before I learned how to do the # I had some problems with shops. Even fancy shops have their issues. Best thing is to use word of mouth talk to people and see where they go. Personally I go to one shop and one shop only now, they charge an arm and a leg but they always do everything right. Avoid young people at all costs. I had a speed shop blow up a 2500$ trans while on a dyno run or so they say, funny thing is the dyno should cause enough of a shock to the trans to blow it up... Especially not one built for 1k hp when my car doesnt even make that.

With the newer cars being built now,I grew up working on cars,rebuild motors etc,now with the sensors and all my trouble shooting skills are out the window,so yes nice to find an honest mechanic,took me 3 yrs to find an honest Land Rover mech that didn't charge 300 an hr