Are mechanics to be trusted?

Friend of mine put his car in for a routine $89, gets a $500 bill.

He replaced the Fuel pump, timing belts, and some other un-nessasary (for a 99' model) shit.

I'll be putting my car in for service in 2 months, gimmi some tips to avoid this problem!

If he bullshits you, make him uninstall what you didn't ask for and take him to small claims court for the cost. If you have spare time on your hands, try to give the impression of being as naive as possible, so that he will try to put as much over on you as he can. That way you'll be able to screw him all the more when push comes to shove.

Yes, we are all evil and can NEVER be trusted. :rolleyes:

Nobody walks into a shop for a $90 service and leaves with a $500 bill without AGREEING to have the work done.

Yes, we are all evil and can NEVER be trusted. :rolleyes:

Nobody walks into a shop for a $90 service and leaves with a $500 bill without AGREEING to have the work done.
Damned fucking straight. The only way that would happen is if you give him your consent to have "anything that needs to be changed, changed". Which would be a fucking stupid thing to do. He should contact you if he uncovers any problems...

definately, at my dealership, u have to approve every thing. if they call u and say "u need this"go look at it and make ur own decision. tell them this is all i want done then u should have no worries.

Yes, we are all evil and can NEVER be trusted. :rolleyes:

Nobody walks into a shop for a $90 service and leaves with a $500 bill without AGREEING to have the work done.

This is not always true, when I was 18 i droped my car off to have a specific problem fixed (don't remember exactly what it was b/c the car had sooo many problems) I was told how much it would cost and what exactly was going to get worked on. 2 days later I got a call that my car was fixed and to pick it up. When i got there the bill was over $400 more than what we agreed on, the mechanic said he saw that i needed a few things replaced and figured I wanted them fixed. Even though i probally would have told them to fix the problem they never asked me. Long story short, I raised hell and did not have to pay a dime for the whole visit.

Damned fucking straight. The only way that would happen is if you give him your consent to have "anything that needs to be changed, changed". Which would be a fucking stupid thing to do. He should contact you if he uncovers any problems...

:iagree:

Look for a new mechanic and don't even bother with that idiot !!

Yes, we are all evil and can NEVER be trusted. :rolleyes:

Nobody walks into a shop for a $90 service and leaves with a $500 bill without AGREEING to have the work done.that's true, but it's still easy for mechanics to take advantage of someone's lack of knowledge. when a trained professional says your car needs this or that, a person with limited car knowledge is going to be quick to agree to have it done, especially if it's their ony method of transportation. not all mechanics are grimey, but not all are trustworthy either.

This is a stigma the automotive industry has been trying to rid itself of for years now. There's always going to be bad people out there, in any profession, some just happen to be technicians. Here's something the customers where i work have to read and sign below it, either before or after work is performed, if you sign off on work before any work has yet been done than you're pretty much just saying "go ahead and do whatever." Here's what it says-

"I hereby authorize all such repair work, including installation of necessary parts, materials and equipment as may be reasonably necessary to alleviate the complaint set forth herein. I hereby agree that i shall pay your customary price for such labor, parts, materials and equipment. I hereby agree that you are not responsible for loss or damage to vehicle or articles left in vehicle in case of fire, theft or any other cause beyond our control or for any delays caused by unavailability of parts or delays in parts shipments by the supplier or transporter. I hereby grant you and or your employees permission to operate the vehicle herein described on streets, highways, or elsewhere for purpose of testing and or inspection. An express mechanics lien is hereby acknowledged on vehicle to secure the amount of repairs. I agree that your cost of collection, including court costs and reasonable attorney fees, shall be recoverable from me."

Sign off and you get whatever work is necessary to fix your car, as simple as that. Sign after the work and you have no problems. However, where i work we still call the customer and ask if they want the work done.

to avoid that problem most of the time I run home to daddy if I cant fix it my self. He has been a mechanic for over 30 years.

the only mechanic my family trusts is my dad!!!!

chris

Make sure to have them call you before any work is done and run down EVERYTHING with you. Ask them to give you all the old parts they replaced (any legitimate shop shouldn't have a problem with this). Ask AF about the problem in your car, and that should give you a basic idea of what needs to be done. Also, ask around your friends and coworkers to see if they have any trusted mechanics they know of.

Honestly, the only way to get really ripped off is to take it to a shop you've never been to before and never heard any stories of and to just say 'do whatever and whatever it costs'. Research and knowledge is the key to not getting ripped off.

This is why I only deal with mechanics that know people who I know and aren't gonna screw me over. I brought my Taurus to a Ford repair place and got charge 300 for a freaking tie thing on a hose. Rediculus to say the least.

A big part of the problem is that those who know very little about their vehicles are the biggest targets of these unscrupulous mechanics. I used to work for a shop here the owner had an "agreement" with the service advisor to push extra, unneeded repairs to owners of cars who brought them into the shop. The service advisor then had his own "agreements" with a couple of mechanics to go along with the whole charade. The ones who were targeted the most were women and the elderly. I left that shop shortly there after, and the garage closed a short time later. That is why I think it's important for everyone to get acquainted with their vehicles and if they aren't sure about work that a shop says needs to be done, should get a second opinion. There are classes available (some at no charge) that teach basic concepts about your auto and how not to get ripped off.

When I first bought my T Bird, I had some problems and took it back to Ford, and they said that since I had recently bought it from them they would check it out for no charge, and then we could negotiate on a price to fix it all. I dropped my car off, and had them shuttle me to the mall, and after about 8 hours of wandering the mall, they finally called me and said "Your car is done". I'm like... my car is what? Done. Well, I get there and as I walk into the "Used Car" manager's office he says "Hey there easy money." No joke. I kinda laugh, but kinda not, and I tell him that I'm not paying for anything because I thought it was just a check up. He complains about how he was only charging me half and I was getting a good deal, and I was lucky he was even negotiating that much with me, and I told him.. "You know what, that's not my problem. I didnt tell you to do anything to my car. This was supposed to be a check up." He gets pissed and says, "Fine you little shit, take your car and get the fuck out of here. If you ever need anything else, dont come back here."

So I left, and was laughing cuz he made a fool out of himself by calling me easy money, and then I'm the one who got the good end of the deal. I got free motor mounts replaced, free tranny and torque converter flush and refill, and free tune up/spark plug wires. After that, the only place I took my car was to the goodyear my friend was the manager of. He gave me pretty good deals, so I spent a lot there.

Now that I have a Jag though, Im worried about things like this. I can't just pop the hood and change my wires, and simple things like a thermostat. Its all computer programmed and I'll fuck it up. I think I'm going to have to get a computer for it and a manual.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I wasn't insulting mechanics, blindside.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I wasn't insulting mechanics, blindside.

Nah, I didn't think you were. ec437 comments were the ones that kinda ticked me off. :smile:

That's cool.

My brother's a mechanic, haha. He's only just started, so he's got a fair way. An old best mate of mine is 3rd year apprentice Mechanic. I share a similar interest in engines.
My dad was a Mechanic, my grandpa knows a bit about engines, so I can't really insult a Mechanic, when I'm related to so many. Plus, it happened to my mate, not me.

The one garage I ever worked at, the owner would try to charge the customers for a brake cleaning. As in when we took off the brake drums we sprayed it down with brake kleen, which we did anyway. I think he charged $18 for that. So for the poor sap who says sure, they pay an extra 18.

He was a sh*thead. He would always have temper tantrums and start throwing stuff around. He would also ask one of us to watch his dog when he stepped out. That used to piss me off, since I didn't take the job to be a dog sitter. I could go on and on. He is still in business too.


Don't deny this, if you are out there, YOU know who you are

Name and shame him then :D

What the person says.
"I think the thing-a-ma-jiggy broke which was attached to this what-cha-ma-callit."

What the mechanic hears.
"I'M A SUCKER! OVERCHARGE ME! OVERCHARGE ME!"

Another thing is to mark off the parts you want replaced. Sometimes a mechaninc can screw you ver by just putting in the same part.

Lew's service center in Coatesville, PA

Crybaby Lew

When I had to get my car inspected I failed because of brakes. I could understand as mine were fairly worn out. He gave me an estimate of over $500. I gave him a funny look then took my car and left. The next weekend I spent $61 and did the brakes with my friend and cousin. Over $500 down to $61. I'm young and I'm driving an RX-7. I wish he gave me the benefit of the doubt and figured I knew a thing or two about cars. :rolleyes: Seeing as this is an automotive forum, I think that if anyone has a problem and is about to go to a mechanic, they should ask here first! It's safe to say most of us know about cars and would certainly not be giving anybody false info.