Getting Ripped off at the Mechanic shop - Page 2

peritonlogon · #11 12-01-2005, 11:42 PM

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They ususally get the hours out of a book. ie this job = this many hours. If they do it quicker or slower you still get charged book rate.

Pretty standard

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The real rip off comes when you get that alternator (or substitute any part or service you can imagine) and whatever the problem you had you still have and you get ths beauty of a line

"You told me to fix replace the alternator, I'm just doing what you told me to do."

And it really doesn't matter that you just told them to fix the problem, not the alternator, because how the hell would you know if it's the alternator or anything else just that it doesn't work right, besides, who is the mechanic and who is the person who knows nothing about cars. And often, depending on just great your chain shop is, the MORE you know about your vehicle the Worse off you are. Because you talk to mechanic and tell him your problem, tell him the 3 possible things that could be wrong with it, and you can't figure it out because its twenty below outside but not in his garage. This will now give them licence to fix, not diagnose mind you, replace the part or perform the service, either the least likely candidate or the most expensive (really an EV qestion based on the circumstance) and send you home with the job all done....But with the problem still there. That is how garages really give you a new one.

Ray Zee · #12 12-02-2005, 12:36 AM

thats a good reason never to go to a big shop or the dealer. they mostly just change parts till they find the problem. if its an intermittent one you get to go home and be the tester and keep coming back for more changeouts.
a great mechanic will go through lots of small tests and find out the fault and fix it on the first try. he woint be working for 12 and hour at the big shop.

youtalkfunny · #13 12-02-2005, 02:54 AM

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a great mechanic will go through lots of small tests and find out the fault and fix it on the first try. he woint be working for 12 and hour at the big shop.

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One of the greatest assets you can possess in this life, is knowing an honest, competent mechanic.

Alobar · #14 12-02-2005, 03:55 AM

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a great mechanic will go through lots of small tests and find out the fault and fix it on the first try. he woint be working for 12 and hour at the big shop.

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One of the greatest assets you can possess in this life, is knowing how to fix [censored] yourself

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fyp

ohnonotthat · #15 12-02-2005, 04:09 AM

I would be in total agreement IF the "estimate" were typically accurate and did not often include charges for work that was either not needed or not performed.

The age old debate as to whether auto-mechanics, lawyers or televangelists are most deserving of a the seat nearest Lucipher is not settled by the fact that Alobar is right.

There has to be SOME standard; and hours-needed-to-complete-the-task is as good of one as I can think of.

ohnonotthat · #16 12-02-2005, 04:15 AM

or told you that the repair required two hours to complete even though there was only 30 minutes of actual "work" performed.

The Goober · #17 12-02-2005, 05:28 AM

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According to Fric and Frak on NPR (CarTalk)

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[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

It's Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers.

And they're right. I think it was actually for the protection of customers that the book times were established, but now shops figure if they can get it done faster than the that, then they earned the extra billable hours. My friend is a mechanic and says on a good day he can get in like 11 hours in an 8 hour shift.

BruceZ · #18 12-02-2005, 07:59 AM

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learn about how the things in your life work. its actually fun.

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You can accomplish that with the help of this book. Don't confuse it with more recent books of the same title. I spent many an hour studying this as a small boy. It will be the best 3-8 bucks you ever spent. They even have one for 15 cents.