Do you trust auto service personnel ?

[Moemg]

I took my car in for an oil change & of course they told me I needed additional items but they also told that to almost everyone in the waiting room . What are the odds of that being true ? How do you know the dirty filter or bad part is even yours ?Am I just skeptical or are they rip off specialists?

 

[haha]

I took my car in for an oil change & of course they told me I needed additional items but they also told that to almost everyone in the waiting room . What are the odds of that being true ? How do you know the dirty filter or bad part is even yours ?Am I just skeptical or are they rip off specialists?

If this is a mechanic you picked after getting some recs, and you take your car to him regularly, very very likely you can trust him

If this is some franchised oil change place, maybe, maybe not.

Ha

 

[REWahoo]

Some (many) oil change franchises are "upsell focused" and try to convince every customer they need additional services. Use with caution.

 

[JPatrick]

Some (many) oil change franchises are "upsell focused" and try to convince every customer they need additional services. Use with caution.

+1

 

[easysurfer]

I think it really is a shop by shop basis. One reason I left the auto service place I used to go to is, like the OP, each time I brought my car for an oil change, the shop would say, the car needs more work. Am not a car guy, so don't know if the shop was churning business or just looking out for me.

The place I bring it too I have the feeling that they don't tack on extra uneeded work. In fact, they sometimes do less repairs than expected. For example, about a year ago, I brought my car in to check the A/C. They pretty much tried to talk me out of repairing the A/C saying, it'll cost a lot and you have an old car. When I needed new tires, they were only going to sell me two at a time, but I prefered to just get all four brand new.

 

[Moemg]

If this is a mechanic you picked after getting some recs, and you take your car to him regularly, very very likely you can trust him

If this is some franchised oil change place, maybe, maybe not.

Ha

This was the local Honda service center . There were at least twenty people in the waiting area & I only saw one leave without additional charges.The last time I was there almost everybody needed tires . What is the chance of that being true ? Plus this is in Florida so a lot of the customers are older single women .

 

[REWahoo]

This was the local Honda service center . There were at least twenty people in the waiting area & I only saw one leave without additional charges.The last time I was there almost everybody needed tires . What is the chance of that being true ?

Not good. I'd consider looking for another Honda dealer or an independent mechanic.

 

[rbmrtn]

I guess it depends on what else they were recommending. I do most things, short of engine rebuild or transmission replacement, myself. Check your maintenance schedule, most modern cars really only need their normal maintenance. The dealer is a little better about not upselling stuff but they charge more to start with. The quick lube place are usually the worst. Here's video, few years old on a jiffy lube scam...

Jiffy Lube Scam Caught on Tape! - YouTube

Sometimes the local "mom & pop" repair shop is the best. Had a guy just had a shop in is backyard, he could just listen to the engine run and tell you what was wrong with it. Don't find many of those around anymore.

 

[JustMeUC]

I have a very good friend who is a heavy duty mechanic for a private company. He told me to discreetly mark the tires and oil filter and see how many times they actually rotate and change them. It has been less than 50% of the time at the chain places

Another example: a few years back my sister called me in a panic saying her car had stopped with a big clunk at a fast food place. They towed it to the local dealership and she told them that she just knew the transmission was going out because it was so common with this particular vehicle. Sure enough they called her later and quoted her a couple grand for a rebuilt one. My friend told her he wanted to go look at the car for her before they did the work. He called her just a bit later and told her that the dealership was going to fix the car for free.... Turns out there was NOTHING wrong with the transmission, the front axle was broken which is why the car stopped suddenly with a big clunk. My mechanic friend went to the manager and told him that they would fix it for free or he was going to contact the media. Needless to say they made the correct decision.

I am carless since I have been living overseas and not looking foward to having to deal with car problems again.. I don't trust most mechanics or dealers. However, I will say that the place I took my Z4 was a true BMW enthusiast and I trusted them for the most part. They never seemed to push anything at me and actually told me it was a waste to change the oil more than 15K miles (which is what BMW recommended for this car). Otherwise, I have very little faith in most mechanics.

 

[brewer12345]

If it is a dealer, I trust them as far as I can throw my 5500# truck.

Independents vary widely, but my strategy has been to find a local one that has a good rep and make it clear that I will be a repeat customer for years to come (i.e. don't screw me and you will get lots of business). Before we moved, I used the same local independent shop for 9 years, they knew me by name and everything was great. When we moved, I was a bit worried since we had no trusted mechanic to go to. Lo and behold, my MIL's family owns a large hunk of retail property nearby and they ALL use the mechanic that leases part of it. When we were in real trouble with a worn through brake cable on the trailer (which we were living in at the time) she told us to call and use her name and they would take care of us even though it was Friday afternoon on July 4th weekend and they ddn't normally work on trailers. They did so, and now I have a trusted mechanic.

I would run away from the Honda dealer, personally.

 

[BTravlin]

New car dealer service departments are the worst in my opinion. At least the ones I've been exposed to anyway. And they are expensive.

The oil change places do teach their employees to suggest extra services and they have a computer system with all of the manufacturer's suggested service intervals to go by. Many, many people have no clue about maintenance schedules on their vehicles and often let these things go too long without attention so this prompting can be a good thing if done by a trustworthy place. Luckily, the one nearest my house seems to operate very responsibly.

It's best to get referrals from car savvy people you know and trust.

 

[Rustward]

This was the local Honda service center . There were at least twenty people in the waiting area & I only saw one leave without additional charges.The last time I was there almost everybody needed tires . What is the chance of that being true ? Plus this is in Florida so a lot of the customers are older single women .

We were religiously taking our Honda to the dealer for service per the Honda recommended schedule -- the 35,000 mile service, the 45,000 mile service, the 55,000 mile service (I just made those numbers up, but you get the idea).

When I broke down what services were actually being performed, most of it was adjustments, filters, and inspections. . . . and it is not cheap. And paying for an inspection is just paying the dealer to give them an opportunity to find something to sell you -- I call these "discovery" services. (I might have actually performed some of this kind of service in the software industry when I w*rked.)

Now we are using a semi-independent service place and are happier with it.

BTW: We used to use one of the quick-change oil places for oil changes and ditched them for all the upselling they tried to do.

 

[JPatrick]

If you are looking for a basic oil/filter change without all the fluff, your local Wal*Mart may be the place to go. I say "may" because they are not all created equal.
For $26.88 you get 5 quarts of oil, filter, battery check, tire pressure checked, tread depth measured, and windshield washed.
I have never seen them pressure anyone to buy anything that seemed silly.
Another thing I like is the fact that the oil (name brand) comes off the shelf and not out of a 55 gallon barrel.

 

[travelover]

Find a good independent shop here.

Mechanics Search | Car Talk

The dealer will almost always screw you, as they don't really make any money on new cars. The profit is all in repairs and used cars.

 

[mystang52]

My answer to the question is generally, No. But I gotta give credit where credit is due: My Infiniti had a very common problem for my model (the air bag warning light). My local dealer fixed it for a very reasonable price - they could've charged double and I would have paid it, based on my Google searches. So, once in a while my faith in mankind is restored.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm not that much of a car person, so the one defense I do is to keep a log everytime I bring my car in for service. Car places do that all the time by recording the date, mileage and work done. My previous car, I only kept receipts but no log so when the car place would suggest, for example, new brakes, I had no clue if they were churning or the time was about right for brakes to get replaced.

 

[ERD50]

Trust is earned.

How can you trust a mechanic (or anyone) w/o some basis for that trust?

I happen to know a fair amount about cars, so I can get a sense of they are trying to up-sell me. But anyone can read their manual, and ask why anything not recommended as routine maintenance is being suggested. You can get a second opinion.

It helps to let them know what you know ahead of time. In my case, I can say, I read the codes that indicate this and that, and I checked the spark, so it may be the fuel injector - that's a common problem for this year/model. But let me know what you find.

And you can say - I'm bringing it in for an oil change and a rotation - that is all that is recommended at xx,000 miles. That let's them know you know something. Tell them to list any other work the suggest, and you will check that with another mechanic.

-ERD50

 

[pb4uski]

I have actually had good experience with my local Chevy and Subaru dealers but am very skeptical of recommended repairs by my local Hyundai dealer. Having higher mileage vehicles I have found a local repair shop that is quite reasonable who I trust.

 

[easysurfer]

Question about the other mechanic. So, if one mechanic A says, you need work A that'll cost $800 and mechanic B says all you need is work B that will cost $500, if one isn't really that car repair savvy, then how do you decide which mechanic is right? The lower quote, though easier on the pocketbook may not be the correct repair. So, even with two mechanics, doesn't the decision still come down to a feeling as to which mechanic is more trustworthy?

 

[REWahoo]

I've never trusted a dealer service department but I've been very happy with the Chevy dealership where I bought my diesel truck last year. They've been reasonably priced on oil changes - considerably less than my SIL pays for his diesel at the local Jiffy Lube.

I've also listened closely to the service writers discussing needed repairs with waiting customers, especially female customers. I've not detected any attempt to "upsell" nor seen any pressure to push questionable services or repairs.

 

[youbet]

Car owners manuals discuss routine maintenance in pretty easy to understand terms and usually include a summary chart so you can see the recommended schedule all in one place. Considering the cost of cars and service these days, I try to keep myself informed in these matters. Therefore, while I find upselling at the quickie lube place annoying, they've never suggested anything that surprised me.

If the car manufacturer suggests a coolant flush at 45k miles, and the quickie lube place suggests that to you when you're in for an oil change at 47k miles, it's annoying but certainly not dishonest.

Charging for work not done, suggesting work not needed or creating a sense of urgency over routine situations is another matter..........

 

[FUEGO]

This was the local Honda service center . There were at least twenty people in the waiting area & I only saw one leave without additional charges.The last time I was there almost everybody needed tires . What is the chance of that being true ? Plus this is in Florida so a lot of the customers are older single women .

I usually take my hondas to the dealer too. Their prices beat the local Honda independent mechanic specialist who I take my car to sometimes because I trust them. And the dealer often has $10 off $100 coupons or 10% off coupons. And buy 4 get 1 free oil changes.

But I never leave there without "needing" $150-200 in work done. I hardly ever get it done. After researching it later, or taking it to the independent place, I figure out it is mostly fluff, or stuff that can be deferred indefinitely without problem, or replacement items that could be replaced now but might last another year or two (battery and connector cables is one of these, still going strong 8 months later, we'll see if it lasts through winter).

So, trust but verify, and be aware they often want to do upsells. I usually tell the Honda dealer I'll think about it and schedule the service to be done next time it is convenient for me. That way I can research the issue a little and/or get a 2nd opinion.

 

[FUEGO]

I'm not that much of a car person, so the one defense I do is to keep a log everytime I bring my car in for service. Car places do that all the time by recording the date, mileage and work done. My previous car, I only kept receipts but no log so when the car place would suggest, for example, new brakes, I had no clue if they were churning or the time was about right for brakes to get replaced.

I keep a maintenance spreadsheet for each car too. Helps me see when services are due, since I try to maintain the manufacturer's recommended service intervals. And I can record notes like "dealer recommended A, B, C, and D at 80,000 miles but internet research indicates none of these are likely necessary immediately. Wait till they break and/or repair when you do X or Y as it will get done anyway". Then I can see how often the dealer was BS'ing me. Which is almost always. They are cheap though. And have free coffee, wifi, and popcorn, shuttle service and work on Saturdays. The independent guy is only M-F and no free popcorn.

 

[samclem]

I go with an independent garage we've used for years. I trust "Dave," and he'll often let me know when things are "okay for now", but going to need service later. He's charged me little or nothing for small repairs that had the same symptoms as something a lot more serious/expensive, which gave me faith that he wasn't ripping me off.
We do take our 2011 Honda CR-V to the dealer for service, but will quit that in a year or so.

 

[REattempt]

NO

Answer the poll: No and it stinks.

I went to the NTB and paid them for a 3 year alignment. Went in anytime the front end pulled or other problems, or 6 mos, whichever came first. Car continued to "pull" and the outside front tire wear was horrible. I lived with it because I made 45K on used tires and knew I had to replace them.

When I bought tires, I went to NTB first to have an oil change and alignment (under the 3 year plan). All was "good."

Went, on the same day, to buy tires at the local Tire Source. (They had a deal on the tire recommended by the model specific forum of which I'm a member). When the put on new tires they checked the alignment.

Guess What? Front end and rear end out of alignment.

Now what do to? Who's right? Who do you trust?

I sided with the Tire Sourc...I want them to back the new tires. Explained the situation to them and they gave me a discount on the alignment, understanding the situation. I made it clear, to the manager, that I will use them and hold them responsible for the wear.

Took the old tires back to NTB and complained about the wear and the fact that there was a discrepancy between the two alignment machines. Response was "What do you want me to do?" I left.

After cooling down, I called NTB back and told them I wanted a refund on the 3 yr alignment. After "let me talk to the manager," they called me back and gave me $80 back of the $130 for the 3 year program.

Seems to me that if all these places just treated customers right, used the truth and took care of their customers, it wouldn't be a constant battle for customers, or constant upsell. It would build trust and save me a bunch of headache and time and their machinations.

But then again, what do I know...I just retired at 46 because I treated my customers right.

YMMV