tbimm Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 As a mechanic and manger of a local independant shop I am curious how many of you REALLY trust your mechanic to fix your car without ripping you off. As the cars have become more complex electronically I often find myself trying to explain (convince) people that the repairs made, were not only necessary, but that the part actually exists! Something else I have noticed is the amount of people who refer to something they read online which convines them that they already know whats wrong with their car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 As a mechanic and manger of a local independant shop I am curious how many of you REALLY trust your mechanic to fix your car without ripping you off. As the cars have become more complex electronically I often find myself trying to explain (convince) people that the repairs made, were not only necessary, but that the part actually exists!Something else I have noticed is the amount of people who refer to something they read online which convines them that they already know whats wrong with their car. I took my last car into the shop, and said "I read something online and it sounds like I need the charcoal canister replaced" (I had no idea what a charcoal canister was, or why it was in my car, but what the hell. . .that's what I read). They did $200 of work and the problem was no better. I brought it back in and told them it was still broken. They said they'd do additional tests. I get a call 2 days later. "Looks like you need a new charcoal canister. That'll be another $250". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 I took my last car into the shop, and said "I read something online and it sounds like I need the charcoal canister replaced" (I had no idea what a charcoal canister was, or why it was in my car, but what the hell. . .that's what I read). They did $200 of work and the problem was no better. I brought it back in and told them it was still broken. They said they'd do additional tests. I get a call 2 days later. "Looks like you need a new charcoal canister. That'll be another $250". Sounds like a stubborn mechanic who wasnt gonna let you be right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 I was at some Tire joint gettin my oil changed and they said my ball joints and tie rod ends needed to be replaced asap........i'm no wrench but didn't have the extra cash so told them not to worry about it.......month later I'm laying tile at a new Mazda Dealership and got to know the Mechanics pretty good........got my Oil changed and asked them about the Ball joints and Rods.........They said they were fine..........I'll stick with mechanics that i know over the other guys............. My vote..........Huddle Jet for tbimm to make house calls............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Of all places, I've come to trust a local Mr Tire shop for a lot of our general car repair stuff. I've never gotten any BS from them and they've never tried to pressure me into some expensive service or repair when it's not necessary just so they can make a extra buck or two. A lot of places will see a chick coming from a mile away and think they can pull all sorts of crap, but they'll be the first ones to tell me I don't need to do something excessively costly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 I was at some Tire joint gettin my oil changed and they said my ball joints and tie rod ends needed to be replaced asap........i'm no wrench but didn't have the extra cash so told them not to worry about it.......month later I'm laying tile at a new Mazda Dealership and got to know the Mechanics pretty good........got my Oil changed and asked them about the Ball joints and Rods.........They said they were fine..........I'll stick with mechanics that i know over the other guys............. My vote..........Huddle Jet for tbimm to make house calls............ When you go to a national chain type tire shop you will get that almost every time. If you go for an alignment they will try to upsell front end parts almost without fail. Front end work pays as well as any work you will do on a car. The mechanics on commision know that they can knock out 5 hrs worth of labor in about an hour or so. This is why we do not pay our techs on commision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 I spend a lot of time online with Corvette guys, some of who own their own shops and some of whom were the engineers that designed the car. I make it a point to know the answer before I go to the mechanic to get the work done. Between unscrupulous mechanics and the Corvette tax (parts for a Camaro that go on the EXACT same engine are twice as much for a Corvette) it can cost me thousands of dollars if I don't do this. I am not above photographiing things before I leave the shop and writing down EVERY piece of info (including mileage) in the presence of the shop personnel. I guess the answer is that, no I pretty much don't trust any shop or mechanic until they have given me reason to do so. They may hate me but you're not f'ing up or f'ing with my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 I spend a lot of time online with Corvette guys, some of who own their own shops and some of whom were the engineers that designed the car. I make it a point to know the answer before I go to the mechanic to get the work done. Between unscrupulous mechanics and the Corvette tax (parts for a Camaro that go on the EXACT same engine are twice as much for a Corvette) it can cost me thousands of dollars if I don't do this. I am not above photographiing things before I leave the shop and writing down EVERY piece of info (including mileage) in the presence of the shop personnel. I guess the answer is that, no I pretty much don't trust any shop or mechanic until they have given me reason to do so. They may hate me but you're not f'ing up or f'ing with my car. Honda parts and Acura parts, Toyota parts and Lexus parts. Same principle. I would guess I am one of the few but I actually do the extra leg work to get less expensive parts for my customers whenever possible. The really crappy part is you cant call the Honda dealer for an Acura part unless you can give them the Honda part #. What I have done is to learn the like parts for these vehicles and just order them for a Honda. Oh and yes they hate you. In fact they curse to themselves when they see you pull up to the shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsfan Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 I do all my own work on my Jeep, nobody's touching my baby! But on my wife's Volvo, I typically have someone else do it. Stinkin computers and turbos and such. To answer your question, I trust the guy as far as I can throw him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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