- Apr 15, 2005
- 4,108
- 29
- 91
I know I do....for some reason I just don't really trust them durn mechanics with my car 
*Waits for mechanic to click into thread*
*Waits for mechanic to click into thread*
Do you ever get nervous when you take your car in to be worked on?
- Thread starter jimbob200521
- Start date
I do...but not b/c i'm afraid they'll do a bad job.
I just hate the thought of dirty, oil covered dudes sitting in and touching the inside of my car. I always feel like when I get in after they're done I'll be covered in grease and oil. And i also hate having things changed/moved...like my seat, mirrors, radio station changed, etc.
I just hate the thought of dirty, oil covered dudes sitting in and touching the inside of my car. I always feel like when I get in after they're done I'll be covered in grease and oil. And i also hate having things changed/moved...like my seat, mirrors, radio station changed, etc.
After watching that Jiffy Lube video that was floating around... hell yea I'm nervous. If they even do the work they're supposed to, I'm worried that their either stoned or not experienced enough to work on my vehicle.
Originally posted by: mayonnaise
I do my own work after finding instructions on the internet
So do my dad and I, when we have the time *and* actually know what the problem is. If we don't, fortunately, we know a good local mechanic: When my car was randomly and mysteriously dieing as it came to a stop, I took it to the same shop twice. They couldn't find anything wrong either time, and didn't charge me a dime
I finally got tired of it dieing, so I took it to a dealer's repair shop. They found out what was wrong, and I bent over Nate
I was nervous as hell as my car barely made it to the bmw dealership this morning.
survey says.....diagnostics 105.00 - new battery 275.00 - new alternator 950.00 - Labor YTD!
Luckily my extended service plan covers the labor and parts for the alternator.
survey says.....diagnostics 105.00 - new battery 275.00 - new alternator 950.00 - Labor YTD!
Luckily my extended service plan covers the labor and parts for the alternator.
Clean freak?
Same here, although the mechanics aren't the worse. The ones I take it to, at least, try to get the seat back to something close to what it was when it came in. The *worse* for this, actually, is my mother, who's a good 6 to 8 inches shorter than I am. Trying to get into my car after she drives it is like trying to cram myself into a sardine can
Nate
BoomerD
No Lifer
- Feb 26, 2006
- 65,695
- 14,094
- 146
Depends on the shop, and what it's in for...I had to find a reputable shop to work on my BMW's after I got hurt a couple of years ago...Yes, they always try to find little things to fix that I've ignored, but always do a good job at a fair price for what it's actually there for.(fair price being relative. ($90+/hr labor rates, but the dealer is $125+) My Ford Expedition has a 100K mile warranty, so almost everything they do it under warranty. The rest I either do myself, or farm out to a good shop who would rather have my return business, than rape me for un-needed stuff and not have me back...
Jiffy Lube - that what they use to screwed you over so quick you won't even feel it.
I hate car repairs - I always feel like I'm gonna get scammed, it's just a matter of how much.
I hate car repairs - I always feel like I'm gonna get scammed, it's just a matter of how much.
OrganizedChaos
Diamond Member
- Apr 21, 2002
- 4,524
- 0
- 0
besides alignments, anything i can't do myself dosen't get done. there are pretty much 0 good shops around here. they all take the same approch with fixing problems, keep replacing parts until the symptoms go away.
waggy
No Lifer
- Dec 14, 2000
- 68,143
- 10
- 81
nope i really do not. The guy we take the car to has been working on them for years for us. I have never had something happen where i thought he may be screwing us over.
though i have to take my car in for rear brakes. i do wish i had the knowlege to do the little things myself.
though i have to take my car in for rear brakes. i do wish i had the knowlege to do the little things myself.
Knowing the way that I drive, yes I am always worred, but for now, my car is under an extended warranty, so i am good for 100,000 miles and 7 years. w00t!
Well, I suppose you could say I'm a mechanic, considering that I do work on other people's cars for money, but its not my main profession, and I certainly don't do it regularly.
So as someone who works on other people's cars, here's something to consider. I've offered to do plenty of simple jobs for people, and alot of times I *DO* find lots of other things wrong that do need to be fixed right away. This is typical thing people fear when going into repair shops and most people feel like they're being ripped off just to make the bill bigger. I've almost always found other things wrong when doing jobs for customers that I have to go back and order more parts for before I can return the car, and I'm not that experienced. If it happens to you, don't automatically assume that they're making stuff up.
That said, yes, I usually fear taking the car in for repairs, but not because I'm afraid of what they will do. I'm afraid of what they WONT do. What I mean is, I'm actually very experienced working on cars to the point where I've removed a few cylinder heads in my time. If I'm taking my car in for something, its going to be for something small and troublesome that I don't have time to troubleshoot (like eletrical gremlins or vacuum leaks). When they get lazy and I get cop-out answers is when I get mad. For example: I had a tire wearing problem in the rear that I knew was caused by my sagging suspension and I was riding on negative camber. The whole reason I came to them is because I didn't have the bushing press to replace the bushings I needed. Their answer was that I needed an alignment, even though the rear of my car doesn't have alignment adjustments. They didn't take the time to properly identify the problem, and that makes me mad.
Bottom line is that it works both ways. The best thing you can do is be informed about your car and know a little bit about the business.
Here are some tips:
AUTOZONE READS CHECK ENGINE CODES FOR FREE!!! If you get a check engine light, and you're not under warranty, use this feature! It saves you the diagnostic fee when you go into the shop, plus you give them an idea of what to look for (and what parts to have on hand).
Car shops do typically over-estimate your needs for brakes, at least in my experience. Better to err on the safe side I guess.
Electrical and computer systems are typically the most aggravating and at the same time least profitable jobs. Don't be suprised if they don't get the problem right on the first try. I'm a mechanical engineer that got an A in circuits and I still get it wrong sometimes.
Warranty work typically pays less (for the shop) than customer out of pocket work. That doesn't give them the right to do a crappy job, but realize that they're going to try to spend less time on the job than if you were to pay, and the more experienced techs (on the upper half of the totem pole) don't have to do those lowly jobs. Not much you can do about this, just something to be aware of.
I know its nice to keep your seats and mirror settings where they are, but since the tech gets paid by the job and not the hour, I'd much rather have him mess up my mirrors and make it easier on him so he can spend more time on the job than for him to be careful.
Just some food for thought.
Cliffs: Its a hard job, I've done it, but watch out for the "one size fits all" response that really doesn't address your problem.
So as someone who works on other people's cars, here's something to consider. I've offered to do plenty of simple jobs for people, and alot of times I *DO* find lots of other things wrong that do need to be fixed right away. This is typical thing people fear when going into repair shops and most people feel like they're being ripped off just to make the bill bigger. I've almost always found other things wrong when doing jobs for customers that I have to go back and order more parts for before I can return the car, and I'm not that experienced. If it happens to you, don't automatically assume that they're making stuff up.
That said, yes, I usually fear taking the car in for repairs, but not because I'm afraid of what they will do. I'm afraid of what they WONT do. What I mean is, I'm actually very experienced working on cars to the point where I've removed a few cylinder heads in my time. If I'm taking my car in for something, its going to be for something small and troublesome that I don't have time to troubleshoot (like eletrical gremlins or vacuum leaks). When they get lazy and I get cop-out answers is when I get mad. For example: I had a tire wearing problem in the rear that I knew was caused by my sagging suspension and I was riding on negative camber. The whole reason I came to them is because I didn't have the bushing press to replace the bushings I needed. Their answer was that I needed an alignment, even though the rear of my car doesn't have alignment adjustments. They didn't take the time to properly identify the problem, and that makes me mad.
Bottom line is that it works both ways. The best thing you can do is be informed about your car and know a little bit about the business.
Here are some tips:
AUTOZONE READS CHECK ENGINE CODES FOR FREE!!! If you get a check engine light, and you're not under warranty, use this feature! It saves you the diagnostic fee when you go into the shop, plus you give them an idea of what to look for (and what parts to have on hand).
Car shops do typically over-estimate your needs for brakes, at least in my experience. Better to err on the safe side I guess.
Electrical and computer systems are typically the most aggravating and at the same time least profitable jobs. Don't be suprised if they don't get the problem right on the first try. I'm a mechanical engineer that got an A in circuits and I still get it wrong sometimes.
Warranty work typically pays less (for the shop) than customer out of pocket work. That doesn't give them the right to do a crappy job, but realize that they're going to try to spend less time on the job than if you were to pay, and the more experienced techs (on the upper half of the totem pole) don't have to do those lowly jobs. Not much you can do about this, just something to be aware of.
I know its nice to keep your seats and mirror settings where they are, but since the tech gets paid by the job and not the hour, I'd much rather have him mess up my mirrors and make it easier on him so he can spend more time on the job than for him to be careful.
Just some food for thought.
Cliffs: Its a hard job, I've done it, but watch out for the "one size fits all" response that really doesn't address your problem.
i have a reliable and honest mechanic but i am always scared to hear the $$$ when my car is ready.
Maybe if you opened an auto shop that filmed directly on to recordable dvds the work they did and narrated all of it. And on checkout they hand you the dvd.
Demon-Xanth
Lifer
- Feb 15, 2000
- 20,551
- 2
- 81
It depends on what I go in for. I know of one shop that will rip someone off every chance they get. (they wanted to replace the intake and exhaust manifold on a '90 Jeep Cherokee, $2200, the cause of the whistling was a loose bolt) And there's another that flat out lied to me and stole the change from my change holder. Not the nickles, just the dimes and quarters. But I've found one to be quite good and I frequent them quite often.
middlehead
Diamond Member
- Jul 11, 2004
- 4,573
- 2
- 81
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