5 Ways To Tell Your Auto Repair Shop Is Scamming You |
Posted: November 24, 2017 |
Scams abound in regard to auto repair all the time, and you can be a victim if you don’t pay attention to a few simple things. The following will help you get the upper hand in regard to getting a repair overall. Get A Diagnostic Tool If you have a smartphone, and a car that was made after 1995, you have the power to know the codes of repair for your car. You can purchase what is known as an onboard diagnostic tool. You can attach this to your smartphone, laptop, and to the car’s onboard systems. It will relay codes to you that a mechanical knows, and can help you not get scammed, simple as that. Never trust a mechanic that automatically knows the answers. They need to diagnose the issue that you have based on diagnostics. It’s imperative that you consider asking questions. Always ask how the auto shop decided on the issue, without seeing or diagnosing the problem on a lift. The Upsell This happens a lot. You bring your car into a shop and they add a lot of different options to your diagnostics. You may need an oil change, and they want to add a variety of different upgrades and add-ons, when you just wanted an oil change. This upselling is going to cost you a lot, and may not help your vehicle get past that coveted six figure mileage mark. Don’t fall for this. No Detailed Estimate When you visit a repair shop, they should have a detailed estimate for you. They should be able to discuss every little problem that they see, plus give you a full run down without pressure to go with the work. If they don’t give you this, or they give you trouble with this, it’s time to walk away. No shop should give you a “blind” estimate. New Everything Here’s a little trick of the trade to watch out for, and it’s a doozy. Don’t buy everything new, especially when it comes to tires. You don’t always need everything new, you can get away with refurbished, and used parts to save money. In the case of a flat tire, a patch works just as well as many other options. You don’t need to change everything to brand new in some instances, so always be careful of this issue. Now, there’s also a scam that a mechanic will sell you used parts as new, don’t buy into that. No Lifetime Warranties Don’t buy a lifetime warranty, because unfortunately, there are no lifetime vehicles on the road. There is a breaking point, no matter how long a car may last. Lifetime options are just frivolous upgrades that you don’t need. That includes transmissions, fuel injectors, and more. There is no “lifetime” for any part of a vehicle, and that’s the honest truth.
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