Is the mechanic ripping me off?
I have a 2010 VW Tiguan (it's a SUV) and it has almost 100,000 miles on it. I travel quite a bit for work. But anyways I took it into the VW dealership for an oil change which cost me 90 dollars. As I was waiting for them to get done a mechanic came out and told me that i need new front brakes (pads and rotors) as well as all 4 brake lines bled. And that would be 410.00!!! I told him not today but he was insisting saying they are extremely unsafe. I still declined because I drove it there and the brakes do not squeal and they are not squishy or go all the way down. I am no mechanic but they feel perfectly fine to me and my car stops quite well. But ever since he told me that I have been paranoid and been driving around my brand new Spark which I didn't want to do because I didn't want alot of miles on it. Should I just pay the 410.00 dollars and get the brakes for the Tuguan changed or do you think they are ok???
Is my mechanic ripping me off?
I drive a 92 Grand Marquis and I noticed that it was shifting strange. I just bought it less than two weeks ago. Took it to a transmission place. Only talked to the guy on the phone for multiple reasons, but anyways, he said the gears were messed up and the repair was going to be 1300. Just a "soft" repair, no "hard" parts had to be replaced. He called me up the next day and said my torque converter was old and pretty much screwed so he needed to replace that, and that the total cost was going to be 1800. My dad says he sees my car sitting outside the shop every day in the same spot and it hasn't moved. It's been there for 3 days now. Is this just a coincidence? Is he ripping me off? What can I do after I get the car back to make sure he didn't rip me off?
Why do mechanics rip off single women?
Mechanics don't just "rip off single women". Unscrupulous mechanics will rip off anyone they can, whether that be male or female, single or married.
Is it true that many mechanics rip people off?
It is a fairly common problem and very hard to understand why they do it. I had a friend who was an honest mechanic. He never charged over Chilton prices, never shortcut-ted a repair, stood by his work and admitted it when he made a mistake. By the time he was 35, he was wealthy and had accumulated 6 or 7 real estate properties. He did all this without ever ripping anyone off. I have never seen a rip-off mechanic achieve anywhere near this degree of sucess. So why do they do it? It is more important to them to cheat somebody than it is to be successful. A mental disease really. I think it is important to let any mechanic know that you have a way of verifying the work that they do. Make up a story if you have to. "My brother was going to do this but is too busy at work. He will have time to look it over though as he works on my car a lot"
Why do mechanics rip EVERYONE off?
They all have a secret agreement they sign when they complete their training as mechanics. They all have a secret handshake as well. They also have children to support and pay taxes. How do you expect them to pay their bills? I had a turn signal not working. I went to an auto repair shop and I watched the mechanic take out two screws, pull the entire assembly off, put a $7 bulb in. He checked the bulb OK. Placed the fixture back, replace the two screws and he was done. The bill was $20 plus tax. I felt totally ripped off!. One bulb and five minutes of work? Of course, this place is convenient and pays $15,000 on the lease for the land. Has two supervisors and one clerk for the front desk, six mechanics, eight bays, taxes and salaries and heat and water and coffee and credit card charges and, etc. But, I felt ripped off. Would you, John, agree? Oh, I get a synthetic blend oil change there. The oil, filter, work, inspection, tire rotation and visual check of the car costs me $21.00 or so. Am I being overcharged? I get a free oil top off between oil changes which never happens, free air for the tires, free coffee and at times, they give discounts I never knew existed just to keep me coming back for more rip offs. And that is a fact. Last year, between our two cars we drove close to 20,000 miles without any problems, issues, breakdowns, with our cars working perfectly. Amazing how this works out. Perhaps you need to move to my area or perhaps you need a better car or perhaps you need psychological treatment.
How can you tell when an auto mechanic is lying to you about the work your vehicle needs?
If you don’t know much about cars and you’re relying on the shop to diagnose and service your car, you can’t tell. Also, you probably shouldn’t walk in there assuming the shop exists solely to rip you off, either.If you’re ‘car dumb’, then they know more about cars than you, and you are at the mercy of their knowledge and honesty. This is why you search for reputable mechanics with a fairly decent customer flow, because they’re probably better than the rest.Don’t argue with their diagnosis, because IMO, that makes you an ignorant asshole, and I’ve witnessed enough cheapskates argue and accuse mechanics over a $2.50 lug nuts. Some people immediately get defensive when they realize that their vehicle is going to cost them money. Blind.Ignorant.Rage.If you have any question about a shop’s diagnostic or estimate, you are welcome to get a second opinion at another shop. You should, anyway, for more expensive repairs. If the shop tries to tell you that your car is unsafe, assume they’re right unless proven otherwise. Drive it carefully and be prompt about repairs.Bottom line, most busy shops aren’t going to drum up unnecessary work, at the expense of their reputation. They will, however:Charge you a lot of money. It’s a business, not a charity. Yes, you can save ASSLOADS of money by doing it yourself, but you can’t do it yourself. I don’t hear many people complain about the price of plumbers/electricians, but when it comes to a car, their mechanic is considered a slimeball.Misdiagnose a problem. It happens. Even when I work on my own car, spend my own money, and waste my own time, I don’t always get to the root of the problem, or I find new problems. Cars are money pits. It wastes my money, it will waste your money, but don’t assume that the shop is deceitful or incompetent. You should’ve gotten a second opinion.Over-maintain. Trust me, mechanics don’t want crappy, unsafe cars to leave their shop, and most drivers don’t have their car looked at often enough. What this means is, mechanics are trained to look for EARLY problems. Mechanics are trained to notify you when your brake pads are below 50%. While I maintain and inspect my own car, I can catch my brake pads at 10%, giving more more longevity and saving me money. You can’t. When a mechanic sees pads at less than 50%, he’s going to flag it because there’s a good chance you probably won’t be back until, one day, you notice your car can no longer stop itself.
I think I got Ripped-Off when my mechanic replaced my brake rotors?
More than likely the divots are impact marks caused when they were being removed. It would not be the first time a stubborn pair of rotors needed to be beaten in order to be removed. Its a good bet you can trust they needed to be replaced... the average rotor can only be resurfaced perhaps 2-3 times before their thickness is too low to be functional. If you haven't had the rotors swapped in the last 2 brake jobs, then it was time. As to whether you overpaid? Yes you did. Brake services, with or without rotor replacement are horrendously overbilled. Personally, I started maintaining my own brakes 10 years ago, and I've never looked back. The parts are so inexpensive that I flare up when I see the service shop cost difference on a bill. I could run outside and replace the pads and rotors with complete new parts on my Honda Accord for $65. In a shop that would be $250+ Here, search your rotors and pads on this NAPA parts supply website below... the price difference is huge. I, for one, will always support someone to learn basic auto maintenance.