There’s an old muffler commercial where this guy is holding a 7-foot muffler, and the customer says, “I don’t think it’ll fit.” The guy holding the 7-foot muffler grins foolishly, and his partner goes, “Don’t worry, we’ll make it fit.” That’s not how an honest mechanic works.
Other times, a mechanic will make up buzzwords that sound technical and dangerous to try to convince you to get a bunch of unnecessary work done. With a good-natured and utterly fake slap on the back, that dishonest car mechanic will also try to sell you a pile of parts you don’t need.
With almost a million mechanics in the United States, there are going to be some dishonest ones. Other than watching for price padding through unnecessary services and parts, there are other tricks they use to try to hook you. For example, they might try “scare tactics.” They might tell you that if you don’t get something done, your transmission will fall out. Such catastrophic events are exceedingly rare, and even when they do happen, it’s usually because of either faulty manufacturing or maintenance.
Something else a reputable auto repair shop won’t do is lie to you about voiding the warranty through work done at a different garage than the dealer. Guess what? That’s illegal. Ever since the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act became law in 1975, that kind of predatory practice has been disallowed. An honest auto mechanic doesn’t stoop that low.
An honest repair shop also won’t badmouth other shops even if the personnel know the reputations of every auto mechanic in the area. Honest, reliable service and top-flight workmanship speak for themselves. The best mechanics will leverage that because they know what’s important to customers: value. Good service from a well-trained, fully certified car mechanic delivers that value to the customer. A fine-running automobile with no problems is its own reward when you deal with a top auto repair shop.
Aside from relying on a shop’s reputation, is there any way to tell if a mechanic is telling the truth? Yes, there is. A written estimate must be truthful because it’s a record of all the work done. If the work is superfluous or if the parts sold were unnecessary, then the dishonest shop is liable not only for the shoddy work but also for fraud. If a shop won’t give you a written estimate, run. That is an obvious red flag.
Also, if a mechanic is not qualified to perform a certain repair, and that person is honest, then that person will refer you to someone who is qualified and trained. Performing a repair without the proper training is dangerous not only to the mechanic but also to you if your car suffers a fault at speed.
We’re honest. We play no games. When you come to us, you get the straight dope in writing. To take advantage of everything we have to offer, give us a call to set up an appointment today.
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