I've had a couple of experiences lately with auto garages that seemed reasonable at first, but later seemed to be dicking me around. That Seinfeld episode always comes to mind.
at the expression "I got a guy" ... but seriously, is there something more comforting about being a grown-up these days than having a go-to you can trust for auto maintenance/repair ... plumbing/electric ... anything else you might need?
... and I want to share a true, personal story on car work;
I wanted my tires rotated. Brought it to a tire shop. I had a nagging suspicion they couldn't be trusted, so, I marked one tire with a piece of chalk before hand.
After the work was completed, I paid, went out to my car, and the marked tire was in the same spot. I went back in and complained to the mgr the work wasn't done. He questioned me, and then I proved it to him. He brought the mechanic out who worked on it. After some discussion the mechanic said 'the tread depth was good, and so it didn't require rotation'.
Eventually the mgr had the mechanic re-do the work, apologized to me and gave me a full refund, now done free. However, the trust was broken by then, and they will never get my business again.
So just a tip, with tire rotations, mark 1 tire before hand so you can tell if they actually rotate the tires, and check it afterward.
when I first started working, there was an old timer in the office that never trusted anyone. He advised us newer guys that whenever we get our oil changed, always put a scratch mark on the oil filter. After the work is done make sure to check that they changed the filter and check the oil to make sure it's clean. And remember that a good auto mechanic is worth any secret Move you might have!!
I don’t understand from a business perspective on the mechanic side.
My mechanic, who I trust, has my business for life. He also gets the business I refer to him for doing honest and fair work. The profit he will make off of this relationship alone will blow away the profit he would’ve made off of screwing me over one time.
I guess a lot of mechanics learned their craft at a dealership where they screw everyone over. Who knows.
It is a relatively easy business because all you have to do is be HONEST! New customers are stunned when we tell them they don’t need any of the shit the dealer just recommended they replace when they went in for a recall on something else.
There are so many dishonest garages that it is not hard to earn trust for us. Some of the stories... I had a good customer of ours that had a flat repair emergency on a Sunday (we are not open on Sundays because we actually care about our employees) and had to go to the “discount guys.” I won’t name them but it should be obvious.
Anyway, he said he had a bank envelope in his visor that looked like it had cash in it (it didn’t, it was a folded check) and he didn’t have time to make sure he didn’t leave it there. Needless to say, he noticed the next day it was gone and when he confronted them about it, they said “We hire mechanics not saints” and that he shouldn’t have left the envelope there (it was in his visor!!!).
When he told me this story, you ask? When he came in that Tuesday because they literally missed the nail when plugging the tire. It was still in the tread within a centimeter of the plug, and the tire was still leaking! Amazing.
Between them and dealers, we can’t believe some of what we hear and see. They create an atmosphere where the service writers MUST sell a certain amount of something (trans flushes, power steering flushes, etc) or else. It is impossible to be honest in those scenarios. We’ve interviewed mechanics and writers who have worked at places like that and they’ve told us they want out because the higher ups will say “were not asking you to sell something that isn’t needed, but you need to sell 10 power steering flushes this week” (basically asking them to rip people off without using so many words.)
It’s easy for us because we don’t work on commission and we don’t have any pressure to sell anything, and we’re 1000x busier because of it. We don’t understand why more places don’t do it that way (there are a lot of good ones though).
Several years ago I had my wife bring her 2005 Altima to the dealer for an oil change. I always have her give them my cell number to call if they need anything (women getting taken advantage of in auto repair shops is real).
a couple hours later the dealer calls me... "We have a problem, you need brakes". I asked him which ones, front or rear.... he says "Oh boy... its bad. you need all the way around"... I told him that that was funny... of course he asked why and I told him that I had recently had a complete brake job done all around!
I get silence... a stammer.... then he says I'll call you right back and hangs up... 15 minutes later I get a call with this excuse... "when the mechanic was showing me he was pointing to the car next to yours!" I just told him "yeahhh riiight... the ole car next to yours trick". He had no reply
needless to say, I have never been back. I have probably cost them thousands of dollars telling this story to friends, co-workers and customers...
hard to find a trustworthy shop... I have a couple now and they get all my business. I have also turned a lot of new business to them.
that you can rely on. I agree that most dealers are crooks, but luckily for me, I found a dealer in Rochester, NY, who believes in not screwing their customers. I have always had good work done by them on my cars, when I had a car from them. I highly recommend them. It is rare, but when you find it, hang onto them.
If anyone in Rochester wants to know, who the dealership is, drop me a line.
matty, I wish you had a garage in Rochester too. Oh well. Best of luck.
at the expression "I got a guy" ... but seriously, is there something more comforting about being a grown-up these days than having a go-to you can trust for auto maintenance/repair ... plumbing/electric ... anything else you might need?
I say no.
For real. I’ve been lucky enough to happenstance into very strustworthy HVAC and plumbing guys. Have yet to find an auto mechanic, but my Honda dealer doesn’t seem to be screwing me over excessively.
Went to get my oil changed at a mini dealership. Told me the needed to change the front brakes as well. Mind you, my car has 17k miles on in and I didnt feel a thing when braking. So i asked how much, knowing how much it normally costs. They wanted $750 becuase they had to replace the rotors as well due to a “special compound” the rotors are made of that causes quicker wear but higher performance. I said no thanks.
They call me after the oil change and said it was a faulty sensor which caused them to think brake change was necessary. Tesla is going to ruin these guys.
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And can that be added to BBCode Box in the bottom section?
I'm pretty sure that's an 'admin only' feature.
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to embed tweets and youtube video?
And can that be added to BBCode Box in the bottom section?
I'm pretty sure that's an 'admin only' feature.
Can we get an explanation why? For the most part it would enhance the posts.
And can that be added to BBCode Box in the bottom section?
Not available at this time.
I've had a couple of experiences lately with auto garages that seemed reasonable at first, but later seemed to be dicking me around. That Seinfeld episode always comes to mind.
I say no.
The Johnson rod never goes bad. But the Glans piston often gets stroked the wrong way.
I wanted my tires rotated. Brought it to a tire shop. I had a nagging suspicion they couldn't be trusted, so, I marked one tire with a piece of chalk before hand.
After the work was completed, I paid, went out to my car, and the marked tire was in the same spot. I went back in and complained to the mgr the work wasn't done. He questioned me, and then I proved it to him. He brought the mechanic out who worked on it. After some discussion the mechanic said 'the tread depth was good, and so it didn't require rotation'.
Eventually the mgr had the mechanic re-do the work, apologized to me and gave me a full refund, now done free. However, the trust was broken by then, and they will never get my business again.
So just a tip, with tire rotations, mark 1 tire before hand so you can tell if they actually rotate the tires, and check it afterward.
My mechanic, who I trust, has my business for life. He also gets the business I refer to him for doing honest and fair work. The profit he will make off of this relationship alone will blow away the profit he would’ve made off of screwing me over one time.
I guess a lot of mechanics learned their craft at a dealership where they screw everyone over. Who knows.
Twats - ( New Window )
There are so many dishonest garages that it is not hard to earn trust for us. Some of the stories... I had a good customer of ours that had a flat repair emergency on a Sunday (we are not open on Sundays because we actually care about our employees) and had to go to the “discount guys.” I won’t name them but it should be obvious.
Anyway, he said he had a bank envelope in his visor that looked like it had cash in it (it didn’t, it was a folded check) and he didn’t have time to make sure he didn’t leave it there. Needless to say, he noticed the next day it was gone and when he confronted them about it, they said “We hire mechanics not saints” and that he shouldn’t have left the envelope there (it was in his visor!!!).
When he told me this story, you ask? When he came in that Tuesday because they literally missed the nail when plugging the tire. It was still in the tread within a centimeter of the plug, and the tire was still leaking! Amazing.
Between them and dealers, we can’t believe some of what we hear and see. They create an atmosphere where the service writers MUST sell a certain amount of something (trans flushes, power steering flushes, etc) or else. It is impossible to be honest in those scenarios. We’ve interviewed mechanics and writers who have worked at places like that and they’ve told us they want out because the higher ups will say “were not asking you to sell something that isn’t needed, but you need to sell 10 power steering flushes this week” (basically asking them to rip people off without using so many words.)
It’s easy for us because we don’t work on commission and we don’t have any pressure to sell anything, and we’re 1000x busier because of it. We don’t understand why more places don’t do it that way (there are a lot of good ones though).
a couple hours later the dealer calls me... "We have a problem, you need brakes". I asked him which ones, front or rear.... he says "Oh boy... its bad. you need all the way around"... I told him that that was funny... of course he asked why and I told him that I had recently had a complete brake job done all around!
I get silence... a stammer.... then he says I'll call you right back and hangs up... 15 minutes later I get a call with this excuse... "when the mechanic was showing me he was pointing to the car next to yours!" I just told him "yeahhh riiight... the ole car next to yours trick". He had no reply
needless to say, I have never been back. I have probably cost them thousands of dollars telling this story to friends, co-workers and customers...
hard to find a trustworthy shop... I have a couple now and they get all my business. I have also turned a lot of new business to them.
If anyone in Rochester wants to know, who the dealership is, drop me a line.
matty, I wish you had a garage in Rochester too. Oh well. Best of luck.
I say no.
They call me after the oil change and said it was a faulty sensor which caused them to think brake change was necessary. Tesla is going to ruin these guys.