Am I getting ripped off? (Mechanic Tips Thread)

[ddubois]

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Pardon my nittishness, but I think you meant to type repore, which is the more standard mangling of the word rapport.

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someone needs to create a spelling nit gimmick account for these types of posts. i've already got my own gimmick to worry about, so someone else should take this job.

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It's not like the guy flamed the OP. It was a very courteous correction, with no apparent malicious motivation. If you have a problem with this kind of post, it's your problem, not his. There's nothing wrong with a little education done for the benefit of the forum at large.

[n.s.]

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Other than that, go with Pep Boys, or Midas, Firestone or some national chain. Again, you may pay more, but you don't have to worry about quality or getting shafted.

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The guy at the dealer or national chain gets paid by the hour, so he doesn't need to make up problems.

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I have a friend who used to work at a place like this. They don't get paid by the hour, but by the job. Technically he got an hourly rate, but the number of hours that he gets is determine by the "book rate" for the job that he does. So if a job is listed as being 2 hours, and he can do it in 1, then he gets paid the same for the less work. Most mechanics at these places strive to get much more than 8 hours of work in an 8 hour shift if they want to make any real money. What this means is they won't invent fake work to be done, but they rush through jobs and don't take the time do it properly or to investigate any real issues that may come up while doing it. Management pressures them to be quick about it, too, since the company as a whole makes more money when they work quickly.

[Sooga]

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Other than that, go with Pep Boys, or Midas, Firestone or some national chain. Again, you may pay more, but you don't have to worry about quality or getting shafted.



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This is false.

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Midas is horrible. I went there to get a simple oil change, and they tell me that my brake pads are shot, that my rotors are are on the verge of collapse, and the guy, "guaranteed" that I would have brake problems very soon if I didn't get that fixed. Woooo sounds scary doesn't it? I refused the service and just got out of there with the oil change.

A few days later I went to the mechanic I normally go to (I was out of town and needed an oil change, which is why I went to Midas), and my mechanic told me that out of the original 10mm on a new brake pad, I had about 6mm left, and that I shouldn't start worrying until I was down to about 2mm, and that my rotors were fine. Big chains != no fake services.

[milliondollaz]

real answer:

find a friend who knows a lot about cars, and bribe him with alcohol. i've recharged a/c's, changed oil, adjusted clutches, and generally helped friends with car trouble. if i get beer out of it, i'm happy.

plus it gives me a chance to show off, and if you show appreciation for my all knowing powers, it makes my ego feel good and both of us end up happy.

there is NO WAY to tell if the fuel filter is clogged just by looking at it, so these guys are full of BS, but it is excelent preventative maintenance. everybody on this thread should go out and change their own fuel filter this weekend, as most of you have probably never done it. 99% of you have fuel injected cars, and it is the small round thing that looks like those retarded 8oz. cokes grocery stores have been selling recently. it will cost less than 10 bucks, and will save you the 500+ from replaceing your fuel pump. a car can run on 10% of the capacity of the fuel pump, so you can drive around town with your fuel filter 90% clogged, and never know. that extra 90% gets returned to help cool the pump down, so it will burn out shorty.

make sure you locate the fuse for your fuel pump (in your dash) and pull it out and crank the car, to release the pressure in your fuel lines. you can probably pull the fuse while the car is running, but i havn't tried it. might put your check engine light on. one of you HSNL players do it and tell me if it works. there will invariably still be pressure in there, so when you pull the rubber ends off the fuel filter, wrap it in something, so it won't spray all over you and your hot exhaust manifold (just kidding, only change it w/ a cold engine!). then just pop the new one in and tighten the clamps. simple as pie. and if you have an older car, and are planning on getting rid of it soon, you can just cut the darn thing out. those rubber hoses usually have some slack in them.

if you want to see how bad you have been to your car, blow through your new filter before you install it. then blow through the one you just took out. i bet there will be a lot of you that can't even blow through it. proof is in the pudding.

also, for 120 bucks you can get an optima battery (and install it yourself). they are generally considered the best on the market.

and you need to worry about water in your brake lines more than dirt.

[RunDownHouse]

Weren't you the guy asking about how to scam a batting cage out of $1 tokens?

[Sooga]

Yes, and in fact I just took some swings yesterday with some tokens I bought for about $.17 each. Not sure what your point is. That taking a few swings in a cage with fake tokens is the same as making up a fake $700 brake job order? Or was it that you're passing judgement on me because you've never ever done anything shady in your life? Get off your high horse.

[RunDownHouse]

Sorry, I'm too high on my horse to hear you from down in the scum.

[djoyce003]

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Find a nice Honda Dealship if you really want good service. I have found that if you go to a dealer with a real problem, they will be more expensive, but they will fix the problem, fix it right and won't screw you by making up other "problems"


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My wife got her brake pads replaced at brake check...then she took her car into lexus to get the oil changed...the Lexus dealership told her she needed new brakepads...a day after we had new ones installed.....then they of course said "oops, reading the wrong file" when she told them she just had that done.....so, dealerships will screw you too...depends on the dealership.

[Sooga]

You're right. We should all strive to be men of morals beyond reproach, like you are. I have learned my lesson, thank you.

[milliondollaz]

to me, going ANYWHERE to get your car worked on, feels like getting lasik surgery in the congo. you are just asking to get fudged.

i've had $500 quotes to change my thermostat. $15 part and i ended up doing it myself in a couple hours.

i've stood outside in the rain to watch my cars tires get balanced, and after yelling at the guy for running on my lug nuts with an impact gun and not using a torque wrench, i still got the impression that the clown didn't even SET the torque wrench. i walked in to check on my gut feeling and found it set at 120 ft-lbs!!!1 who the F else would stand it the rain to watch their tires put on!! and find 2 errors!

my mom took her brand new odyssey in to the dealer to get a front liscence plate bracket put on. it's as simple as it sounds. they end up changing her oil, and not tightening the drain plug. we only found out cause it started leaking in our driveway. oh yea, honda def. tells you to NOT CHANGE YOUR OIL for a period of 3000 miles, or something like that, because it is special break in oil. dealership wouldn't do anything about it, WTF?

i've also had oil change places tell me my power steering fluid is bad, when it was less than a month old.

thanks for letting me rant, i feel better now. anyone else have car questions?