How to Avoid Unnecessary Car Costs
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Photo: Simon Blackley
A guy walks into a mechanic and asks for a tune-up.
“Looks like your car needs a lot of work,” says the mechanic. “After a quick inspection, I estimate about $1000 worth of services.”
It may sound like a joke, but car owners are often hit with an unhappy diagnosis like this. Many of us have little-to-no car expertise. We feel helpless at the sometimes-merciless hand of our mechanic. After all, who are we to say when a spark plug needs changing or steering should be flushed?
Jon Bartunek, owner of his family’s Union Street Garage in San Francisco who has worked in the car repair business since he was ten years old, has some empowering tips and guidelines to offer.
“Many car repair shops are in the business of selling auto repair, not the business of repairing autos,” says Bartunek. “Keep in mind that any good shop is a combination of both, but you want the mechanic you work with to have your best interest in mind.”
Read on to find Bartunek’s words of wisdom to help you through the car maintenance and repair process without spending an unnecessary, exorbitant amount of money. Bartunek shares his knowledge on how to be informed before and after service, the common traps car repair shops will use to get more money from you, and what you absolutely must require of any mechanic who performs work on your car.
A reputable mechanic should provide:
ASE [National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence] or AAA [American Automobile Association] certification, and/or a state license, which is required in many states
- A clean garage, free of empty cans, dirty rags, and old tires
- A friendly, polite staff that communicates well
- Before service: an itemized bill with a written estimate for repair work
- After service: a detailed invoice of work done and parts supplied
How to approach a new mechanic
Get a recommendation. Ask someone with a similar income level and car type if they have a good relationship with their mechanic. Don’t ask a friend who has a car or lifestyle that’s very different from yours because they may work with someone who’s not suitable for you.
Use the owner’s manual. This manual is your most valuable defense tool when visiting the mechanic. You should never, ever walk into a mechanic like the guy in our opening example and say, “I need a tune up.” This is way too vague and your professional may see this as an open invitation to charge you up to $1000 for miscellaneous unnecessary services such as spark plug replacements when you don’t need them. Bartunek advises, “Cars don’t need tune ups like they did years ago. Go by the services in your owner’s manual. Most list the necessary services according to the mileage you have on your car. Just saying something as simple as ‘I need my 30,000 mile service,’ shows your mechanic you are informed and not someone he can easily take advantage of if he is so inclined.”
Get an estimate. Before service, make sure your prospective mechanic gives you a detailed parts-and-labor estimate so you’ll know exactly what he plans to do and what went wrong if you have a post-service failure. Never accept a verbal estimate or a sheet of paper that says something unspecific like, “Fix Car – $800.” Make sure you sign the itemized estimate and walk away with a signed copy.
Ask questions. Never be afraid of asking questions such as “Do I really need that?” or “I don’t see any symptoms of failure. Is work on that part absolutely necessary right now?” If your mechanic makes a generalization like, “The part is old,” ask for details. Find out if it’s leaking, losing pressure or what the specific problem is. Then ask to see the part. A good mechanic should be able to physically show you the problem with the part on your car or explain it to you by using a removed car part. Similarly, if the price quote sounds expensive, tell the mechanic what you were hoping to spend and ask him if you can get by safely with a less expensive job.
Finally, if you think the job sounds expensive and your car seems to be working fine, get a second opinion.
Common traps
Drastic statements like, “We need to tow your car out of here because we don’t want to be responsible for you driving it,” are almost always a scam. Bartunek has seen many car owners succumb to these warnings and end up paying an arm and a leg to get their car back from the mechanic in “driveable” condition. He advises, “If you drove your car into the mechanic with no issues, most likely you can drive it away from any threatening advice without any problems.”
Coolant and power steering flushes are common services some of the larger mechanic chains will propose in order to make money. Check your owner’s manual to see how long your fluid is supposed to last so you know if your mechanic’s suggestion is warranted.
Do your research before having a catalytic converter or other emissions part repaired. Some of these pieces have a very long factory warranty including free replacement of covered parts.
A muffler that lasts a lifetime does not exist. Many of the larger companies give you free replacements and make their money on expensive exhaust system repairs.
The $55 brake pad job is also a scam nine times out of ten. No shop can make money on a $55 dollar brake pad replacement job. It’s an excuse to suggest the replacement of other parts such as brake rotors when you don’t need them.
Keep up on car maintenance
In addition to being a savvy buyer of proposed services, it’s important to keep up on regular car maintenance to avoid unnecessary breakdowns or repair costs. Here are Bartunek’s suggestions:
Get regular fluid changes as per your owner’s manual. This includes oil as well as brake, windshield and coolant fluids.
Replace the air filter when needed or suggested in the owner’s manual.
Keep tires inflated properly for your safety. Check once a month and before long car trips to make sure your tires have a little bit less than maximum pressure.
While all these warnings and rules may be overwhelming at first, there are some great mechanics out there. If you remember these tips, you’re much more likely to find a helpful professional than a wallet-draining scam.
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25 Comments so far
leave a commentGreat post. I’d like to add this for the guys (My dad was a mechanic and he would get this ALL the time). Unless you are 100% you know what the problem is with the car, leave your ego at the door and don’t go into a shop and say something like “I hear a clicking noise coming from the front left of my car, I think the axle is going out or I need a new strut.” Just like being vague is an open invitation to ring you up, so is this scenario. You’re opening the door for a mechanic to play into your ego and come back to you and say that you were right about the axle and the strut. In reality it could have been something way less expensive and not even close to the real problem, but you got a new axle and strut out of it too when you didn’t need them.
Smart tips in here. I’d add checking out a site like repairpal.com so you have an idea what a given service or repair should actually cost and include.
No, don’t every say, “I need my 30,000 mile service”!! You go into the garage knowing what that 30,000 service entails, as listed in the owner’s manual. You say, “I want my oil changed, I need the breaks checked, I need the transmission fluid changed,” etc. There’s a decent chance you had one or two items in the list done already. If you just say “I need my 30,000 mile service,” you’re likely to find all sorts of questionable items included. Then after you get a detailed estimate, iask if they have a special rate for the 30,000 checkup.
Very good article. As for the “new mechanic,” try to find out of there are car “geeks” that have the same car you have on the internet. I have a diesel VW and found tdiclub.com which TONS of resources and info about cars…including reputable mechanics.
I found the same for my wife’s Honda.
Sorry for the OT but I would like to have a post dedicated to “avoiding pc repair scams” as my laptop needs work and I have heard only bad things about the big retails stores
OT reply Dawn – most the big box places (Best Buy, CompUSA, etc) will over charge for services on computer repair. Most computer issues are software related and not the computer itself. Consider using free tech support Sam’s Club offers free tech support if your a member even if you didn’t buy the computer from them; If you bought from Costco you get a free extended warranty and free tech support. If you were to call the maker of the computer and they determine it to be software they’ll be asking for a credit card #…
The best thing i’ve ever done is learn how to repair my own computer. you can find instructions on any type of computer and any type of laptop and you can buy the tools on the web (or even at Lowe’s). Everything plugs and screws in, just find the instructions. Yesterday, i just revived my monster desktop computer. It wouldnt boot up and i got error messages i’ve never seen before. I googled and obtained a free Vista rescue download and followed all the instructions to burn an .iso disk. within the hour my computer was back to normal exactly the way it was before, no files lost. You would be surprised how simple it is, as computers are just boxes with several basic components that snap together: hard drive(s), motherboard, removable disc drives, pram, ram, heatsink, fan, monitor, keyboard, mouse, video card umm.. what else? You can easily spend more money than what the thing is worth, or you can fix it yourself, upgrade it, and buy some new software. impress your friends!
Thank you so much for this informative post. As someone who knows next to nil how a car works, going to a mechanic is often a very stressful experience. This makes me more confident in approaching them.
“Check once a month and before long car trips to make sure your tires have a little bit less than maximum pressure.”
Wrong. Check your car manual or the sticker on one of your doors for the proper tire pressure. If you have custom wheels and tires, you can call the tire manufacturer and tell them what size tire and type of vehicle and they can recommend the correct tire pressure.
I highly disagree.
Several years ago, Ford Explorer air pressure specs were considerably lower than what Firestone told them to use — because Ford wanted its vehicles to have a softer, more “car-like” ride for competitive reasons. The result was many deaths due to rollovers, especially when the vehicles were heavily loaded, towing a trailer or driven at high speeds in very hot weather. Google “Ford Explorer Firestone rollover” and you have tons of material to read.
Tire manufacturers actually test their tires well above the air pressures molded on their tires’ sidewalls: their tires will perform very well at and beyond the tire mfr’s spec limits.
Three other factors to consider:
* From a handling perspective, an underinflated tire is extremely dangerous, especially if you drive with heavy loads or on freeways. If you inflate your tires only to the specs given by the vehicle mfr (typically lower than the tire mfr specs), and you don’t check your tire pressure frequently enough (at least monthly), then you will lose air in your tires and soon be driving on severely underinflated tires.
* Underinflated tires wear out much faster than fully inflated tires. Soft rides = more frequent tire replacement = $$$ to your tire shop.
* Underinflated tires have more friction with the road, so you gas mileage goes way down. More $$$ to the oil companies. You can save real money by fully inflating your tires and checking the pressure frequently.
For best performance & tire life, check the air pressure and adjust when the tires are cold.
A little common sense please. First of all, check out your local indie mechanics. They are always a better deal. Clean shop? Busy? (Appointments suggested is a good sign.). Good local references? Modern tools like scanners, AC recyclers, etc? Big wrench boxes, clean and organized? (Snap-on shows a commitment.) Many of them offer national on- the- road warranties through their parts house if you travel a lot. Do they turn down work on hopeless cases? Let’s face it, some cars are BICs (you know, like the lighter, a throw-away.). Most flat-rate oil changes, do free brake inspections, and that is a good time to ask them to look around, as you are looking to develop a relationship. Tell them that.
Do you drive on dirt roads a lot? Visiting your shop could save you money. Brutal seasons? Another reason. The car makers are into the BIC theory more than you know. That scheduled maintenance may not make sense for you. But taking it to the same shop, over and over, will pay off in lower bills with the likelihood of no surprises.
Some engines are interference fit. This means that you MUST do the timing belt on schedule. Ask. It can save you an engine.
Most routine flushes are BS, unless your car has sat for long periods. 100k is a good rule of thumb unless your book says otherwise, or if you are pulling a trailer or other hard duty. Your mechanic will tell you if he thinks your trannie fluid is burnt.
BTW, modern oils are good for many thousand miles. I use 5000 mile increments, as they are easy to spot on the odometer. Air filter every other time, as I do dirt roads about 20%.
Squeaks, rattles, squeals and anything wierd, I take it in for a look. If it’s nothing or can wait, they comp me. It’s that relationship thing again.
Lastly, if you don’t drive your car much, that is no favor. Short hauls and seldom use mean that stuff breaks, rots and otherwise costs you more per mile than if you are driving 20 miles at a whack several times daily. For that ride, at least take it in annually.
I am sick and tired of listening to people whine about car repairs.
1. A car is NOT an investment, it is a necessary money pit.
2. Once you find a mechanic you feel comfortable with, stop shopping around. A mechanic who gets to know you, your vehicle and your driving style can offer much better advice if he is the only shop working on your vehicle.
3. Everything works before it breaks. If your mechanic has just worked on your car and something doesn’t seem right, give him a chance to check it over. Chances are that a different part has failed.
4. A mechanic can’t look into a chrystal ball and tell when your car may break down. If he had such powers, he’d be in finance, not auto repair, believe me!
I wish i had customers with your way of thinking. And thank you i dont have a magic ball nor mirror that can predict break downs.
Some interesting facts- over 72% of vehicles on the road have a least 1 safety defect- from lights to tires, wipers or more serious issues. Studies show a consumer can actually save over 43% of costs by performing regular maintenance- compared to waiting for a ‘breakdown’. Other benefits- you can schedule your vehicle for ‘planned maintenance’ but you definitely can’t schedule your ‘breakdown’.
Unfortunately there are some less scrupulous individuals performing unnecessary work. However, there are many true professionals who understand the value of the maintenance model- and their service recommendations are based upon solid inspections, experience, and continuous skills training. Barbara is right on the money- a vehicle is NOT an investment- for most people it will never be valued more than the purchase price. It is however, necessary in most of our busy lives and we depend on it to be safe and reliable. Look for a shop that is involved in the community, has credentials from Motorist Assurance Program (a consumer organization- see http://www.motorist.org) offers a national warranty program, and participates in 3rd party dispute resolution through accreditation with auto club or BBB – though most shops in this category never need to.
First, ALWAYS insist that all replaced parts be returned to you. If you suspect you were scammed you can take the parts for a second opinion.
Second, spend $100 or so on a OBD-II code reader. One size fits all, so you only need one per family or group of friends. When your “check engine” light comes on you will know what’s wrong and not fall for the old “your computer is shot, it will cost $2500″, then the mechanic fixes the loose connection on a sensor and has a nice vacation.
One other thing…before you spend a ton of money on a repair. Get a second opinion! I took my car in for a simple transmission fluid change and was told: I needed both front CV boots replaced and a seal kit for my power steering pump. I asked them how much the seal kit would cost vs a new power steering pump. Labor and parts came out to ” only” 164.00. for the kit 228.00 + labor for a new pump. I said ” humm, why would I spend 164.00 to put new seals in a pump that has gone over 100,000 miles when I can get a brand new pump and install it myself.” I took my car to another shop…turns out the CV boots were in perfect condition. I never replaced the pump or the seals…no problems.
Thank you! This is the first blog I have read about this subject that mentioned the ASE’s. Working on a 1995 Toyota is not the same as a 2010. They should be going to update classes on the new models, in these classes they also learn about common problems on vehicles and share stories. I come from a family of mechanics and all the want is a little respect. If you get to know them they won’t screw you over. In essence they operate as freelancers since most of them get paid by the job. Good mechanics want to gain trust so you continue to come to them in future and pass on referrals. It’s just refreshing to read a blog that doesn’t show people how they can cut corners but actually find the right person to do the job.
10 years as a service advisor and I have the following for you.
Listen when the advisor tells you how long the estimate will take. Rushing anyone results in mistakes and oversights.
Don’t pay for anything that you didn’t sign for up frontl, you aren’t required to.
Don’t pay for inspections that you can get for free at the next garage.
Find out what is required for safety, required for warranty, necessary to fix the problems you described, due for replacement by mileage only, warn out, and replaced per request.
Don’t request anything be replaced. If you do, don’t be surprised if it is.
Get help when you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
Get help when you think you do, but don’t.
Don’t send someone else to drop off your car.
You should have the estimate for the different jobs needed totalled seperately.
Get the mechanic to explain the bill in detail.
Make sure the parts aren’t covered under warranty, there or where the car was purchased.
Push to get the parts that are covered under warranty, covered according to the warranty statement.
This may include labour.
In most cases, the advisor may be paid commision, as is the mechanic, find out.
When a part is sourced from another company, make sure you don’t get a discount there that the garage isn’t passing on to you. Most charge full rate for a part they didn’t stock.
If you get beat by a garage, make sure the manager, or owner knows about it, in some cases the owner is unaware his staff is operating in such a manner.
Most garages won’t be open long when improper repairs are common and the staff isn’t working in the customers best interests.
Remember the mechanic and the garage are in business, not doing charity work.
Most regular customers will get superior service and nearly every polite and fair customer will get the same.
Treat people poorly and the result will almost always be poor service and less than satisfactory results.
It will come back to bite you.
This from one of the guys who has seen both sides of the coin.
Great post and comments. I found a very useful site for determining if you’re being charged a fair amount for a repair and what should be included: http://repairpal.com
They also have a cool iphone app.
Excellent & informative article.
Most especially since new cars lose so much value so quickly, never before has proper maintenance held such value.
We sell new, used & rebuilt parts.
Here are some sober warnings just on the parts side of the equation:
The Better Business Bureau reports 543 complaints on just 3 used auto parts companies in the last 36 months.
Some of us are so fixated on price alone that we forget the cost of high risk.
Questions to ask ourselves while parts shopping:
Can I afford a wrong, or defective part?
Can I identify a fake “rebuilt,” “remanufactured,” or inferior aftermarket counterfeit?
How do I avoid a part from a fire or flood vehicle?
How do I identify a fake warranty?
Is there a core charge?
Am I liable for restocking fees or return shipping charges in the event of a problem requiring a return?
Can I afford to pay for the same parts &/or repair 2 or 3 times?
Sincerely,
Michael Talley CEO
Talley Trans, Inc.
My Honda civic is 10 years old and has 85000 miles on it. the only repairs i’ve had on it (besides vandalism) have been scheduled maintenance. I go to the Honda dealership. I probably pay an extra 8-10 bucks for oil changes and wiper blades, but they give me coupons and free car washes and of course free expert advice.
I go to Universal Technical Institute to be a technician, been going there for months now, and I’ve talked to a lot of instructors all who have great knowledge of the workplace, so this I have for you.
Second opinions are hit and miss. Just because one shop says “your drive shaft is slightly bent and is going to need replacing, no I’m sorry it cannot be repaired it must be replaced, that’ll be $1500″ and you go to another shop and they say something like “Oh your drive shaft isnt bent its perfectly fine.” Your going to believe the second shops word because you, being human, is exactly what you want to hear, you want to hear that you don’t have to spend any money. When in fact your driveshaft WAS bent, and over time it became worse thus potentially destroying the internals or your transmission in the process THUS costing you a hell of alot more money. The point I’m trying to make is, second opinions are hit and miss. No two technicians think or work the same and certainly no two technicians have the same amount of knowledge. Your taking a chance and rolling the dice no matter which way you go.
Just because your shop says that they are ASE or AAA certified, dosn’t mean the tech working on your vehicle is, and most of the time they wont be, sorry but its true
Don’t go into a shop with an attitude, it MAY reflect on the job done. Oh you say we purposely made your car worse…..ok prove it for me please.
For pete’s sake don’t yell at a tech, most of them could probably kick your ass, and you certainly wouldn’t dare speak to a tech the way you planned on his own turf the way you would in public now would you???? Doubt it, so drop the future tough guy acts because we WILL remember you….point in case goes to my little topic just above this paragraph.
For HEAVEN’S SAKE, don’t say you want the old broken part back, it just makes you look stupid, we both know you have no idea what it does or how it functions, even if we explained it to you a dozen times you wouldn’t know what it does and we certainly doubt you have a collection you keep of old parts somewhere in your home. Getting a “second opinion” on old parts goes back to my first topic.
The morale of the story is be nice to your techs, it wont go unnoticed, and if it does and you get poor service then go somewhere else. We look at you as potential bad guys just as you look at us that way. Techs aren’t the bad guys, we work too just like you, we don’t work for free and I doubt you do either. You may not be able to control your next visit to your local repair shop (and this whole article really does nothing for you btw) and that might scare you, but theres plenty of other things that I can’t control either………which makes technicians human just like you…….FYI
SO BE NICE AND WE WILL BE NICE!
I’m sure you will be nice, but techs, like cops, are a mixed bag. Most are good, others have license to hurt. I agree that you should always be polite, and expect the best.
But on big ticket items, always get the second opinion. And, if they differ substantially, don’t be shy about getting a third. If you can do this with a knowledgeable friend, you’re chances of a good outcome will be even better.
Being a person who has worked on vehicles for over 25 years — for a hobby, and upkeep on my own cars, not for work — I WOULDN’T take any the advice in this article.
Unless you take the time to research, learn about your vehicle, learn about “common” issues with every vehicle on the road, you are either setting yourself up to sound like an idiot when you walk into the shop “pretending” you know what the hell you are talking about, or you are going to be “taken” AND look/sound like an idiot.
BEFORE you go to the shop, talk to someone who knows cars, and/or take them with you — we all know someone like this. Or study a little bit about your car — not in the owners manual, actually take the time to LEARN about your vehicle. There are THOUSANDS of forums on the net that are specific to pretty much EVERY car built. 99.9% of the time you can explain the symptoms, and narrow your issue down to the exact cause within an hour.
The problem is people are WAY too damn lazy. We care more about what we can get out of doing so we can sit on our butts watching Desperate Housewives than we care about saving money — and then everybody in this damn country wonders why the economy is in the sh**house, and no one has money.
And to the guy that goes to school to be a Tech — let me know where you work, or will be working, I will make sure everyone avoids your shop at all costs. People PAY you, ALOT to fix their junk. The quality of work you do should have ZERO bearing on how they talk to you, my god
Dear K-Man.
I understand you point but as I read your response. Little story: I once owned a Mazda Mita 2000. I took my little car to the dealership for regular maintance and everything was fine. Then one day I was going to work and the car was fine but when I got to work the car would slow up. I took the car to the dealership only to find that it was sometype of electical fuel problem. That was what I was told. I went to three other dealerships about my problem and was feed three different things from these techs all the while spending $$ for things I didn’t need. BS.
The car had 189000 miles. It was an automatic transmission. DUH the trans was giving out and could have been repaired before it failed but the Dealership did not know what the problem was. Instead of fixing they tried to sell me crap that had nothing to do with the real problem and these are ASE or AAA certified techs. I understand you work for a living and want paid for your services but unless you really fix the problem then I say you don’t get paid for not fixing the problem. If the regs say it will be 1.5hrs to repair something you did and it doesn’t fix the problem then you remove your fix put the old parts back and ether try again or take a cut from the orginal price and pay that back to the customer becuase you didn’t fix the problem. I don’t want to hear “well that didn’t work lets try something else” I don’t like paying for your mistakes.. That’s why you get paid 70+ an hour to fix something.