I had spark plugs like that. I brought my car in because it was missing. They were in such awful shape the other mechanics were all in awe that my car hadn't needed to be towed in.
The best way to find an honest mechanic is to create a small problem on your vehicle and then take it to them and see what they say. Place a blown fuse in the box for the wipers. Take it to a shop you are interested in to see what they do. I did this and had my wife take it in. One shop said the motor needed replacing for 275.00. Another shop, the guy looked and found the blown fuse within a few minutes of her pulling in. He pulled the spare fuse, replaced the bad one and said no charge.... That is now the shop we use.
I had air suspension in my car that finally, after 17 years, failed on me. Had to have it yanked and replaced with springs, so I took it to the only mechanic who had ever worked on the car. The kid behind the desk brought my car to me and went to talk to the mechanic, and I don't think they realized I could still hear them over the sounds of the shop. The kid asked why the 'Air Suspension' indicator was still on, didn't they fix that? The mechanic saw my car and told him 'That is a $300 fix for something that is purely cosmetic. We're not going to install the module to turn that off, don't even offer it to her. That's too much money for something stupid.' This is why he's the only mechanic who has been allowed to touch my car.
The mechanic does have a point that it’s ridiculously expensive just to turn off a light but a whole bunch of modern vehicles now days won’t allows themselves to function at normal levels if the computer thinks the car is broken.
A guy I know took his car into a national chain place where he was told that his shocks were leaking fluid and needed to be replaced before they could legally allow him to drive it on the road. They even showed him where the fluid was trickling down the outer casing of the shocks. He pointed out that (a) The shocks were less than a month old, and (b) were completely pneumatic, meaning that they didn't contain any fluid! He was less than amused!
My cousin is a mechanic, and when he owned his shop, it took him three separate times to find the hole in my radiator, and yes, that's after a "thorough" check and payment each time. It's not the only reason why, but at the time I was working and going to school, so I didn't have a lot of money and he knew this (his words to me were, "It's just money"), but I don't talk to him if I don't have to anymore.
Piece of advice, even though it's a pain in the ass with possibly huge consequences If you know your radiator has a hole in it, pull the radiator out, and connect a pressure washer hose to the inlet port. The water pressure from the pressure washer will be significantly higher than the radiator is meant to handle and will make that leak easy to see. It might also blow the leak into a giant hole.
My parents have been so pissed since the only good mechanic in town retired. His shop became a weed dispensary, after the guy he sold to decided he didn’t want to be a mechanic after all. Small towns suck.
The thumbnail for this video of the ginger cat holding a wrench with a joint hanging from his lips is GREAT and made me laugh so much (several beloved members of my family are human versions of this - this is so true and endearing!!)
80% of the things you take your vehicle into a shop you can DIY with a TH-cam how to and a set of decent tools. If you can change a tire, replace air filters, change your oil you're basically doing the majority of a Mechanic's job.
@@calebstevens7487 yeah exactly. All you need is a socket set, an OBD2 scanner, voltage meter and some PB and you can do anything you'd be willing to do on a garage floor.
Mechanic for Pep Boys here. Just know some times it actually is the service advisor lying about you needing tires by changing tread depths and so on. Most service advisors actually know nothing about cars. Also people for the love of God please learn how a tire rotation works, 90% of the time it's a waste of your time and ours, like they won't need to be rotated right then or it will be detrimental to your tire wear to rotate. Most shops will do a rotate for free, it's and excuse for us to get a better look at your brakes, that's why it's free. Start learning about your cars people. Basic stuff like filters and fluids are very easy to take 10 min to learn about, including learning how to change your wiper blades so you aren't spending $50-$60 for something that will cost you $30 and 5 min of your time. Edit: If you're going to tip your mechanic, tip them directly, service advisors steal tips 99% of the time.
My husband does everything on my car but last year he played around and didn't change my oil before we went on vacation so we took it to a chain auto mechanic place and while we're waiting one of the techs brings in a dirty air filter.....now my husband had just changed it the day before and the tech was trying to tell him he had to get a new one and the price was stupid high.....the manager comes over and of course backs up his tech and when my husband told him he just changed it the day before the look on their faces was priceless......we have never gone back.....if I take my car anywhere to get tires changed or anything (sometimes my hubs has to work 7 days a week) he will text me exactly what is needed so that they can't pull anything over on me
My dad has worked on probably thousands of cars in his life, of all types, makes, and models. These include Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Audis, BMW's, Volkswagens, and many other brands. I plan to follow in his footsteps in the vehicle repair business, learning everything from him. I dont even have my driver's license yet and i can change a tire, change a wheel, mount a tire, perform an oil change, and a few other things. This coming summer i will be doing alot of substantial work on my car to get it roadworthy, and i dont think i will need much help from my dad. When something breaks on my dads car, he fixes it himself. 50 years of experience is definitely expert level when it comes to auto repair!
i talked to my neighbor. hes no nonsense he pointed to a place that always has people getting their repairs from this guy carlos. his shop was the greatest day ever, we needed r134a instead of a condenser change (which takes having to DISASSEMBLE THE DASH AND STEERING WHEEL) he knew it was the refrigerant $60 for a charge that has sealant instead of $400. the other place did not know how toyotas a/c work this guy had a warranty and new the exact temp and psi the condenser should have even told us that if it failed he'd fix the problem free of charge. we've been fine and we changed the 15+ old cabin filter and old fan ourselves, my 4runner might need a glance again since the CA summer puts it through its paces a/c wise
I've had better luck with shade tree mechanics than shops. A couple years ago my Honda Accord was running hot, so I was on my way to a shop that my my bff's husband worked at because I knew 1-he knew his shit, and 2-i could trust him. I get about a mile down the road and it goes from warm to all the way hot, so I call him and ask what I should do. There's a shop like a hundred yards on front of me, but neither of us know anything about it. He told me that if I continued to drive towards his shop I'd kill my car, so either take it to the shop in front of me or have it towed. I made the mistake of taking it to the unknown shop. He gave me a run down of what I needed to say and what to say no to, and I nervously went inside. I explained what was going on, that I'd tried to make it to friends shop but was too scared to go any further, and asked for a diagnostic workup. Went back the next day and was given a full page list of things that needed to be done. Total bill $2,400. I took the list to my friends husband and he checked off all the must do's, and crossed out the things that could wait, and it was still $1,500. I'd JUST paid the car off earlier that month, and couldn't afford that kind of work, so I got a titleloan. I spent like an hour talking to the mechanics, and they knew I had two kids, and was truly struggling, and seemed like they legit cared. A few days goes by and they say it's ready for pick up. I was at work until 9pm, so they agreed to park it out front and hide the keys for me so I could get it when I got off. When I cranked it, it immediately started smoking. The engine was blown! I'd blown it on my way there, and they knew that, and still charged me for all this other labor that didn't matter because it wasn't going to run without a new engine! The paperwork I got had so many errors on it, they listed my mileage 75k miles less than what it was, and the bill had different things than the original list they gave me. The friend who took my to get the car had triple a, and had it towed back to my place, where it sat until the titleloan repo guy picked it up a couple months later. That was the first car I'd bought and completely paid for myself, and it still stings five years later. I've genuinely tried to learn about cars, because I don't want anything like that to happen again, but my brain just won't compute it. It's like Chinese to me, I just don't understand it. No matter how hard I try, it doesn't make sense. I know where the oil and water goes, but that's about it. I lucked out and met a guy who works at a reputable shop, and does friends/family's cars on the side in his garage at home. He recently rewired my taillight (it was rigged when I bought it, and eventually broke), replaced my multiport throttle (I'd accidentally broken the blinker switch completely off), changed my oil, and rotated my tires for $100+parts. AND he detailed my car before bringing it back because one of his puppies had climbed in and gotten hair on the driver's seat, which would have been fine, I mean I've got two kids, but he knows I'm allergic so he went ahead and did the whole thing. I'll never take my vehicles to any one else again!
Service engine light was on. Took it to the dealership. They said it was the EGR valve. Fixed it. $313 for the part and $300 in labour. Wasn't happy but didn't know any better. A year later I had some serious problems and took my car to a nearby mechanic my neighbour recommended. I asked about the EGR valve and he told me I was ripped off. The part was $313 but it takes less than 2 minutes to change it (he showed me). GM shut down that dealership after a ton of complaints. $300 for 2 minutes of labour.
Took my truck in for an oil change and they told me I needed a new air filter. Showed me some dirty filter that wasn't even for my truck told them to give me my keys because I use a washable K&N filter that I put in a week prior.
True 💯 Avoid Tropical Ford 🚙 In metro Orlando.gov . They are awful. 🤦♂️ I had my "quick lane" oil change, AC check take 6 hours. 6! The staff guys were rude & I was over charged by $50. My 2005 Ford Crown Vic sedan sat around in a bay with no one touching it. Ford should send auditors, inspectors to Tropical Ford. Even car manufacturers know dealers are scumbag crooks..
About half of any given dealer's mechanics are students (or haven't been in the business long because dealers generally don't pay crap... if they're decent they'll eventually go to an independent to get more money as the pay rate and type is different) so none of this is surprising...
The post at 18:47 that just adds more reason to not trust every auto shop. Thats just a major flaw in the industry and its not healthy for any industry either.
I'll go against the whole "bad mechanic drives a new car" As my personal experience, I had to buy a newer car to keep up with the constant demands of customers. I couldn't keep fixing the old Merc constantly on my days off because I would get a call.
Tells you that you need a fuel pump when all you need is a fuel filter, because the mechanic's friend's car needs a fuel pump. That's a level of scam I hadn't even thought of....
To be fair most cars now have fuel filter on the fuel pump in the fuel tank, but older cars are not that same way. Now you'd have to see the old pump to know if they changed it out, but if you don't know if that's your old on or from another car.
seriously, leaving the oil gun in the engine before turning on the engine, for real though, i always make sure the oil cap in in and secured before i even try that
I rented an RV once and it was super loud when driving. It shook like hell. My parents thought that the owner would have to pay a million bucks to fix it. Then we rented another RV some time later and told this owner about the previous problem. He was a different person than the previous RV holder. He said that the wheels must have been out of alignment. All they needed was a tire alignment. I was shocked. Any repair shop would have replaced everything in that fricking RV and charged a fortune.
I have a mechanic that I’ve been following around to several places. He is the only person I take my vehicles too. I know some stuff about cars but he has never steered me wrong before and it’s great
The story about the honest mechanic who used to work for a dealership until he started his own shop is a good friend of mine. He's awesome! Joey Noll of Noll's Automotive Cypress TX
That last story was a great ending point. Scam in full view of the scammy? Check Scammer defending his scam in vein? Check. Random person notices scam and also pulls out? Check. Random person is a freaking cop and slaps scammer with instant karma? Freaken bonus check.
If I was the OP who saw that guy purposely cut a ladies belt in the car, I would not only quit but I’d go to the waiting area where she presumably was, and straight up tell her what happened.
I lucked out with a chain location here. After I had gotten my car's computer module and ball joints fixed at the local shop, my car's steering got very floaty. So I took the car into a Firestone because I knew they could see me the same day. They told me to go back to the original shop to get them to fix what they screwed up; turns out the ball joints were installed very poorly, and because of that it messed with my ability to keep the car straight. So they fixed the ball joints. And then suddenly my brakes got sticky! Went to Firestone again. They told me to go back to the local shop again. Turns out, while fixing my back brakes, they forgot to properly bleed the line, so the brake fluid caused the calipers to stick. Never went back to the local shop. I keep going to the Firestone for all my car repairs now. They could've very easily taken my money for repairs, but they did right by me and told me to do what was needed to be made whole.
I am a fleet manager for a major community care organisation here on Australia. Dealt with so many dodgey mechanics I have a few tips. Advice 1. Don't use dealer network service centre. They are the biggest and worst offenders of what most have mentioned in this video. Advice 2. Your car's warranty won't be void if you don't use the dealer network. This is illegal but they still try to say that. Advice 3. If the shop has half finished cars everywhere, messy, oil everywhere, unkempt staff etc. Run Advice 4. Join a Facebook page for your car and your area. These pages are a wealth of information and they will usually be able to point you in the right direction. Advice 5. If you are female, get knowledgeable on your car and what issues it can have. Understand it and know when it's feeling weird. If you are not interested, have a male friend or family member that is a bit mechanical minded to make sure they don't scam you. I know this sounds sexist but community care is vastly female dominated and I've had so many time that my female staff were told absolute bullshit. I always check the invoice before approving the repair and I am very mechanically minded. It's surprising this shit still goes on today. Advice 6. Ask to see the damage/ fault. One of the oldest tricks is "you need new tyres" without the proof they are worn to the mark. .there is a small bump inside the tread of your tyres...that is the ware indicator. If it's low you will be able to tell. So always double check tyres ware before service. Advice 7. Get a second opinion always.
Good points; ✔ I had a recent Ford, Orlando.gov shop guy say; oh your broken power window? Oh that's the motor($400.00). The 🤡 didnt even look at it or check the window, controls to verify it needed a motor. My 2002 Jeep SUV had 3 power window regulators replaced(180.00 each USD). Over 3yr. The last time, the "new managers" were sketchy. 🤔 I never returned.
Admittedly I’m currently driving 3hrs to see my trusted Mechanic when ever I need work done but then again they expect payment in 2nd hand parts that I scrap off cheap scrap cars I buy for scrap metal value and they also take eggs,honey, meat,livestock and fresh fruit and veggies as well as money
My family has been using one mechanic shop for years. Only once has something been delayed for an extended period of time but that was like last year. We still use him. Only downside is that picking up the phone when you want to call them is terrible. But the owner also works on cars so it’s usually that or he’s in the middle of dealing with others in the shop. He does good work. Lot almost always full partly due to the the fact to the lot is for three different little shops: mechanic, tires, and windows.
I do love honest mechanics especially when they take you back and show you what is wrong & also make notations on some things that are showing wear & tear but are not in need of emergent repair so you can keep it in the back of your mind.
I used to be a technician. I went to NTI for training in the field. Granted I feel as if they didnt train me all that well for on the job work it felt more like they were teaching me how to engineer cars rather that fix. Yes knowing how the car works helps with fixing it but they went off way to much and some of the instructors would just bs with the military vets in my class. But I digress. When I was working for the dealership luckily I was placed with a mentor for 3 months or so while going to chrysler school. However, after i went flat rate, not only was I lied to about my hourly rate (14 instead of 15/hr) but the work sometimes is incredibly hard compared to what we get paid. I made more at walmart then there towards the end of my technician career. The thing is I didnt work on cars since I was a kid, I just jumped into the field so I was learning as I go. After a year or so I did get better but I had many misdiagnoses. I always corrected it before charging the customer and doing the repair but still. Not all techs are inept some are just new so dont write them off immediately. Maybe ask how long the tech doing the work has been working in the field. Some mechanics are bad. If they call themselves mechanics nowadays then they probably are either old mechanics who know about the mechanical part of cars but not so much the electrical part or they are not good techs and are just part hangers. Nowadays most repairs are electrical from what I had seen. Which that sucks. Yea you get an hour of diag time but most electrical problems the book says it pays 20 to 40min to fix. You might spend a day or 2 trying to find and fix said problem but only get paid like 2hrs for the work. Had that happen a lot. It sucks. But between the pay being low and customers calling you dumb because you are new and haven't experienced a lot of different repairs yet makes it difficult to stay the field or even enter in the first place. What made me leave was how a customer came back to my shop with a dead engine. Lift it up and the drain plug is gone and engine seized because he kept starting it and running it without oil in it. I had did the oil change on his vehicle a little over 2 months prior and he put 2,000 miles on it before this happened. He had said it was leaking oil ever since he brought it home and he had to keep putting oil in it and sometimes it would just dump onto the ground. He never once thought to bring it back like a sane customer would. Well he blamed the damage on me and my service manager agreed with him. Now if you have done a few oil changes, you know that taking that drain plug all the way out can be difficult especially seeing how the plug is designed to go cockeyed towards the end and kind of get stuck, to prevent falling out if it backs out. This on most vehicle. Idk exact date ranges but I can guarantee that the 08 jeep patriot had this style plug. So there is no way that the plug would've just fell out if it backed itself out and IF it did happen to do that then it would've done it in the first 2 weeks after the oil change not 2 months later. I pointed this out to my service manager who had 30 plus years in the field and when I pointed that out to him mid yelling at me he said "oh, well still, your next fuck up your gone." I thought about it and was like so a customer can come in and lie about damages and say I caused them and I will lose my job? And he says yes. I walked out. That service manager was an asshole and was willing to make a stressful job even more stressful for me by making me scared that every vehicle I touch I could lose my job on. I work at a better place and make more money then him even so yea its whatever but still. They are supposed to have their techs back and they dont and customers who lie about damages are just as bad as crappy mechanics.
These stories are exactly why the trade needs to be more heavily regulated and only allow people to work on cars with the proper qualifications who know what to do
If you think that's extremely valuable you could start a private business that would go around and certify shops and/or individual mechanics. If you provide a valuable service with your regulations, people will stop shopping at the the places that you don't approve of and only shop where you approve/certify them.
Easy. 1. Always show broken parts/explain why something is a problem, and how that problem can become more expensive if ignored. 2. Always explain how much more expensive a job could get if they come in for a quote on a major issue. You don't want to make people agree to jobs they can't afford, and we all know that you never realise how bad something is until you start pulling it apart. A 1k job can very quickly turn into a 5k job, provided you aren't cutting corners. 3. Always take your time and do the job properly. If a customer wants you to cut corners, tell them to pound sand and send them to another shop. Do it right or refuse to touch it, lawsuits aren't worth helping out someone you don't know, and neither is knowing someone could be killed because you were lazy/cheap. 4. Keep learning. There's always new editions of textbooks, new manufacturer recommendations, recalls, tonnes of things you can be reading up on. Knowledge is incredibly useful in an ever-changing trade.
More tips: Don't rely on Wal-Mart to service your vehicle. The following is from different locations: I had a flat that needed changed. They put a tire that was obviously smaller than the rest on my van. It was actually sitting at an angle. I pointed this out to not 1, not 2 but THREE different people before they finally fixed it. This is after putting in the wrong make and model of my vehicle into the system. I know of 3 people where the employee forgot to put the oil back into the engine. One had to have the engine replaced. 2 people I know of had all of the oil leak out once they got home because the employee didn't properly replace the drain plug. A coworker had them forget to put the cap on the valve cover back on, but at least they remembered to refill the oil.
There is some good stuff on here amd some things that come from misunderstanding. So a few thinks first, unless its a very small shop your not gonna talk to the mechanic. The person you deal with is the service writer and half of them don't know jack about vehicles. Any server they recommend is going to be based on age or miles of the vehicle. Even mechanics with years of experience are not going to be able to tell if your fluid has been changed earlier unless its very recent like less than 1000 for engine oil and probably less than 5k to 10k for the other fluids. You can ask for a specific mechanic but it might not be practical for than mechanic to do it. If you want the same people working on your vehicle all the time I recommend going somewhere that has "teams" that generally consists of 1 service writer, a senior mechanic and 2-4 other mechanics. Most shops won't let you watch your car be worked on out of liability reasons. Even having the customer walk out to see a damage part is frowned along by insurance but your only there for a couple minutes so most shops allow it. If a shop pushes ASE certified mechanic heavily then be weary. Most of tese test don't require any knowledge that a mildly mechanically inclined person couldn't pass without some study time
Work as a mechanic on the electrical side more then anything, honestly like anything I get is normally warranty or extended warranty just because it's expensive, that being said I might get paid 1/8 of the labor charge, I find other screwed up things not because I'm trying to screw you but so that I can provide for my family. Think about it like this, there's a recall on a vehicle it pays .3 or 3/10ths of a hour, if I get paid 10 bucks an hour, I'll only get 3 dallors for that recall and typically it takes longer then I pays so I find other stuff that I can also do, saving you and me time. *Disclaimer I'm paid more then 10 dallors an hour but honestly we aren't paid what it's worth for the diag and the install of any part Due to covid alot of manufactures change standard labor times so that they can save money and for those of you who don't know, SLTS or the standard labor is what we base customer pay or none warranty for, it should be 1.5 x slts time. Job calls for 1hr slts then customer paid is 1.5 hrs labor plus part and tax.
I know someone in the video said avoid chain garages, oddly enough I've had nothing but good luck with our local Firestone garage they've been honest with me and do good work for reasonable price
Surprised nobody mentioned Monro Muffler... my father had his Malibu towed there after it died at a light... timing chain broke maybe 2 weeks after he had the oil changed at the same place. Mechanic not only started fixing it but also put said timing chain on wrong, causing even more bent valves. Luckily the car was still under powertrain warranty and was towed to the dealership a quarter mile away. Almost wasn't fixed under warranty due to Monro's screwup. And Monro wanted better than $1000 for making the problem worse. Same place, mother's 2012 Crapler 200. Right rear brake squealing all the time. Diagnosed a stuck caliper. I think they put on just a rotor, if that, and supposedly changed the pads and greased the caliper pins. 3 years later, rear brakes barely work (almost hit a tree in a snowstorm trying to gently come to a stop at red light on way home from work, rear end didn't want to stop while the front was stopping) I worked at the above dealer and brought the car in to redo the rear brakes. Not only did Monro not change the pads, they didn't grease the calipers either. There's no way those pads weren't original from the factory (car had about 75K on it at the time). Rear pads generally last about that long... they certainly didn't have less than 10K on them being just about worn out. Literally had to beat the calipers out of the brackets because they didn't grease the bushings/pins either. Don't know what they did, but it certainly wasn't what they said they did. Brakes still work fine after 2 years, btw.
I had a shop change an engine out for me once and I paid them for the clutch as well while they were in there. 4 months later the clutch went out and when I called them to ask about a warranty, they told me I burned it out, like seriously I had the car 3 years before and never burned out the clutch! From then on I’ve always done my own work and diagnosis on my car, and if it requires special tools I either buy it if I may need it again or rent it from the parts store. I’ve saved thousands of dollars! I just did another clutch job myself on a different car that a shop charges $1500 to do when I got the parts for $120, and even though it took a few days I still got it done but saved $1380!!
Worked in 2 different dealerships. I was always told by the manager to upsell maintenance. Often found myself having to make a decision whether to be honest to the customer or make a profit for the dealership. ALWAYS chose to be honest to the customer. Slept well
I got my brakes done on my old daily suzuki. The shop in town u usually go to was so backed up with customers. I started using another independent shop. I had a small evap code diagnosed it told me it was just the gas cap, so I changed it and the light persists. So I believe he just charged me and did no diagnostic. Even if you are not sure don't specify it to a problem the it's not fixed. Brought it back for a brake job and he put on my parts. All of a sudden when I left the abs light the 4 wheel drive light flashing, I was mad as he'll after that. He explained as soon as I ask about it, "we didn't purposely do it. I never once said that they did it causing the abs light and all else to come on it was just odd as soon as I left all my lights all of a sudden was on. My car had no problems at all. They created more problems by separating the abs sensor on the hub. So I played along I was like so what do I need now to fix this. "You need an axle and a whole hub" I never went back to that place ever again. If it seems too sketchy and all of a sudden your car has all these problems 🏃 run that's their way of keeping you coming back.
i’m a certified automotive tech but i don’t work in the field. autozone and advance auto parts will let you use their OBD2 reader for free (shops can and usually will charge for this). autozone also sells repair manuals for your make/model/generation. sign up for rewards programs at auto parts stores, especially if you buy things from there more than 3 or 4 times a year
My parents had their Toyota taken to a local mechanic, thinking that the timing belt was going out. He said it was another far less expensive part. The only time we didn't use him was for dealership warranty work. He was great and honest, unfortunately as he expanded/was beginning to leave the business the quality seemed to go down and prices rose.
I actually found my mechanic asking reddit. Close to home and super hoesnt, a little pricey for labor but worth it. Mechanics like to show me what i did. When i bent my break he was very impressed. Pressing harder means quicker stoppy when sliding into another car lol.
I second the part about them letting you look at the problem on the shop floor. I changed my control arms on my truck with Moogs. During the alignment the shop told me the bushings were bad so I was sceptical. Went out to the truck on the lift and sure as shit, the bushing was bad.
I have had pretty good luck finding good mechanics. If I take my car in for an oil change and 30 point inspection, they will take pictures of everything they check, and give it a green, yellow or red score. If yellow, they tell me how close it is to red and how much to fix and if it is something I can put off for a while. If it is red, they will give me a price and tell me if it is something that needs immediate attention, if it can wait or how catastrophic it would be to wait. They also will give me the parts if I ask for them. Most of the time, everything is green (I try to take good care of my car). I have had things go wrong and thought it was something really bad, and they were like, "Nah, just a $25 part, and we won't even charge you for the labor. It will only take a couple of minutes to replace." They have loaner cars they don't charge you for, or they can drive you home/pick you up, as needed. I just love them. And yes, I have had expensive repairs, but never had to go back and have something redone because of their screw up.
A good thing to do is look for enthusiast shops who some want specialize in your brand of car or particular car. Many of them know more of the weird shit that can go on with certain cars than general shops do. They also tend to have better techs and are more trusted as they can be found to work on significantly modded cars and also things people have large investments into. Source: I needed a shop to work on my car that’s modded and found the local euro turner shop to work on my mini. Best decision ever.
if you go in for coolant change and come out with burnt transmission fluid or milky/black oil when you dropped the transmission pan yourself 3 day ago and flushed your transmission heh... friend got a free oil change and called me as soon as they told him, he doesent know shit about cars, so i told him to just pay for the coolant and he brought it back to my place... jacked it up, popped the cap off the transmission and low and behold.... transmission fluid still NEW, engine oil had nothing in it. the car lasted until he got his oil changed at the same place cause i was unavailable at the time, guy pays for it, starts it up and runs it on the highway, oil light goes on, he does a u turn, and as hes going up the ramp the throttle sticks. got it towed straight to ford, and they found.. obviously no oil in the engine... but the thing that will blow your f****ng mind, the gas pedal itself was stuck, and from what the guys at the dealer told him there was locktite or something incredibly sticky up where the gas pedal rotates.
Friend of mine had a local tire shop try and charge him $50 to replace a bolt they had broken while rotating his tires. He told them off, then told them he'd fix it himself and wouldn't be back again.
I always take my car to the dealer for oil changes because it’s included for free for a lifetime where I bought the car. 2 years ago they told me I needed brakes. They didn’t measure rotors to tell me how much life I had left. Didn’t want to take the wheel off to show me. 2 years later on the same brakes pads and still going strong.
Yeah I just went to get my battery tested at my local auto zone and they told me my battery had no charge... Then I proceeded to start my car just fine and laugh my butt off because she tried selling me a new battery
Mechanics that work out of their home, are usually the best way to go. Unless its something they absolutely cannot fix at their house (which is almost never lol) that's about the only time I'll ever go to an actual shop.
My sister took her car to a backyard mechanic to fix her transmission. He ended up stealing her catalytic converter and removed her exhaust pipe. She had to get the police involved to get him to give her back her car, then he had the nerve to threaten to sue her for not paying him for the so-called repairs. "Go ahead and take me to court, and I'll counter sue you for all the damage you caused to my vehicle." He quickly shut up.
holy shit @2:56 $600 for a fuel pump replacement????? i try to do all my work myself when possible (currently a 98 honda crv) and i literally just replaced mine a few days ago..... it's not a super labor intensive job and the part is like......60$. and all i needed outside of that was a ratchet set, screwdriver, and pliers (and i would have needed those anyway). not to mention, i have get physically exhausted super easily (as in i just took out my trash and had to cancel a meeting bc i was so out of it i nearly puked) from start to finish it took me a month (and im certain that if i were more physically able that would have been cut down to a day.) check youtube to see how to change parts, even if you don't plan on doing it yourself. this'll give you an idea of the labor involved, the approximate cost, the time, etc. and honestly, some things on your car you can easily remedy at home with a quick auto parts order (highly recommend rock auto, you can search by car make and model, and its relatively inexpensive, plus no one is trying to sell you stuff you don't need.) and some elbow grease!
Depends on the car, some cars you gotta drain and remove the entire fuel tank, or the backseats of the car to reach the fuel pump, $600 to replace a fuel pump is actually reasonable especially with mechanics charging $100+ an hour. My old Mercedes literally just has the fuel pump externally underneath the fuel tank so its super easy to do, literally about 10 minutes to swap it out.
@@archygrey9093 not really... that 600 isn't reasonable at all. Probably half of that was a new pump (never mind that wouldn't have fixed the problem in the first place) and the rest would have just evaporated. See, in the Alero, the fuel pump is accessed through a plate behind the rear seats in the front of the trunk. Maybe 20 minutes to pull it if you have issues. Should be under 10.
As a high schooler at 17 going for carmechatronic I can't believe how bad ppl can be, I mean bad customer bad service and u pull on em, but like that always f*** em
I'm just gonna add something on I was a Appy (Apprentice) at a local shop and more oftne than not most of the people who went to the larger shops, Ford for EXAMPLE(IT'S AN EXAMPLE) would try to up sell simple jobs all filter s/oil change $600 and we went and showed the customer the parts and prices (we used the same parts company as most) and it was about $200and our labour was about 100-150 Edit just checked prices and old payslips
My neighbor is a mechanic and I love when he shows me parts from cars that were worn down by misuse over the years. "Can you believe the idjit did this? Says something 'bout them Harvard-types."
I brought my car in for tire service & oil change. They tried to sell me a fuel injector cleaner service as well which I did not need as my car had a carburetor Ford LTD 1984. They still put it on the bill which I refused to pay until they took it off. I asked them to show me where these " fuel injectors" were because I certainly had never seen them. They couldn't obviously. I was so pissed off because I knew exactly what was under my hood & I had refused it in the first place. I think they were surprised I knew what I was talking about. I never took it back to that place. That auto shop is no longer in business.
I lost a good mechanic because the Affordable Healthcare Act raised his health insurance so high he couldn't afford to pay it on his own. Instead of being self employed, he now works for the city school system bus garage.
Ford Rangers have fans. Heck I saw a beloved Pinto. A PINTO! Even PT Cruisers which are stupid hard to fix.There really are fabs for all kinds of cars.
It's hard to get multiple quotes when different shops charge you "inspection fees" for the labor which conveniently get waived if you do the work there. You pay either way in a hostage situation.
It's understandable to me if a shop wants to charge you a fee for finding a problem. You are taking up their time by doing this. Also you could just take it to a place that doesn't charge and simply call and ask for a estimate at another shop.
The last story is a key takeaway. It might be true that a mechanic shop might have a right to be concerned about a vehicle, they cannot hold your vehicle. All that they should do is advise that a it should not be on the road. I would suggest if you're in that situation ask to be shown what the problem is and have them explain why it's so dire. whether it's chords showing on the tire, some crucial piece of suspension, or drivetrain; they should be able to show you and explain the situation. If they do not wish to do a show and tell and still refuse to release your vehicle, call the non-emergency dispatch in your area to get officer out.
The mechanic we use is amazing he is very certified and always does good work and if it’s something simple like an oil change he won’t charge but we will always give him like 50 bucks
The most full proof method is to learn how to do it yourself, nobody trusts anyone more than themselves, it’s a lot more affordable since you won’t be paying labor costs, and if you ever do take it to another mechanic you’ll know if they’re bullshitting you.
Never go pep boys. Went to get my headlights aligned properly after putting new ones in and ended up in their shop doing it myself because they wanted to charge me labor to remove my jeeps grill(6 plastic clips to pop it off) to get the the screws since they lost their long t15 bit and a regular t15 bit wouldn't reach.
My dad took his truck in for brake work. The mechanic filled the lines with transmission fluid. The shop had to replace everything involved with the brakes.
I've fixed cars and trucks most of my life, when I'm allowed to do it my way everyone is better off. RULE #1 find competent person RULE #2 let them fix the problem. RULE #3 Don't argue. RULE #4 Pay your bill, say thank you .and see you next time.
Look what the mechanic is driving. If he driving a new lincon and his wife has a new Cadillac, that is a bad sign. Look for the guy who has a old grandma car . or something That looks like it should be in a mad max movie!!
If they always listen the Airline Company. Trust me, good maintenance companies are always hated by the airline's maintenance officer/ manager. No one told me only "car" shops were allowed.
Place in Anoka MN doesnt give quotes! Just "fixes" things for hundreds of dollars & wont undo their work, even after it's been proved that their "fix" didnt do jack crap!
If you ask for parts back, I will judge you, but will just be like “lol this person wants their old pads, aight aight I’ll do it for them” and I like having a collection of the best stories like the time I got a 4-5” nail from a tire... oh yea, most tickets I get either don’t get services done to them when they need it ie oil leaks, bald tires, brakes that are almost metal to metal and the ones that truly don’t need the services always get them like an air filter that can be changed next oil change I just put as should get fixed in the next few months will get changed that visit. I know I keep editing but, doesn’t matter what comes in, I always check the brakes, tires, if the vehicle was properly intact and if there were any massive safety concerns even if you request not to do a multi point, because that’s the right thing to do for your safety
I rather have a shop come to see me and say a whoopsi happened and own up to their mistake then lie. Sure ill be mad my car is broken and all i came for was an oil change but if the shop is honest enough to own up and fix it on their own then i might still stay a customer.(depends how the fixes are performed.)
My father, brother and neighbor are all mechanics that work on their own cars and trucks, realistically I should ask them to take a look, but I’m too awkward to ask
All right so I can’t find a song anywhere that used in this video! Google returns nothing, TH-cam returns a bunch of other results that aren’t even relevant.
![[LIVE] นาทีนี้ต้องพี่ทนาย | ทนายแก้ว vs ทนายไพศาล | #คุยให้เด็กมันฟัง EP.47 (02/11/67)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HmquaO-PL_M/mqdefault.jpg)
Lolol. "My mechanic loves to show me the fricked up parts he replaces. Look at it. Just look at it. You did this." LMAOOOOO
I came for this comment. Had me chuckling
I had spark plugs like that. I brought my car in because it was missing. They were in such awful shape the other mechanics were all in awe that my car hadn't needed to be towed in.
Lmao! Yeah. Hilarious!
The best way to find an honest mechanic is to create a small problem on your vehicle and then take it to them and see what they say. Place a blown fuse in the box for the wipers. Take it to a shop you are interested in to see what they do.
I did this and had my wife take it in. One shop said the motor needed replacing for 275.00. Another shop, the guy looked and found the blown fuse within a few minutes of her pulling in. He pulled the spare fuse, replaced the bad one and said no charge.... That is now the shop we use.
Yup. I've done that for a friend. Found the bad ones
I love honest mechanics supporting other honest mechanics.
I have a friend whose one of those good and honest mechanics who won't bullshit.
There is a reason why I never complain if he charges a bit more
Yup. When you find one, hang on for dear life.
Get an EV. 111k and no shop visit
Scotty The Mechanic, 🔧.
@@ricechido1089 it's such a blessing to deal with an honest mechanic. Like other people. We want our car to last as long as possible.
I had air suspension in my car that finally, after 17 years, failed on me. Had to have it yanked and replaced with springs, so I took it to the only mechanic who had ever worked on the car. The kid behind the desk brought my car to me and went to talk to the mechanic, and I don't think they realized I could still hear them over the sounds of the shop. The kid asked why the 'Air Suspension' indicator was still on, didn't they fix that? The mechanic saw my car and told him 'That is a $300 fix for something that is purely cosmetic. We're not going to install the module to turn that off, don't even offer it to her. That's too much money for something stupid.'
This is why he's the only mechanic who has been allowed to touch my car.
The mechanic does have a point that it’s ridiculously expensive just to turn off a light but a whole bunch of modern vehicles now days won’t allows themselves to function at normal levels if the computer thinks the car is broken.
A guy I know took his car into a national chain place where he was told that his shocks were leaking fluid and needed to be replaced before they could legally allow him to drive it on the road. They even showed him where the fluid was trickling down the outer casing of the shocks. He pointed out that (a) The shocks were less than a month old, and (b) were completely pneumatic, meaning that they didn't contain any fluid! He was less than amused!
My cousin is a mechanic, and when he owned his shop, it took him three separate times to find the hole in my radiator, and yes, that's after a "thorough" check and payment each time. It's not the only reason why, but at the time I was working and going to school, so I didn't have a lot of money and he knew this (his words to me were, "It's just money"), but I don't talk to him if I don't have to anymore.
Piece of advice, even though it's a pain in the ass with possibly huge consequences
If you know your radiator has a hole in it, pull the radiator out, and connect a pressure washer hose to the inlet port. The water pressure from the pressure washer will be significantly higher than the radiator is meant to handle and will make that leak easy to see.
It might also blow the leak into a giant hole.
@@potatopie1696 Something's loose upstairs, ainnit?
@@puppetseducer it's a much more practical solution for shitboxes than for general car use.
@@potatopie1696 I'll take your word for it
Wasn't smart enough to put dye in it and tell you to go driving around for an hour, eh? A first year with half a brain would have done that...
My parents have been so pissed since the only good mechanic in town retired. His shop became a weed dispensary, after the guy he sold to decided he didn’t want to be a mechanic after all. Small towns suck.
In Michigan, old parts must be provided if asked for (minus core charges) by law so you can verify they needed to be and did change them.
Honest or ethical shops should do that on request. ✔
In Michigan everyone's parents are a doctor, lawyer or mechanic, istg. I am not excluded from this group.
But if you don't know what your looking at, how do you know it's your parts? I'd say have them do a side by side comparison before install
@@jerz2315 they show you the old one (sometimes you have to ask) to prove it needs replacing.
@@andiward7068 oh ok... Many of times I used to bring the customer back and show them what needs replacing, why and how it works.
The thumbnail for this video of the ginger cat holding a wrench with a joint hanging from his lips is GREAT and made me laugh so much (several beloved members of my family are human versions of this - this is so true and endearing!!)
80% of the things you take your vehicle into a shop you can DIY with a TH-cam how to and a set of decent tools. If you can change a tire, replace air filters, change your oil you're basically doing the majority of a Mechanic's job.
Don't forget to change the headlight fluid, a lot of mechanics tend to neglect that crucial area of maintenance.
@@heroslippy6666 heh, learned that while in the Army
@@heroslippy6666 and the wiper coolant too
I second this. Invest in some tools (even some harbor freight stuff) and learn some basics and it’ll save you a ton.
@@calebstevens7487 yeah exactly. All you need is a socket set, an OBD2 scanner, voltage meter and some PB and you can do anything you'd be willing to do on a garage floor.
Mechanic for Pep Boys here. Just know some times it actually is the service advisor lying about you needing tires by changing tread depths and so on. Most service advisors actually know nothing about cars.
Also people for the love of God please learn how a tire rotation works, 90% of the time it's a waste of your time and ours, like they won't need to be rotated right then or it will be detrimental to your tire wear to rotate. Most shops will do a rotate for free, it's and excuse for us to get a better look at your brakes, that's why it's free. Start learning about your cars people. Basic stuff like filters and fluids are very easy to take 10 min to learn about, including learning how to change your wiper blades so you aren't spending $50-$60 for something that will cost you $30 and 5 min of your time.
Edit: If you're going to tip your mechanic, tip them directly, service advisors steal tips 99% of the time.
My husband does everything on my car but last year he played around and didn't change my oil before we went on vacation so we took it to a chain auto mechanic place and while we're waiting one of the techs brings in a dirty air filter.....now my husband had just changed it the day before and the tech was trying to tell him he had to get a new one and the price was stupid high.....the manager comes over and of course backs up his tech and when my husband told him he just changed it the day before the look on their faces was priceless......we have never gone back.....if I take my car anywhere to get tires changed or anything (sometimes my hubs has to work 7 days a week) he will text me exactly what is needed so that they can't pull anything over on me
Great job on catching that! People are such crooks. So glad I don't drive anymore.
My gf did that once. I had to show her what it would have cost if I did it. She doesn't do that anymore.
Hey that cat in the thumbnail isn’t a bad mechanic
Thank you, im doing my best
That cat just saw the bullshit that the bad shop did and is crying because the 10 min job is now 3 hours
@@lattysman4427 all i wanted to do was give the person an oil change, the company fucked up their entire car
He just tryin his best
@@Damnbrohowthishappen do your best and don't rip off your customers Mechanic Cat I believe in you
My dad has worked on probably thousands of cars in his life, of all types, makes, and models. These include Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Audis, BMW's, Volkswagens, and many other brands. I plan to follow in his footsteps in the vehicle repair business, learning everything from him. I dont even have my driver's license yet and i can change a tire, change a wheel, mount a tire, perform an oil change, and a few other things. This coming summer i will be doing alot of substantial work on my car to get it roadworthy, and i dont think i will need much help from my dad. When something breaks on my dads car, he fixes it himself. 50 years of experience is definitely expert level when it comes to auto repair!
i talked to my neighbor. hes no nonsense he pointed to a place that always has people getting their repairs from this guy carlos. his shop was the greatest day ever, we needed r134a instead of a condenser change (which takes having to DISASSEMBLE THE DASH AND STEERING WHEEL) he knew it was the refrigerant $60 for a charge that has sealant instead of $400. the other place did not know how toyotas a/c work this guy had a warranty and new the exact temp and psi the condenser should have even told us that if it failed he'd fix the problem free of charge. we've been fine and we changed the 15+ old cabin filter and old fan ourselves, my 4runner might need a glance again since the CA summer puts it through its paces a/c wise
I too was told my fuel pump went. Got the car towed back home and watched a few TH-cam videos. Turned out to be a blown relay.
I've had better luck with shade tree mechanics than shops. A couple years ago my Honda Accord was running hot, so I was on my way to a shop that my my bff's husband worked at because I knew 1-he knew his shit, and 2-i could trust him. I get about a mile down the road and it goes from warm to all the way hot, so I call him and ask what I should do. There's a shop like a hundred yards on front of me, but neither of us know anything about it. He told me that if I continued to drive towards his shop I'd kill my car, so either take it to the shop in front of me or have it towed. I made the mistake of taking it to the unknown shop. He gave me a run down of what I needed to say and what to say no to, and I nervously went inside. I explained what was going on, that I'd tried to make it to friends shop but was too scared to go any further, and asked for a diagnostic workup. Went back the next day and was given a full page list of things that needed to be done. Total bill $2,400. I took the list to my friends husband and he checked off all the must do's, and crossed out the things that could wait, and it was still $1,500. I'd JUST paid the car off earlier that month, and couldn't afford that kind of work, so I got a titleloan. I spent like an hour talking to the mechanics, and they knew I had two kids, and was truly struggling, and seemed like they legit cared. A few days goes by and they say it's ready for pick up. I was at work until 9pm, so they agreed to park it out front and hide the keys for me so I could get it when I got off. When I cranked it, it immediately started smoking. The engine was blown! I'd blown it on my way there, and they knew that, and still charged me for all this other labor that didn't matter because it wasn't going to run without a new engine! The paperwork I got had so many errors on it, they listed my mileage 75k miles less than what it was, and the bill had different things than the original list they gave me. The friend who took my to get the car had triple a, and had it towed back to my place, where it sat until the titleloan repo guy picked it up a couple months later. That was the first car I'd bought and completely paid for myself, and it still stings five years later. I've genuinely tried to learn about cars, because I don't want anything like that to happen again, but my brain just won't compute it. It's like Chinese to me, I just don't understand it. No matter how hard I try, it doesn't make sense. I know where the oil and water goes, but that's about it. I lucked out and met a guy who works at a reputable shop, and does friends/family's cars on the side in his garage at home. He recently rewired my taillight (it was rigged when I bought it, and eventually broke), replaced my multiport throttle (I'd accidentally broken the blinker switch completely off), changed my oil, and rotated my tires for $100+parts. AND he detailed my car before bringing it back because one of his puppies had climbed in and gotten hair on the driver's seat, which would have been fine, I mean I've got two kids, but he knows I'm allergic so he went ahead and did the whole thing. I'll never take my vehicles to any one else again!
Service engine light was on. Took it to the dealership. They said it was the EGR valve. Fixed it. $313 for the part and $300 in labour. Wasn't happy but didn't know any better. A year later I had some serious problems and took my car to a nearby mechanic my neighbour recommended. I asked about the EGR valve and he told me I was ripped off. The part was $313 but it takes less than 2 minutes to change it (he showed me). GM shut down that dealership after a ton of complaints.
$300 for 2 minutes of labour.
Took my truck in for an oil change and they told me I needed a new air filter. Showed me some dirty filter that wasn't even for my truck told them to give me my keys because I use a washable K&N filter that I put in a week prior.
Half the dealerships I've worked in have had aweful mechanics. Google reviews are a decent indicator.
True 💯 Avoid Tropical Ford 🚙 In metro Orlando.gov . They are awful. 🤦♂️ I had my "quick lane" oil change, AC check take 6 hours. 6! The staff guys were rude & I was over charged by $50. My 2005 Ford Crown Vic sedan sat around in a bay with no one touching it. Ford should send auditors, inspectors to Tropical Ford. Even car manufacturers know dealers are scumbag crooks..
About half of any given dealer's mechanics are students (or haven't been in the business long because dealers generally don't pay crap... if they're decent they'll eventually go to an independent to get more money as the pay rate and type is different) so none of this is surprising...
The post at 18:47 that just adds more reason to not trust every auto shop. Thats just a major flaw in the industry and its not healthy for any industry either.
I'll go against the whole "bad mechanic drives a new car"
As my personal experience, I had to buy a newer car to keep up with the constant demands of customers. I couldn't keep fixing the old Merc constantly on my days off because I would get a call.
Tells you that you need a fuel pump when all you need is a fuel filter, because the mechanic's friend's car needs a fuel pump. That's a level of scam I hadn't even thought of....
To be fair most cars now have fuel filter on the fuel pump in the fuel tank, but older cars are not that same way. Now you'd have to see the old pump to know if they changed it out, but if you don't know if that's your old on or from another car.
seriously, leaving the oil gun in the engine before turning on the engine, for real though, i always make sure the oil cap in in and secured before i even try that
I WISH I had oil guns..i always have to walk my ass across the shop about 2 times to fill up buckets
I rented an RV once and it was super loud when driving. It shook like hell. My parents thought that the owner would have to pay a million bucks to fix it. Then we rented another RV some time later and told this owner about the previous problem. He was a different person than the previous RV holder. He said that the wheels must have been out of alignment. All they needed was a tire alignment. I was shocked. Any repair shop would have replaced everything in that fricking RV and charged a fortune.
Article - about bad mechanic’s. Thumbnail - best mechanic ever.
I started auto mechanic school in January....Ill use this as studying.
I have a mechanic that I’ve been following around to several places. He is the only person I take my vehicles too. I know some stuff about cars but he has never steered me wrong before and it’s great
The story about the honest mechanic who used to work for a dealership until he started his own shop is a good friend of mine. He's awesome! Joey Noll of Noll's Automotive Cypress TX
That last story was a great ending point.
Scam in full view of the scammy? Check
Scammer defending his scam in vein? Check.
Random person notices scam and also pulls out? Check.
Random person is a freaking cop and slaps scammer with instant karma? Freaken bonus check.
If I was the OP who saw that guy purposely cut a ladies belt in the car, I would not only quit but I’d go to the waiting area where she presumably was, and straight up tell her what happened.
I lucked out with a chain location here. After I had gotten my car's computer module and ball joints fixed at the local shop, my car's steering got very floaty. So I took the car into a Firestone because I knew they could see me the same day. They told me to go back to the original shop to get them to fix what they screwed up; turns out the ball joints were installed very poorly, and because of that it messed with my ability to keep the car straight.
So they fixed the ball joints. And then suddenly my brakes got sticky! Went to Firestone again. They told me to go back to the local shop again. Turns out, while fixing my back brakes, they forgot to properly bleed the line, so the brake fluid caused the calipers to stick. Never went back to the local shop. I keep going to the Firestone for all my car repairs now. They could've very easily taken my money for repairs, but they did right by me and told me to do what was needed to be made whole.
I am a fleet manager for a major community care organisation here on Australia. Dealt with so many dodgey mechanics I have a few tips.
Advice 1. Don't use dealer network service centre. They are the biggest and worst offenders of what most have mentioned in this video.
Advice 2. Your car's warranty won't be void if you don't use the dealer network. This is illegal but they still try to say that.
Advice 3. If the shop has half finished cars everywhere, messy, oil everywhere, unkempt staff etc. Run
Advice 4. Join a Facebook page for your car and your area. These pages are a wealth of information and they will usually be able to point you in the right direction.
Advice 5. If you are female, get knowledgeable on your car and what issues it can have. Understand it and know when it's feeling weird. If you are not interested, have a male friend or family member that is a bit mechanical minded to make sure they don't scam you. I know this sounds sexist but community care is vastly female dominated and I've had so many time that my female staff were told absolute bullshit. I always check the invoice before approving the repair and I am very mechanically minded. It's surprising this shit still goes on today.
Advice 6. Ask to see the damage/ fault. One of the oldest tricks is "you need new tyres" without the proof they are worn to the mark. .there is a small bump inside the tread of your tyres...that is the ware indicator. If it's low you will be able to tell. So always double check tyres ware before service.
Advice 7. Get a second opinion always.
Good points; ✔ I had a recent Ford, Orlando.gov shop guy say; oh your broken power window? Oh that's the motor($400.00). The 🤡 didnt even look at it or check the window, controls to verify it needed a motor. My 2002 Jeep SUV had 3 power window regulators replaced(180.00 each USD). Over 3yr. The last time, the "new managers" were sketchy. 🤔 I never returned.
Admittedly I’m currently driving 3hrs to see my trusted Mechanic when ever I need work done but then again they expect payment in 2nd hand parts that I scrap off cheap scrap cars I buy for scrap metal value and they also take eggs,honey, meat,livestock and fresh fruit and veggies as well as money
My family has been using one mechanic shop for years. Only once has something been delayed for an extended period of time but that was like last year. We still use him. Only downside is that picking up the phone when you want to call them is terrible. But the owner also works on cars so it’s usually that or he’s in the middle of dealing with others in the shop. He does good work. Lot almost always full partly due to the the fact to the lot is for three different little shops: mechanic, tires, and windows.
I do love honest mechanics especially when they take you back and show you what is wrong & also make notations on some things that are showing wear & tear but are not in need of emergent repair so you can keep it in the back of your mind.
I used to be a technician. I went to NTI for training in the field. Granted I feel as if they didnt train me all that well for on the job work it felt more like they were teaching me how to engineer cars rather that fix. Yes knowing how the car works helps with fixing it but they went off way to much and some of the instructors would just bs with the military vets in my class. But I digress. When I was working for the dealership luckily I was placed with a mentor for 3 months or so while going to chrysler school. However, after i went flat rate, not only was I lied to about my hourly rate (14 instead of 15/hr) but the work sometimes is incredibly hard compared to what we get paid. I made more at walmart then there towards the end of my technician career. The thing is I didnt work on cars since I was a kid, I just jumped into the field so I was learning as I go. After a year or so I did get better but I had many misdiagnoses. I always corrected it before charging the customer and doing the repair but still. Not all techs are inept some are just new so dont write them off immediately. Maybe ask how long the tech doing the work has been working in the field. Some mechanics are bad. If they call themselves mechanics nowadays then they probably are either old mechanics who know about the mechanical part of cars but not so much the electrical part or they are not good techs and are just part hangers. Nowadays most repairs are electrical from what I had seen. Which that sucks. Yea you get an hour of diag time but most electrical problems the book says it pays 20 to 40min to fix. You might spend a day or 2 trying to find and fix said problem but only get paid like 2hrs for the work. Had that happen a lot. It sucks. But between the pay being low and customers calling you dumb because you are new and haven't experienced a lot of different repairs yet makes it difficult to stay the field or even enter in the first place. What made me leave was how a customer came back to my shop with a dead engine. Lift it up and the drain plug is gone and engine seized because he kept starting it and running it without oil in it. I had did the oil change on his vehicle a little over 2 months prior and he put 2,000 miles on it before this happened. He had said it was leaking oil ever since he brought it home and he had to keep putting oil in it and sometimes it would just dump onto the ground. He never once thought to bring it back like a sane customer would. Well he blamed the damage on me and my service manager agreed with him. Now if you have done a few oil changes, you know that taking that drain plug all the way out can be difficult especially seeing how the plug is designed to go cockeyed towards the end and kind of get stuck, to prevent falling out if it backs out. This on most vehicle. Idk exact date ranges but I can guarantee that the 08 jeep patriot had this style plug. So there is no way that the plug would've just fell out if it backed itself out and IF it did happen to do that then it would've done it in the first 2 weeks after the oil change not 2 months later. I pointed this out to my service manager who had 30 plus years in the field and when I pointed that out to him mid yelling at me he said "oh, well still, your next fuck up your gone." I thought about it and was like so a customer can come in and lie about damages and say I caused them and I will lose my job? And he says yes. I walked out. That service manager was an asshole and was willing to make a stressful job even more stressful for me by making me scared that every vehicle I touch I could lose my job on. I work at a better place and make more money then him even so yea its whatever but still. They are supposed to have their techs back and they dont and customers who lie about damages are just as bad as crappy mechanics.
These stories are exactly why the trade needs to be more heavily regulated and only allow people to work on cars with the proper qualifications who know what to do
If you think that's extremely valuable you could start a private business that would go around and certify shops and/or individual mechanics. If you provide a valuable service with your regulations, people will stop shopping at the the places that you don't approve of and only shop where you approve/certify them.
You're wrong unfortunately.. You would kill an entire hobby and lifestyle. Please don't.
@@SamBrickell You mean like the ASE?
Easy.
1. Always show broken parts/explain why something is a problem, and how that problem can become more expensive if ignored.
2. Always explain how much more expensive a job could get if they come in for a quote on a major issue. You don't want to make people agree to jobs they can't afford, and we all know that you never realise how bad something is until you start pulling it apart. A 1k job can very quickly turn into a 5k job, provided you aren't cutting corners.
3. Always take your time and do the job properly. If a customer wants you to cut corners, tell them to pound sand and send them to another shop. Do it right or refuse to touch it, lawsuits aren't worth helping out someone you don't know, and neither is knowing someone could be killed because you were lazy/cheap.
4. Keep learning. There's always new editions of textbooks, new manufacturer recommendations, recalls, tonnes of things you can be reading up on. Knowledge is incredibly useful in an ever-changing trade.
More tips: Don't rely on Wal-Mart to service your vehicle. The following is from different locations:
I had a flat that needed changed. They put a tire that was obviously smaller than the rest on my van. It was actually sitting at an angle. I pointed this out to not 1, not 2 but THREE different people before they finally fixed it. This is after putting in the wrong make and model of my vehicle into the system.
I know of 3 people where the employee forgot to put the oil back into the engine. One had to have the engine replaced.
2 people I know of had all of the oil leak out once they got home because the employee didn't properly replace the drain plug.
A coworker had them forget to put the cap on the valve cover back on, but at least they remembered to refill the oil.
There is some good stuff on here amd some things that come from misunderstanding. So a few thinks first, unless its a very small shop your not gonna talk to the mechanic. The person you deal with is the service writer and half of them don't know jack about vehicles. Any server they recommend is going to be based on age or miles of the vehicle. Even mechanics with years of experience are not going to be able to tell if your fluid has been changed earlier unless its very recent like less than 1000 for engine oil and probably less than 5k to 10k for the other fluids. You can ask for a specific mechanic but it might not be practical for than mechanic to do it. If you want the same people working on your vehicle all the time I recommend going somewhere that has "teams" that generally consists of 1 service writer, a senior mechanic and 2-4 other mechanics. Most shops won't let you watch your car be worked on out of liability reasons. Even having the customer walk out to see a damage part is frowned along by insurance but your only there for a couple minutes so most shops allow it. If a shop pushes ASE certified mechanic heavily then be weary. Most of tese test don't require any knowledge that a mildly mechanically inclined person couldn't pass without some study time
Work as a mechanic on the electrical side more then anything, honestly like anything I get is normally warranty or extended warranty just because it's expensive, that being said I might get paid 1/8 of the labor charge, I find other screwed up things not because I'm trying to screw you but so that I can provide for my family. Think about it like this, there's a recall on a vehicle it pays .3 or 3/10ths of a hour, if I get paid 10 bucks an hour, I'll only get 3 dallors for that recall and typically it takes longer then I pays so I find other stuff that I can also do, saving you and me time. *Disclaimer I'm paid more then 10 dallors an hour but honestly we aren't paid what it's worth for the diag and the install of any part
Due to covid alot of manufactures change standard labor times so that they can save money and for those of you who don't know, SLTS or the standard labor is what we base customer pay or none warranty for, it should be 1.5 x slts time. Job calls for 1hr slts then customer paid is 1.5 hrs labor plus part and tax.
I know someone in the video said avoid chain garages, oddly enough I've had nothing but good luck with our local Firestone garage they've been honest with me and do good work for reasonable price
Surprised nobody mentioned Monro Muffler... my father had his Malibu towed there after it died at a light... timing chain broke maybe 2 weeks after he had the oil changed at the same place. Mechanic not only started fixing it but also put said timing chain on wrong, causing even more bent valves. Luckily the car was still under powertrain warranty and was towed to the dealership a quarter mile away. Almost wasn't fixed under warranty due to Monro's screwup. And Monro wanted better than $1000 for making the problem worse.
Same place, mother's 2012 Crapler 200. Right rear brake squealing all the time. Diagnosed a stuck caliper. I think they put on just a rotor, if that, and supposedly changed the pads and greased the caliper pins. 3 years later, rear brakes barely work (almost hit a tree in a snowstorm trying to gently come to a stop at red light on way home from work, rear end didn't want to stop while the front was stopping) I worked at the above dealer and brought the car in to redo the rear brakes. Not only did Monro not change the pads, they didn't grease the calipers either. There's no way those pads weren't original from the factory (car had about 75K on it at the time). Rear pads generally last about that long... they certainly didn't have less than 10K on them being just about worn out. Literally had to beat the calipers out of the brackets because they didn't grease the bushings/pins either. Don't know what they did, but it certainly wasn't what they said they did. Brakes still work fine after 2 years, btw.
I had a shop change an engine out for me once and I paid them for the clutch as well while they were in there. 4 months later the clutch went out and when I called them to ask about a warranty, they told me I burned it out, like seriously I had the car 3 years before and never burned out the clutch! From then on I’ve always done my own work and diagnosis on my car, and if it requires special tools I either buy it if I may need it again or rent it from the parts store. I’ve saved thousands of dollars! I just did another clutch job myself on a different car that a shop charges $1500 to do when I got the parts for $120, and even though it took a few days I still got it done but saved $1380!!
Worked in 2 different dealerships. I was always told by the manager to upsell maintenance. Often found myself having to make a decision whether to be honest to the customer or make a profit for the dealership. ALWAYS chose to be honest to the customer. Slept well
I got my brakes done on my old daily suzuki. The shop in town u usually go to was so backed up with customers. I started using another independent shop. I had a small evap code diagnosed it told me it was just the gas cap, so I changed it and the light persists. So I believe he just charged me and did no diagnostic. Even if you are not sure don't specify it to a problem the it's not fixed. Brought it back for a brake job and he put on my parts. All of a sudden when I left the abs light the 4 wheel drive light flashing, I was mad as he'll after that. He explained as soon as I ask about it, "we didn't purposely do it. I never once said that they did it causing the abs light and all else to come on it was just odd as soon as I left all my lights all of a sudden was on. My car had no problems at all. They created more problems by separating the abs sensor on the hub. So I played along I was like so what do I need now to fix this. "You need an axle and a whole hub" I never went back to that place ever again. If it seems too sketchy and all of a sudden your car has all these problems 🏃 run that's their way of keeping you coming back.
i’m a certified automotive tech but i don’t work in the field. autozone and advance auto parts will let you use their OBD2 reader for free (shops can and usually will charge for this). autozone also sells repair manuals for your make/model/generation. sign up for rewards programs at auto parts stores, especially if you buy things from there more than 3 or 4 times a year
My parents had their Toyota taken to a local mechanic, thinking that the timing belt was going out. He said it was another far less expensive part. The only time we didn't use him was for dealership warranty work. He was great and honest, unfortunately as he expanded/was beginning to leave the business the quality seemed to go down and prices rose.
Who is a good honest mechanic in Los Angeles???
I actually found my mechanic asking reddit. Close to home and super hoesnt, a little pricey for labor but worth it. Mechanics like to show me what i did. When i bent my break he was very impressed. Pressing harder means quicker stoppy when sliding into another car lol.
I second the part about them letting you look at the problem on the shop floor. I changed my control arms on my truck with Moogs. During the alignment the shop told me the bushings were bad so I was sceptical. Went out to the truck on the lift and sure as shit, the bushing was bad.
I have had pretty good luck finding good mechanics. If I take my car in for an oil change and 30 point inspection, they will take pictures of everything they check, and give it a green, yellow or red score. If yellow, they tell me how close it is to red and how much to fix and if it is something I can put off for a while. If it is red, they will give me a price and tell me if it is something that needs immediate attention, if it can wait or how catastrophic it would be to wait. They also will give me the parts if I ask for them. Most of the time, everything is green (I try to take good care of my car). I have had things go wrong and thought it was something really bad, and they were like, "Nah, just a $25 part, and we won't even charge you for the labor. It will only take a couple of minutes to replace." They have loaner cars they don't charge you for, or they can drive you home/pick you up, as needed. I just love them. And yes, I have had expensive repairs, but never had to go back and have something redone because of their screw up.
A good thing to do is look for enthusiast shops who some want specialize in your brand of car or particular car. Many of them know more of the weird shit that can go on with certain cars than general shops do. They also tend to have better techs and are more trusted as they can be found to work on significantly modded cars and also things people have large investments into. Source: I needed a shop to work on my car that’s modded and found the local euro turner shop to work on my mini. Best decision ever.
if you go in for coolant change and come out with burnt transmission fluid or milky/black oil when you dropped the transmission pan yourself 3 day ago and flushed your transmission heh... friend got a free oil change and called me as soon as they told him, he doesent know shit about cars, so i told him to just pay for the coolant and he brought it back to my place... jacked it up, popped the cap off the transmission and low and behold.... transmission fluid still NEW, engine oil had nothing in it. the car lasted until he got his oil changed at the same place cause i was unavailable at the time, guy pays for it, starts it up and runs it on the highway, oil light goes on, he does a u turn, and as hes going up the ramp the throttle sticks. got it towed straight to ford, and they found.. obviously no oil in the engine... but the thing that will blow your f****ng mind, the gas pedal itself was stuck, and from what the guys at the dealer told him there was locktite or something incredibly sticky up where the gas pedal rotates.
Friend of mine had a local tire shop try and charge him $50 to replace a bolt they had broken while rotating his tires. He told them off, then told them he'd fix it himself and wouldn't be back again.
I always take my car to the dealer for oil changes because it’s included for free for a lifetime where I bought the car. 2 years ago they told me I needed brakes. They didn’t measure rotors to tell me how much life I had left. Didn’t want to take the wheel off to show me. 2 years later on the same brakes pads and still going strong.
Yeah I just went to get my battery tested at my local auto zone and they told me my battery had no charge... Then I proceeded to start my car just fine and laugh my butt off because she tried selling me a new battery
Mechanics that work out of their home, are usually the best way to go. Unless its something they absolutely cannot fix at their house (which is almost never lol) that's about the only time I'll ever go to an actual shop.
My sister took her car to a backyard mechanic to fix her transmission. He ended up stealing her catalytic converter and removed her exhaust pipe. She had to get the police involved to get him to give her back her car, then he had the nerve to threaten to sue her for not paying him for the so-called repairs. "Go ahead and take me to court, and I'll counter sue you for all the damage you caused to my vehicle." He quickly shut up.
holy shit @2:56 $600 for a fuel pump replacement????? i try to do all my work myself when possible (currently a 98 honda crv) and i literally just replaced mine a few days ago..... it's not a super labor intensive job and the part is like......60$. and all i needed outside of that was a ratchet set, screwdriver, and pliers (and i would have needed those anyway). not to mention, i have get physically exhausted super easily (as in i just took out my trash and had to cancel a meeting bc i was so out of it i nearly puked)
from start to finish it took me a month (and im certain that if i were more physically able that would have been cut down to a day.) check youtube to see how to change parts, even if you don't plan on doing it yourself. this'll give you an idea of the labor involved, the approximate cost, the time, etc. and honestly, some things on your car you can easily remedy at home with a quick auto parts order (highly recommend rock auto, you can search by car make and model, and its relatively inexpensive, plus no one is trying to sell you stuff you don't need.) and some elbow grease!
Depends on the car, some cars you gotta drain and remove the entire fuel tank, or the backseats of the car to reach the fuel pump, $600 to replace a fuel pump is actually reasonable especially with mechanics charging $100+ an hour.
My old Mercedes literally just has the fuel pump externally underneath the fuel tank so its super easy to do, literally about 10 minutes to swap it out.
@@archygrey9093 not really... that 600 isn't reasonable at all. Probably half of that was a new pump (never mind that wouldn't have fixed the problem in the first place) and the rest would have just evaporated. See, in the Alero, the fuel pump is accessed through a plate behind the rear seats in the front of the trunk. Maybe 20 minutes to pull it if you have issues. Should be under 10.
As a high schooler at 17 going for carmechatronic I can't believe how bad ppl can be, I mean bad customer bad service and u pull on em, but like that always f*** em
I'm just gonna add something on I was a Appy (Apprentice) at a local shop and more oftne than not most of the people who went to the larger shops, Ford for EXAMPLE(IT'S AN EXAMPLE) would try to up sell simple jobs all filter s/oil change $600 and we went and showed the customer the parts and prices (we used the same parts company as most) and it was about $200and our labour was about 100-150
Edit just checked prices and old payslips
My neighbor is a mechanic and I love when he shows me parts from cars that were worn down by misuse over the years.
"Can you believe the idjit did this? Says something 'bout them Harvard-types."
I brought my car in for tire service & oil change. They tried to sell me a fuel injector cleaner service as well which I did not need as my car had a carburetor Ford LTD 1984. They still put it on the bill which I refused to pay until they took it off. I asked them to show me where these " fuel injectors" were because I certainly had never seen them. They couldn't obviously. I was so pissed off because I knew exactly what was under my hood & I had refused it in the first place. I think they were surprised I knew what I was talking about. I never took it back to that place. That auto shop is no longer in business.
I like that last one
Dont watch for the mechanics but watch for the service writers as well trust me them writer can be worse
I lost a good mechanic because the Affordable Healthcare Act raised his health insurance so high he couldn't afford to pay it on his own. Instead of being self employed, he now works for the city school system bus garage.
Ford Rangers have fans. Heck I saw a beloved Pinto. A PINTO! Even PT Cruisers which are stupid hard to fix.There really are fabs for all kinds of cars.
It's hard to get multiple quotes when different shops charge you "inspection fees" for the labor which conveniently get waived if you do the work there. You pay either way in a hostage situation.
It's understandable to me if a shop wants to charge you a fee for finding a problem. You are taking up their time by doing this. Also you could just take it to a place that doesn't charge and simply call and ask for a estimate at another shop.
That last story man. Turned on a dime XD
The last story is a key takeaway. It might be true that a mechanic shop might have a right to be concerned about a vehicle, they cannot hold your vehicle. All that they should do is advise that a it should not be on the road. I would suggest if you're in that situation ask to be shown what the problem is and have them explain why it's so dire. whether it's chords showing on the tire, some crucial piece of suspension, or drivetrain; they should be able to show you and explain the situation. If they do not wish to do a show and tell and still refuse to release your vehicle, call the non-emergency dispatch in your area to get officer out.
When I worked at the dealer they ALWAYS cut corners. So find your mecanic and keep him.
The mechanic we use is amazing he is very certified and always does good work and if it’s something simple like an oil change he won’t charge but we will always give him like 50 bucks
Avoid NTB, Maaco, and Oil Lube places.
I didn't ever realize that, that mechanics don't really advertise
Sometimes people with bad alcoholism are altruistic for the same reason. They are looking for relief for pain that can't go away.
The mechanic kitten in the thumbnail lol 😂
Why does everyone make fun of me, im doing my best
The most full proof method is to learn how to do it yourself, nobody trusts anyone more than themselves, it’s a lot more affordable since you won’t be paying labor costs, and if you ever do take it to another mechanic you’ll know if they’re bullshitting you.
Never go pep boys. Went to get my headlights aligned properly after putting new ones in and ended up in their shop doing it myself because they wanted to charge me labor to remove my jeeps grill(6 plastic clips to pop it off) to get the the screws since they lost their long t15 bit and a regular t15 bit wouldn't reach.
My dad took his truck in for brake work. The mechanic filled the lines with transmission fluid. The shop had to replace everything involved with the brakes.
I've fixed cars and trucks most of my life, when I'm allowed to do it my way everyone is better off.
RULE #1
find competent person
RULE #2
let them fix the problem.
RULE #3
Don't argue.
RULE #4
Pay your bill, say thank you .and see you next time.
Look what the mechanic is driving.
If he driving a new lincon and his wife has a new Cadillac, that is a bad sign.
Look for the guy who has a old grandma car . or something
That looks like it should be in a mad max movie!!
If they always listen the Airline Company. Trust me, good maintenance companies are always hated by the airline's maintenance officer/ manager.
No one told me only "car" shops were allowed.
Place in Anoka MN doesnt give quotes! Just "fixes" things for hundreds of dollars & wont undo their work, even after it's been proved that their "fix" didnt do jack crap!
6 wheels? Should be 7. You forgot the flywheel
When there are a sea of really young apprentices with very little on the job guidance from older mechanics.
If you ask for parts back, I will judge you, but will just be like “lol this person wants their old pads, aight aight I’ll do it for them” and I like having a collection of the best stories like the time I got a 4-5” nail from a tire... oh yea, most tickets I get either don’t get services done to them when they need it ie oil leaks, bald tires, brakes that are almost metal to metal and the ones that truly don’t need the services always get them like an air filter that can be changed next oil change I just put as should get fixed in the next few months will get changed that visit.
I know I keep editing but, doesn’t matter what comes in, I always check the brakes, tires, if the vehicle was properly intact and if there were any massive safety concerns even if you request not to do a multi point, because that’s the right thing to do for your safety
My dad took his car to get a coolant change. The engine blew on the way home, they forgot to fill it.
I rather have a shop come to see me and say a whoopsi happened and own up to their mistake then lie.
Sure ill be mad my car is broken and all i came for was an oil change but if the shop is honest enough to own up and fix it on their own then i might still stay a customer.(depends how the fixes are performed.)
Never go to chain stores to get work done on your car.
charging your dad and uncle who know everything about cars for 300 quid
My father, brother and neighbor are all mechanics that work on their own cars and trucks, realistically I should ask them to take a look, but I’m too awkward to ask
I listen to these vids when I casually play cod zombies (BO3)
Ooo new vid! Nice
All right so I can’t find a song anywhere that used in this video! Google returns nothing, TH-cam returns a bunch of other results that aren’t even relevant.
READ YOUR SERVICE MANUALS AND LEARN MAP GUIDELINES. I'm an ex tech and I absolutely hated up selling BS but would be threatened if I didn't.
You did this
I had a place that was 100% legit until the son took over, what a let
down.
Dralerships
When they ask to borrow your tools ?