How can I stop getting hosed by auto mechanics?

Question

I'm a big intelligent guy who looks like he *should* know about cars, however-I only know how to drive them and have no clue what goes under the hood. Thus, I get charged $75 for a battery pan or some such other nonsense everytime i go for a knock or a ping. I have spent thousands, only to get laughed at later by people telling me how overcharged i was.

Any ideas? Other than slaughtering the shifty mechanics who just use my extra cash for pay-per-view wrestling?

Answer 1

Damn Randy. Not all mechanics are crooks. Just like not all landlords are a$$holes. (hint hint)

Just quit telling people how much you paid and they will stop laughing.

Answer 2

I have always fixed my cars, and I enjoy it (therapy, I guess) and I would never hand my car over to some butcher mechanic, even at the dealer, because I think they'll screw up. That's just the way I am.

I feel sure that my way is the best way. To be more capable than whoever is doing the work is the answer. So, how do you do that?

Some of these things may not work for you, but here they are:
-get a factory shop manual. The kind they use at the dealer. Read it. Some are better than others in terms of detail. Once in a while you'll look up a removal procedure and it'll say "take out all the bolts and remove part" when you can't even see the part to start with. But usually they're very insightful. I do not recommend Chiltons, or Haynes, or anything you can get from the store.
-make friends with somebody who is a brilliant mechanical mastermind
-Buy two cars (or more) just alike if you have other drivers in the family. This is the most handy thing ever. When anything (and I mean anything) goes wrong, you can compare! You can trade two parts and see if the problem moves. 100% accurate troubleshooting for free. It's great.

Unfortunately it takes a lifetime of experience to become a great repair man, and if you don't think it's fun, then you won't want to do that. So that's where you need a friend that can be that for you.

P.S. I agree with Dodge man, if you don't want to repair anything yourself. Very important. Ask 100 people if they have a mechanic that lives and dies by reputation alone. Then go to one (a man that must live or die by his reputation) forever. You'd be insane, in my opinion, to go to some big chain muffler shop for auto repair. They've got stockholders to feed, a fleet of jet planes, a huge team of corporate lawyers, etc etc.. They have to rip you off just to survive.

Answer 3

Buy a book from an auto parts store about your car. It will list in detail every thing you may need to know and how everything operates.

This way when something goes wrong with your car, you can explain like an educated person, and usually this is all it takes not to get hosed.

Secondly, never just pull your car into any mechanic shop. Shop around first, and compare prices, or estimates. If a particular place won't give an estimate then don't give them your business. this means they probably have different prices for different people, and you could get taken advantage of if you don't know how much something should cost.

Also, it doesn't help to have a mechanic friend. Whether he lives across town or across country, he would still be able to tell you what he may think is wrong with your car, and about how much it may cost.

Answer 4

Well Randy - I'm not a wrestling fan at all - never was.

I am however a ASE master certified tech.
And a shop owner of 14 years.

With over 18 years experience in the auto field - 16 of those were spent customizing.

I dont work for 50.00 an hour. My rates start at 75.00.

I suggest that you get a Chilton's repair manual for your auto (s) and read it when you have a problem - there is a really good trouble shooting guide in the rear of the book.

Then research the parts - costs - and time to repair.

Alwayas ask to see the old parts, and ask to see the new ones also. You should already know where they are located because you now have the book.

Answer 5

Lots of good answer listed here.

My opinion starts with finding a shop that is part of and practices the procedures of the Motorist Assurance Program (MAP for short) This program breaks down (no pun intended) the services on your vehicle into 2 categories- items that are required to restore proper performance to a system, and items that are suggested, which will eventually lead to a failure and a required repair if not dealt with soon. The category is determined by a panel of top automotive experts who have put together hundreds of pages of possible automotive problems and the honest way for the technician to describe the work to the customer.

With that in mind, any MAP practicing (not just hanging the banners) facility will be more than happy to explain and show you the work they are recommending, as well as how the severity of the work was determined by MAP standards. MAP also offers arbitration and second opinions to customers (the arbitration at no charge)

Lastly, if you sign up for AllData.com online, you can look up parts and labor for any repair, but remember the parts prices are dealer prices, which can sometimes be significantly higher than aftermarket replacement parts.

Answer 6

What makes you think you are getting ripped off? Just because someone else - who probably knows even less than you do - thinks you got ripped off?

The reason why people think they get ripped off by service shops is because they are dealing with things they themselves do not understand and the "ripped off" thing is a defense mechanism in response to that fear. It has nothing to do with whether or not you are actually being charged for unnecessary work or overcharged for necessary work. It's fear, pure and simple. The simple fact is that you, as the customer, have all the power. It's your money and you can take the vehicle wherever you want and chose to perform any service that you want. Excercise that power and make the shop earn your business.

Answer 7

Either learn about autos or take someone along with you that knows about them. I usually bring my customers to the back of the shop so they can see what it is that I'm talking about...I feel that if I do that then they are a little more at ease and understand more. Ask them to show you what they are talking about and explain why and/or how it works and the effect it will have if you don't fix it. A good service advisor will be more then willing to explain all of it to you.

Answer 8

find you a good mechanic that owns a small shop and stay with them,that's the best way to get better service and better deals on repair work,there's plenty of small shops around that do excellent work,and the would appreciate having your business,larger shops have larger bills to pay and their going to charge a lot more,if you find a good mechanic stay with them,in the long run they will save you a lot of money.good luck.

Answer 9

Get a book for your car at a car parts store and fix it yourself! Theres a troubleshooting section if you dont know whats wrong. Most everything is common sense...but I was a diesel mechanic so I know a lot already. Good luck!

Answer 10

well frankly call yer local autoparts.. mechanics get a discount on the parts they get from them.. also.. ask the mechanic to show you the book they go by that tells them how much to charge on each item to fix and how longs it is supposed to take to fix..and by what i meant by charge.. i meant how much they will be making per hour..