Do you trust your mechanic?

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:58 pm

When I lived in the Soviet Uni0n (I mean geographically AND chronologically), there was almost no such thing as car service. So, I did not bother and performed all my car service myself – yes, including painting and engine overhaul.

People here (in US) and now (in 21st century) can hardly imagine this. I remember changing the flat tire in US in the middle of the night, and a bunch of spectators (including police officer) watching such a rare event.

However, any time I entrust my car to any car service here and now, be it independent mechanic or dealership, I get it back with missing fasteners and damaged threads, at a minimum. I hate this. Any time I do any work on my car, I find yet another missing fastener/damaged thread, and recall which particular mechanic this could be, and pray hard for his well being… May be you have a better luck here, but I just don’t want to take my chances anymore.

So, I stopped going to service altogether for the things I can do at home. Unfortunately, my abilities are somewhat limited by the place where I live, so for dirty jobs, or jobs requiring some really special equipment, I have to go to service, still. And then, I look for missing parts and try to minimize the damage.

And I never did, never do, and I think I never will trust any mechanic my brake job. This is the thing I always do myself, it just seem too risky for me to entrust my life and lives of my relatives and friends to those crappy "professionals".

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

+1million

I first started learning about cars because I was getting ripped off by mechanics that could tell I didn't know my way around a car. My advice to EVERYONE is to buy the big repair manual for your car, even if you aren't going to do the work yourself, at least you will know what the mechanic is talking about.

I'm just now about to get my civic to throw me the check engine code it just start flashing at my wife
Rolling Eyes

Member Joined: Nov 15, 2006 Posts: 18

Well, guess what guys? I do work as a mechanic.
I think this really depends on a shop, and the mechanic himself. I always put all the fasteners back, and the only thing I stripped was an oxygen sensor (which rarely come out right), which we fixed anyways. Now I am not saying that none of my co-workers have never left a striped bolt in there, if it is something important, we do retap the threads and get a new bolt.
As for brakes, I do know of people putting in pads with the metal facing the rotor, instead of the material that wears out, but that I think is a rare sight, and I've also seen people come to our shop with the caliper braket unbolted. Crap like this does happen, also it is unlikely. I would give my word on repairs, I fix other cars pretending it is my own, and I have never had a cutomer return regarding my work. The shops that do this are usually the ones that specialize in one specific field (mostly wheel and tire shop, or oil change places), as they often higher people judging only by what they say they can do, not what they actually can do. In other words people who become mechanics by not telling the truth, are the ones that do half assed jobs.

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 1:57 am

Bad for you man, we'll bash you here Mr. Green

If seriously, I'm old enough to realize that not all mechanics are bad Smile

I’m even admitting here that I exaggerated this story a bit. I had one shop that was good. But management changed, and people changed, and they no longer have my business.

I wish you lived somewhere around here, so I could give you some business Smile

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

I'm glad that there is an honest mechanic out there. I can't afford to look for one around here but I've reached a zen state about dirt and grease stained hands anyways, so I'll just keep fixing things until my wife gets her law degree.