6 Things Your Mechanic May Not Be Telling You - wtvr

yeah,alot of these mechanics will try and rip you off for more money,I know since I am woman I was told it would cost 5,000 to replace my engine and once they got done with everytyhing,then they told me well we had to do this and that and now the total is like over 6,000 and I told them then this car will sit till u give me the price you qouted me,I am not stupid and know alot about cars and finally after fighting with them,I got my way,so stop trying to BS the public...........I think they should be banned from fixing your cars if they get caught ripping cutomers off,especially women

That's why it is important to reseach and find an honest shop. And just remember sometimes you get what you pay for.

Oh please. Someone really needs to do more research on this subject. Quit trying to blame the mechanics or their place of business. I will admit that some of the things said in the story are true. Like the tires and maintance. The rest is just misinformation. News 6, you really need to go to someone who knows the deal, not a Joe Schmoe hole-in-the-wall garage. Ask the dealers, ask the major repair facilities. I have been an automotive technician for 25+ years and have never done those things. The situation has always been explained fully by me to the customer. Quit trying to scare the general public and tell the whole story.

Unfortunatly Dealers and Large repair shops many times have large overhead expenses and their techs dont make as much money if they dont sell. That contributes to cost. There are many small shops that have outstanding technicians that are trained to work on many different cars. Maintenance is the most efficient way to extend the life of the vehicle, however all the maintenance doesnt have to be done today because you are at a shop. Planning (use pm schedule) helps control out of pocket expenditures at one time. Oh and by the way most dealers have service writers that talk with customers,techs don't make the call and sell jobs, and many service writers are clueless having never worked on a car, so this doesn't make the Dealer the shining light to follow in the auto repair industry.

I don't believe it's scare tactics. Ihave been a Technician for many years and my sons are also Techs. My sons have and one does work at a dealer, and I own a small repair shop. My sons, my employees and Myself are all very well trained, we maintain our ASE master certifications and continually receive trianing and updates. Guess what? So do many, many shops.We all have the same expensive tools and work hard everyday. The unfortunate side is many vehicle owners don' know much about cars, and there are some really bad and dishonest people in our field, just like plumbers, heating and air,even doctors to name a few. Try and explain to your customers what they need and why they need what they need. I didn't see any misinformation in your story and heaven forbid if your doctor came up to you and said you have cancer and didn't get a second opinion.One cannot dismiss the small shop or the large dealer, they all have something to offer and most times they are the same high quality repairs and service. I do believe dealer techs are experts at their specific make of vehicles,(they should be) but the small shops, if not experts are outstanding at almost all cars they service. Techs and shops should be doing everything in their power to continually improve our image and the levels of trust our customers have for us, not belittling JOE SCHMOE hole in the wall garage.