Can You Trust Them?
Cars are a fact of modern life. This means that car repairs are also a fact of contemporary life. Unfortunately, few of us feel confident in trusting our mechanics. Do we need to spend our life savings or are they just ripping us off? Here are a few common tricks to keep an eye out for.
Unnecessary Parts
One of the biggest scams that you need to watch out for is the mechanic pushing for unnecessary parts. After all, if an auto shop has already invested in a line of products, then they are going to want to make money off of them whether you need it or not.
Unnecessary Parts
Sometimes, this is a game of getting you to replace something that you don’t need to replace yet. Other times, they are upselling you an overpriced brand because they carry it in the store when the generic brand at half the price would have done the job.
The Check Engine Light
We all fear the check engine light. Why shouldn’t we? The engine is the most essential part of the car and we don’t want to drive around when it might suddenly combust into flames (we all think that when the check engine light comes on, don’t we?).
The Check Engine Light
However, something as simple as a faulty sensor could be causing that light to go on. A team at ABC intentionally triggered the check engine light with a minor sensor issue and most of the shops they went to attempted to charge them for way more than the simple fix that the issue needed.
Is It Really Free?
Everyone loves free things. It’s human nature. “Free” is the ultimate deal, so of course we eat it all up. However, when it comes to your car, free likely isn’t really free.
Is It Really Free?
Often, mechanics offer free services like tire inspections or oil changes as an excuse to get under the hood of your car. Once they’ve opened up your car, that’s when they’re going to start finding problems—and trust us, those problems won’t be free fixes.
Beware Of Hourly Billing
Even if there is something genuinely wrong with your car, and it needs to be fixed, you may still be paying more than you need to. The first warning sign is if you’re charged by the hour.
Beware Of Hourly Billing
Billing by the hour isn’t a red flag in and of itself. It’s a common way to ensure that the person providing the service is compensated properly. However, when a very simple task starts taking three or four hours, then they may be dawdling on purpose just to charge you more.
That’s Not The Problem!
How often have you brought your car to the mechanic to fix one specific problem only to be told that there is now a completely different problem that needs to be solved? This is one of the biggest reasons that people dread bringing their cars in at all.
That’s Not The Problem!
Mechanics can often take advantage of the fact that few of us properly understand what’s going on in our cars. When you bring your car in for one problem and they bring another one to your attention, it’s hard to tell if you really need to fix that issue right now or if they’re just fishing for more money.
Exaggerating The Issue
Another area that can bring dread to vehicle owners is whether they can trust the mechanic’s assessment of the problem or not. Every problem has various levels of seriousness, and you can’t always trust that your mechanic’s being honest with you.
Exaggerating The Issue
Many mechanics who are looking to bring in more money will make a situation look worse than it is. If they tell you that it’s a minor problem, you may leave without paying them for the repair. If they tell you your car’s about to leave you stranded in the middle of an abandoned road… well, you’re more likely to fork over the big money, aren’t you?
Fake Charges
One of the biggest problems with cars is that there is a lot of minor work involved in the maintenance of them that can be difficult to verify. Not every mechanic will take advantage of this. However, some have tried to do so.
Fake Charges
Sometimes, a mechanic can claim to have fixed something when, in fact, they haven’t done anything at all. These fake charges will inflate the bill and you will suffer later when the problem crops up again.
Upsell! Upsell! Upsell!
It’s the biggest scam in the service industry and every organization that offers something for a fee has likely tried it on you. Once they already have you in the door, mechanics are just as likely as any business to try to upsell your products or services that you don’t need.
Upsell! Upsell! Upsell!
When you’re being offered fluids for your car, be sure to do your research. In some cases, they are trying to push an unnecessarily expensive brand on you when it makes no difference. The cheaper version works the same.
Can You Show Me?
When you aren’t sure you know what you’re talking about, it can be frightening to assert yourself. The mechanic sounds smart and you don’t want to offend them, so you keep your thoughts to yourself—when that’s the last thing you should do.
Can You Show Me?
Always ask the mechanic to show you what’s wrong, especially if they are trying to upsell you into something that you hadn’t come in for. If they can’t show you what the problem is, then don’t take their word for it.
No Permission Granted
You’ve likely been to the mechanic enough times to know the drill. First, you bring your car in for an assessment. They tell you what the problem is and how much it’ll cost you. Only once you’ve agreed to the work do they start fixing the problem. That’s important.
No Permission Granted
The Bureau of Automotive Repair details that the auto shop needs to ask your permission before they fix anything. If they went ahead and fixed something that you had not discussed previously, then you should fight them on the payment.
Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Are You Stupid?
Not all mechanics are out to scam you. Mostly simply wish to help you with your repair as they have the knowledge and you don’t. However, how the mechanic chooses to speak to you is a good indication of what their intentions are.
Are You Stupid?
If your mechanic is talking to you in a belittling manner and implying that you lack a certain amount of intelligence for questioning their expertise, then they may be hiding something. It could be that they are trying to back you into a corner and get you to agree to a repair you don’t need.
Out Of Date Service
Everything advances with time—that is the great thing about technology. However, that means that old rules that were commonplace with cars may have changed and some mechanics try to take advantage of you for not knowing that.
Out Of Date Service
One example that Goliath gave of this is the spark plugs. In the past, replacing spark plugs was quite common. However, thanks to modern technology, your car doesn’t need spark plugs replaced until you’ve reached at least six figures of mileage.
Unclear Invoices
A mechanic deserves proper compensation for the work that they’ve done. No decent person will try to argue that. Some parts do take more work to replace due to their placement in the car. However, if the mechanic isn’t clear with this, you may need to ask a few more questions.
Unclear Invoices
Sometimes, a repair may seem simple. However, in order to get to that repair, they need to remove several other parts. That is more labor, and mechanics do deserve compensation for that. However, if they don’t give you a clear list of what had to be done, then you should ask some questions about your labor charges.
Adding Repairs
At the end of the day, it often comes back to making sure that you understand what your mechanic is doing in your car. The mechanics that are trying to scam you are also the ones who don’t want to communicate properly.
Adding Repairs
It may be in your best interest to do multiple repairs at once. However, sometimes it isn’t. For example, a mechanic may add on the repair of replacing your brake rotors but you only needed your brake pads replaced.
Do I Need That Additive?
Additives are products that your mechanic can add to your car to supposedly improve your car. They’ll claim they’ll clean out your carburetor or remove grease from your engine. These aren’t always myths but you do need to be careful.
Do I Need That Additive?
Some people consider every additive a scam. Others do believe they may have some benefit. You need to decide for yourself. However, if your mechanic is pushing them and you see your bill jump up by a significant amount, then you may want to ask a few more questions.
Is That One Bill Or Two?
When a light jumps up on our dash, most of us have no idea what it is trying to tell us. Therefore, we panic, thinking that our car is about to go “ka-boom”. Mechanics have a better grasp on this, though they’ll usually run a diagnostic test just to be sure their first assumption is right.
Is That One Bill Or Two?
Most mechanics will put the payment you made for the diagnostics towards your final payment if you choose to go ahead with the repair. If your mechanic is doubling down and producing a whole new bill for the repair, then you may want to question where your money is going.
Praying On Kindness
Again, most mechanics likely have your best interests in mind. They are just trying to survive and help you get your car fixed in the process. However, if they are looking to take advantage of you, then they may have no qualms about praying on your sense of civil duty.
Praying On Kindness
Some mechanics may pray on your kindness or love of others to upsell you into a service or product you don’t need. As Complex suggests, they may say you are protecting the lives of your children by buying a “better” brand of brake pads (implying you may harm them with the cheap ones) when both sets of pads have the same effectiveness.
Making It Look Worse
Again, most mechanics aren’t going out of their way to scam you. Even if they participate in the odd upsell, they likely aren’t interested in going to desperate levels to part you from your money. However, some mechanics may take things further.
Making It Look Worse
Some mechanics may even go so far as to adjust the situation so that it looks like whatever part they want you to replace is far worse off than it is. Air filters, in particular, are pushed to be changed far more often than they need to be.
Overbilling For Remanufacturing
You can never be completely certain that a mechanic isn’t overcharging you for anything unless you have an encyclopedic memory of every part of your car. However, one area you need to look out for is remanufactured parts.
Overbilling For Remanufacturing
If your mechanic is offering you a remanufactured part, it should be a little cheaper than a brand new one. That’s the point. If it’s comparable in price to what a new part would sell for, then you better ask some questions before paying up.
Too Good To Be True
This is a good rule of thumb in any business. If the offer sounds too good to be true, then there is probably something wrong with it. Mechanics are no different.
Too Good To Be True
Mechanics often act as repairpersons and salespersons. As such, they may offer you all kinds of services to make a “deal” look more appealing. While this is expected, it can become a problem if it’s no longer an “option”. If your mechanic insists you have to take an “upgrade” to get what you need… then you should find another mechanic.
You May Also Like:
Sources: 1
