Do auto mechanics sabotage cars for future business?

Question

I'm curious whether this is a common practice, especially in dealerships. Maybe I'm too cynical, maybe not.

Answer 1

Hi, Most or all good auto technician will give you an NO answer because when a crook doing this, he(she) is not going to tell anybody especially talking to other good tech. I think this does happen but it involves with a higher level (shop owner/manager). A dishonest shop owner or manager will allow this practice and they are not going to tell anybody.
Auto tech work is a very hard job with a bad reputation. Good techs all know that dishonest is not a key for a long term business success.
I don't think sabotage practice is common at dealership level. If there are some, these crook will be rolling their tool boxes out of the door fast.

Answer 2

No, they do not, I'm sure that on very rare occasions, this has happened, and I'm sure there have been times a tech has been accused of it when he or she did nothing wrong, but I seriously doubt that this is in any way a common practice for any Tech.

Basically, its like this, if a tech were to do this, there is a slight chance that the person may bring the vehicle back to that shop, or the owner may decide that he didn't like the shop's work and take it elsewhere, either way, its dishonest and I assure you, no honest tech would ever dream of doing this.

Also take into account that there are more ways to get that person back in your shop. Like....Oh...I don't know....DO A GOOD JOB. A good tech will make good money because they do the job right, and they do the extra things that are not necessary, but will get your repeat business. A true Tech does not need to try to sabotage vehicles, because when they do good and complete work the first time, that person is going to come back to that shop and say "I want him to work on my vehicle, I don't want anyone else to touch it"

Honestly, between repeat business from a job done right, and dealing with the insanely dumbfounding new ways you people find to destroy vehicles, we don't need to go making our lives any more difficult.

Answer 3

My husband is a mechanic, and a very honest one!! He said if you are unsure you could ask the mechanic to show you the part that is broken and you can have the part. Take it to another mechanic to double check. He also said happens but it is pretty rare. You would find the owner more often than the employee trying to rip ya off. The employee gets paid a flat rate and it wouldn't do him any good. So unless the owner and employee had some deal going. no I think the majority of mechanics are lovely in general.

Answer 4

Having been a certified auto technician for 30 years, personally I've never been party to anything like that. I cannot speak for an entire industry, though. I HAVE quit well-paying jobs because the shop was doing a less than honest business.
I was told a long time ago by a mechanic in Texas "You can skin a sheep once-but you can shear them twice a year."
Meaning? Only do what's needed to repair it or maintain it. With the number of vehicles on the road, there is plenty of repair work out there to be done without doing things in the name of job security.

Answer 5

I really don't think so because most dealerships I know of(one owned by a family member) has such a backlog that they have trouble keeping up.dealerships are also monitored because they are primarily in the business to sell cars.If they see someone coming back over and over they see a potential lost customer.I'm sure it happens but a dishonest mechanic doesn't have to sabotage cars.They know enough scams to con folks out of their money on one visit.

Answer 6

First the proper term is service technician.The term mechanic went out with the flintstones.And second to imply the we would need to sabotage customers is insulting to the industry and to a seasoned technician.It is a physical and draining line of workand when we hear a customer demand that we work cheaper is the same as demanding that the surgeon performing your heart surgery work cheaper.If you don't want to pay to have proper service done,park your car at home and walk.

Answer 7

To tell you the truth,Manufacturers do.I worked for Honda for five years,they made their first popular American models in the years of 83-88 so well,that if you kept them maintained they would run almost forever( afew things would go bad like oil seals/plastic) but not an expansive fix.Honda realized it was losing money in repairs and designed the 88-95's with timing belts to fail at @ 90,000 miles.Our mechanics would open the covers and find after-market belts that would last 120,000 to 150,000miles,but were made by Nippon-Seiki.The same company that made Honda timing belts.The only difference was the Honda belts had an "H" on them and didnt last as long.(Honda eventually put the longer lasting belt in their cars,but not before making a profit on repairs.

Answer 8

Probably not in new car dealerships but especially for women in used car dealerships. We women are recognized a block away by mechanics. They get us coming and going. And now, it is also happening with computer repairs. They size you up, stick their hand in your pocket, kiss you on the cheek and disappear.

Answer 9

It has happened, but very rarely. Most of the people that have tried such nefarious tactics get caught by investigators. No larger dealerships would ever tolerate such actions by an employee, and they fire anybody they catch.
It happens more often with small hole-in-the-wall body shops, where somebody occasionally gets caught doing more damage to get a larger cheque from an insurance company. They get caught, too. In 42 years of driving, I have never personally had this happen to me, and never have run across anybody who could honestly say it happened to him/her, either. I have, however, seen hidden video investigation catching the dumb crooks.

Answer 10

I dont think the majority does but as in all other trades you get some dodgy ones, there can be a small percentage doing that, if u go to a garage they are usually busy and have plenty of work.but like other traders u might come across some dishonest and ripoff ones.