Upside is awesome.. I've earned over 300 dollars in a little over 2 years. Which I live so rural, I don't get as much back per gallon than if you lived in a bigger city (I also only fill up a z71 tahoe once a week)
When moving from Colorado to Florida I reached my new town on a tow truck with out of state plates. I knew I was screwed not knowing anyone. I told the tow driver to just take me where he might go. He took me to a small family owned shop. The owner told me that he would take a look for me and I prepared for the worst since I was an easy mark. Ten minutes later he came back and said that I was good to go, my points had slipped and just needed to be set and tightened. I reached for my wallet and he said “No charge”. He had no idea that I was moving there and assumed that I was passing through town by his small talk. 30 years later this is the only shop that I ever use. The owner has retired and I deal with his sons who are just as honest as he was. I ended up in a job where I was in charge of seeing that a 20 vehicle fleet was maintained as part of that job. Guess where I steered that work to as soon as I could?
You forgot to add free advertising when you share the good service and character of the place along with fair and reasonable respectful prices Then its win win for both sides
This is what mechanics and especially contractors need to know: that small job that you blew off could have led to thousands and thousands of dollars over the years from a dedicated customer.
This kind of dishonesty is exactly why I got into automotive. I was sick and tired of being taken advantage of, so I put myself through tech school and made it a point to excel. I never wanted to have a reason to send a vehicle to someone else. That was back in 2006, and since then, I've worked for myself, worked for others, worked for companies, but always kept honesty, integrity and communication at the forefront of everything I do. There is so much dishonesty in this industry, that for a good technician, this job is as much about repairing people as it is repairing vehicles. Be the good guy or gal, never stop educating yourself or your customers, and you will do well.
this is exactly right. People forget that for the majority of any kinds of repairs the biggest factor is the relationship you make and have with people. A honest tech with a good reputation will have a constant stream of customers coming back. The rip off techs and shops will have the quick money at first but lose lose lose in the long run.
I do at least the basic maintenance myself. Brakes, oil, filters I know how to change. My bad experience with scam shops motivated me to learn how to turn a wrench.
Worst part is, its not the Shady shops doing that, Its the dealerships! Check out - Car Companies don't want you to know this // Why I left the dealership. th-cam.com/video/CfevTLNjNIM/w-d-xo.html They regularly charge you for multiple thousand dollar repairs, and just dont even do it. And the techs stock the parts in their toolboxes and still get paid for the labor.
I knew a shop that got caught stealing parts from their customers cars to repair other cars and then putting the broken parts on the customers car so they could get even more work. The used car dealer I worked for kept going back to that shop even after they caught them. If you find a good mechanic, stay with them.
@@jdore8 You missed his new video he was talking about how there was no intention to destroy it. The engine in it was bad having leapfrog in it and he will repair the bumper.
Thing is, I bet it's Firestone. They took me for the same thing about 15 years ago when the concern was the pads were worn down and hitting the squeal tab right after I bought the car.
I took my wife's challenger to a chain tire/service shop for an oil change at 50k miles and was told we needed $1200 in service. Took it to a different independent shop. Out for under $100. Fully inspected, no problems. It's criminal what places do these days.
Or the second shop you went to was an hourly express technician strictly there to do oil changes. That guy wouldn’t know what to recommend to begin with so they just shipped you out and took your money not actually doing a real inspection of the vehicle.
@@drizzy1920 They didn't ask for a full inspection. I don't need some young punk telling me what my car needs. I have a 2 year degree in Automotive Technology and have driven cars since 1983. Cars don't need a full inspection and upgrades every time you need an oil change. Just do my oil change and stop bugging me about BS repairs I don't want or need. Its not rocket science.
Sometimes the cheap shops just inspect. What does the 50k interval service look like? Sometimes they are meant to replace all filters and fluids etc. So a by the book service can add up, even though nothing requires immediate attention.
Had a coworker ask me to plug in my cheap scan tool to his 03 (I think it was) Honda Accord, shop said he needed the whole emissions EVAP system replaced... Nope... Had him meet me after work at a nearby Advance Auto, replaced the gas cap, reset the code, never came back. They were quoting him over $1,200, fixed it for I think $12? Can't stand shops like that.
I had a CEL a month or two after getting my Scion tC. I took it to a Toyota dealership and they wanted to replace the entire evap system for $700 (in 2011 money--probably far worse today). I bought a basic Autel code reader and it was just the upstream O2 sensor reading high (possibly an intermittent short between signal and 12V, I dunno). It only does this about once a year (usually a week before smog is due lol), so I just left it alone. Needless to say, I just leave that code reader in the glovebox at all times now. And yes, I think I'm on gas gap #3 now. They were all OEM, but I think the second one only made it about two years before failing.
When my mom was alive,a gas station guy doing the State Inspection,tried to tell her the front rotors were warped and needed to be replaced immediately! I went along with her,and me, being a Mechanic ,questioned him on why he thought they were bad. He said they were discolored! I told him I felt no pulsing while driving it and suggested he run a Dial indicator on it! Well, he just blinked,and said “ ok,this time I’ll let it slide!”. Never went back again! Lol
Sorry to hear about your mom. If that gonif was trying to fake an inspection failure and leverage that to sell unneeded repairs, I hope your mom complained to the state DMV. Here in MA you can do a "challenge inspection" with the RMV if you felt the garage erroneously failed your car and if it's obviously a scam they're gonna get spanked.
One of my coworkers immigrated from the former Yugoslavia and she cleaned houses during the day as we worked the second shift. One of the people she cleaned for had to move to a 24-hour care facility so gifted her a 1991 Volvo 240 sedan. Although it was 15 years old at the time it only had 38,000 miles on it and was garage kept and meticulously maintained by the local Volvo dealer. A couple years into her ownership she took it in for maintenance and she had to use a local independent shop because our local Volvo dealer closed down. The local shop quoted her $3,500 and said that the car was dangerous to drive and she should leave with them so they could start working on it immediately. She said she didn't have the money at the moment and would risk it and immediately drove it to an import specialist recommended by other co-workers. He test drove it and the only thing he found wrong with it was a wheel bearing that was on its way out some minor leakage from the shock absorbers and a rusty tailpipe.
There was a program here in the UK, where some cars were properly serviced and checked and sent to several garages and "faults" were found there, when there were'nt, or another where a service was due - sent in, they were charged for a service, and a hidden camera in the car and tell tale signs that no service was done, but charged the customer for doing nothing . That is downright theft and dispicible.
A couple of years ago the water pump went on my f150 with the 5.0. I called around and all shops were several months out for service. The dealership wanted $1200 to replace it. I decided to do it myself since it couldn’t wait. It was a $136 part, and having never changed a water pump before it took me 30 minutes from draining the coolant to having a running car again with everything installed properly and torqued to spec thanks to TH-cam videos. I was shocked how easy it was, having always paid to have my vehicles worked on. It was at that point I decided that I wasn’t going to mechanics anymore unless it was something that needed a lift, something I didn’t have an expensive tool to fix, or something I didn’t have the expertise to diagnose. I bought some tools, and to date I have done oil changes, suspension work, drive belts and pulleys, sensors, and a number of other small things. In fact I just replaced the struts and sway bar links on my Camry before dinner this evening. I don’t enjoy it, but the value of taking it to a shop just isn’t there anymore. I’m convinced that is going to be the future for many people. The big issue I see in the future is right to repair and serialized parts like manufactures have been doing with electronics making their way to cars. The value of vintage square body Chevy trucks will likely continue to skyrocket.
This is common with Honda and Toyota dealers. Giving outrageous estimates for problems that don't exist. Last time my wife took her 2008 pilot to the dealership they said $5000 worth of work to be done. My wife asked for a list of problems. We took the car to a highly rated local shop. Cost of repair $86, none of the other items on the dealership list was needed. Local shop is our goto for all things auto for the last 6 years. Honda Pilot Rav4
So this seems to be a very common theme in this thread. Cars need to be serviced. Fluids, filters, belts, brakes, front end parts. Not wanting to perform these services is of course your choice. But - doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. OEM parts cost more because ... wait for it... there better. MUCH BETTER . You can buy a set of 8 coils for a Ford online for $80. Less then the cost of one OEM. Guess what the set of 8 is the one your getting ripped off on.
They kill their own business. Next time this victim buys a car. They will get a cheap new car with warrantee instead. That fake bill alone could lease you a new Honda for close to a year.
A local shop to me tried to tell my girlfriend that she needed to do a power steering fluid change on her car that has electric power steering just a month ago when we took it there to get a tire fixed. I went there an hour later and had a good word with them in front of all the customers in the waiting room
Similar thing happened happened to my 85 year old widowed mother. She paid the bill and after I found out about it, I called and spoke directly to the manager. I told him my mother will be coming back with her credit card in hand and he better refund every cent to her card or I'm calling the authorities. He did. I should have called the authorities anyway.
I had a feeling somebody somewhere would try that. I always know what type of power steering system your vehicle has so you won't get scammed like that.
The other issue is that the scammers have more protections than the consumers do . Wizard isn’t naming the shop because he and the customer could face legal repercussions. So the rip off artist will keep succeeding just as criminals do because the system protects them .
I received the exact same diagnosis when I visited a garage for an oil change. I immediately stopped the mechanic, telling him that he was lying. I went straight to the garage and supervised the entire oil change. When trust is lost, it's gone. Incidentally, I still have the exact same brakes from last year.
I took my 2015 Sonata for an oil change at a local dealer to me. They did their "complementary inspection" and told me my CVT needed it's fluid flushed as well as a ton of other things. I laughed in his face and told him my car didn't have a CVT and that I wanted my keys back and would never be back. He then tried to claim someone wrote a mistake and the ATF fluid was to be changed. I took my keys and left, went to my old dealer that is fsrther away and they said everything was completely fine and only needed an oil change. When I told them what happened, they said they had received a lot of business leaving that dealer for the exact same type of upcharging. So, one dealer screwed themselves trying to take advantage of people, and ended up giving a ton of business to a different dealer.
Your industry is not alone by any means, im a long retired heating / plumbing engineer in UK, i did an apprenticeship then trained in design ,installation, codes of practice etc. COUNTLESS TIMES came across people who had been “advised/sold equipment, things needed doing etc, which was totally untrue, 1 company in Croydon Surrey UK were eventually prosecuted by the L.A. trading standards, Another time a garage that was a BMW franchise added £400 to every major bill ( reason, if he can afford a beemer he can afford the charge), Nothing new and nothing surprises me with what people do now. Trevor
So the dealer suggested changing the trans fluid on a 10 yr old vehicle, but by mistake said CVT fluid. Doe's that mean it shouldn't be done?? What were the tons of other things? Every fluid breaks down, 10yrs is generally when fluids and ignition parts are suggested. Sounds like the other dealer just didn't want to deal with you. Know it all customers, don't need em don't want em. Hey you can get your check engine light scanned for free at an auto parts store, just throw in whatever part they think will fix it. Thats what I do, I had a p0171 lean code, they sold me a lean sensor-- works great
@billyfox384 I have my own scanner, know what the service intervals are for these things, and also the vehicle is not even 10 years old right now. But go on and assume things
I work at a dealership owned by Swickard Auto Group. They are so into the "upselling" idea that if any tech goes through the visual inspection checklist and marks everything green on a vehicle outside of warranty period, the shop manager gets a notification and they have to reprimand them. None of the techs agree with it but also want to not get written up. It's really stupid
@@incredulousd9408 the compromise I make right now is marking something yellow and in the "cause" box I'll write something like "make sure you're up to date on your x fluid exchange intervals". Definitely looking at trying to work somewhere else within the next few months but any other dealership will probably be the same way
I know The Wizard can't expose those shops that are trying to scam people but the car owners can tell everybody in town what went down. All they have to do is get the diagnostic evaluation from the Wizard & if the crooked shop tries to get a cease & desist order then let's go to court and let the chips fall where they may. If the scammers do not prevail in court you might have a case for a counter suit with money damages. Either way consult a reputable attorney before taking action.
I don’t know that I’d go to court over $2000. Your point is well taken, however. I’d be more likely to file a consumer complaint with the Attorney General.
@@zburnham Total waste of time. Paid off by criminals like Car Shield and other crooked warranty companies. 5 star reviews on Trust Pilot. Give me a break.
Great video addressing an extremely common issue. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends (men & women) call me in a panic for this very reason. One was at a tire chain for an oil change. He was told they would not allow him to leave because the car was unsafe and needed $2800 worth of brake work. I asked how it felt when he drove there and he said perfectly fine. Long story short, he brought it to my house and there was NOTHING wrong. Did pads and caliper service while I was at it. It's literally criminal behavior.
Not only the initial scam, they were going to take the OEM Honda parts and sell them and replace them with junk. If she had gone through with the repairs, guaranteed the crap aftermarket parts they used would fail again before the perfectly fine OEM parts would have. Dirtbags.
This is why i have my own shop. I got sick of shops ripping me and my family off. Charging the crap out of a guy and not doing things correctly plus lying about necessary things to be done. Great video. Thank you.
In Pennsylvania, we have annual inspections. I was told that my JK both rear axles were leaking. And it almost failed inspection. I immediately removed the wheels. Both axles were totally dry. Unfortunately, too many mechanics are crooks. Keep up the great videos.
In Virginia we have that inspection BS and most shops use that as a "guarantee" for automatic work. oh your car needs Brakes tires etc and some shops will trick people into thinking they can't leave without THEM fixing it. F that give me a rejection and ill fix it myself. Usually once you tell em that it either magically passes or t really is broken. I usually check everything before i go in for inspection
Variation on the theme: When I was in the Navy, it was "interesting" how the inspection shops within a short drive of the base always found something expensive to fix before inspection stickers were issued. At my base in Pensacola, the base Master at Arms DEMANDED I get a Florida inspection sticker on my California-registered car. I had my suspicions, but, the inspection stickers were cheap. I purposely went to a garage that did inspections that was miles from the base. My car was a well-worn Plymouth but cared-for and maintained. The car passed with no issues beyond one headlight out of aim that they fixed for no charge. I got back to base and showed him the sticker. He demanded to see the receipt, then demanded to know why I had not used the garage on base, or one nearby. I figured he had a kickback going on. There was NO requirement for cars to get inspected if they were not Florida-registered. He was eventually "shopped" by inspectors from JAG and found to be getting kickbacks. A drop in rank and assigned to a ship at the other side of the country was his punishment.
You are doing a great service, exposing scams. Yes, I can attest scamming is ramped whether an independent repair shop or new car dealer. Either they recommend unnecessary repairs for an exorbitant price, or I find work billed for was never done. I just redid the timing belt kit on our Honda Odyssey that a shop did only 30,000 ago. I determined the timing belt tensioner was bad because of the noise. The noise was there soon after they did the work years ago. I discovered the water pump was leaking through the weep hole. The secondary roller bearing was worn with play. It was obvious to me only the belt was replaced even though they charged for the complete kit. Also, they were supposed to have done the spark plugs too, but they have not done those either. I just begrudgingly do all my own work now, due to my confirmed lack of trust. I was a fleet mechanic for almost 20 years in a previous 1st career and know about how to repair or rebuild virtually any system in cars, trucks, heavy-duty vehicles, hydraulic booms, electronics, you name it. Shops almost always assume their customers are totally ignorant about cars, and it's open season to rip people off. It is really sicking how they prey on people's trust.
What was not mentioned is that the young lady heard something when the brakes were applied AND DID NOT IGNORE IT. That is really great. My son totally ignores ANYTHING that is 'unusual' and I only get to know about it is when I borrow his car for a longer drive and the gas mileage is a great plus. On this one, I think MOST (not all) 'shade tree mechanics' would have this nailed in a few minutes. Before I went to auto school, I would have started with the CV shafts. I would then be frowning once I checked that as I would have seen no play. I would already have driven it with the owner and confirmed noise from the back when the brakes are applied, then done my own test drive to make sure the application of brakes was smooth. So my thoughts would now have been, ok, what is making the noise? It is not a piece of rock inside the shield, and it is not grinding like worn out. Being amateur, I would have taken the wheels off (but, seriously, nothing wrong with that) and looked for 'something shiny'. I would try to 'fix' the problem by loosening the calipers and pushing the entire assembly a little was away from the rotor. If that failed and, after telling the owner is't OK, I would have offered to fix it by grinding away just a the smallest bit of pad backing, but still told them it will remove the noise, but does not have to be done. Why is this so hard? That was a daily job under my big tree in the back yard (actually, my barn). Self-taught and I know better than axles and a complete brake rebuild. The shop that told her that will not only lose the woman as a customer, but all her friends when she shows the paperwork from the two different shops. AND she will have this video to show them too. Total idiots, losing so much.
Honestly, I worked at a Toyota dealership in the parts department for one month before I quit. Every person that came in for an oil change it was our mission to find something to parts cannon on the vehicle. Usually they just replaced brake pads and rotors on anything under 75% life. They would tell everyone that could do a brake service where they lube up the pins and clean the brackets but told everyone if they wanted to actually take care of it they should replace every corner. Then if that was done fairly recently in the history they would say the wheel bearings were bad. It was a simple job to do and it was something that 99% of customers have no idea what that is. It was just free money for the techs and parts department. This kind of stuff just blew my mind, Toyota took advantage of every person that came into the dealership. Using Toyotas name to find anything easy to replace, stuff that customers assume they are being truthful about. None of the techs or mechanics had any skill at diagnostic work. And sometimes when the customers were all accepting the parts cannon advice, we would run out of OEM rotors and pads so we would order white box NAPA parts. Then at parts I was told to multiply the cost x8 for the service writer to quote. Absolute insanity, I cannot stand the car world anymore for shops that just constantly scam and take advantage of people. Females and the elderly were just big $$$ walking around every time one came to the service writers. Some people can line their pockets like Wizard says and never bat an eye but I have a moral compass that made me quit. I felt bad for people that believed it is a dealership, they would never lie to me.
I am a retired mechanic and I fix cars for fun, recently two of my customers came to me with work estimates one from Brakmusters and the other from Brakes Pus, I'm pretty sure that because my customers both had lady bumps the shops thought they would just accept it, the estimates ranged from $1200 to $1500 one customer needed front struts replaced (ball park $300 for parts and labor) but nothing else on the the the other customer need NOTHING, my guess is the shop just looked at mileage and said you need this or that, what a rip off.
I've been a mechanic and car flipper since 1979. It is amazing how many "mechanics" are liars now. Sellers of vehicles have gotten bad also. Society as a whole has lost integrity. Women should and need to know their vehicles. My daughter, who is in grad school grew up in my shop basically. Good video once again.
I just took my truck for alignment and camber bolt adjustment, which is part of an adjustment. They did a toe and go, then gave me an estimate for $1450 to fix the camber bolts. When I got home, I adjusted the bolts myself in 15 minutes. There was nothing wrong.
It blows my mind how many customers I have come into my shop and tell me another shop told them this was wrong and this was wrong for the to the tune of three four or $5,000 and we find little to nothing wrong with the car after examining it yet We still have the customers that when we find things wrong that need to be addressed that end up going to another shop and getting ripped off then returning to us asking us to help it blows my mind sometimes with customers why they were at another shop blows my mind wizard you were upstanding solid shop owner
I'm so glad I have a mechanic I know and can trust, especially since I have an older Mazda 6 with a lot of miles. I feel sorry for the folks that get taken.
I've had this before. Take a grinder with a wire wheel on it and apply it to that small rust ridge on the rotor. Let the rotor spin slowly as you wire wheel it. That all it takes to get rid of this noise.
Last for years in LE, I was involved in doing investigations into garages epping people of and doing luck and sick inspections as well as doing cmv inspections. After i retired my now wife, who i was friends with, came to me crying because it was going to cost almost 3k to fix her car. I took it to a friend that I've known for years and had him look at it. All it needed was a new right rear caliper and bred. Had him do both left and right rear etc... total cost, $300. Subsequently made a phone call and the garage was out of business within six months. Car wizard, your absolutely right. Be fair and honest and your customers keep coming back
Had a similar situation where a shop chain tried to charge my customer $2500 in brake work. I inspected the vehicle and it only needed a brake flush and some pads, nowhere near half what they were quoted. Just despicable!
My mate thought her car had serious problems Half of the electrics didn't work and it constantly had to be jump started. I have a local auto electrition I go to, deadset down to earth honest bloke. Just needed a battery and she was away! There's even a tire store I get my aftermarket alloys from they balance tires for like 40 bucks and top up your air for free It literally saves your pocket knowing good people Really enjoying the content!
I worked in the auto parts side of the business for many years, and I can tell you that the Car Wizard is telling you the honest truth. People would often ask "where's a good place to get the work done?" I usually had a couple of places that I could recommend, and it was always gratifying when either the customer or the shop would tell me about a good experience based upon my recommendation.
You should be proud of yourself and the honesty and integrity of you and your shop. I really wish everyone in your family and your technicians the best and safe and healthy 🙏
Just had this same issue at my local Firestone. My wife took her 2006 Navigator to them because the A/C was not getting cold. I've gone there for years, but only for tires, nothing else. My wife called me freaking out saying it was going to cost $1800.00 plus tax to fix. I was at a buddies shop not to far away where he modifies cars, about a 10 minute drive. I told my wife I was on my way, that I wanted to see the truck. When I got there the guy at the front desk hands me the parts list. New compressor, new condenser coil, new evaporator, new dryer, and 2 new expansion valves. I kinda sarcastically smiled and said "you're trying to replace the entire system". I told him I wanted to see the truck. When I looked at it you could clearly see one of the hoses on the dryer was leaking. I told the tech to button everything up, that I was taking the truck to another shop. Told the rep at the front desk that I probably won't be coming back to even purchase tires anymore. Told him they were trying to scam my wife. He really had nothing to say. I told my wife to follow me to my buddies shop. He really doesn't work on regular cars there but after I explained what happened, he agreed to let me fix it there and he would help me out if I needed the help. I purchased the dryer and the 2 expansion valves (one for the front and one for the rear A/C). Total cost was $203.00. Next day I went back to my buddies shop, I replaced everything myself. My friend went ahead and pressure tested the system and didn't charge me anything for the freon. He did the whole recharge hi self since I don't know how to use that A/C machine. I am still upset at Firestone and have been thinking about writing to corporate. I've been a loyal customer for about 15 years. I have different sets of wheels for my car and have purchased both high performance street tires and track tires for my otherset of wheels. The track tires is a twice a year thing. Definitely thinking of taking my business elsewhere.
Firestone wanted to charge me over $1,000 a decade ago to replace my McPherson struts with pre-assembled units (coil over strut, 91-02 plastic Saturn). They probably would have used some no-name China junk that would have been looser than Gabriel ! I put KYB struts, with the existing springs, on all four wheels for the cost of the parts (I got the lifetime alignment on that car from Firestone 20 years ago).
I got one of those lifetime alignments. After hearing stories and having this kind of thing happening to me I was told they couldn’t do the alignment unless I got $1200 in work done. I said no. 2 weeks later my steering went loose and I probably did need those or the mechanic made sure I would need those parts. Scary because you can’t trust them even if they are right.
Great video. For the last 3 years every time I take our 2019 car in for the FREE oil change the list of things that need to be done is amazing. The first visit I was told the battery was about to go out. ASt that time it was only 18 months old. We still have the original battery.
That's like the tire-store lifetime wheel alignments. So, you come in for an alignment check and they find this, or that, or the other, wrong with the car and present an estimate so high even a dealer would be ashamed.
Great episode one again! I'm an independent out of Decatur, Texas and I have seen this frequently. A couple other viewpoints that the Wizard may not have had time to point out on this episode: 1. There is a very good chance the repair shop would have not done the work and still charged the customer. I've seen this and have called-out some pretty high end European manufacturers on it. 2. Car dealers make their money of the warranty work and will lie to the manufacturer if they think they can scam a job. 3. Almost all manufacturers are headed into either bankruptcy or default once again and the taxpayer will be left to flip the bill. They need to make as much money they can, anyway possible on their throw-away cars.
Years ago my girlfriends Honda had an intermittent scraping noise from the rear end. Twice went back to the mechanic and they couldn't find anything. I jack car up, find a disc shield slightly deformed. Not a problem on the jack, under load it was scraping. 30 sec to bent shield back into place, problem solved.
a good mechanic does not have to make things up, I have been doing it for about 44 years and I always have a REAL job waiting, why would I sell someone something they do not need?, I can not even keep up, lucky to have some other good shops that I can refer customers to I never just flat turn away a good customer, if I do not have time I will find a good shop for them, I did that today because I knew another shop that could do the job better than I could, you have to be honest with people
I had a brake master shop try doing that to me years ago after I brought my car to for a job that I found on a coupon for $30-40 and after they finished the job they came back with a $1,000 worth of work that needed to be done to my car and I never asked them to checkout my car. 14:31
I took my Honda Accord to a local dealership(Garden City, GA) for an alignment. I waited for the work to be completed. After the alignment was completed, the representative showed me a list of things that would need to be done according to the mileage, but I declined as these were items I could do myself. I get into my car and drive away. After driving more than half way home, I realized that nothing had been done! After calling the dealership and complaining, I was told to bring the car back in to them and that they would check it out. Of course I decided to not do this as they would try to go down the list and tell me that these were issues that needed to be completed. BTW, a leaking valve cover gasket has nothing to do with an alignment. I ended up taking it to a local shop (5 minutes from my home) and they provided the necessary alignment. You gotta watch those stealerships!
We almost bought an identical model to this about five years ago, I like those cars! My dad loves your channel, and I see why. Thanks for sharing this story, dishonest shops drive me nuts. I spent 10 years as a mechanic and strived to do things how you describe, correct and honest. Take care!
I recently picked up a 09 CR-V LX, and aside from noisy valve train (which could be addressed with a periodic valve clearance adjustment), I've found no mechanical issues with the vehicle.. very clean car, and it's reassuring to see so many of them still on the road, and even more reassuring to see the only reason that CR-V is in your shop is to refute a scam attempt! Great service, Wizard. And thanks to Jenny for all she does!
I have a 2012. They are great vehicles overall. Outside of regular maintenance, I just had an oil leak (very small) repaired in the oil filter housing. $280 at the dealer. 130,000 miles
Guys I have an 2009 Crv, EXL, bought new, has 135,000 miles. Has had no repairs. I would have bought my wife a new one in 2017 to replace her 2006 Accord EXL with 170,000 with a new starter, I’m 77 and decided to replace the car. I knew a youngster that needed a car & I sold to her cheap. Honda changed to the small engines with turbos and CVT transmissions and I went o Toyota and bought her a Rav4. It now has 85,000 miles with no repairs. Both cars cost the same $26,000 out the door including tax, license, etc. Only difference is that the Crv is 4 wheel drive, the Rav4 is only front wheel drive. The Rav4 has adaptive cruise, lane hold,, and automatic breaking, the Crv does not.
@@starkeymorgan4142 just approaching 124,000 miles now.. I am the long time owner of a 1988 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si 4WS 5MT, and had Honda accords from the same era, but this is my first time owning a K24 powered Honda. I was initially concerned about the advertised torque figures, but so far my expectations regarding drivability have been exceeded. I had noticed other CRVs driving around have the same clatter, so that has eased my concerns that it could be VTC rattle, but I will likely address the valve clearance sooner rather than later, as I can tell a couple valves need adjustment more than others just from the timing of the clatters.
@@d0gZpAw Gotcha. My current plan is to gun mine till I get around 200,000 before having valves adjusted. I just replaced valve cover gasket and spark plugs aren't due till then. I think standard thinking on these engines for valve adjustments is 100,000 or so but I'm a bit of a minimalist and am banking that these engines are tough as hell. I ran a 1986 accord to 262,000 and never had valves adjusted. Used zero oil and ran great when I traded it. If I notice a change I will have them done.
Thank you for your honesty Car Wizard. I remember when my dad bought his first car in 1961. It was a used 1957 Dodge Coronet 4 door. When he had problems with it, the repair shop just kept replacing parts until they found the problem. Even then shady mechanics were ready to pounce. Thank you for doing business the right way,
Too many shops are scamming customers for unneeded repairs. My local Jeep dealership even tried to scam me to replace all the brakes on my Jeep Renegade when I brought it in for its scheduled oil change. Brought it to my local Big O Tires mechanic I've used for years and he said I still had over a year left on them.
Worst part is, its not the "Shady shops" doing that, Its the dealerships! Check out - Car Companies don't want you to know this // Why I left the dealership. th-cam.com/video/CfevTLNjNIM/w-d-xo.html They regularly charge you for multiple thousand dollar repairs, and just dont even do it. And the techs stock the parts in their toolboxes and still get paid for the labor.
and I used to work for big o and NTB, not trustworthy at all. Better find that mechanic and get his phone number before big o fires him for taking care of customers.
I have a 2016 Rav 4 that needed rear brake pads. My local Toyota dealership quoted me $700. I took it to a local independent shop that I trust. He replaced the brake pads and the rotors with OEM parts for under $300. Amazing...
Good Morning Wizard, this is my first comment or question ⁉️ My husband was scanned when he bought a 2008 mini cooper convertible. He drove it home and it started over heating every time he drove it. Mechanic #1 changed sparkplugs. Mechanic #2 new plugs, kept the car for 5 days and couldn't figure it out. Mechanic #3 said it's a blown head gasket. As they took apart the motor, they suggested the timing belt and water pump. I ok'd it. Later they suggested a new radiator and hoses. Ok. $5500 later, we picked up the car, but, something is wrong with the oil pressure. The light goes on until it's driven a bit, the light goes off. The car is very loud and when he starts it, he needs to rev it to keep it from stalling. When he does it fill my room with the smell of gas. I need to bring it back in but I don't want to be told it needs spark plugs. Ugh.
Sounds like multiple issues. The oil pump might be on its way out. If you smell gas in the exhaust the car is running rich. The auto parts stores like autozone will scan your ecu for free and give you the codes that you can then research to see what fixed those codes by seeing what other people say about the codes.
They may or may not be scammers, but sure seems like they are terrible mechanics. Not enough honest shops around. And dealers, when they are actually honest, are so crazy expensive might as well buy a new car after warrenty runs out...
I had the local firestone try to tell me i needed new hub bearings all around new brakes a muffler new tires and an additional check engine fee. All for the tune of 3800. I took my car to a honest hard working mechanic. All fixed for 800!!! I didn’t need 3/4 of them parts. So think how they do that day in day out to everyone!! Wow!!! Thanks for putting a spot light on these practices. It’s more common than people realize.
a year or two ago it was at the point where shops didn't want to touch anything on a car older than around 1999-2000 - now they just don't want to do ANYTHING unless it's a new car and it's a job over $1,000. It's like mechanic shops have decided that it's not even worth their time to do any work unless it guarantees a full day or two of work AND it's either guaranteed by an insurance company or it's a newer vehicle that they can be reasonably sure that the owner will pay up. I've even offered to give shops money in advance to fix something on my 1980's SUV and they won't do it. I literally cannot pay a mechanic to work on an older vehicle. it's really crazy.
Probably no one knows how to work on a car that is ob1 before ob2 came into existence. Try to ask a vocational school community college that has an auto program if they would look at it. Some instructors are older and worked on them when they were in the trade also call up indpindant shops be prepared it might be there for some time if they will look at it remember there learning the basics of the trade and are in no hurry to work on it. Pizza is always welcome at schools as a preation some charge but much less than a dealer would.
I'm very proud of people like you, my friend! I'm an emigrant, I've been here not so long ago! I work in phone repair! And I also quarrel with my boss all the time! Especially when I do something simple, and they try to take more from the client! It upsets me a lot. I even had to change my place of work because of this (but I believe in people like you! Thank you for your work!
I hate scammers. I put the old parts in the boxes the new parts came in, and tell them not to replace things that don't need it. I'm getting more business, and that's a good thing.
You remind me of some very good advice: at least some states have laws that say you are entitled to have the old parts returned to you, so that you know it's legitimate... Thus every civilian should tell the shop they want the old parts back, B4 the work has started. I'll bet this has caused some interesting rollbacks from the estimates! 😅
I heard a noise in the front end of the car. I’m not a mechanic but I’m pretty knowledgeable on cars. I thought maybe it was something in the suspension ball joint control arms sway bar bushings struts it sounded like a squeaky door hinge. Took it to a mechanic shop that had good reviews they test drove the car and heard the sound to. I get a call saying they heard the noise but said there was absolutely nothing wrong. Struts were not broken or leaking all the suspension parts were tight and secure they said the noise is probably just age of the vehicle. This cars 20 years old. Went back to the shop guy said no charge.
We just saw a news story about a super shady shop whom ripped off a lady for nearly $4,000 in shady repairs. Worse is she fought back, took the scammer to court, won a full judgment against him, and now he refuses to pay it. Local news is skewering him and I hope the conman gets publicly skewered.
In 2007, a Chicago-area Mercedes dealer convinced my late mom to buy a new C280 to replace her 1986 300E. The older Merc was in pretty good shape except for rust around the wheel openings and a need for a front-end alignment. Unfortunately, I was out-of-state but at least persuaded her to take the 300E home. She sold the old car to a third party who kept it (ready to explode according to the dealer) going for another five years. She (an experienced business woman) was mad at herself for being easily manipulated.
I got my son a 2007 cr-v. It has over 190k mi on it- 4wd 4 cyl. Has been a great vehicle with very few issues, and easy to teach him to maintain himself. Thanks for the video wizard!
I worked at a Chevron in 79 - 81 started at 16. Customer came in insisting he needed a starter. I pointed out the connection to power were loose and he insisted he needed a new starter. Told my boss what’s happening and he said pull the starter off and get in the truck. We went to parts store bought some black and silver paint, painted the starter, went back and hooked it up properly and the customer was pleased as well as my boss that made a bunch of extra money
my Uncle is an ex-boxer and an extremely hard man. A garage near us scammed his daughter out of a couple of grand for unnecessary work. My uncle went to get the money back, which he did in full. He showed me a picture a few weeks later. They beat the crap out of the garage owner took a picture of him holding a sign that read " I'm a con-man ". They then destroyed a couple of his work vans, and threw all the keys in the river, and informed him they would be back each week to collect compensation money for what he did. The guy closed his business and disappeared a couple of weeks later after they had took around 10 grand from him. Greedy garage owners should remember that you really don't know who you're messing with lol.
When I was in my early 20s, I had a 1984 GMS S-15 with the 2.8 V-6. I took it to a shop to have the wheels balanced and the guy tried taking me for a steering dampener and a few other things (his rationale was that "the shock is leaking" when it was oil from a leaking valve cover I had already fixed). I turned them down and left with nothing done on my truck. I became a tech a few years later, and I was always honest with the customers because I kept that experience in mind. 99.9 times out of 10 when I found an issue with a customer's vehicle it was something minor and I let them now it - I would tell them that it doesn't need to be addressed now, I just wanted to make them aware of the problem. That little bit of honesty won us a lot of repeat business.
If you weren't already aware, here's a PSA: The "Service Advisor" behind the computer in your dealer's service department is working on commission. They have a vested interest in lying RIGHT to your face about what work you need done. Had one tell me I needed a transmission service on my grocery-getter Odyssey after 55k miles. I challenged him on it, showing him Honda's own service manual, he just said "oh these are extreme conditions". In New England, we get a few days below zero in the winter, a few days above 100 in the summer, and it snows 4-5 times a winter. This is not South Dakota or the Yukon or Death Valley. I'm fortunate in that there's a few different dealers within an hours' drive.
Mechanic for 36yrs here and I can easily agree 👍 with you. I have had many customers come in with ridiculous estimates from what is supposed to be reputable shops. I think the hardest jobs I have had was to send cars out and having no income from it,but as a known honest mechanic I easily made up for it with cars and trucks lining up literally out of my lot. I've even been given the titles of good vehicles with minimal damage Just bc they liked my service. Thanks for making this video ❤
I had a 2007 base model CR-V that I severely neglected. Only did regular oil changes and a few tire replacements. It still made it to 205,000 with no major mechanical failures, never broke down on the road and I never changed the timing belt. Now I'm much more diligent of car maintenance with my Pilot but boy was that CR-V nearly bulletproof.
I was glad to hear the Car Wizard's assessment, both for the sake of the customer, AND because I own a vintage CR-V myself. Mine has been trouble free (except for the Takata airbag recall, but Honda fixed that quickly).
My mechanic has been a friend of the family since i was in grade school. His nephew and i were best friends in high-school. He lets me work on my own car at his shop, not in it, just outside the doors, insurance reasons. Its hard to find a good mechanic. Im glad i have one.
From what Ive read its the newer 9 speed ZFs that is the probelmatic one, and I dont think the CRV uses it. Just the Pilot, Passport, and Ridgeline. Its a programming issue and there is currently a class action lawsuit regarding this
They’re decent in these cars. I currently drive a 2005 CR-V with a 5 speed manual transmission and I must say I love driving it, but this transmission could really use a 6th gear IMO.
Dishonesty and deception seem to be everywhere in every industry these days. As a carpenter (and a shade tree mechanic, lol), I've been saying for years that everyone should learn a little bit about basic home repair and mechanic repair just to keep from getting ripped off. I bet that mechanic shop rips alot of people off just because those people don't know any better. It's a shame. I love your videos, I've learned alot and you're quite entertaining. But your honesty is mainly why I keep watching your channel. That's rare these days.
We had a local shop diagnose a failing catalyst on a late model VW Atlas with a very expensive estimate. It came to me and while I confirmed the issue the customer was shocked to learn it was under warranty and could be fixed at no charge at the dealership. Crooks are everywhere
These " scam shops ", make other good shops look bad. A person came in with a 2013 Ford Escape, transmission had erratic shifting, price asked to repair $ 7,000.00.
We use a local trustworthy mechanic, he's not the cheapest (he can't compete with the big garages) but he is honest and often doesn't charge if it's a quick fix.
There's that old saying, "You get what you pay for." Your mechanic may be a bit more expensive than others, but he's honest and competent, which is a difficult combination to find. That makes his somewhat higher cost well worth it; in the long run, one would end up spending more money with a less reputable mechanic. Believe me, I learned this lesson the hard way in my youth.
100% Correct. You are The Man, Wizard. You are a righteous individual for treating people who rely on you with the integrity they deserve. Nothing pisses me off more than my local scammers here as well. I've been a hot-rodder for almost 50 years. I help out all the folks I know, on a constant basis. Its just the right thing to do, for folks who could be victims.
I'm so thankful to have an honest mechanic here in the Fort Worth area. I've actually known him since he was born. His mama and daddy raised him right! Not only honest, but very good at his job. Never cheats anyone. And he has more business than he knows what to do with. And the reason for that is he's good and he's honest. Too bad some of these lazy "cheats" out there can't figure that out. Thank you Mr Wizard for setting a great example!
I bought one of these used about three years ago, and my biggest issue is the peeling white paint. My next door neighbor also owns one (both are 2009 and have about 200K on the odo) and she loves it. Hers is also white, and has peeling paint. I figure it is something about the white paint used, as we have both observed other Hondas with the issue. I have found a great mechanic here in the Metroplex, and feel blessed as there are a lot of scammers. Worse issue I have found is that the vehicle is under recall for airbags. I cringe about taking it to the dealer for the recall because I know the dealership will have a list of issues I need to address when i pick it up.
I'm fortunate to have a mechanic that won't do any unnecessary work on my vehicles. We talk about what should be done and go from there. I've worked on cars so I have some knowledge. Great video.
I just taught the husband of a postdoc in my lab how to do front and rear brakes on their 4Runner over the weekend. A new grad student joined in Sunday afternoon. We had a great time as well. Now all 3 know how they operate and hopefully won’t get scammed in the future. Edit: the local dealership wanted $2800 and the parts were less than $300
We took our 2006 jeep in was told it was the starter and that the water pump needed to be changed, had no problems out of water pump. Starter, car would not start. Hit it and it started. Wish there were more like you.
I always took pride in being honest and doing quality work. I owned my own heavy equipment shop and would charge for diagnostic time if it took a while. I had a customer complain about the charge. They stopped coming by, for 2 months. They took their truck to freightliner that replace 2 sensors, an engine harness. They gave the customer a 4200$ bill and said they didnt know how to fix it. He brought it me and i found the ecm was bad. Diag, parts and labour was 1800$. They no longer question the fee. I take pride in doing it right the first time.
I owned a shop for many years and honesty is your best and cheapest advertising. I never advertised and was always booked out 3 months on avg. Keep up the honesty David and you will be busy till you retire.
Too bad I live too from your shop. I live in Roswell NM. I would love to take my car to you. I’m still under warranty. But after I would like to drive it to you. You so honest and you charge what is needed. Not to many car repair shops are honest like you, and charge a lot of money.
I have an '02 Acura RSX-S that I've owned since new. About 15 years ago, a service writer at the dealership tried to tell me that my clutch was going out. It now has almost 230,000 miles on it, and it still has the original clutch.
I have one of those infra red heat sensors. It is very useful and even can be used to determine if there is a fuse under excessive temperature because of higher than normal resistance which indicates a fault in the circuit of the device it is protecting or the device itself. Additional use is determining where heat is leaking from the car in winter due to poor or lack of insulation.
I'm blessed with the ability to do most of the maintenance for my vehicles in my home garage. I know people that have other obligations in life don't have the time to do this but boy is it nice to learn how my vehicle works. I still have a lot to learn and I probably take 2-3 times longer than a professional mechanic but it's a lot cheaper and it's also satisfying when I actually do it right lol. I have more than one vehicle so I can afford to mess up and have a car sit a little longer than expected, thank god!
Download the FREE Upside App at upside.app.link/carwizard to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.
I see you must have read my magic wand comment from your last video
Upside is awesome.. I've earned over 300 dollars in a little over 2 years. Which I live so rural, I don't get as much back per gallon than if you lived in a bigger city
(I also only fill up a z71 tahoe once a week)
❤❤❤❤❤ Upside!!!!
Bro is your daily a nissan juke 😮
sometimes you won't notice a hung up caliper testing on a cold day or even 70°s
When moving from Colorado to Florida I reached my new town on a tow truck with out of state plates. I knew I was screwed not knowing anyone. I told the tow driver to just take me where he might go. He took me to a small family owned shop.
The owner told me that he would take a look for me and I prepared for the worst since I was an easy mark. Ten minutes later he came back and said that I was good to go, my points had slipped and just needed to be set and tightened. I reached for my wallet and he said “No charge”.
He had no idea that I was moving there and assumed that I was passing through town by his small talk. 30 years later this is the only shop that I ever use. The owner has retired and I deal with his sons who are just as honest as he was. I ended up in a job where I was in charge of seeing that a 20 vehicle fleet was maintained as part of that job. Guess where I steered that work to as soon as I could?
You forgot to add free advertising when you share the good service and character of the place along with fair and reasonable respectful prices
Then its win win for both sides
I respect my garage so much I bring him wine.
This is what mechanics and especially contractors need to know: that small job that you blew off could have led to thousands and thousands of dollars over the years from a dedicated customer.
@@SN-cb9xj exactly 💯
And many recommendations
EVEN WHEN I HAVE A NEW VEHICLE..I RENT WHEN ON VACATION..CAR PROBLEM..THEY BRING YOU ANOTHER ONE..
This kind of dishonesty is exactly why I got into automotive. I was sick and tired of being taken advantage of, so I put myself through tech school and made it a point to excel. I never wanted to have a reason to send a vehicle to someone else. That was back in 2006, and since then, I've worked for myself, worked for others, worked for companies, but always kept honesty, integrity and communication at the forefront of everything I do.
There is so much dishonesty in this industry, that for a good technician, this job is as much about repairing people as it is repairing vehicles. Be the good guy or gal, never stop educating yourself or your customers, and you will do well.
this is exactly right. People forget that for the majority of any kinds of repairs the biggest factor is the relationship you make and have with people.
A honest tech with a good reputation will have a constant stream of customers coming back.
The rip off techs and shops will have the quick money at first but lose lose lose in the long run.
I do at least the basic maintenance myself. Brakes, oil, filters I know how to change. My bad experience with scam shops motivated me to learn how to turn a wrench.
Thank you,sir,for being so decent,honest,geniune. I greatly appreciate that.
Same, I had zero interest in repairing other vehicles until I saw what my friends were paying for dealer "maintenance" schedules.
Theres too much dishonesty in ALL industries today. Greed and carelessness has taken over
The worst thing about shady shops is they probably won’t do any of the work and charge them full pop for nothing
Honestly that's probably still better than replacing perfectly good quality OEM part with shit aftermarket parts from unknown sources.
Worst part is, its not the Shady shops doing that, Its the dealerships! Check out - Car Companies don't want you to know this // Why I left the dealership.
th-cam.com/video/CfevTLNjNIM/w-d-xo.html
They regularly charge you for multiple thousand dollar repairs, and just dont even do it. And the techs stock the parts in their toolboxes and still get paid for the labor.
A lot of mechanics think they have a license to lie and steal. I say this from experience after 70 years.
Without naming the shop these are just pointless.
I knew a shop that got caught stealing parts from their customers cars to repair other cars and then putting the broken parts on the customers car so they could get even more work. The used car dealer I worked for kept going back to that shop even after they caught them. If you find a good mechanic, stay with them.
An honest mechanic is worth his weight in gold!
Or her weight in gold!🙂
Fr
@@briansimon4363 or they/them in gold!
Average male weighs ~200 lbs and a pound of gold is worth roughly $29000.
That would make an honest mechanic worth almost $600K.
That's one of the cleanest CR-V's I've ever seen from that era. Kudos to owner/daughter for keeping it so fresh!
I like that these have no center console for more leg space. Side door and rear access. They stopped doing that sadly.
They kept it away from Tyler Hoover's mud pit.
@@jdore8
You missed his new video he was talking about how there was no intention to destroy it. The engine in it was bad having leapfrog in it and he will repair the bumper.
My Mom has a 2011 CRV with only 73k on it... black AWD special edition (whatever that means) and its always garaged
@@jdore8 ohh are you sad he ran a Land Rover through a mud pit? 😭
In 30 plus years in the business I can honestly say there is enough honest work you don’t have to scam people.
Thing is, I bet it's Firestone. They took me for the same thing about 15 years ago when the concern was the pads were worn down and hitting the squeal tab right after I bought the car.
Unfortunately scamming is far more profitable.
I took my wife's challenger to a chain tire/service shop for an oil change at 50k miles and was told we needed $1200 in service. Took it to a different independent shop. Out for under $100. Fully inspected, no problems. It's criminal what places do these days.
Firestone? Pep Boys? Discount Tire?
Or the second shop you went to was an hourly express technician strictly there to do oil changes. That guy wouldn’t know what to recommend to begin with so they just shipped you out and took your money not actually doing a real inspection of the vehicle.
@@drizzy1920 They didn't ask for a full inspection. I don't need some young punk telling me what my car needs. I have a 2 year degree in Automotive Technology and have driven cars since 1983. Cars don't need a full inspection and upgrades every time you need an oil change. Just do my oil change and stop bugging me about BS repairs I don't want or need. Its not rocket science.
Sometimes the cheap shops just inspect.
What does the 50k interval service look like? Sometimes they are meant to replace all filters and fluids etc.
So a by the book service can add up, even though nothing requires immediate attention.
Inspecting the car isn't the problem as sometimes they do indeed find things that need to be addressed. It's when they overcharge.
"complimentary" brake inspection for 125 bucks... Literally not a single point of that paper was honest.
SHIT AIN'T BROKE - that'll be 200 bucks.
Nearly all shops have such fee 😊
the shops minds are warped to come up with that issue🤣🤣
@@YungEagle3kThey have a diag fee. Most shops do complimentary inspections for free. Especially brakes. Literally takes 20 minutes.
Had a coworker ask me to plug in my cheap scan tool to his 03 (I think it was) Honda Accord, shop said he needed the whole emissions EVAP system replaced... Nope... Had him meet me after work at a nearby Advance Auto, replaced the gas cap, reset the code, never came back. They were quoting him over $1,200, fixed it for I think $12? Can't stand shops like that.
I had a CEL a month or two after getting my Scion tC. I took it to a Toyota dealership and they wanted to replace the entire evap system for $700 (in 2011 money--probably far worse today). I bought a basic Autel code reader and it was just the upstream O2 sensor reading high (possibly an intermittent short between signal and 12V, I dunno). It only does this about once a year (usually a week before smog is due lol), so I just left it alone. Needless to say, I just leave that code reader in the glovebox at all times now.
And yes, I think I'm on gas gap #3 now. They were all OEM, but I think the second one only made it about two years before failing.
When my mom was alive,a gas station guy doing the State Inspection,tried to tell her the front rotors were warped and needed to be replaced immediately! I went along with her,and me, being a Mechanic ,questioned him on why he thought they were bad. He said they were discolored! I told him I felt no pulsing while driving it and suggested he run a Dial indicator on it! Well, he just blinked,and said “ ok,this time I’ll let it slide!”. Never went back again! Lol
Sorry to hear about your mom. If that gonif was trying to fake an inspection failure and leverage that to sell unneeded repairs, I hope your mom complained to the state DMV. Here in MA you can do a "challenge inspection" with the RMV if you felt the garage erroneously failed your car and if it's obviously a scam they're gonna get spanked.
Can I state the obvious? Unless you have a man with you...OR...you have a truly honest mechanic...a woman is exploited 💯
@@susanegittins6258 Most of my customers that came to me that got scammed were women. I agree totally.
One of my coworkers immigrated from the former Yugoslavia and she cleaned houses during the day as we worked the second shift.
One of the people she cleaned for had to move to a 24-hour care facility so gifted her a 1991 Volvo 240 sedan.
Although it was 15 years old at the time it only had 38,000 miles on it and was garage kept and meticulously maintained by the local Volvo dealer.
A couple years into her ownership she took it in for maintenance and she had to use a local independent shop because our local Volvo dealer closed down.
The local shop quoted her $3,500 and said that the car was dangerous to drive and she should leave with them so they could start working on it immediately.
She said she didn't have the money at the moment and would risk it and immediately drove it to an import specialist recommended by other co-workers.
He test drove it and the only thing he found wrong with it was a wheel bearing that was on its way out some minor leakage from the shock absorbers and a rusty tailpipe.
Oh man that just pisses me off too. Taking advantage of a hard working immigrant that only came here to work hard and have a better life.
@@sunnyta619 an alien
@@bonton9441 An alien is someone who's only there temporairly or for a short duration so no, not an alien.
@@sunnyta619 taking advantage of anyone is despicable
@@dragonace119 uh... no. 8 usc 1101: " The term "alien" means any person not a citizen or national of the United States."
There was a program here in the UK, where some cars were properly serviced and checked and sent to several garages and "faults" were found there, when there were'nt, or another where a service was due - sent in, they were charged for a service, and a hidden camera in the car and tell tale signs that no service was done, but charged the customer for doing nothing . That is downright theft and dispicible.
A couple of years ago the water pump went on my f150 with the 5.0. I called around and all shops were several months out for service. The dealership wanted $1200 to replace it. I decided to do it myself since it couldn’t wait. It was a $136 part, and having never changed a water pump before it took me 30 minutes from draining the coolant to having a running car again with everything installed properly and torqued to spec thanks to TH-cam videos. I was shocked how easy it was, having always paid to have my vehicles worked on. It was at that point I decided that I wasn’t going to mechanics anymore unless it was something that needed a lift, something I didn’t have an expensive tool to fix, or something I didn’t have the expertise to diagnose. I bought some tools, and to date I have done oil changes, suspension work, drive belts and pulleys, sensors, and a number of other small things. In fact I just replaced the struts and sway bar links on my Camry before dinner this evening. I don’t enjoy it, but the value of taking it to a shop just isn’t there anymore. I’m convinced that is going to be the future for many people. The big issue I see in the future is right to repair and serialized parts like manufactures have been doing with electronics making their way to cars. The value of vintage square body Chevy trucks will likely continue to skyrocket.
This is common with Honda and Toyota dealers. Giving outrageous estimates for problems that don't exist.
Last time my wife took her 2008 pilot to the dealership they said $5000 worth of work to be done. My wife asked for a list of problems. We took the car to a highly rated local shop.
Cost of repair $86, none of the other items on the dealership list was needed.
Local shop is our goto for all things auto for the last 6 years.
Honda Pilot
Rav4
So this seems to be a very common theme in this thread. Cars need to be serviced. Fluids, filters, belts, brakes, front end parts. Not wanting to perform these services is of course your choice. But - doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. OEM parts cost more because ... wait for it... there better. MUCH BETTER . You can buy a set of 8 coils for a Ford online for $80. Less then the cost of one OEM. Guess what the set of 8 is the one your getting ripped off on.
Why pick Honda and Toyota? I can’t imagine dishonesty is limited to two Japanese car repairers.
Thanks for sharing. We need more honest mechanic to trust like you.
My rule is, 'once burnt and I won't go back.' That applies to any business. I think it's my duty to help weed out the deadwood. Rock on.
Same here!
They kill their own business. Next time this victim buys a car. They will get a cheap new car with warrantee instead. That fake bill alone could lease you a new Honda for close to a year.
Please post where you can get a new Honda lease for "close to a year" for $2200, with no money down. I await your response, I'll go get one tomorrow.
A local shop to me tried to tell my girlfriend that she needed to do a power steering fluid change on her car that has electric power steering just a month ago when we took it there to get a tire fixed. I went there an hour later and had a good word with them in front of all the customers in the waiting room
Right on.
Similar thing happened happened to my 85 year old widowed mother. She paid the bill and after I found out about it, I called and spoke directly to the manager. I told him my mother will be coming back with her credit card in hand and he better refund every cent to her card or I'm calling the authorities. He did. I should have called the authorities anyway.
I have done that...I was charged $50 to replace a fuse...I found it on the repair invoice...the customers waiting learned something for sure.!!
yes I wonder about people that can not even lie correctly
I had a feeling somebody somewhere would try that. I always know what type of power steering system your vehicle has so you won't get scammed like that.
The other issue is that the scammers have more protections than the consumers do . Wizard isn’t naming the shop because he and the customer could face legal repercussions. So the rip off artist will keep succeeding just as criminals do because the system protects them .
What legal repercussions? If it's true what is alleged they are in the wrong.
@@petrosaguilar8916when were you born?
@@kevinmills5293 why?
@@petrosaguilar8916 try that defense and see how it goes for you in court .
@@markmed9091 if it's true it's not slander. Do tell, how do people get away with leaving negative google reviews?
I received the exact same diagnosis when I visited a garage for an oil change. I immediately stopped the mechanic, telling him that he was lying. I went straight to the garage and supervised the entire oil change. When trust is lost, it's gone. Incidentally, I still have the exact same brakes from last year.
This guy raised his daughter well. If she's paying that close of attention to notice that, she's definitely doing something right.
That generation of CRV (2007-2011?) were awesome. We have 477,000 plus kms on our ‘08
And it’s still going strong.
The transmission on my 2007 has been going out... for the last 100,000 miles. lol. Best car we've ever had.
I took my 2015 Sonata for an oil change at a local dealer to me. They did their "complementary inspection" and told me my CVT needed it's fluid flushed as well as a ton of other things. I laughed in his face and told him my car didn't have a CVT and that I wanted my keys back and would never be back. He then tried to claim someone wrote a mistake and the ATF fluid was to be changed. I took my keys and left, went to my old dealer that is fsrther away and they said everything was completely fine and only needed an oil change. When I told them what happened, they said they had received a lot of business leaving that dealer for the exact same type of upcharging. So, one dealer screwed themselves trying to take advantage of people, and ended up giving a ton of business to a different dealer.
Make sure that car isn't burning oil. A lot of engine failures around that year Sonata.
@petrosaguilar8916 I know of all that thanks to The Wizard. Just wish those failures were known in 2016 when I purchased it
Your industry is not alone by any means, im a long retired heating / plumbing engineer in UK, i did an apprenticeship then trained in design ,installation, codes of practice etc. COUNTLESS TIMES came across people who had been “advised/sold equipment, things needed doing etc, which was totally untrue, 1 company in Croydon Surrey UK were eventually prosecuted by the L.A. trading standards, Another time a garage that was a BMW franchise added £400 to every major bill ( reason, if he can afford a beemer he can afford the charge), Nothing new and nothing surprises me with what people do now. Trevor
So the dealer suggested changing the trans fluid on a 10 yr old vehicle, but by mistake said CVT fluid. Doe's that mean it shouldn't be done?? What were the tons of other things? Every fluid breaks down, 10yrs is generally when fluids and ignition parts are suggested. Sounds like the other dealer just didn't want to deal with you. Know it all customers, don't need em don't want em. Hey you can get your check engine light scanned for free at an auto parts store, just throw in whatever part they think will fix it. Thats what I do, I had a p0171 lean code, they sold me a lean sensor-- works great
@billyfox384 I have my own scanner, know what the service intervals are for these things, and also the vehicle is not even 10 years old right now. But go on and assume things
I work at a dealership owned by Swickard Auto Group. They are so into the "upselling" idea that if any tech goes through the visual inspection checklist and marks everything green on a vehicle outside of warranty period, the shop manager gets a notification and they have to reprimand them. None of the techs agree with it but also want to not get written up. It's really stupid
Never compromise your integrity.
@@incredulousd9408 the compromise I make right now is marking something yellow and in the "cause" box I'll write something like "make sure you're up to date on your x fluid exchange intervals".
Definitely looking at trying to work somewhere else within the next few months but any other dealership will probably be the same way
I know The Wizard can't expose those shops that are trying to scam people but the car owners can tell everybody in town what went down. All they have to do is get the diagnostic evaluation from the Wizard & if the crooked shop tries to get a cease & desist order then let's go to court and let the chips fall where they may. If the scammers do not prevail in court you might have a case for a counter suit with money damages. Either way consult a reputable attorney before taking action.
Can't be libel if it's true, right?
I don’t know that I’d go to court over $2000. Your point is well taken, however. I’d be more likely to file a consumer complaint with the Attorney General.
@@zburnham Total waste of time. Paid off by criminals like Car Shield and other crooked warranty companies. 5 star reviews on Trust Pilot. Give me a break.
Great video addressing an extremely common issue.
I can't tell you how many times I've had friends (men & women) call me in a panic for this very reason. One was at a tire chain for an oil change. He was told they would not allow him to leave because the car was unsafe and needed $2800 worth of brake work. I asked how it felt when he drove there and he said perfectly fine. Long story short, he brought it to my house and there was NOTHING wrong. Did pads and caliper service while I was at it. It's literally criminal behavior.
Oh my god. How did he get out of there if he was not allowed to leave?
Not only the initial scam, they were going to take the OEM Honda parts and sell them and replace them with junk. If she had gone through with the repairs, guaranteed the crap aftermarket parts they used would fail again before the perfectly fine OEM parts would have.
Dirtbags.
I was thinking the same thing.
They might not even do that
i don't think anyone buys used brake parts
Yea they removed a part from my BMW bottom exhaust and stole it.
Yea they removed a part from my BMW bottom exhaust and stole it.
This is why i have my own shop. I got sick of shops ripping me and my family off. Charging the crap out of a guy and not doing things correctly plus lying about necessary things to be done.
Great video. Thank you.
In Pennsylvania, we have annual inspections. I was told that my JK both rear axles were leaking. And it almost failed inspection.
I immediately removed the wheels. Both axles were totally dry. Unfortunately, too many mechanics are crooks.
Keep up the great videos.
In Virginia we have that inspection BS and most shops use that as a "guarantee" for automatic work. oh your car needs Brakes tires etc and some shops will trick people into thinking they can't leave without THEM fixing it. F that give me a rejection and ill fix it myself. Usually once you tell em that it either magically passes or t really is broken. I usually check everything before i go in for inspection
Variation on the theme: When I was in the Navy, it was "interesting" how the inspection shops within a short drive of the base always found something expensive to fix before inspection stickers were issued.
At my base in Pensacola, the base Master at Arms DEMANDED I get a Florida inspection sticker on my California-registered car. I had my suspicions, but, the inspection stickers were cheap. I purposely went to a garage that did inspections that was miles from the base. My car was a well-worn Plymouth but cared-for and maintained. The car passed with no issues beyond one headlight out of aim that they fixed for no charge.
I got back to base and showed him the sticker. He demanded to see the receipt, then demanded to know why I had not used the garage on base, or one nearby. I figured he had a kickback going on. There was NO requirement for cars to get inspected if they were not Florida-registered. He was eventually "shopped" by inspectors from JAG and found to be getting kickbacks. A drop in rank and assigned to a ship at the other side of the country was his punishment.
You are doing a great service, exposing scams. Yes, I can attest scamming is ramped whether an independent repair shop or new car dealer. Either they recommend unnecessary repairs for an exorbitant price, or I find work billed for was never done. I just redid the timing belt kit on our Honda Odyssey that a shop did only 30,000 ago. I determined the timing belt tensioner was bad because of the noise. The noise was there soon after they did the work years ago. I discovered the water pump was leaking through the weep hole. The secondary roller bearing was worn with play. It was obvious to me only the belt was replaced even though they charged for the complete kit. Also, they were supposed to have done the spark plugs too, but they have not done those either. I just begrudgingly do all my own work now, due to my confirmed lack of trust. I was a fleet mechanic for almost 20 years in a previous 1st career and know about how to repair or rebuild virtually any system in cars, trucks, heavy-duty vehicles, hydraulic booms, electronics, you name it. Shops almost always assume their customers are totally ignorant about cars, and it's open season to rip people off. It is really sicking how they prey on people's trust.
What was not mentioned is that the young lady heard something when the brakes were applied AND DID NOT IGNORE IT. That is really great. My son totally ignores ANYTHING that is 'unusual' and I only get to know about it is when I borrow his car for a longer drive and the gas mileage is a great plus. On this one, I think MOST (not all) 'shade tree mechanics' would have this nailed in a few minutes. Before I went to auto school, I would have started with the CV shafts. I would then be frowning once I checked that as I would have seen no play. I would already have driven it with the owner and confirmed noise from the back when the brakes are applied, then done my own test drive to make sure the application of brakes was smooth. So my thoughts would now have been, ok, what is making the noise? It is not a piece of rock inside the shield, and it is not grinding like worn out. Being amateur, I would have taken the wheels off (but, seriously, nothing wrong with that) and looked for 'something shiny'. I would try to 'fix' the problem by loosening the calipers and pushing the entire assembly a little was away from the rotor. If that failed and, after telling the owner is't OK, I would have offered to fix it by grinding away just a the smallest bit of pad backing, but still told them it will remove the noise, but does not have to be done. Why is this so hard? That was a daily job under my big tree in the back yard (actually, my barn). Self-taught and I know better than axles and a complete brake rebuild. The shop that told her that will not only lose the woman as a customer, but all her friends when she shows the paperwork from the two different shops. AND she will have this video to show them too. Total idiots, losing so much.
Honestly, I worked at a Toyota dealership in the parts department for one month before I quit. Every person that came in for an oil change it was our mission to find something to parts cannon on the vehicle. Usually they just replaced brake pads and rotors on anything under 75% life. They would tell everyone that could do a brake service where they lube up the pins and clean the brackets but told everyone if they wanted to actually take care of it they should replace every corner. Then if that was done fairly recently in the history they would say the wheel bearings were bad. It was a simple job to do and it was something that 99% of customers have no idea what that is. It was just free money for the techs and parts department. This kind of stuff just blew my mind, Toyota took advantage of every person that came into the dealership. Using Toyotas name to find anything easy to replace, stuff that customers assume they are being truthful about. None of the techs or mechanics had any skill at diagnostic work. And sometimes when the customers were all accepting the parts cannon advice, we would run out of OEM rotors and pads so we would order white box NAPA parts. Then at parts I was told to multiply the cost x8 for the service writer to quote. Absolute insanity, I cannot stand the car world anymore for shops that just constantly scam and take advantage of people. Females and the elderly were just big $$$ walking around every time one came to the service writers. Some people can line their pockets like Wizard says and never bat an eye but I have a moral compass that made me quit. I felt bad for people that believed it is a dealership, they would never lie to me.
Name them on Google reviews. People need to beware.
What city and state is this dealership in?
I'm sure you're local tv stations would love to do an exposé on this.
The chevy dealer here uses autozone parts but charges for o.e.m. g.m parts.
I am a retired mechanic and I fix cars for fun, recently two of my customers came to me with work estimates one from Brakmusters and the other from Brakes Pus, I'm pretty sure that because my customers both had lady bumps the shops thought they would just accept it, the estimates ranged from $1200 to $1500 one customer needed front struts replaced (ball park $300 for parts and labor) but nothing else on the the the other customer need NOTHING, my guess is the shop just looked at mileage and said you need this or that, what a rip off.
I've been a mechanic and car flipper since 1979. It is amazing how many "mechanics" are liars now. Sellers of vehicles have gotten bad also. Society as a whole has lost integrity. Women should and need to know their vehicles. My daughter, who is in grad school grew up in my shop basically. Good video once again.
I just took my truck for alignment and camber bolt adjustment, which is part of an adjustment. They did a toe and go, then gave me an estimate for $1450 to fix the camber bolts. When I got home, I adjusted the bolts myself in 15 minutes. There was nothing wrong.
It blows my mind how many customers I have come into my shop and tell me another shop told them this was wrong and this was wrong for the to the tune of three four or $5,000 and we find little to nothing wrong with the car after examining it yet We still have the customers that when we find things wrong that need to be addressed that end up going to another shop and getting ripped off then returning to us asking us to help it blows my mind sometimes with customers why they were at another shop blows my mind wizard you were upstanding solid shop owner
I'm so glad I have a mechanic I know and can trust, especially since I have an older Mazda 6 with a lot of miles. I feel sorry for the folks that get taken.
I've had this before. Take a grinder with a wire wheel on it and apply it to that small rust ridge on the rotor. Let the rotor spin slowly as you wire wheel it. That all it takes to get rid of this noise.
A honest mechanic is worth it's weight in GOLD :)
Last for years in LE, I was involved in doing investigations into garages epping people of and doing luck and sick inspections as well as doing cmv inspections. After i retired my now wife, who i was friends with, came to me crying because it was going to cost almost 3k to fix her car. I took it to a friend that I've known for years and had him look at it. All it needed was a new right rear caliper and bred. Had him do both left and right rear etc... total cost, $300. Subsequently made a phone call and the garage was out of business within six months. Car wizard, your absolutely right. Be fair and honest and your customers keep coming back
@CarWizzard It is people like you that make this world a better place. Thank you for being a true honest man.
Had a similar situation where a shop chain tried to charge my customer $2500 in brake work. I inspected the vehicle and it only needed a brake flush and some pads, nowhere near half what they were quoted. Just despicable!
This situation is why me and my husband try to fix as manny things as we can ourselves! Thank you for your honesty and great videos!❤😊
My mate thought her car had serious problems
Half of the electrics didn't work and it constantly had to be jump started.
I have a local auto electrition I go to, deadset down to earth honest bloke.
Just needed a battery and she was away!
There's even a tire store I get my aftermarket alloys from they balance tires for like 40 bucks and top up your air for free
It literally saves your pocket knowing good people
Really enjoying the content!
I worked in the auto parts side of the business for many years, and I can tell you that the Car Wizard is telling you the honest truth. People would often ask "where's a good place to get the work done?" I usually had a couple of places that I could recommend, and it was always gratifying when either the customer or the shop would tell me about a good experience based upon my recommendation.
My Dad was an honest mechanic for 45 years, I know he sends you a virtual hug from heaven!!!
Great integrity. A true gentleman. Thanks for the video.
You should be proud of yourself and the honesty and integrity of you and your shop. I really wish everyone in your family and your technicians the best and safe and healthy 🙏
Just had this same issue at my local Firestone. My wife took her 2006 Navigator to them because the A/C was not getting cold. I've gone there for years, but only for tires, nothing else. My wife called me freaking out saying it was going to cost $1800.00 plus tax to fix. I was at a buddies shop not to far away where he modifies cars, about a 10 minute drive. I told my wife I was on my way, that I wanted to see the truck. When I got there the guy at the front desk hands me the parts list. New compressor, new condenser coil, new evaporator, new dryer, and 2 new expansion valves. I kinda sarcastically smiled and said "you're trying to replace the entire system". I told him I wanted to see the truck. When I looked at it you could clearly see one of the hoses on the dryer was leaking. I told the tech to button everything up, that I was taking the truck to another shop. Told the rep at the front desk that I probably won't be coming back to even purchase tires anymore. Told him they were trying to scam my wife. He really had nothing to say. I told my wife to follow me to my buddies shop. He really doesn't work on regular cars there but after I explained what happened, he agreed to let me fix it there and he would help me out if I needed the help. I purchased the dryer and the 2 expansion valves (one for the front and one for the rear A/C). Total cost was $203.00. Next day I went back to my buddies shop, I replaced everything myself. My friend went ahead and pressure tested the system and didn't charge me anything for the freon. He did the whole recharge hi self since I don't know how to use that A/C machine. I am still upset at Firestone and have been thinking about writing to corporate. I've been a loyal customer for about 15 years. I have different sets of wheels for my car and have purchased both high performance street tires and track tires for my otherset of wheels. The track tires is a twice a year thing. Definitely thinking of taking my business elsewhere.
Apparently Firestone always does this. Same thing here in Mexico.
@IFixCrap2094 absolutely crazy man. The A/C in my wife's truck is still ice cold. We really need to complain about them.
Firestone wanted to charge me over $1,000 a decade ago to replace my McPherson struts with pre-assembled units (coil over strut, 91-02 plastic Saturn). They probably would have used some no-name China junk that would have been looser than Gabriel ! I put KYB struts, with the existing springs, on all four wheels for the cost of the parts (I got the lifetime alignment on that car from Firestone 20 years ago).
I got one of those lifetime alignments. After hearing stories and having this kind of thing happening to me I was told they couldn’t do the alignment unless I got $1200 in work done. I said no. 2 weeks later my steering went loose and I probably did need those or the mechanic made sure I would need those parts. Scary because you can’t trust them even if they are right.
@@natas12rm I don't trust them one bit. I've had more honesty from my local Lincoln dealer than these crooks.
Great video. For the last 3 years every time I take our 2019 car in for the FREE oil change the list of things that need to be done is amazing. The first visit I was told the battery was about to go out. ASt that time it was only 18 months old. We still have the original battery.
That's like the tire-store lifetime wheel alignments. So, you come in for an alignment check and they find this, or that, or the other, wrong with the car and present an estimate so high even a dealer would be ashamed.
Great episode one again! I'm an independent out of Decatur, Texas and I have seen this frequently. A couple other viewpoints that the Wizard may not have had time to point out on this episode: 1. There is a very good chance the repair shop would have not done the work and still charged the customer. I've seen this and have called-out some pretty high end European manufacturers on it. 2. Car dealers make their money of the warranty work and will lie to the manufacturer if they think they can scam a job. 3. Almost all manufacturers are headed into either bankruptcy or default once again and the taxpayer will be left to flip the bill. They need to make as much money they can, anyway possible on their throw-away cars.
Years ago my girlfriends Honda had an intermittent scraping noise from the rear end. Twice went back to the mechanic and they couldn't find anything. I jack car up, find a disc shield slightly deformed. Not a problem on the jack, under load it was scraping. 30 sec to bent shield back into place, problem solved.
Part of the problem is that service advisors are paid on commission. They are paid more if the customer gets more work done.
Giving employees a cut of the job is going to motivate them to "upsell". Bad idea.
a good mechanic does not have to make things up, I have been doing it for about 44 years and I always have a REAL job waiting, why would I sell someone something they do not need?, I can not even keep up, lucky to have some other good shops that I can refer customers to I never just flat turn away a good customer, if I do not have time I will find a good shop for them, I did that today because I knew another shop that could do the job better than I could, you have to be honest with people
I am so grateful that, here in Australia, I have a reputable, honest, and courteous mechanic servicing our Kia Optima and Mitsubishi ASX.
I had a brake master shop try doing that to me years ago after I brought my car to for a job that I found on a coupon for $30-40 and after they finished the job they came back with a $1,000 worth of work that needed to be done to my car and I never asked them to checkout my car. 14:31
I took my Honda Accord to a local dealership(Garden City, GA) for an alignment. I waited for the work to be completed. After the alignment was completed, the representative showed me a list of things that would need to be done according to the mileage, but I declined as these were items I could do myself. I get into my car and drive away. After driving more than half way home, I realized that nothing had been done! After calling the dealership and complaining, I was told to bring the car back in to them and that they would check it out. Of course I decided to not do this as they would try to go down the list and tell me that these were issues that needed to be completed. BTW, a leaking valve cover gasket has nothing to do with an alignment. I ended up taking it to a local shop (5 minutes from my home) and they provided the necessary alignment. You gotta watch those stealerships!
We almost bought an identical model to this about five years ago, I like those cars!
My dad loves your channel, and I see why. Thanks for sharing this story, dishonest shops drive me nuts. I spent 10 years as a mechanic and strived to do things how you describe, correct and honest.
Take care!
I recently picked up a 09 CR-V LX, and aside from noisy valve train (which could be addressed with a periodic valve clearance adjustment), I've found no mechanical issues with the vehicle.. very clean car, and it's reassuring to see so many of them still on the road, and even more reassuring to see the only reason that CR-V is in your shop is to refute a scam attempt! Great service, Wizard. And thanks to Jenny for all she does!
I have a 2012. They are great vehicles overall. Outside of regular maintenance, I just had an oil leak (very small) repaired in the oil filter housing. $280 at the dealer. 130,000 miles
Guys I have an 2009 Crv, EXL, bought new, has 135,000 miles. Has had no repairs. I would have bought my wife a new one in 2017 to replace her 2006 Accord EXL with 170,000 with a new starter, I’m 77 and decided to replace the car. I knew a youngster that needed a car & I sold to her cheap. Honda changed to the small engines with turbos and CVT transmissions and I went o Toyota and bought her a Rav4. It now has 85,000 miles with no repairs. Both cars cost the same $26,000 out the door including tax, license, etc. Only difference is that the Crv is 4 wheel drive, the Rav4 is only front wheel drive. The Rav4 has adaptive cruise, lane hold,, and automatic breaking, the Crv does not.
How many miles you got? If you haven't had a Honda before. a little clatter is normal.
@@starkeymorgan4142 just approaching 124,000 miles now.. I am the long time owner of a 1988 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si 4WS 5MT, and had Honda accords from the same era, but this is my first time owning a K24 powered Honda. I was initially concerned about the advertised torque figures, but so far my expectations regarding drivability have been exceeded. I had noticed other CRVs driving around have the same clatter, so that has eased my concerns that it could be VTC rattle, but I will likely address the valve clearance sooner rather than later, as I can tell a couple valves need adjustment more than others just from the timing of the clatters.
@@d0gZpAw Gotcha. My current plan is to gun mine till I get around 200,000 before having valves adjusted. I just replaced valve cover gasket and spark plugs aren't due till then. I think standard thinking on these engines for valve adjustments is 100,000 or so but I'm a bit of a minimalist and am banking that these engines are tough as hell. I ran a 1986 accord to 262,000 and never had valves adjusted. Used zero oil and ran great when I traded it. If I notice a change I will have them done.
Thank you for your honesty Car Wizard. I remember when my dad bought his first car in 1961. It was a used 1957 Dodge Coronet 4 door. When he had problems with it, the repair shop just kept replacing parts until they found the problem. Even then shady mechanics were ready to pounce. Thank you for doing business the right way,
Too many shops are scamming customers for unneeded repairs. My local Jeep dealership even tried to scam me to replace all the brakes on my Jeep Renegade when I brought it in for its scheduled oil change. Brought it to my local Big O Tires mechanic I've used for years and he said I still had over a year left on them.
Worst part is, its not the "Shady shops" doing that, Its the dealerships! Check out - Car Companies don't want you to know this // Why I left the dealership.
th-cam.com/video/CfevTLNjNIM/w-d-xo.html
They regularly charge you for multiple thousand dollar repairs, and just dont even do it. And the techs stock the parts in their toolboxes and still get paid for the labor.
and I used to work for big o and NTB, not trustworthy at all. Better find that mechanic and get his phone number before big o fires him for taking care of customers.
I have a 2016 Rav 4 that needed rear brake pads. My local Toyota dealership quoted me $700.
I took it to a local independent shop that I trust. He replaced the brake pads and the rotors with OEM parts for under $300.
Amazing...
Good Morning Wizard, this is my first comment or question ⁉️ My husband was scanned when he bought a 2008 mini cooper convertible. He drove it home and it started over heating every time he drove it. Mechanic #1 changed sparkplugs. Mechanic #2 new plugs, kept the car for 5 days and couldn't figure it out. Mechanic #3 said it's a blown head gasket. As they took apart the motor, they suggested the timing belt and water pump. I ok'd it. Later they suggested a new radiator and hoses. Ok. $5500 later, we picked up the car, but, something is wrong with the oil pressure. The light goes on until it's driven a bit, the light goes off. The car is very loud and when he starts it, he needs to rev it to keep it from stalling. When he does it fill my room with the smell of gas. I need to bring it back in but I don't want to be told it needs spark plugs. Ugh.
Sounds like multiple issues. The oil pump might be on its way out. If you smell gas in the exhaust the car is running rich. The auto parts stores like autozone will scan your ecu for free and give you the codes that you can then research to see what fixed those codes by seeing what other people say about the codes.
They may or may not be scammers, but sure seems like they are terrible mechanics. Not enough honest shops around. And dealers, when they are actually honest, are so crazy expensive might as well buy a new car after warrenty runs out...
Sounds horrible but ur husband didnt do his homework either because those cars are garbage
Pre purchase inspection are extremely important to avoid buying a lemon 🍋
It’s an 08 mini cooper, they do that 😄
I had the local firestone try to tell me i needed new hub bearings all around new brakes a muffler new tires and an additional check engine fee. All for the tune of 3800. I took my car to a honest hard working mechanic. All fixed for 800!!! I didn’t need 3/4 of them parts. So think how they do that day in day out to everyone!! Wow!!! Thanks for putting a spot light on these practices. It’s more common than people realize.
a year or two ago it was at the point where shops didn't want to touch anything on a car older than around 1999-2000 - now they just don't want to do ANYTHING unless it's a new car and it's a job over $1,000. It's like mechanic shops have decided that it's not even worth their time to do any work unless it guarantees a full day or two of work AND it's either guaranteed by an insurance company or it's a newer vehicle that they can be reasonably sure that the owner will pay up. I've even offered to give shops money in advance to fix something on my 1980's SUV and they won't do it. I literally cannot pay a mechanic to work on an older vehicle. it's really crazy.
Probably no one knows how to work on a car that is ob1 before ob2 came into existence. Try to ask a vocational school community college that has an auto program if they would look at it. Some instructors are older and worked on them when they were in the trade also call up indpindant shops be prepared it might be there for some time if they will look at it remember there learning the basics of the trade and are in no hurry to work on it. Pizza is always welcome at schools as a preation some charge but much less than a dealer would.
I'm very proud of people like you, my friend! I'm an emigrant, I've been here not so long ago! I work in phone repair! And I also quarrel with my boss all the time! Especially when I do something simple, and they try to take more from the client! It upsets me a lot. I even had to change my place of work because of this (but I believe in people like you! Thank you for your work!
I hate scammers. I put the old parts in the boxes the new parts came in, and tell them not to replace things that don't need it. I'm getting more business, and that's a good thing.
You remind me of some very good advice: at least some states have laws that say you are entitled to have the old parts returned to you, so that you know it's legitimate... Thus every civilian should tell the shop they want the old parts back, B4 the work has started. I'll bet this has caused some interesting rollbacks from the estimates! 😅
I thought it’s law that the shop has to offer you the parts replaced or at least show them to the customer after removal.
Thank you for calling out the scammers. You're one of the few in a position to do it.
Why its so vital to have a regular mechanic.
I heard a noise in the front end of the car. I’m not a mechanic but I’m pretty knowledgeable on cars. I thought maybe it was something in the suspension ball joint control arms sway bar bushings struts it sounded like a squeaky door hinge. Took it to a mechanic shop that had good reviews they test drove the car and heard the sound to. I get a call saying they heard the noise but said there was absolutely nothing wrong. Struts were not broken or leaking all the suspension parts were tight and secure they said the noise is probably just age of the vehicle. This cars 20 years old. Went back to the shop guy said no charge.
We just saw a news story about a super shady shop whom ripped off a lady for nearly $4,000 in shady repairs. Worse is she fought back, took the scammer to court, won a full judgment against him, and now he refuses to pay it. Local news is skewering him and I hope the conman gets publicly skewered.
It's why people do not trust mechanics.
In 2007, a Chicago-area Mercedes dealer convinced my late mom to buy a new C280 to replace her 1986 300E. The older Merc was in pretty good shape except for rust around the wheel openings and a need for a front-end alignment. Unfortunately, I was out-of-state but at least persuaded her to take the 300E home. She sold the old car to a third party who kept it (ready to explode according to the dealer) going for another five years. She (an experienced business woman) was mad at herself for being easily manipulated.
I got my son a 2007 cr-v. It has over 190k mi on it- 4wd 4 cyl. Has been a great vehicle with very few issues, and easy to teach him to maintain himself. Thanks for the video wizard!
I worked at a Chevron in 79 - 81 started at 16. Customer came in insisting he needed a starter. I pointed out the connection to power were loose and he insisted he needed a new starter. Told my boss what’s happening and he said pull the starter off and get in the truck. We went to parts store bought some black and silver paint, painted the starter, went back and hooked it up properly and the customer was pleased as well as my boss that made a bunch of extra money
my Uncle is an ex-boxer and an extremely hard man. A garage near us scammed his daughter out of a couple of grand for unnecessary work. My uncle went to get the money back, which he did in full. He showed me a picture a few weeks later. They beat the crap out of the garage owner took a picture of him holding a sign that read " I'm a con-man ". They then destroyed a couple of his work vans, and threw all the keys in the river, and informed him they would be back each week to collect compensation money for what he did. The guy closed his business and disappeared a couple of weeks later after they had took around 10 grand from him. Greedy garage owners should remember that you really don't know who you're messing with lol.
Your uncle belongs in jail.
Sure he did...!
This just sounds like a seen from fast and furious 🤣
When I was in my early 20s, I had a 1984 GMS S-15 with the 2.8 V-6. I took it to a shop to have the wheels balanced and the guy tried taking me for a steering dampener and a few other things (his rationale was that "the shock is leaking" when it was oil from a leaking valve cover I had already fixed). I turned them down and left with nothing done on my truck. I became a tech a few years later, and I was always honest with the customers because I kept that experience in mind. 99.9 times out of 10 when I found an issue with a customer's vehicle it was something minor and I let them now it - I would tell them that it doesn't need to be addressed now, I just wanted to make them aware of the problem. That little bit of honesty won us a lot of repeat business.
If you weren't already aware, here's a PSA: The "Service Advisor" behind the computer in your dealer's service department is working on commission. They have a vested interest in lying RIGHT to your face about what work you need done. Had one tell me I needed a transmission service on my grocery-getter Odyssey after 55k miles. I challenged him on it, showing him Honda's own service manual, he just said "oh these are extreme conditions". In New England, we get a few days below zero in the winter, a few days above 100 in the summer, and it snows 4-5 times a winter. This is not South Dakota or the Yukon or Death Valley. I'm fortunate in that there's a few different dealers within an hours' drive.
He might have been right, most Odysseys are recommended for 30,000 mile intervals.
@@abdullahipad7664 Under normal conditions, Honda says 90k miles.
Mechanic for 36yrs here and I can easily agree 👍 with you. I have had many customers come in with ridiculous estimates from what is supposed to be reputable shops. I think the hardest jobs I have had was to send cars out and having no income from it,but as a known honest mechanic I easily made up for it with cars and trucks lining up literally out of my lot. I've even been given the titles of good vehicles with minimal damage Just bc they liked my service. Thanks for making this video ❤
These older CR-V's are the best.
I had a 2007 base model CR-V that I severely neglected. Only did regular oil changes and a few tire replacements. It still made it to 205,000 with no major mechanical failures, never broke down on the road and I never changed the timing belt. Now I'm much more diligent of car maintenance with my Pilot but boy was that CR-V nearly bulletproof.
@@SamSaengsavangnever had trouble with the timing belt because the k series 4 cylinder has a timing chain, .
@@SamSaengsavang those are timing chain engines.
@@CRAPO2011 just goes to show how much I didn't know about my own car back then lol
My '99 5-speed is still doing amazingly well!
I was glad to hear the Car Wizard's assessment, both for the sake of the customer, AND because I own a vintage CR-V myself. Mine has been trouble free (except for the Takata airbag recall, but Honda fixed that quickly).
Mr.grimes says no...👎
My mechanic has been a friend of the family since i was in grade school. His nephew and i were best friends in high-school. He lets me work on my own car at his shop, not in it, just outside the doors, insurance reasons. Its hard to find a good mechanic. Im glad i have one.
Wizard how do you feel about those autos in those Hondas?
These older CRV's are Bulletproof.
Those are ok just maintain them regularly and use it as desisted ie not tow stuff
From what Ive read its the newer 9 speed ZFs that is the probelmatic one, and I dont think the CRV uses it. Just the Pilot, Passport, and Ridgeline. Its a programming issue and there is currently a class action lawsuit regarding this
They’re decent in these cars. I currently drive a 2005 CR-V with a 5 speed manual transmission and I must say I love driving it, but this transmission could really use a 6th gear IMO.
i have one with the automatic and it still shifts butter smooth with 180000 miles
Dishonesty and deception seem to be everywhere in every industry these days. As a carpenter (and a shade tree mechanic, lol), I've been saying for years that everyone should learn a little bit about basic home repair and mechanic repair just to keep from getting ripped off. I bet that mechanic shop rips alot of people off just because those people don't know any better. It's a shame. I love your videos, I've learned alot and you're quite entertaining. But your honesty is mainly why I keep watching your channel. That's rare these days.
We had a local shop diagnose a failing catalyst on a late model VW Atlas with a very expensive estimate.
It came to me and while I confirmed the issue the customer was shocked to learn it was under warranty and could be fixed at no charge at the dealership.
Crooks are everywhere
These " scam shops ", make other good shops look bad. A person came in with a 2013 Ford Escape, transmission had erratic shifting, price asked to repair $ 7,000.00.
We use a local trustworthy mechanic, he's not the cheapest (he can't compete with the big garages) but he is honest and often doesn't charge if it's a quick fix.
There's that old saying, "You get what you pay for." Your mechanic may be a bit more expensive than others, but he's honest and competent, which is a difficult combination to find. That makes his somewhat higher cost well worth it; in the long run, one would end up spending more money with a less reputable mechanic. Believe me, I learned this lesson the hard way in my youth.
100% Correct. You are The Man, Wizard. You are a righteous individual for treating people who rely on you with the integrity they deserve. Nothing pisses me off more than my local scammers here as well. I've been a hot-rodder for almost 50 years. I help out all the folks I know, on a constant basis. Its just the right thing to do, for folks who could be victims.
I'm so thankful to have an honest mechanic here in the Fort Worth area. I've actually known him since he was born. His mama and daddy raised him right! Not only honest, but very good at his job. Never cheats anyone. And he has more business than he knows what to do with. And the reason for that is he's good and he's honest. Too bad some of these lazy "cheats" out there can't figure that out. Thank you Mr Wizard for setting a great example!
I bought one of these used about three years ago, and my biggest issue is the peeling white paint. My next door neighbor also owns one (both are 2009 and have about 200K on the odo) and she loves it. Hers is also white, and has peeling paint. I figure it is something about the white paint used, as we have both observed other Hondas with the issue. I have found a great mechanic here in the Metroplex, and feel blessed as there are a lot of scammers. Worse issue I have found is that the vehicle is under recall for airbags. I cringe about taking it to the dealer for the recall because I know the dealership will have a list of issues I need to address when i pick it up.
I'm fortunate to have a mechanic that won't do any unnecessary work on my vehicles. We talk about what should be done and go from there. I've worked on cars so I have some knowledge. Great video.
I just taught the husband of a postdoc in my lab how to do front and rear brakes on their 4Runner over the weekend. A new grad student joined in Sunday afternoon. We had a great time as well. Now all 3 know how they operate and hopefully won’t get scammed in the future. Edit: the local dealership wanted $2800 and the parts were less than $300
We took our 2006 jeep in was told it was the starter and that the water pump needed to be changed, had no problems out of water pump. Starter, car would not start. Hit it and it started. Wish there were more like you.
It makes me so sad to know of this level of dishonesty. Taking advantage of people. Thank you Mr. Wizard
I always took pride in being honest and doing quality work. I owned my own heavy equipment shop and would charge for diagnostic time if it took a while. I had a customer complain about the charge. They stopped coming by, for 2 months. They took their truck to freightliner that replace 2 sensors, an engine harness. They gave the customer a 4200$ bill and said they didnt know how to fix it. He brought it me and i found the ecm was bad. Diag, parts and labour was 1800$. They no longer question the fee. I take pride in doing it right the first time.
I owned a shop for many years and honesty is your best and cheapest advertising. I never advertised and was always booked out 3 months on avg. Keep up the honesty David and you will be busy till you retire.
Too bad I live too from your shop. I live in Roswell NM. I would love to take my car to you. I’m still under warranty. But after I would like to drive it to you. You so honest and you charge what is needed. Not to many car repair shops are honest like you, and charge a lot of money.
I have an '02 Acura RSX-S that I've owned since new. About 15 years ago, a service writer at the dealership tried to tell me that my clutch was going out. It now has almost 230,000 miles on it, and it still has the original clutch.
I have one of those infra red heat sensors. It is very useful and even can be used to determine if there is a fuse under excessive temperature because of higher than normal resistance which indicates a fault in the circuit of the device it is protecting or the device itself. Additional use is determining where heat is leaking from the car in winter due to poor or lack of insulation.
I'm blessed with the ability to do most of the maintenance for my vehicles in my home garage. I know people that have other obligations in life don't have the time to do this but boy is it nice to learn how my vehicle works. I still have a lot to learn and I probably take 2-3 times longer than a professional mechanic but it's a lot cheaper and it's also satisfying when I actually do it right lol. I have more than one vehicle so I can afford to mess up and have a car sit a little longer than expected, thank god!