Mechanic Undercover - Women are Target for Car Repair Scams
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2019
- Women are typically overcharged for necessary repairs and forced into unnecessary repairs at an alarmingly high rate as compared to their male counterparts.
In other words: Yes, women are more likely to be taken advantage of at the mechanic. 
Авто/Мото
Just like how restaurants have inspections and get a letter grade rating, auto repair shops should have undercover people doing this and if they try to scam the person with unnecessary repairs they should be heavily fined and exposed for doing this so everyone can avoid them. This would put the bad dishonest shops out of business and make all shops honest. Then it would be safe for everyone to take their car in without getting scammed.
Good idea
@@devonmatthews6443 Thanks.
I think it would help weed out egregious shops, but I think we all know that most restaurants are kind of nasty despite health/safety inspections.
That is a great idea. I have such distrust of mechanics.
someone write up the law. you got my backing.
I like how "we dropped the air filter on the floor" was apparently a good excuse for charging you for their own supposed mistake. Even if they had dropped it on the appropriate response is "we ruined your air filter so we'll replace it" 😒
They wouldn’t have taken it completely out of the car!
@@9555212exactly, they didn't need too from what I can tell, pull it out look at it, some cars you don't even need to take it out to make sure it's clean, and put it back. There shouldn't be any reason in this situation where it should've been dropped and the customer charged for it
Imagine if the head of the federal reserve made a mistake and then apologized.
I swear to god, mechanics need be audited yearly.
Agreed, I am a dude and I haven't had a mechanic not try something on me in my adult life. Saw a young mechanic on Tiktok bragging about how he conned an elderly woman into 700+ in repairs. They usually have good ratings too.. It's sad.
@@Treebark4Dinnerkids are so stupid lmao what a scumbag
He needs to be shutdown now 😠
I suppose there's just not enough budget / time to audit all of them often enough. Something is better than nothing I guess haha
@@Treebark4Dinner700? what is wrong with some people 😭
Disgusting attitude from the mechanic when he was confronted. He didn't have even the decency to look at her while she was speaking to him and instead kept his eyes glued to the monitor. And the lame excuse he came up with was pathetic 😂... I really hope he lost his job there and consideres his actions in the future and how he choses to treat women.. cause you know what Billy, you never know 🙃
Unfortunately, his dishonesty is most likely representative of the business and his boss's attitude, despite the boss's claims
@@kittenmittens4387 precisely. His boss would have fired him on the spot otherwise.
LOL fired? The owners are the ones who set the standards. They require the managers to meet sales quotas and those managers pass that crap on to regular employees. Its all about making the most $$ w/ the least amount of effort. Advice: Study your cars service manual, that's the very minimum anyone should do before even calling a shop. I"ve saved thousands doing that
@@kittenmittens4387yeah, I don't really know what's in it for the mechanic unless he takes commission. the boss is the one who owns the business. he can say whatever he wants to the cameras.
@@zerocal76Owners are stupid and dumb the manuals superseded any manager or technician
That’s not a few bad apples, they all tried to scam you.
I just have my own personal mechanic
Sure buddy, as if they didnt edit out the video of the honest mechanics
@@interestingcommentbut....7378 not unless you know them
@@0luc83 True, they gotta be family or a family friend
@@interestingcommentbut....7378 Then you havent met many
I was an 18-year-old kid that didn't know anything and I brought in my car to have it serviced and they told me that my cruise control wasn't working so they replaced a $2 fuse and it started working again. They could have told me anything and charged me much more. They didn't even charge me the $2 because they said it was only $2. Best mechanics ever!
Who knows what they would have done if I was a girl, though! ;)
Is age 18 considered adult or kid nowadays?
For years in the US, age 18 is a legal adult
@@prezbige legal adult at 18 but majority of 18-early 20s are still seen as kids by older people due to having little experience
@@prezbige 18 to almost 25s are adults in legal sense but not mental. Especially in the US.
@@prezbige "mentally" most of them are not matured enough to be called as "adults"
There should be stiff penalties for doing this. Shops, including dealers, need to be audited like this continuously to keep them honest.
They had evidence of a person stealing. They should have had him arrested. -Make an example out of them every now and then and believe me, no audit will be necessary.
imagine not doing anything and just writing checks... man i could do that...
Scammers in general need to be punished severely. The laws are so lax on scammers it makes me sick. The thing I hate the most about it is that they don't need to do t, they could just be mechanics doing their job, which already earns them a nice income. But no they just have to be greedy jerks committing their crimes of cynical, calculated and premeditated deception to swindle.
If someone enters a shop with 0 knowledge and too lazy to learn then obviously gonna be taken advantage of. Gain knowledge then speak up. Demand to watch the repair being done and demand old parts back. If they say cant watch or return old parts then leave. They claim insurance blah blah blah. A window that customers can see into the shop so atleast know they trully doing the repair. Most shops i go to allow me in the shop. I sit back and just watch and if questions i ask. My car and my money, i have the right to see whats going on. Never trust anyone when money is involved.
Maybe we should just go full communist and have the auditors run the entire industry like the USSR.
you know that moment growing up when you realize your parents aren't geniuses?
I had that moment when I heard my mom tell a mechanic that she doesn't know anything about cars to his face
If your bringing it to us we’re assuming you don’t know much…
Message to the TV station: Do some investigating and list the auto repair shops that ARE honest and list them. You will be a hero and the public will have a win, and the honest one will get more business.
Jokes on you, that was the initial goal
There aren't any
Dishonest shops don't have to ALWAYS be dishonest. It's like car drivers. If the media gave good driving awards to drivers who weren't breaking any traffic laws at some particular time, plenty of bad drivers would get those good driving awards.
Find me a dentist too
@@Moises-kf1hg 7h
She aint helping just the ladies, she's helping the bros who aren't well versed with their wheels too!
Don't take this wrong as I am legitimately curious. How does a boy become a man (in the US) and not know what a fuse is? I say the US because I met some people overseas who had never owned a vehicle.
@@OvelNick lack of father figures
She’s helping all who choose to be ignorant of their vehicle maintenance schedule… in that little black book in the glove box…
@@elwamaboxing7189 lol from either parent…
@@OvelNick you'd be surprised at how many guy's can't change the oil in their own car...
This was a great story. Busted! I hope Mickey was fired. I almost got taken one time for a fuel pump. The mechanic tried to sell me on the parts and labor for over $1,500. I immediately thought it was BS. Found someone else who did the job for $600. He was very thorough and honest. Sadly there are so many scammers and con artists out there.
Well done. Its hard to know which ones you can trust
Mickey probably got promoted to manager. The business owners know exactly what kind of scum tactics these mechanics are using and encourage it since it makes them more money. The actual mechanic scamming people only gets a small percent of the kickback, most goes to the shop owner.
I'm not sure you understand the concept here - that the repairs they are recommending are fraudulent - not necessarily the charge for the repair. Your repair seems legit. You needed a fuel pump. You then entered the world of capitalism... price competition. Because one mechanic quoted $1,500 doesn't mean he's a crook or a fraud. Just because the other quoted $600 doesn't mean he's doing the best quality work with the best quality of parts. The cheaper mechanic might have taken shortcuts and/or used extremely cheap and unreliable parts. There might be actual warranty discrepancies and/or differences in how any future warranty claim might get handled. $600 is not always the better deal... but it also might be. Too many variables there. The bottom line to this story is being focused on repairs that were stated to be needed, when they were not, or intentionally caused by the mechanic, or the mechanic stating and charging for work that was never done. That is a problem. Not capitalism.
@@m2svirtual384Same here a tuffy wanted $1000 for a fuel pump. I did it myself in their parking lot in 10mins with a $100 part from ebay and have never changed one in my life.
Almost happened to me with a crank shaft position sensor. $150 for the actual part, $400 for the labor...... it took me and my dad half a fucking hour and a RUclips video to fix it 🤦♀️ best $150 I ever spent. Fuck these old men who prey upon young kids
The worst part with most "professionals" is when they get offended once they see you know your stuff. Some even get angry or even violent...
That's usually a sign of a liar. If you push back against someone's claims and they immediately get mad there's a 99.99% chance they are mad because you just caught them lying and they don't like it.
The girl mechanic dressed in skirt, should have confronted the shop owners then and there asking about everything. They would have got the shock of their life.
I couldnt agree more. Put them on spot soon as they did the "work" right in their shop open it all up and look
These people are simple minded that's exactly what I thought..why not do it there and then?
They are merely protecting them as well. She could confront them but they cannot protect her life either. Dishonest people at work can be potential killers in the future. Revenge when they lost their jobs.
Damn, she looks good in everything!! Id love to be pile drived in Amazon style by her!
It's better to see themselves on TV as the scammers they are.
Went with the girlfriend to the quick change oil service. She dropped me off outside before going in. I noticed a lot more activity around her car than I have ever had while getting an oil change. They had new air filter and new cabin air filters ready to install and had told her they needed to be replaced. Funny thing is I had just replaced them. So yes, women do get taken advantage of by many shops.
Is saying you need an air filter replacement a common scam? Like when I went to get an oil change they told me I needed a new air filter. I knew that was impossible since I literally changed it yesterday. I told them that and the lady waiting in their lobby got upset. They told her she needed a new air filter and now she thinks they lied to her and she got in a screaming match with the mechanic.
@@Luca-pz2pv question how did you know they lied to her maybe she did most people don't change the air filters trust me I am a mechanic
I am a mechanic if you bring your car to us for a simple repair obviously you don't know we're going to take advantage of a man a woman it doesn't matter
@@kennethcollier4660 Trust you, you’re a mechanic? Hahaha, that’s funny!🤣
@@kennethcollier4660 so you agree this goes on, even in your shop
This happened to me many years ago took my car to get an oil change the guy wanted to charge me $185.00!! I told him I'd be back....my husband went inside the shop instead with the same car a few hours later and they told him it would be $39.00...these guys are unbelievable at times.
That happened to my wife also. My wife called me saying the oil change was $150 and this was nearly 10 years ago because it needed "special synthetic". It was a Ford Taurus. I went back and said I wanted the $59 synthetic oil change they were advertising and they tried the same shit on me. At least they weren't sexist crooks.
My sister and I (a woman) went to the auto repair part of Walmart the other day to have a flat tire repair (my dads car, sent us on a very specific mission). I was so scared they would try to trick us, but low and behold the guys there were so nice and informative. We ended up having to change the tire because the old one was really bad (my dad had already had a feeling it would be the case, but was hoping it would just need to be repaired) they didn't have our tires in stock, so they replaced the bad one with our spare and didn't even charge us anything! They were so kind and patient, honestly best-case scenario and I'm so thankful to them.
However, my good friend (who is also a female) has had the WORST experiences with not 1, but 2 different shops. Lying, up charging, and the worst part, her car STILL won't work.
I guess my point is that there are good mechanics and there are bad ones, and it never hurts to just say no to a repair and get a second opinion.
Probably because walmart mechanics don't have a reason to cheat you, they're not getting the profit. That's why I tend to go to chain shops.
@@onyxxxyno yeah, we have a reliable mechanic that we go to, but we wouldve had to wait for them to look at our tire, and we really cant afford to have a none working vehicle in our house for any extensive period of time, so we just went to walmart.
But I see your point, walmart mechanics arent gonna get the same profit if they cheat us, as other places. 😊
I always try to go to Walmart auto centers for basic maintenance. They're priced great and have never felt any manipulation or pressure from them. In fact, they usually try to get me the best deal on things like tires, and go through the effort of deselecting the automatically selected up-charges when putting in the work order into the computer.
It was always at dedicated mechanic chains that I was given the whole "dirty air filter" run around. Small independent shops can either be really great or be sketchy. I don't like taking risks with them unless I've heard a lot of good things about them.
The Walmart workers literally get nothing out of ripping people off...they still will take home the same hourly pay regardless. So they have no incentive lie. They get paid like anyone working in the store who don't get anything extra from customers spending more on groceries
This is why I do my own maintenance and repairs.
I don't trust anyone. Sometimes I don't trust myself either.
Would like to be like you but I don't have a lifter and some tasks are a major PITA without one.
Yeah bro I was quoted $200 to replace a simple filter for my vtec actuator valve. Just got some simple tools and replaced it with a $5 oem filter. Fixed my stuttering car
almost every maintenance task can be done with the car jack that comes with your car, a ratchet set, wrenches, allen keys, and a screw driver set. The guys at those shops are already ripping you off with those prices, you might as well make that money back with a tiny investment and a few hours of work every few months. I only spend ~15 dollars per oil change with oem filters, 5 per brake bleed, 35 for transmission fluid and filter, and less than a dollar for power steering. Also stuff like the pcv valve takes like 2 seconds and only costs a dollar or two and cabin and intake filters should only cost around 10 dollars (yeah i know it's a rip off, those massive hvac filters cost half and have 4x as many. that's just the nature of car parts.)
@@sasquatch7234
I understand, I don't have any new vehicles, my newest is a 2012 Ford F150 , the 4 wheel drive system ford uses has got to be about the dumbest thing I ever seen though. I will probably not ever buy another Ford with 4 wheel drive again, the GM and Ram have a much better system.
If you'd have an Audra around, you'd also love to go to her for every little damage.
Not gonna lie. My mother and I been scammed so much, I taken upon myself to learn how to fix or at least diagnose a car properly.
People are evil.
Perhaps you wan't to rethink your name. It's probably why you feel like a victim.
@@jaimhaas5170 what
I'm a guy I don't have much mechanical experience with cars, all i know comes from google so I at least don't go to the mechanic seeming like a complete fool. It is sad that there's mechanics looking to rip us poor people off.
@@jaimhaas5170 Am I not a victim of scummy mechanics?
Also what does my worthless youtube name have to do with that?
@@buttholethebarbarian313 You're name is butt...
I'm so grateful for my husband's friend being a hobby mechanic. When something seems suspicious we check with him. He's saved us so much
i am a 29 year old woman and i ALWAYS research what could possibly be wrong with my car before i bring it in. saved myself quite a bit of many doing so. always helps to not be totally clueless about cars.
This is why, as a single mom, I taught my daughter how cars work. She has only had one shop try to sell her something she didn’t need, and she caught onto it and got a second opinion.
Whether or not she knows how cars work won’t stop disgusting misogynistic males from trying to scam her
The only unneeded part that a kid should ever be sent in to try to find is blinker fluid.
@@Paranitis😂
@paranitis- be sure they keep the left blinker fluid separate from the right!
Lmao I highly doubt you taught your daughter squat. Women are shit when it comes to working on cars. Hopefully she’ll learn from someone that actually knows what they are doing
They guy refused to even look at them and kept his eyes on the computer. He knew he did wrong and was caught. I do hope he got fired.
Sad to say that this happens everywhere to everyone even the dealerships which is why my husband opened his own shop. He got tired of watching people get ripped off every day.
It was hilarious that he tried to claim he recognized her and scammed them on purpose bc he supposedly was helping them have drama for their show. Yeah, right. 🤣🤣🤣
To me that looked like he just didn't care
I had a mechanic in Palatine IL tell me I needed a new distributor for my car. I talked to manager and explained my car didn't have a distributor and asked why it needed a new one as one of his mechanics told me. The manager looked very embarrassed and never did give me an answer. Left with no work being done and never went back to that discount place.
@@rodneyjhackenflash4865 Hope you also left a scathing review on every website you could.
he probably didn't get fired. that shit is common practice in the industry. he probably got a slap on the wrist in the form of extra oil changes instead of decent jobs and then everyone went on.
I went to a Firestone and the mechanics said I needed a tune up ASAP for $99 (20 + years ago) because the spark plugs were melting inside. I didn't believe him because mechanics in my area always tried to overcharge females. I said no and took a guy friend who knew about cars and low and behold when he said show me what you told her suddenly it wasn't needed ASAP and it was just the plastic casing that was worn because of the heat! 😒 CROOKS
Why I’ll be taking a man with me just like you did, they won’t be stealing my money 😂
I am so glad as a shop owner to see this wish it happened here. But i do agree you should show the honest shops too. Being informed is the best way to not get ripped off.
They didn’t have any honest shops to show. They said every one they went to tried to gouge them. They really should change the term to “a few good apples”.
I'm a woman. A few years ago I took my "mom van" to a certain Jiffy Lube in my area for an oil change. Wouldn't normally go there for oil changes, but we needed to do a last minute long haul trip and our usual mechanic couldn't fit us in that day. The JL guy tried to upsell me and showed me a dirty air filter that he said needed to be replaced. I told him I didn't have enough money (which is usually a good excuse to stop them from upselling). A month later I took the van to our usual mechanic for a small repair and asked him to check the air filter too. He showed me that it was still pretty clean, not at all what the JL guy had shown me. 🙄
It's sad but 'I can't afford it' seems to work better than 'I'm not an idiot'. Another one they'll listen to is 'I'll need to check with my husband'. I know as much about cars as he does but my amazing bosom seems to trump that.
Jl is an absolute ripoff
You NEVER go to those quick places. Those are the ones that scam the most.
They do that to everyone lol it's their job to upsell lady. That's 100% not a unique experience.
yeah I dont go to jl anymore they use to be chill but they kept telling me my brakes were terrible and needed to be replaced at first they told me that the cost would be $100 to replace the brakes but at around when they were done it would be $500 idk what they were trying to pull with that shit so ill never go back there again. my brakes were fine and they never needed fixing i have the same brakes to this day.
I know this was 2 years ago, BUT... this woman is my HERO! I am really sick and tired of the way we are treated regarding vehicles. I am 69 years old. I regret not taking mechanic education of some kind decades ago. My current vehicle, a Ram 1500, was practically new when I bought it, only 2700 miles on it. I bought it online just to avoid the dealership BS! I keep it pristine in the hope that it outlives me so I never have to go to another dealership!
As a tech myself Im aware of the BS that plagues the industry and I disagree with the female mechanic. its more than just a few bad apples. but keep in mind the mechanics are not the ones that pocket the money. in fact the mechanic is the least of ur worries. the mechanic makes about 5-10% of the shop labor hourly rate. the guy u need to watch out for is the one who makes 100% commission off of selling jobs (the service writer).
with that said there is a relatively easy way to not get screwed over.....
1) go to small shops unless its a warranty repair (manufacture paid) also avoid big chain tire shops. small shops care the most about reputation and good reputation gets built up buy happy customers so they have less incentive to screw u over.
2) when u get a list of repairs don't just accept it. take a look at what they are recommending pull up RUclips and put in the search the job that they are recommending and ask RUclips when the job is needed or how to check if the job is needed. if the repair smells fishy (such as the mechanic recommending a fluid flush at 20k miles) verify the bs by going into ur service manual and see when that repair is required. for complaint related repairs such as a no crank no start ask the mechanic to show u the vehicle and why the car needs the part that it needs, also look up how to test that part and have the mechanic test the part infront of u.
this may sound like a lot but keep in mind that ive seen techs sell an alternator (800$) and a starter (350$ job) and all the car needed was to tighten a terminal or replace a wire that wasn't allowing enough voltage to get to the starter. the wire would have costed 20$ and 85$ for labor. so yeah its worth pulling out RUclips and the service manual. especially nowadays where businesses are pressed against the wall and looking to expand revenue as much as humanly possible no matter what.
3) once u have verified the repair is actually needed don't take the first price they give u. shops will always charge about 30% or more of what the job is worth to get the most out of u. this is common practice. when u get the first price, call 4 other shops and see what price they give u. take the lowest price and ask the other shops if they can do better. if u get a lower price than the first lowest price take that price and call the first lowest shop and make them aware. they will usually go down or at least match it. then call all the other shops until each one refuses to go lower. then u will be left with the lowest one.
I have brought down 600$ jobs to 350 doing this. its worth the time. however fair warning, if a shop has a good reputation, its sometimes better to pay more.
4) b4 u leave the shop, check to make sure the repair was actually done. if the shop said they were gonna change ur coolant, make sure that coolant reservoir its not the same coolant u came in with.
with that said I hope this shines some light. im not gonna lie the industry sucks but u can minimize the bs to a degree.
as far as being a woman and not getting screwed, the best u can do is educate yourself on basic car maintenance. that way u can spot the bs and off coarse always expect it regardless. Therese no way around it.
Madam you bought a stelantis product. It won't outlast it's first set of tires.
@@christopherbrush7845 Truck is great, but the tires it came with were awful. I replaced them 1 1/2 years ago with good quality tires that are still going strong. Sorry to disappoint you, but I love my Sublime green Ram.
Nice
I totally get that this stuff happens to women way more. I believe it. But I (male) have even experienced it too. This is why I'm starting to learn how to work on my car slowly as I notice problems arise and asking car-savvy people I know because when they start trying to scam you it just makes you lose all trust for the whole industry.
This is why I try to work on my car myself whenever possible.
I recently got a diagnosis for a coolant leak I couldn't detect and they quoted me more than I was willing to pay. I told them I'd repair it myself and the guy gave me the part number and a brief explanation on how to do it. Great people!
Holy crap 85$ to replace a 2$ fuse!!! That’s $83 for less than an hour of work.. this is why i value youtube where you can easily lookup how to do things yourself
Actually.... Thats about the amount i would charge if i was a mechanic for cars. Even for something as simple as that. Most shops have a bottom rate charge of at least 50-100$, which is honest and fair. Most mechanics that own the shop have to pay property taxes, business licensing, utilities which are usually waaaaay higher. They buy the sometimes $100-$300,000 machinery..... By all means come onto youtube and learn it yourself, id advise anyone to do that... but its funny how people judge businesses why they dont have any experience or understanding what it means to put your whole future and life on the line in a business venture.
They have to do an electrical diagnosis, that’s not simple.
Actually it makes sense... Mechanic rates are close to if not more than $100 an hour these days. Takes time to diagnose the fuse and replace it. Not a acam
@@Tedgieee I don't mean some little family run grease shop I mean large company chains aren't putting their life and future on the line, they have their money invested in enough places to be more than well off but they want to increase their yearly gains each year and they squeeze a little more every time but yes definitely I implore people to go on youtube or mechanic websites and find out how to fix things yourself. The only thing you should ever need a mechanic is for something that requires a breakdown of the engine. Literally everything else can easy by done yourself with even a reasonable small set of tools. Maybe if we take enough business away from the shops they'll loose their greediness.
@@ahighervibe4086 I'm just hearing a lot of "everyone else is doing it so we can too" Ridiculous a shop thinks it's principle to apply a flat rate that high for some fixes that are as simple as looking under the steering wheel and replacing a little $1 fuse just because they went to school for this and the building is gouging to pay off their stuff faster than needed.
I've been managing a cleaning company and 4 buildings for over 7 years this would be a cruel joke to start doing to our customers just for a little more greedy gains each year when we already make more than enough through regular work wages.
Amazing how clear peoples consciences are when they think with a herd mentality.
This is why I do all my own work and teach my 3 daughters how to do it too. Never trust a quick oil change place.... NEVER
They always leave your oil drain plug loose or strip it when they put it back in!
Or catch a bus! People waste so much money on cars.
@@aratneerg1375 busses aren't for everyone
@@wurly164 i know but some people who haven't used them b4 may well find some benefits in them. I got rid of my car a while back. After completing a mechanics ticket I realised just how expensive they were. Have managed to save more money because of it and no stress with what may break in my car.
@@aratneerg1375 I think people love the freedom of just jumping into a car and go for a drive. The problem with today's cars are they are rolling living rooms with 40 computers. They don't have mechanics anymore, they are technicians who just replace what the computers tell them to. If you have a bus system that's works for you and it's safe then that works. But people have a love affair with the freedom a car gives them and also see it as independence
i encourage all of my fellow girlies to learn a little bit about basic car maintenance so you can protect yourself from these type of scams. things i suggest:
•knowing how to read your oil dipstick (and top it up if needed)
•knowing how to put on a spare properly (and safely!!)
•knowing how to use jumper cables (and having a pair in your car)
•knowing where and how to fill your tires with air
•knowing what the different reservoirs in your engine bay are for and how to know if they are at the correct level and in good shape
•finding a trustworthy and honest mechanic (not easy, but still possible) that is NOT a quick lube place or a dealership
•knowing how to tell when your car needs to be looked at by a mechanic
•having a AAA or some other kind of roadside assistance coverage for emergencies (mine is included with my insurance and i had no idea)
•learning how to DIY your oil change on your car so you can avoid going to a quick lube place and getting upsold on hundreds of dollars of unnecessary or nonexistent work (it is so easy and so cheap, i can do an oil change on my car with high quality full synthetic oil and filter for $25 and it takes just a couple minutes)
•how to utilize youtube to find tutorials for simple car maintenance for your exact car (like cabin and engine air filter replacement, changing a bulb, battery replacement, etc)
•knowing how to look up and buy parts that will fit your car (a little bit easier said than done, make sure to be thorough so you don't get the wrong part)
My general philosophy (and this isn’t an option available for everyone) is I always take my car to the mechanic knowing what work I want them to do or at least having an idea of the issue at hand. Generally I can do most of my car maintenance myself, but certain things I know I’ll struggle with or be at greater risk of messing up if I do it myself. When my car makes a weird noise I’ll always try and find the source before going to a mechanic, I’ll always do an OBD scan before going to a mechanic, I’ll always look up the parts I want to replace before I go to the mechanic.
That way, when I go, there isn’t an upsell. I’ll tell them very specifically what I want done with very little room for their own investigation. I may tell them they can call me if they see something they want to do (such as a surprise oil leak or something) and I’ll ask if I can come look at it before they service it.
Only time I’ve ever been close to being scammed by a mechanic was one that tried to charge me $200 for a break light saying it was an LED Light bar that had to be replaced as a unit… I went home in a fit getting ready to buy one from a junkyard before realizing it was really strange that only one of my lights on the car was LED and later learned this part didn’t exist and I popped a new bulb in for $5
Same thing when going to the doctors. You can generally rule out your pain and symptoms to make a basic diagnosis. This can help avoid expensive surgery or medication and get to the root of the problem much faster. Nothing like trying to get an x-ray and the doctors laugh at you and say your back is really screwed up. I was just there for an x-ray so I could buy corrective shoes and so I could get insurance for my ankle to get therapy. Nothing about my back. The x-ray did the work for me. It proved I had a short leg and that would be why my back is screwed up. Correctives shoes are not cheep but it is better than surgery.
This is why I taught my daughters to work on thier own cars. They weren't appreciative when they were younger. But now as adults, they always thank me for dragging them into the garage with me. I'm glad this is one less thing that they have to deal with.
My dad hasnt properly taught me anything about cars which I can see why he hasnt since I havent started driving yet but I'm personally trying to learn because car scams are a big issue. One time my dad went to a mechanic shop because our car was spilling oil and they ended up trying to scam him saying that he needed to fix some wiring.
@@kidneytransplant2843 wiring issues are a scam.
Good dad :)
My Dad did this too! So grateful now that I can do my own repairs for my car and my husband's!
Shoot I'm a 35 year old dude and my dad never taught me anything about cars because he never learned anything about them. I learned things like how to put in fences, built things, etc but never anything about cars. I learned some basics in the Army because our mechanics were busy on trucks that got blown up so normal service stuff we did ourselves but just basic stuff.
I took my car to a mechanic once when we couldn't quite figure out what the deal was with the car. One of the first things I had told him was that the car was fuel injected. He hadn't even been told the make or anything yet. Told him what the car was doing (the engine was running a bit rough) and he said it sounded like I needed a carburetor adjustment.
"What?! You are NOT going to work on my car."
"Why not?"
"Didn't I tell you it's fuel-injected?"
"Yes"
"And you say it needs a carburetor adjustment?"
"Yes."
I walked him over to my car and opened the hoo9d and yelled at him to show me a damn carburetor. Closed the hood got in my car and sped the hell out of there. There are a few more stories as well. Just because I am a woman does NOT mean I am stupid.
Haha 😂
What era was this?
@@yeeaahhzz Really, what era? Doesn't really matter when it was. Fuel injected cars were not new or rare. I'm not that old. Dumbass thought I was stupid because I'm a female.
@@caroleller6968 I'm a woman tech and was just wondering as no techs in the past 20+ years would presume carburetors immediately for rough idle. Just was curious is all.
@@yeeaahhzz It was def in that time frame.
I once had a landscaping business. One of my customers was an elderly woman and she would have me take her car in to the shop when it needed service so they wouldn't take advantage of her. Very sad that she needed to do that but she had been ripped off many times by several shops before I came along.
Super sweet of you doing that for her! I know she appreciated the money you helped her save
When I worked as a bicycle mechanic in my local shop, most people didn't know much about how their bikes work, same as their cars. I took the time to explain why parts needed (or didn't yet need) changing. Some people were still suspicious that we were scamming them, but we explained that if we scammed people and made some money in the short-term, but they realised later (typically after chatting to more knowledgeable friends) that we were scammers, they would tell maybe ten of their friends, but if we did an honest job (and still made money), and they were asked who they trusted to fix their bike, they would tell the maybe five interested people that we were the ones they trusted, and because we were in it for the long-term, we were happy to do the right thing. Although I moved away, and now work elsewhere, the shop still has 5.0 stars off of 170+ Google reviews. Guys who try to scam people don't do well in the long-term.
The best shop I ever went to was in Charlottesville VA, when I was a single mom in college and very broke. My brakes were squealing and I was dreading how much a bare minimum brake job was going to cost. They looked at it and basically told me it was just a rough spot on the pad causing the noise, and that I still had over 50% of the pad left. They didn't even charge me for looking at it. What they did do though is earn a lifetime customer for their honesty.
@rcktgirl05 - Abso-f'ing-lutely!
I had a similar experience with Canadian Tire's auto department. Car was making terrible noises, guy saw it was some unnecessary plate on the wheel making noise. He took it off and didn't charge me a cent. I had all my car work done by them for years. Unfortunately Covid seems to have destroyed their decency and now everything needs a paid inspection upfront and they try to scam your money (last time they told me that they could replace my battery because it was on warranty but I'd still have to pay labor, when I said just give me the battery I'll replace it myself they said it was impossible without the battery receipt...even though they had just admitted they knew it was on warranty, that's how they lost me as a customer).
"It's getting damaged by just a few bad apples"
Lady... It's more than just a few bad apples, cmon now lol
I'm a 51 year old guy, 6'4", 230lbs, I do 90% of my own work on my cars. I recently had some tires mounted and balanced on my SUV, I don't have the tools or the expertise.
The garage apparently did an "inspection" while changing my tires. The manager didn't mention anything to me when I paid the bill. However, when I went to get the keys from the mechanic, he handed me a sheet with all of the "issues" with my car. The biggest one was that my front brakes needed changing... rotors, pads, clips, calipers. I laughed in his face because I knew my calipers were fine, because I had just replaced everything else myself a week earlier. Mr. Tire. Don't go there.
The unfortunate truth... Even some of our local, supposedly reputable dealerships, have tried to bully my wife with misinformation. I now tell her that if they are pressuring her to do something more than what she there for or saying something she does not believe to be correct, to have them call me to chat. I have yet to get a call because they change their tune pretty quickly when challenged.
My daughter is 14. Her nickname is grease monkey. She knows her way around a car and she is good with a wrench. Even the classic car Community knows her. I am so proud of her.
That’s great. This is why I tell my husband to teach our daughter all about cars so that she doesn’t get taken advantage of.
I hope you tell her.
And who asked
@@ed1tz468 It's an open comments section dumdum, nobody has to ask. 🙄
@@chilliecheesecake i know i just wanted to see people being annoying
I’ve been going to same mechanic for about eleven years now, He has his shop at his house. I was referred to him by a good friend. We had an 07’ Buick Rendezvous at the time, backed it out of garage one day, big puddle of antifreeze on the floor, and It was the outline of the radiator. I usually do things myself, but that one was going to require a lift because the radiator had to come out from underneath. So I took it to him with the radiator I already bought. He called me later that day, and said it was only the radiator CAP!!! 😀 He could’ve taken advantage, but he didn’t. I have sent him a lot of business over the years, as he has to me also. So many people out there in ALL walks of life to rip you off.
that aint scotty kilmer is it lol
Is he Mexican? For some reason I’ve noticed they are really honest.
@@michelleamaya6446 No, he’s as American as apple pie.😎
Let's call auto rip offs what they are: Everyday thieves. They don't use a gun they use their tongue to steal from you.
They are absolute slugs/liars without conscience.
@@CA-lk6fd Mmmm all righty den 😊
Took my 20 year old van in for a routine oil change. Guys were super nice and honest. They recommended the cheaper options because there would be no real difference in the van I was driving and when they checked my air filter, they asked told me it was dirty and due for a change, so they asked if I wanted it changed that day. I said sure, but they didn't have the correct air filter so he cleaned it out as much as he could before putting it back in. Because they didn't have the correct air filter, they gave me a discount on my oil change. Super nice and quite honest.
I am a man, and don't know much about cars, so it was fun to see this video.
I hope anyone who uses deceit for extra money gets fired. That's no way to run a business.
They need a mechanic registry. That way this shit can be stopped in it’s tracks. These scam artists need out of car auto work period! Dangerous
you would have to fire all the service mangers first.
But bu, MAH FREEDUM
Tire went flat on company leased toyota at 3k miles, Took it to the Penske toyota dealer in SoCal to see what was up. Service manager said the tire needed to be replaced because apparently a screw was embedded in the inner side of the tire. I asked him if this was normal and he said "we see it happen on COMPANY owned cars all the time" and that the only way to fix was to buy a new $300+ tire. He said they could just bill it to our company. Told him to put some air in the tire and i'd think about. Drove down the block to a asian owned used tire shop and asked the guy to figure out was wrong. I stood with him the whole time and he showed me the screw that was the culprit but it wasn't on the inner side it was in the middle of the tire. Charged me $10 to patch. That tire lasted another 30,000+ miles.
hmmm I get 70-100K miles on my tires ( from Les Schwab ) and have done so for three different cars...tires last as a function of how they are driven and how they are maintained, rotated..correct pressure every day. alignment and inspections.......it works !
Yea that's why I go to discount tire. Insurance is like $20 per tire and they will replace the tire even if you wear it till it explodes on you for the cost of insuring the next tire.
ur error was going to the dearship period. they always ask for an arm, both ur legs, ur first born and a sacrificial offering for 2 hours of their time
The way that "mechanic" was ignoring the reporter when he was caught says it all.
Im from England and went into a private hospital who told me that I needed maintenance which it tuned out I didn't need.
They replaced my heart, but did give me my old one back.
When I had my old one checked out by an independent doctor, she said it was badly diseased and that I certainly needed a new one.
However, after a quick test, I was shocked to find out that it wasnt my heart and my old one had never been changed.
I'd had to pay £80,000 in medical fees.
I feel gutted
so true
I spent many years working in auto repair. One thing you needed to remember. Doctors bury their mistakes. A dodgy repair will be picked up by the next repair shops. But as far as upselling goes management seem to now expect it. They may bully techs if they don’t achieve a certain level. It was one of the reasons I walked.
Damn it is fun to swear at the neighbour shop when they have done some patents on the car.
Most certainly doctors do their utmost to hide their errors! Nevertheless, I am about to sue my doctors for sheer incompetence and leaving me an invalid as a result. A simply broken left arm is now 90% useless!
@@NithinJune Mistakes. Even I am not perfect so like anyone else I can make mistakes. Don’t be fooled by PR speak that talks about quality & customer service. These days when head office often expects to be able to charge out 12 hours book time work for every 10 hours the technician works mistakes may come more often. Also a tech/service advisor being being expected to reach a target of sell up could encourage dishonesty.
Ol dodgy Dave here has sold a fair bit of blinker fluid in his time I reckon. 🤣
Yea it's funny how the owner doesn't want to take responsibility in this video when you know he is fully aware of it.
Luv it ! I had a couple mechanics try these scams. I let them dig the whole, and then called the stores owner... old school friend. Guess who got fired....
Hole...
I Used to rebuild old cars...
The owner is in on it, who do you think tells them to do it?
@@coyote_0056 Yeah, the only reason someone was fired was because OP caught them and knew the owner. Otherwise the owner would encourage them to keep scamming.
The store owner?
I'd check that "friend". mechanics make the repairs and management deals with the billing
I'm in Minneapolis and a local mechanic shop under investigation for stealing/swapping engines & transmissions and other stuff off of customers cars .. the shop owner was suspected of drug-dealing. Several customers have been in court now for over 15 years.
I used the same mechanic for years because I went in for an inspection and they told me I only needed new wipers, which I knew I needed and nothing else. So I sent my wife there with her car and same deal, they didn’t try to up sell her on anything. Was nice to find an honest mechanic so close to home.
@Hello there, how are you doing this blessed day?
Had the air filter scam pulled on me 3 times- I showed them receipts from my brand new filter I'd bought the mornings of and replaced myself.
Or every time I walk into a parts store I get asked by several different men if I need help and they try to coerce me into buying the expensive stuff when I've already done my research and know what I need at the price I'm okay with.
Just because I have boibs and not balls doesn't mean you can swindle me out of 100s of dollars and doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. I may not be a mechanic, but I take the time to learn about my car.
She has boibs. I like boibs.
I never understood looking at a brand new item and trying to tell someone it's crap. If I knew nothing about cars I'd likely know if I'd just spent money on something. It's not like they don't break it down in the bill. It makes no sense.
you're just there to be taken advantage of
Have they ever sold you blinker fluid or muffler bearings?
Good on you, that's excellent, responsible behavior and is how everyone should act. Both women and men should educate themselves on their stuff and how to take care of it. I get so sad seeing people, but women esp, fall for scams due to lack of knowledge about "guy stuff" when it doesn't have to be "guy stuff". IT should just be "adult stuff" that everyone knows about and is common knowledge.
Just a follow-up note, fuses generally don't blow on their own. Most times, there is a reason a fuse pops and this needs to be investigated.
Fuses actually go bad with time and that's really the main reason they go out actually which is why people replace them so often. Occasionally what you described can be the issue but this is far and few between in my experiences and 95% of the time fuses go out with time
Fuses are relatively cheap...if one is blown, you can simply replace it and try using whatever system it was powering. If there really is an issue, it'll blow out right away again. We did see them work the wipers so, all good! 😁
It's true, I had a fuse go out because the cigarette lighter was melted from the connector side and another one was a window motor that had too much corrosion not letting it move freely
in my motorcycle my main fuse blew out by itself and ive never had any other problem but its usually because of a circuit provokig ground
High amperage causes fuses to blow shorts the fuse becomes the load not meant to, resistance goes down amperage goes up and vise versa
Little old lady here - with massive car. Took it in for MOT and came out with a fail, and a fortune's worth of jobs that needed doing.
It had been running beautifully and I didn't believe there could be that much wrong with it.
Took it to a different MOT centre and it sailed through. No work required.
when i was 19, my local small auto repair shop jipped me out of thousands. they knew i worked hard to buy that car and repairs on my own and that my family was really struggling financially at the time... pretended to care about us so genuinely & so we trusted them. found out they were liars when they told my mom her new leased car needed loads of work... she got second opinion since it was so expensive and lo and behold, turned out they were lying to us for years. i'm not an angry person, but oh my god that feeling never left me. 5 years later and i still daydream about calling them out for the losers they are lol :(
This happened to my mom recently, they said she needed to replace a new exhaust and would cost 950$. Fortunately my brother in law knew a guy and all she needed was a small part. She ended up spending only 100$. Her car has been great since.
My first job was as a mechanic, and I was never taken seriously. People used to bring cars in awful states of repair, one guy never oiled their car, and it had mangled itself half to death, expected a 30 minute job, when his whole engine needed replacing. But back to my first topic, everytime someone came into the garage, they'd ask where my dad was... It got really old really quickly.
This stuff is so so common...it also happens to the elderly. My 95 year old great grandma lived alone and near an auto shop. She took her car in (she was very spry for her age and healthy, never had issues with driving) and the mechanics told her what it was and how much. It was too expensive so she went to my dad to see what he could do for her since, while he wasnt a normal car mechanic, hes worked on a lot of machines during his time in the military, including their trucks and vehicles. He was appaled about what they said it was and called the shop to figure out why. The mechanic got snippy with him, told him off and hung up on him. Then my dad explained the exchange to my grandma.
A few hours later my dad gets a call from the shop, the mechanic apologizing to my father for his behavior and that theyd be working on the proper issue with her car at a huge discount.
Dont mess with southern grannies.
I'm so proud of this female mechanic!
Same 👏
She’s pretty cool!
Too bad she doesn't know what she's talking about.
@@shadowaccount yes she does unlike you that don’t know shit
Same
When I was an instructor in a local Community College we had a program to educate consumers on general maintenance issues so the would not be taken advantage of in situations. Always ask for the old parts , BEFORE they start working on the repairs.
Wdym ask for the old parts? Like ask for them to give them back?
@@ogpd4898 yes. Tell them you need to all the old parts back, including the fused bulbs etc. Make this very loud and clear right from the beginning, otherwise they will claim to have thrown the parts out. You can say your employer/company needs it for audit purposes. You could take the parts to another shop and ask if they look worn out, or belong to your car model
YES! My father was a master mechanic, and he told me to ALWAYS get the 'broken" parts. I can look and tell if the part is indeed faulty, but because I'm female; well I can't count how many crooked "part changers" I've met in my 63 years! >> Tom's wife
Hello Tom's wife
@@chinchy111 Hi!
Making the customers dispose of the scraps really is the cherry on top
My mother once called me in tears. In the UK we have a yearly safety inspection to ensure the car is safe on the road. This garage told her that it had failed, and they needed to do "repairs" immediately. They threatened that if she didn't say yes, the garage would seize her vehicle and have it scrapped. Needless to say that is illegal. She had a meltdown, so they relented, as long as she brought the car back later, for the £400 of welding it needed.
So I checked it out. They had undone the fastenings on the headlights so they flopped around, and the top bolts on the radiator, so it moved back and forth. Five minutes with a flat bladed screwdriver and the "welding" problems were fixed.
I was a mechanic for over 40 years and never tried to pull one over on my customers, I always try to save them as much money as I could and would even give them warranty on parts that the parts store wouldn't cover. I hate seeing dealers doing this to customers. and this is one of the reasons I went on my own. because I was asked to do some shady things when i worked for someone else, and when they asked me to do something dishonest i would threaten to quit. May I should get a job like these people do.
My dad always taught me when I went in for a basic oil change that if they tell you you need something else done, tell them no. I always wondered why, and as I got older I understood.
so if a mechanic were to tell u, u blew a head gasket and oil is mixing with coolant inside he combustion chamber u would just flat out say no? how about ur battery going bad? ur gonna wait till ur stranded in the middle of the road? how about a leaking oil pan? ur gonna wait till it stains ur drive way or how about ur car burning oil? ur gonna wait till the catalytic converter gets damaged and the car refuses to go past 20 mph and sounds like a lawn mower? or maybey the sludge from the burnt oil locks up the engine?
mabey learn a little about car maintenance b4 u reject a job. yes pleanty of finessing going on but it aint always bull.
Why didn't your dad teach you how to change the oil instead?
@@attiumeyami417if you a mechanic who scams just say that 😭😭
@@Domo777 you look like the type that changes oil every 50 thousand miles and then comes in wondering why the engine makes a funky noise and the oil lookes like cake batter then gets angry because a new engine was recommended.
@@attiumeyami417 I have a male as my profile pic, you have no idea what I look like.. You a mad mechanic whose mad people are catching on to y’all scams.. Stfu and go drink some milk
Something like this happened to me at a National tire store when I went to get new tires, wound up costing me over 500$ ( in the 1990s) I went back about a year later for something and they told me my tie rod was going and if I didn't replace it my wheels would fall off. They got a little snarky when I said if they fall off they fall off. Years later I went to a Goodyear tire for tires. They gave me a laundry list of things wrong with my car. I took the list and went to my honest mechanic and guess what, nothing wrong.
I am glad you undercover people go around and investigate repair places to see how corrupt they are. It all comes down to who do we trust to work on our vehicles.
Very sad to see this kind of thing happening.
Thanks for the video.
This happens in the uk too. A few years ago my friend took her car to be fixed and was quoted £700. She said she’d think about as she couldn’t really afford it. They pressured her by saying if the parts weren’t fixed soon it could easily be double or more. But she held her ground and left.
1 week later, after having an argument with her husband about garages charging women more. Her husband wanted to prove her wrong, so took the same car with the same problems back to the same garage. And they quoted him (for the same work) just under £400.
He called them out for it. Then took the car to a different place.
I’m always wary of garages. I was lucky, I found one that’s good and doesn’t charge stupid prices and I’ve been going to him for over 10 years now.
There can still be reasons for this. you're really leaving out a lot of details so it's hard to say for sure, but even if the parts list were the same, you still end up with differences in price depending on if they go with OEM parts or knock offs. Maybe they recently found a new company to supply cheaper parts in the time you were waiting? it's very difficult to know without seeing exactly which parts they would have purchased because even though it's the same car, different people replace things at different intervals.
This has very little to do gender, and one person's experience doesn't define majority. The thing is if you know little about cars, then you will be ripped off. In most cases, women are the ones who know little about them.
"... wasn't at all amused by Mickey's clever plan ..." That quickly absolves the owner of any responsibility doesn't it?
How about this? If they did this to you, they've done it MANY times to others. And if that's true, the owner has certainly received complaints from other customers ... enough to establish a pattern of conduct with his employees. ... Yet they continued doing it until they got caught on camera. ...
Speculative conclusion: the owner knew, and abided it (perhaps even encouraged it).
Actual conclusion: another grunt on the line loses his job, the owner gets to deny any involvement. The poor lose, the rich win. Rinse. Repeat.
although the mechanic was at fault, the owner should be responsible. he acted as if its not his fault. the tv station should have put some blame on him. its like he was on their side against his employee. didnt make sense.
Job or not, you don't let someone cause you to be immoral for that petty ass paycheck.
I knew a shop owner who cared a lot about doing the right thing, but a mechanic and his service manager were in cahoots to make easy money and started ripping customers off. Since the owner wasnt involved in these particular work orders he had no clue for months, and when he did finally find out he fired them both. You dont always know what your people are doing, especially if youre more of just an owner than an owner-operator, so i cant make any assumptions.
My gf needed a new car battery and called Firestone to see how much it would be. They told her $300, but when I took the car in to get a new one they only charged $200
I got scammed several times with my first car when I was in college 40 years ago. Started on my way back to school; had a flat and my spare was also going flat. Limped off interstate to service station. Long story short: they talked me into 4 brand new tires and charged me (my parents had to foot the bill; they were so angry with me) over $400 for them. In 1984!
Next time it happened, I was heading home for Thanksgiving when my car overheated and the engine shut down on the interstate. But I already knew I needed the thermostat replaced because my brother-in-law was a mechanic and he helped me troubleshoot the issue by phone. I bought a new thermostat but didn't have the tools to replace it. After my car cooled off, I limped off the interstate to another service station. The guy there kept insisting I needed a new radiator and it would take a day and a half to get the part and install a new one. But this time, I told the guy "I know it's not my radiator because I flushed it out before I left. It's a bad thermostat. I have the part; I just need it installed." At that point, some sorority/cheerleader-looking girls pulled in and said "where can we get a cheap tire?" The guy looked at me, said, "we're getting ready to close", and then went over to rip off I mean sell the girls a tire. (I mean rip off.) I had to get off the freeway so I could keep my speed below 50 and stop for water along the way. I resolved after that to learn how to do my own car repairs myself to avoid being ripped off again.
I had a shop steal my catalytic converter, install a empty converter, and instead of fixing the exhaust leak they made it worse. All the while knowing that smog and registration was due in 2 months. Slick Willie took my money but his mechanics all lined up and couldn't look me in the eye.
Your car sounds like a hunk of junk
@@zigman3105 So does your mom
@@MrRealAmericanvalues That made no sense whatsoever.
@@JohnSmith-dh3kx These Nuts made sense on your Chin
Damn I honestly respect the amount of work/effort put into this, kudos.
It’s called up selling. I’ve seen it in the lawn care industry too. Companies telling customers they need treatments the don’t actually need to squeeze a few more dollars out of an account.
I do maintenance and major repairs on my own car. If there's ever a repair that's beyond my scope of knowledge, I take it to a shop. I always play stupid to see if they'll try to scam me. So far, I haven't had anyone take advantage of me. After it happened when I was in college, I vowed to never get tricked again.
That lady mechanic is a rockstar!!! Love to see awesome people in action!
My husband was an honest Auto Tech. He passed away 5 years ago.
He was always afraid of me running into this kind of situation, so, he and my dad, taught me the basics.
My husband was an Auto Tech for over 25 years. I picked up a few tricks of the trade from him along the way. After all, it was my living room that had engine parts and carburetor parts in it. LOL!
very sorry for your loss💔💔
Sorry for your loss. I TOTALLY haven't had a transfer case, or intake manifolds, or exhaust headers or anything sitting on my/my wife's kitchen table... No that definitely wouldn't happen. Probably.
Love what you guys are doing these mechanics are unbelievable. I wish you could come to Bushkill Pennsylvania and catch all thesel thieves
In the 80s, I worked at a shop and a blonde came in insisted something was wrong, hearing a noise. After the mechanic rode with her, looked at it, he told her nothing was wrong. HIs friend came to visit, saw her insistance, and noticed a van parked in the corner. He then walked up to it and looked in the tinted side window and saw the camera. They both got very upset and demanded she leave the lot. Three shops on that same street were in the news that night caught scamming her.
I was a diesel truck mechanic in the army and used to dream about opening a car shop that catered to women to help them avoid being ripped off. Never did it, but sad to see there’s still a need.
Glad these crooks were exposed
I am female,,and before I ever take my vehicle to a mechanic,,I do intense research on the problem via internet. I then take it to mechanic with knowledge. I think that it catches them off guard most of the time. I like to tell them that I had someone look at it before I brought it in. That seems to help keep them honest...It is worth the time to do research.
went to get my brakes fixed bc i had driven on the beach and got sand all up in that shit, they told me there was “fluid in two of my brake modules” and when i took it to a family friend mechanic he said it was bullshit and he just needed to get the sand out👀😂 they really will say anything is wrong with it when it’s nothing
I work as the only female in the shop and I have never been more proud of the guys at my shop. Integrity is very much needed in the field as well as on the customers end . It’s important to know your car even for tire pressure lol. I’ve seen tires that specifically say max psi 44 and 3 out of four will be fine at 32 but that last one is at 52
I'll sometimes get overinflated tires. It happens when I fill the tire while it's cold but the temperature warms up quickly in the next few days. One of my tires is still a few PSI over max because my area didn't get much of a spring season lol
Back in the day I worked for SEARS and I to was the only female in the shop, I would never sell someone something they didn't on there car.
Tire pressure expand and contract in cold/warm/hot climate you should check pressure when parked for long periods and inflate if needed
@@dd___dc exactly!
@@HzizsVynryn very true but sometimes it’s drastic as I’ve personally seen people put 80 psi in a Toyota Camry tire
Micky said the PCV was called a, "Pollution Certification Valve"! No, it's a Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve.
I think he said pollution circulation valve. Well at least he knew the valve part.
Because of things like this I am very firm when I go to a shop. I make sure to tell them not to fix a damn thing without getting permission first. A local lady sent her mustang to a shop. 10k In unauthorized repairs later she ended up suing them and winning.
it's not just women, it's everyone. I got a puncture and the tire guy immediately told me I needed 4 new tyres because I have an AWD. Quoted me CAD$1200+ - My mechanic friend looked at it, said the nail is in a safe enough location to repair, and did it for free. Most places will rip you off if they think you know very little.
Left my car into Hyundai to get a compression test done on the engine for a potential warranty replacement, and they phoned me later saying my tyres needed rotation and alignment, and would I like them to do it ($170). I'm thinking "What on earth are you even looking at my tyres for?" - I told them I'd get my own mechanic to do it. Just trying to squeeze as much out of you as possible...
EVERY shop does this, they're ALL coached TO DO EXACTLY THIS... TO EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER... I had a friend that is a mechanic, TRIED working at these kinds of places, kept leaving place after place because they ALL coached him to do exactly these things... I've even seen it done at dealerships!! Everything from basic things to saying they have HUGE problems that will cost customers hundreds if not thousands!
He ended up opening his own because he got so sick of it. Still in business 16 years later!
Definitely not every shop does this lmfao
My brother is going to college to become a mechanic, and this makes me miss having him around even more! He was always so helpful and would explain things so that I could understand, too!
When in doubt, video call!
probably not the best decision. 21-50k to get a degree in automotive. to get a job in an industry that really docent care about written degrees. In my last interview I gave my ASEs to the shop foreman and he immediately tossed them to the side like printer paper. then asked me what I really knew how to do.
gave him my go pro footage of the jobs I performed and he analyzed them with great care and detail. I would have gotten a mechanical engineering degree instead. very similar but when he gets into the industry and comes to the realization of shit pay, he could at least take the degree and get a job as an engineer and make a living.
I recently sold my used Subaru to someone. When I sold it, it was running and driving just fine. Three weeks after I sold it, they are contacting me telling me that "their mechanic" says it needs $6000 worth of work. They are mad at me and can't see that their "trusted" mechanic is raking them over the coals.
Man, that sucks.
I got told my starter motor needed replaced. My husband’s ex mechanic workmate came over and fixed it with the wiggle of one wire! It ran for another five years with 0 problems. I don’t trust many mechanics after that
Schiester’s… I have dealt more with honest repair shops than the other way around. Of course being a fleet mechanic for 35 years helps a guy spot the fakes. I worked in retail automotive repair for the first five years of my career. The shop was located in a very poor part of town. Lots of elderly people on fixed incomes. I’ll never forget the old couple that brought their old Rambler in. The service writer maxed out their credit card with no regard to their age or status. I did the job. I’ll never forget the day I dropped the car off at that couples home. They were barely surviving. It was a kick in the gut. Never in my life did I feel so low. It was that day I decided I was done in the retail automotive trade. I immediately started looking for another job. Until I finally moved on, I did so much extra stuff for free for the poor folks that came in the door. It was indeed the right thing to do. I have no regrets to this very day. Screw Firestone!
Wait what exactly happened
FIRESTONE SUCKS!
I worked at a dealership and this car that came in for a recall had no oil on the dip stick. car had mabey less than 3 quarts of oil, I know cause I recommended an oil change due to the mess that I found when I removed the cover from underneath. The car was leaking from an oil pan, its axels were clicking/ sweating, the valvcover was blown as well. in addition to that the car had been burning oil. The customer new that the car was burning oil but she didn't know about the valve cover or oil pan cause the oil was dripping out slow enough that it would just sit on the cover and semi dry up into that nasty dried up oil like substance where it just looked like some animal took a turd. I cleaned up the mess with some brake cleaner dried up all the oil on the engine then made the customer aware that there was a leak but since engine oil was everywhere I would need to identify all the leaks so I got some diag time. I added 2.5 quarts of oil with some oil and just let the car run. I identified 2 other leaks. timing cover and crank shaft seal. needed replacing.
poor woman was living on social security. so I looked up to see if any of the repairs were still covered under warranty (yes I know someone was about to get pissed and if u work as a tech in a dealer u know who) all jobs were out of warranty but since this dealership doubles the warranty if the customer buys the car from them, the lady could at least have had the oil pan, axels, and crank shaft seal and valvcover gasket replaced free of charge to her.
I recommend the jobs to the service advisor. service advisor wants to help too but is sweating bullets. I check with parts to see if everything is in stock and it is. foreman looks at my ticket and his eyes almost roll backwards. shows it to the service manager and that guy resembled an angry chimpanzee in a white dress shirt. I was told to give the customer back her car until she complained about oil leaking. and to run an oil consumption test which would do absolutely nothing but certify what we already knew (oil burning). however as far as all the other stuff, I was told not to sell it unless she found out and complained about it.
I did the oil change, pulled her car out. and parked her car. ive never felt like a bigger piece of shit in my life having to lie to the lady through my teeth and tell her she needs to do an oil consumption test even though it was clear that it was an oil leak that she would never see cause she would never get under there to look.
I waited till the woman left to go get in her car. told her what she really had going on under there. went back into the shop, greased the wheels on my tool box and pulled it out onto the u haul. service manager was unable to grasp the reason I was leaving. these are the people that somehow make it into management. shame.
from what I heard the lady came back to the dealership for the warranty repairs and her son tore the service manager a new a**hole
also, ive never worked at Firestone but ive heard its a sweat shop almost everywhere u go
One minute six seconds in and it's obvious Gerry is a knob, this has been going on the world over since cars were invented. Not only is it criminal, it's bullying.
I paid $1100 to get my car fixed and they didn’t even fix the problem . Apparently put in parts that weren’t needed .
The owner who said he is disappointed in his employee: I'm not sure I believe that isn't in on it too. They should have asked the (bad) employee if the owner is in on it. He stands to gain the most.
Years ago, my car was making a bumping sound and pulling hard to one side. Took it to a local "good" shop, I was told CV joint and something else, but around $300 to repair. I couldn't afford that, so asked at work if anyone knew of someone that could do the work cheaper. I ended up going to a fella working at his home shop, I pulled up and told him the story. He jacked it up, shook the wheels, spun one and said, go buy tires, there's nothing wrong with your CVs. I did, he was right. I never went back to that other "good" shop and they are now out of business.
Hense why I make it a point to learn about cars
Hence*
Have a buddy that is not a certified mechanic but he's been working on cars for 25 yrs and hes learned alot from working at mechanic shops and learning from actual certified mechanics and everytime he would work on any of my vehicles he would always make it a point to explain what he was doing and why he was repairing it and I've learned more from him than my own dad ever taught me. I just found out that my dad doesn't even change his own oil. He takes it to a mechanic shop to change oil and they charge him between 40 and 60 bucks including oil and filter. I thought to myself why the hell would he not change it himself. I pay 20 bucks for 5 quarts and 4 to 8 bucks for filter so 25 bucks to change it myself. I think everyone should be able to change their own oil let alone some damn windshield wipers or some fuses or relays. Doesn't make sense to me at all. Took me 32 yrs to find out my dad doesn't change his own oil and I'm almost ashamed and embarrassed that he doesn't even try and hes always been tight with his money so that adds insult to injury..
You should make it a point to learn english too
@@MLarios97 you should quit being so judgemental, as long as you were able to understand what he said is all that matters.
Hence
A few bad apples was really funny. Probably she's the only honest mechanic in her state
After being scammed by one big corporation, and a smaller shop, we found our current mechanic. The guy is down to earth, honest, and goes out of his way to help women. He's told me before he respects that we wanna learn and understand the car and will actively teach and show us stuff so we know what we're paying for, why it needs replacing, AND how to PREVENT future issues. I highly respect the man and happily refer everyone. I once had a coworker go after multiple shops couldn't solve her oil leak. Turns out the oil filter wasn't screwed in properly. He put it in correctly, cleaned everything up, filled her oil, and charged her nothing - saying it's wrong all the other shops kept charging her over and over for such a simple issue.
I wouldn't call myself a mechanic, but I've been helping my mechanic husband work on stuff since we were teenagers, I learned a lot of things right along with him and have pitched in at garages he's worked at many times. He's quit jobs because of things like you see in this video. He's said if he ever opened his own shop he'd hire only female mechanics so he wouldn't have to worry about getting a bad reputation from some dishonest guy
Whoa, how responsible? I am pretty sure anyone can be scammer as gender has no role here but okay. I guess stereotypes and sexism is okay if done for women.