Is Your Mechanic Ripping You Off?

Tweet

Page 1 2

 

 

 

 

Modern vehicles are oftentimes complicated to repair when they breakdown. They have cramped engine compartments, limited accessibility, and parts can be difficult to obtain making it quite difficult for you to do your own repairs. Therefore, it is vital that you can find auto mechanics you can trust. Even though many auto mechanics are reliable and do only the work that is both necessary and agreed upon (before charging accordingly), there are still plenty of mechanics who either do not do the work, do a shoddy job, add fictitious charges and/or even do unnecessary work. You can guard yourself against such scams and get the work done at reasonable prices if you know about common mechanic scams, your mechanics reputation, precautions and available community resources.  

Inflated Repair Estimates

Although reputable mechanics do sometimes charge for unanticipated work, it is important that you never sign blank repair authorization forms. Disreputable mechanics can fill in descriptions of all kinds of necessary repairs once consumers leave the shop. Some shady mechanics go to great lengths to advertise cheap checkups and preventive maintenance and then use this to add or create more expensive repairs - sometimes even damaging cars to create the need for repair.

Counterfeit Car Parts

Repair shops can make extra money by using counterfeit car parts that cost them substantially less and charge their customers full price. Aside from being overpriced, counterfeit parts can compromise safety either because of inferior design, materials and decreased durability. Counterfeit parts can be difficult to distinguish, but if you suspect a shop of having used counterfeit parts you are encouraged to report the shop to your local consumer protection agency, the State Attorney General's office and the Better Business Bureau.

Part Switching

There have been many mechanics that have been known to switch new parts for used parts. Some even repair car problems with used parts and then charge clients for new parts. To avoid this, keep written documentation with as much specific information as possible about your car's major parts and also to get back damaged parts that your mechanic replaces in order to prevent them from being resold. To save money, you can request mechanics to repair your vehicle with used parts  - but it should always be your choice, not the mechanics.

What You Need To Do

Finding a trustworthy mechanic when you need one can be hard if you don’t know where to look or you don’t know what to watch out for, therefore it is advised that you find a reputable auto repair shop with certified mechanics well before you actually need one. This means checking that the shop will honor any existing warranties, conducting background checks, comparing rates and utilizing consumer protection agencies.

...Continue reading>>

 

 

 

Suggest an article

Page 1 2