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Old 08-20-2010, 04:15 PM   #16
AutoService101
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Re: The Truth About The Auto Repair Industry

Yes excellent article. Lot's of truth behind it. I to have been in dealerships for 20 years. I have seen some pretty crazy stuff thru the years. I have always felt like I have been on the up and up and it's got me into some pretty bad situations with a few of my bosses. The last dealer I worked for where a bunch of scum bags and I ended up getting fired (before I could quit ) for not following their lead. I just recently started a blog about informing the consumers as to how the industry really work's. The problem is as stated before most people are not educated as to how the business really works and because of this people continue to be taken advantage of. Not sure if I will make any changes but I hope to make some waves......
Helps when people can stand up to these big business (this goes for all big business) and say "Hey the jig is up, we know how you operate and we are done with the BS"
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Last edited by AutoService101; 09-11-2010 at 04:27 PM. Reason: Typo's - I hate typo's LOL
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Old 10-23-2016, 06:21 AM   #17
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Re: The Truth About The Auto Repair Industry

I have reread this thread, and not to my surprise, the situation with mechanics ripping off customers has not changed. I stay closely involved with relatives, friends and neighbors who constantly are needing repairs on their vehicles which are mostly in the range of 8-20 years old. I hear from them and others who have horror stories to tell about having to replace a single front wheel bearing, and they got a bill from a mechanic for $800! Ouch!
As all of my cars are now 14 years old or older, I have been doing all of my own work for the past 8 years or so. That is one thing I don't miss is the huge bills for repairs. It seems like I have tons of money now compared to decades ago when all the repairs I needed were done at local shops.
Because I now have the facilities and tools and knowledge (thanks to auto forums and facebook) I can do all of my own work, and in the past few years, I have been doing repairs on cars owned my people I know. It is not difficult to get most of the repairs done, except when repairs involve some kind of accident damage to the vehicles electronics or brake systems. In these cases, I advise them to go to a repair shop or dealership service shop. I don't have the tools or equipment to do all the repairs that they need.
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Old 10-23-2016, 08:16 AM   #18
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Re: The Truth About The Auto Repair Industry

Unfortunately, you run into a garage like this, that can spoil it for others....

Manufacturers, made vehicles, that were basically maintenance free for 100K miles...outside of oil changes, tire rotations/replacement, and brake jobs, what is there to be done?

Before the 90's, you were replacing exhausts, doing tuneups, replacing coolant, doing transmission services, belts, wipers, fuel filters, etc.......those were built in maintenance jobs for automotive shops.......with those jobs gone, dealerships become Jiffy Lubes and recall centers.....shops don't make money on oil changes.....they don't make money on recalls......with all the equipment needed and training spent on Techs, how do they get their money back?

Basically by upselling...why do shops have "cheap" oil change sales? Basically, to get customers in the door....when on the lift, the Tech doesn't just do an oil change, he looks for problems....and there is nothing wrong with that....if he finds something legitimately wrong with your vehicle, it should be fixed....some techs get in trouble, if they don't upsell work......and some techs, get a little too, shall we say, "creative"......

I never worked in a shop, that was devious......our SM usually went out of his way, to help customers, especially when they were out of warranty......but they only did that for "steady" customers, not the ones that only showed up for recalls.....

But I agree, because of the lack of routine maintenance needed on cars, some shops have "developed" new maintenance procedures....at 30K, they told me I have to have my calipers lubed.....at 50K, I had to have my injectors cleaned......each time this happened, I would pull out the owner's manual, and look up "Scheduled Maintenance" items......and they weren't listed...Why? Because only the dealer recommended it, not the manufacturer.....

Fact is, you have to be kind of an electronics expert, to be a tech today......it's expensive diagnosing and repairing a vehicle out of warranty......if you buy a new vehicle, and you plan on keeping it longer than 3 years, you better get an extended warranty........or, as some people have done, you take the money you would have spent on that extended warranty, and put it aside, and the money is there for repairs.....and if not used before being sold/traded in, then it can be used as part of a down payment on your next vehicle.....

There are vehicles out there with 100k warranties, but are only bumper to bumper for 36K, so only Powertrain components are covered....systems like ABS brakes, exhaust, A/C, accessories, etc., are not covered and can be costly to repair....

Find a good shop and give them your business......don't go to shops with bad reps....

As for the cost of repairs, yes the cost is up.....but have you ever needed a carpenter? Plumber? Electrician? That's real sticker shock!

I once had a gas stove put in.....the flue piping cost almost half as much as the stove......then there was the installation, that had to be done by a certified installer....and then we had to get a plumber, to run a line to the stove...the line and the plumber cost as much as the stove and the piping......everything costs more....
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Old 05-10-2017, 04:11 PM   #19
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Re: The Truth About The Auto Repair Industry

Too lengthy but good read!
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