Auto Mechanic tries to scam my wife, what do I do? - Page 3

General » General Discussion

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Auto Mechanic tries to scam my wife, what do I do? (Page 3 of 8)

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:21:55 AM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Recommend maint: Drain and refill transmission at 30K for $60.00.
Upsell BS: Transmission flush $110.00

With a drain and fill, you are only removing about a 1/3 of the tranny fluid. Would you only remove a 1/3 of your engine oil during an oil change?

Plus if you do a true "Flush" they have a machine that runs cleaners through the complete transmision that removes varnish and gunk. $110 vs $1500+ for a new tranny?

I've never talked to any real trans guy who recommends a tranny flush. Every one of them actually recommends against it.

Every one I have talked to has if it is done at 30k mi intervals, but if the first one is at 100k+ mi, the answer is overwhelming "HELL NO!"

Doing a drain and fill is better than doing nothing, but you still have most of the acidic fluid in the system.

EDIT: OWN page 3

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:22:36 AM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:

Quoted:

On a cross country trip to a new duty station (in July) the A/C wasn't cooling as well as it should have.

So I took the pickup into a Firestone outlet in Phoenix for an A/C checkup as per their

coupon in the paper.

While waiting I look out into the service area and see my truck up on a lift and see some tard starting to put a

wrench on the rear differential.

I grabbed the "Service Manager" and asked him "WTF is that idiot doing? There's no A/C components back there."

He replied it was their umpty-point free inspection.

I told him to get it down off the lift and quit fishing as I had the drive train inspected/ oil changed the week before and either do the A/C check/service

or let me leave before I call the cops.

He had his "mechanic" lower the truck down and check the A/C. The "mechanic" said it "needed" a 93 cent valve to stop the freon from leaking out.

The only problem with that was they wanted $200 to flush and recharge the system.

I told the "Service Manager" to just charge up the system and leave it at that.

After paying the bill and retrieving my keys I let him know what a bullshit scam he had going on there and out of state tags didn't mean easy money.

And for some strange reason the A/C in that truck would freeze your ass out for the next 5 years I owned it with nothing else done to it.

I would have sent you sweating on your way if you threaten me like that. He was nicer than I would have been.

Would you also have done an unrequested 'free' inspection? If no, then there would not have been an issue in the first place. If yes, then you would have been caught by lawdog2831. Caught doing performing a service/inspection without customer authorization. Besides, lawdog2831 only 'threatened' bringing the cops into the situation if you refused to let him leave.

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:29:28 AM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I see an interesting paradox here - on one hand a mechanic recommending a list of maintenance items is a rip-off but on the other hand its bad ju-ju to buy a car that has not had scheduled maintenance work done

Recommend maint: Drain and refill transmission at 30K for $60.00. 3-5 qts atf +filter we charge 80 bucks
Upsell BS: Transmission flush $110.00 up to 14 qts atf + shop costs

Recommended maint: Drain and refill radiator at 100K only an idiot would let their coolant go 100k
Upsell BS: This fluid is a little brown, needs replaced. ever done an acidic and ph test on coolant..just because "it looks ok" doesn't meant that is

Recommended maint: Oil change every 7,500 mile or 7-months.
Upsell BS: See you in 3-months or 3,000 miles. Like they used some new old stock oil from 1949 or something?

cheap insurance..

Here is a fact.....Auto manufacturers aren't in the business to sell a car that lasts forever....they want to sell you a new car.

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:30:21 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

That sounds an awful lot like auto theft to me.

I've toldba customer that if he drove off I was reporting him to the cops. I'm sorry but a car with atleast one broken ball joint cannot safely steer and shouldn't be allowed to leave and possibly kill someone's family

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:30:59 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This is business as usual with mechanics.

Oh, and screw you too.

btw..look for an e-mail later today...

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:35:10 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

Quoted:
On a cross country trip to a new duty station (in July) the A/C wasn't cooling as well as it should have.
So I took the pickup into a Firestone outlet in Phoenix for an A/C checkup as per their
coupon in the paper.

While waiting I look out into the service area and see my truck up on a lift and see some tard starting to put a
wrench on the rear differential.

I grabbed the "Service Manager" and asked him "WTF is that idiot doing? There's no A/C components back there."
He replied it was their umpty-point free inspection.

I told him to get it down off the lift and quit fishing as I had the drive train inspected/ oil changed the week before and either do the A/C check/service
or let me leave before I call the cops.

They and I don't know that you're Mr. Fix-it-Fuckin'-All and you're Johnny-on-the-Spot with your maintenance.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't; if they/I/we are legitimately checking something as part of a courtesy inspection, we're a bunch of fishing crooks that oughta be shot and hung, or hung and shot, or whatever, but if we don't check it and your shit blows up 3 miles down the road, we're incompetent, should have caught that, and we'd better fucking fix it for free or else.

Can't win for losing. Stupid customers are making me want to get out of this business more than anything else.

This is why I am interviewing with Boeing on Thursday.

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:35:32 AM EDT

[#7]

I worked at an independent garage all through high school. I was the guy at the counter whose job it was to upsell each ticket. However, in our shop it was always straight up. We didn't do any of that your car is too dangerous to drive in that condition unless it really was. It was usually more along the lines of you could get another 6 or 7 thousand miles out of it, but your here and we have it up on the rack, so how bout it?

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:35:39 AM EDT

[#8]

The only time my vehicles see the inside of a shop is the inspection every 2 years. And they STILL try to fuck me over and sell me shit I don't need.

If you find a mechanic you can trust, hang on to him.

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:37:31 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I see an interesting paradox here - on one hand a mechanic recommending a list of maintenance items is a rip-off but on the other hand its bad ju-ju to buy a car that has not had scheduled maintenance work done

Recommend maint: Drain and refill transmission at 30K for $60.00.

Upsell BS: Transmission flush $110.00

With a drain and fill, you are only removing about a 1/3 of the tranny fluid. Would you only remove a 1/3 of your engine oil during an oil change?

Plus if you do a true "Flush" they have a machine that runs cleaners through the complete transmision that removes varnish and gunk. $110 vs $1500+ for a new tranny?

Recommended maint: Drain and refill radiator at 100K

Upsell BS: This fluid is a little brown, needs replaced.

Again, the radiator only holds about 1/2 the coolant. Just like I said above, how is just removing half of the liquid helpfull? Plus it is not being CLEANED. Small expense now, or a big expense later when you have to replace the Waterpump, Radiator, Engine, blown head gaskets, Intake gaskets. But heck, replacing half of it should solve the problem of sludge buildup

Recommended maint: Oil change every 7,500 mile or 7-months.

Upsell BS: See you in 3-months or 3,000 miles. Like they used some new old stock oil from 1949 or something?

Again, this depends on how/where you drive? What kind of oil do you use? (Dino, Semi-Syn, Full Syn?)

I was a service advisor for over a year and hated every minute of it (and in the biz for over 10 years). Just like politics, people do not want to hear the truth, and that the problems, for the most part, are their fault because lack of due vigilance. And when you tell them the realitiy, it is YOUR fault.

Oh, I also loved the people that would come in with horrible running issues with the CEL on and when I would come back with the issues and ask how long the light was on, and their reply was, "oh, a couple years now."

Oh, that explains why when this part failed a couple years ago and you did nothing, now you need a new engine/ tranny/ whatever and if you would have had that $100-$200 part replaced back then, you would not need to spend $1k's now. Their response is usually, "A friend told me it was nothing and to ignore it!"

That orange light is not suppose to be a pretty light on the dash, it is to tell you something is wrong and needs to be fixed immediately.

You realize that there is a difference between a transmission oil change and a transmission flush? That they are two separate services? That flushes aren't always necessary? That's where shitty mechanics or shitty supervisors try to upsell by denigrating a completely legitimate service procedure. Ditto for the coolant.

If the manufacturer recommends a particular service at a particular interval, then that is what the vehicle needs. You seem to be advocating upselling based on specific symptoms which in your opinion require the next higher maintenance option. You see brown coolant, you recommend flush. You assume a transmission has varnish/gunk, you recommend flush. You don't know a customer's driving habits or the type of oil, you recommend oil changes more often.

I see that you're trying hard to be one of these mechanics:

Quoted:

Quoted:

This is business as usual with mechanics.

Pretty much.

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:38:50 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

Quoted:

This is business as usual with mechanics that are trying to be shitty maintenance supervisors.

Pretty much.

Fixed your broad brushes for you.

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:43:58 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

That sounds an awful lot like auto theft to me.

I've toldba customer that if he drove off I was reporting him to the cops. I'm sorry but a car with atleast one broken ball joint cannot safely steer and shouldn't be allowed to leave and possibly kill someone's family

This is the correct response. The idiot does his idiot thing. The cop catches the idiot, finds unsafe vehicle. You make statement as mechanic.

I see no problems with this.

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:48:05 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:

I worked at an independent garage all through high school. I was the guy at the counter whose job it was to upsell each ticket. However, in our shop it was always straight up. We didn't do any of that your car is too dangerous to drive in that condition unless it really was. It was usually more along the lines of you could get another 6 or 7 thousand miles out of it, but your here and we have it up on the rack, so how bout it?

Exactly.

Hey Joe Customer, I found some brown coolant. Your vehicle should get a radiator drain and refill at $60. You could probably use a coolant system flush at $175 in a few thousand miles, so what do you say?

Not:

Hey Joe Customer, your coolant failed and you vehicle could overheat and just stop on the freeway. That's $225. etc...

Posted: 9/10/2011 9:52:02 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
The wife took her 1999 Yukon down to Firestone to get the front brakes done. She found an online coupon for $25 and based on their posted prices, we were figuring less than $150 for new brake pads and rotors turned with tax.

$1190 + Tax, they found (17) items that they "recommend" along with that they told my wife (w/ our 1 year old daughter) that not having this work done could endanger her and our daughters lives. They could get started ASAP and put 2 guys on it and have it done before 6pm. She told them she needed to talk with me.......... they instantly said that she would get an additional 10% if they could get started right away before they got "too busy"

Needless to say..... I picked it up with her and drove it down to a Mechanic friend that is an hour away. He is a great guy and honest beyond belief.

New Pads, (L-F) Caliper, turn rotors, oil change, transmission service, radiator flush and fill, new exhaust gasket, rotate tires and new wiper blades. $400 +tax, done tomorrow. He says that most of the stuff that they "recommended" was a stretch, at best.

I feel like calling the Manager at Firestone to let him know what is happening at his store. Should I, or should I just leave it alone?

Backyard mechanics have no overhead, offer him $200 and a 6 pack of beer, Backyard Mechanics are not that smart he will take the deal.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:10:10 AM EDT

[#14]

Any guy who can't put brake pads on his wifes car deserves to be charged more.

I know a guy who drives around in a '68 Camaro acting like a badass who brought the car to a shop over one burned spark plug wire.

It's a brave new world of....men, if you can call them that.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:14:10 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

Cunt charge or pussy tax, that is what my friend calls it.

I'd like to meet your friend someday. In a dark alley.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:25:59 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

Yeah, right.

what are they going to do? lay on my hood as I try to drive away?

Around these parts, a licenced mechanic can comdemn your vehicle for mechanical or structural reasons.

For example ; we had a Toyota Corolla in our shop with rusted out strut towers, vehicle was deemed unsafe and condemned. The owner blew a gasket and threatened the mechanic. LEO's were called, owner of said Corolla was arrested. We were ordered to destroy the car at the owners expense.

Another example ; female customer with a Chevy Lumina came into the shop with a spongy brake pedal. Turns out the "Quick Lube" place she took the car to for a cheap oil change went above and beyond customer service by topping off the brake master cylinder with engine oil, thus destroying the ABS system, along with all hydraulic parts in the brake system.

We condemned the Lumina because the cost of replacing the entire brake system was 5 times higher than the KBB of her car. We let her have the car towed home where she sold it as a condemned vehicle to an automotive recycler.

Don't know about the laws stateside, but if your vehicle is deemed unsafe here you will be at a loss, and there would be nothing you could do about it.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:35:42 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

Yeah, right.
what are they going to do? lay on my hood as I try to drive away?

Around these parts, a licenced mechanic can comdemn your vehicle for mechanical or structural reasons.

For example ; we had a Toyota Corolla in our shop with rusted out strut towers, vehicle was deemed unsafe and condemned. The owner blew a gasket and threatened the mechanic. LEO's were called, owner of said Corolla was arrested. We were ordered to destroy the car at the owners expense.

Another example ; female customer with a Chevy Lumina came into the shop with a spongy brake pedal. Turns out the "Quick Lube" place she took the car to for a cheap oil change went above and beyond customer service by topping off the brake master cylinder with engine oil, thus destroying the ABS system, along with all hydraulic parts in the brake system.

We condemned the Lumina because the cost of replacing the entire brake system was 5 times higher than the KBB of her car. We let her have the car towed home where she sold it as a condemned vehicle to an automotive recycler.

Don't know about the laws stateside, but if your vehicle is deemed unsafe here you will be at a loss, and there would be nothing you could do about it.

I hear I can boil a car to uncondemn it. Seriously, though, Canada is one weird ball of wax all by itself.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:36:03 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

Yeah, right.

what are they going to do? lay on my hood as I try to drive away?

Around these parts, a licenced mechanic can comdemn your vehicle for mechanical or structural reasons.

For example ; we had a Toyota Corolla in our shop with rusted out strut towers, vehicle was deemed unsafe and condemned. The owner blew a gasket and threatened the mechanic. LEO's were called, owner of said Corolla was arrested. We were ordered to destroy the car at the owners expense.

Another example ; female customer with a Chevy Lumina came into the shop with a spongy brake pedal. Turns out the "Quick Lube" place she took the car to for a cheap oil change went above and beyond customer service by topping off the brake master cylinder with engine oil, thus destroying the ABS system, along with all hydraulic parts in the brake system.

We condemned the Lumina because the cost of replacing the entire brake system was 5 times higher than the KBB of her car. We let her have the car towed home where she sold it as a condemned vehicle to an automotive recycler.

Don't know about the laws stateside, but if your vehicle is deemed unsafe here you will be at a loss, and there would be nothing you could do about it.

I am disgusted that you would follow some one's instructions to destroy another person's property with out their concent, and than charge the victim of your actions for your services. At what point (if any) would you decide to stop following instructions that cause harm to others?

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:41:19 AM EDT

[#19]

The manager probably tells them to add all this stuff. It is common practice in mechanic shops. THey want to fix things before they break so it isn't really lying or illegal.

example- yes your radiator hose has is deteriorating around the neck of the radiator. What they don't tell you is tha instead of paying 100 dollars for them to put on a new hose they rest of the hose still feels and looks okay and you could probably get another 10-20 thousand miles by just chopping an inch off the hose and reclamping it.

So they aren't usually making stuff up. Jus have you fix things that really aren't a danger of breaking any time soon.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:43:10 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

You realize that there is a difference between a transmission oil change and a transmission flush? That they are two separate services? That flushes aren't always necessary? That's where shitty mechanics or shitty supervisors try to upsell by denigrating a completely legitimate service procedure. Ditto for the coolant.

Yes there is a difference. I thought I made it clear, a transmission oil change only removes 3-5 qts out of the pan, leaving the remaining 10qts of old fluid in the Torque converter. Why would you want to leave that much old oil in the tranny? You can always do a gentle flush where you disconnect the tranny cooler lines and suck fresh fluid in why the tranny spits out the old so you have 100% new fluid. It is your vehicle, do what you want with it.

If the manufacturer recommends a particular service at a particular interval, then that is what the vehicle needs. You seem to be advocating upselling based on specific symptoms which in your opinion require the next higher maintenance option. You see brown coolant, you recommend flush. You assume a transmission has varnish/gunk, you recommend flush. You don't know a customer's driving habits or the type of oil, you recommend oil changes more often.

Like what has been pointed out before, Manufacturers are out there to sell new cars. If they truely believed in the intervals they recomend, they would have longer warranty periods. And the same goes for aftermarket warranty programs. They will deny any claim that does not follow their recomendations, not the manufacturers. If you plan on keeping your rig for a long time, replace fluids at more frequent intervals, cheap insurance.

I see that you're trying hard to be one of these mechanics:

I am not a wrench turner (accept for my own vehicles) just very experienced. Take my advice as you will. I do on all of my own vehicles.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:43:44 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Im willing to bet all sorts of money that the manager is in on it... quotas and all that.

Unfortunately, as has already been said... this is right about par for those types of places (Firestone, Just Breaks... etc). Lure you in with the promise of low price fixes and then "inspect" the rest of your vehicle for "issues."

IF you should go to one of those places DO NOT sign the agreement for them to do the 24-point inspection or whatever it is.... thats where they make their money.

I've got news for you, Firestone ain't no different from the Dealership.

Yep the only way your not going to end up getting screwed to fix things that don't need to b fixed yet is to learn about cars or have a personal friend who is a mechanic to give you a second opinion.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:46:32 AM EDT

[#22]

Call the manager....but it won't do any good. They're encouraged to do this kind of shady bullshit. It helps Firestone's bottom line.

And women make good targets. They generally know jack shit about automobiles, and are easy to terrify with the words: "stranded on the side of the road."

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:52:20 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
This is business as usual with mechanics at mass merchandisers..

Fixed.

Posted: 9/10/2011 10:57:26 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Any guy who can't put brake pads on his wifes car deserves to be charged more.

I know a guy who drives around in a '68 Camaro acting like a badass who brought the car to a shop over one burned spark plug wire.

It's a brave new world of....men, if you can call them that.

I have a sloped gravel driveway. It's really neither safe nor comfortable for me to change brake pads in the environment I have to work on vehicles.

If it doesn't involve jacking or crawling around on the ground, (minus a simple tire swap) sure I'll take care of it, otherwise it's going somewhere that can do the job more efficiently.

Now if someone would open up a rent a shop (similar to auto hobby shops on military installations) i'd be all over it. Doubtful because of the lawyers.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:08:33 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

Yeah, right.

what are they going to do? lay on my hood as I try to drive away?

Around these parts, a licenced mechanic can comdemn your vehicle for mechanical or structural reasons.

For example ; we had a Toyota Corolla in our shop with rusted out strut towers, vehicle was deemed unsafe and condemned. The owner blew a gasket and threatened the mechanic. LEO's were called, owner of said Corolla was arrested. We were ordered to destroy the car at the owners expense.

Another example ; female customer with a Chevy Lumina came into the shop with a spongy brake pedal. Turns out the "Quick Lube" place she took the car to for a cheap oil change went above and beyond customer service by topping off the brake master cylinder with engine oil, thus destroying the ABS system, along with all hydraulic parts in the brake system.

We condemned the Lumina because the cost of replacing the entire brake system was 5 times higher than the KBB of her car. We let her have the car towed home where she sold it as a condemned vehicle to an automotive recycler.

Don't know about the laws stateside, but if your vehicle is deemed unsafe here you will be at a loss, and there would be nothing you could do about it.

I am disgusted that you would follow some one's instructions to destroy another person's property with out their concent, and than charge the victim of your actions for your services. At what point (if any) would you decide to stop following instructions that cause harm to others?

If the condemned car poses a threat to public safety, and our shop knows of the defects and releases the car, the shop is responsibe for all damages if the vehicle causes any damages, be it personal or property or death.

If you are driving around in a vehicle with bad brakes, faulty steering and rusted out suspension, you really should think about your own liabilities.

As for following instructions, mechanics here are govt licenced and have to follow the law.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:08:39 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:

Quoted:

The wife took her 1999 Yukon down to Firestone to get the front brakes done. She found an online coupon for $25 and based on their posted prices, we were figuring less than $150 for new brake pads and rotors turned with tax.

$1190 + Tax, they found (17) items that they "recommend" along with that they told my wife (w/ our 1 year old daughter) that not having this work done could endanger her and our daughters lives. They could get started ASAP and put 2 guys on it and have it done before 6pm. She told them she needed to talk with me.......... they instantly said that she would get an additional 10% if they could get started right away before they got "too busy"

Needless to say..... I picked it up with her and drove it down to a Mechanic friend that is an hour away. He is a great guy and honest beyond belief.

New Pads, (L-F) Caliper, turn rotors, oil change, transmission service, radiator flush and fill, new exhaust gasket, rotate tires and new wiper blades. $400 +tax, done tomorrow. He says that most of the stuff that they "recommended" was a stretch, at best.

I feel like calling the Manager at Firestone to let him know what is happening at his store. Should I, or should I just leave it alone?

The manager would probably appreciate your feedback, they not only like negative feedback but they like to know when their people are doing what they are supposed to. Yeah, the coupons for dirt cheap basic stuff are just an excuse to get your car into the bay. I hate those places, and never had the stomach to work that way, which is why I don't work on cars for a living anymore, I didn't have what it takes.

ETA: My opinion doesn't apply to all shops, I know of a couple of dealerships and several independent shops that are very ethical and honest, and DO NOT sell services or repairs that aren't needed or warranted. Places like that really exist, and if you find one, you should use them, support them, and tell your friends about them. No not, under any circumstance base your decision on which shop to use solely on price, you will get screwed every time when you do.

What makes you think the managers aren't the ones telling the techs to "find this stuff". My BIL works for Firestone and he says the managers really push the find stuff angle because it adds to over all sales and they get a bigger bonus. The tech makes whatever he gets an hour based on Book Time.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:13:31 AM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:

Quoted:

You realize that there is a difference between a transmission oil change and a transmission flush? That they are two separate services? That flushes aren't always necessary? That's where shitty mechanics or shitty supervisors try to upsell by denigrating a completely legitimate service procedure. Ditto for the coolant.

Yes there is a difference. I thought I made it clear, a transmission oil change only removes 3-5 qts out of the pan, leaving the remaining 10qts of old fluid in the Torque converter. Why would you want to leave that much old oil in the tranny? You can always do a gentle flush where you disconnect the tranny cooler lines and suck fresh fluid in why the tranny spits out the old so you have 100% new fluid. It is your vehicle, do what you want with it.

If the manufacturer recommends a particular service at a particular interval, then that is what the vehicle needs. You seem to be advocating upselling based on specific symptoms which in your opinion require the next higher maintenance option. You see brown coolant, you recommend flush. You assume a transmission has varnish/gunk, you recommend flush. You don't know a customer's driving habits or the type of oil, you recommend oil changes more often.

Like what has been pointed out before, Manufacturers are out there to sell new cars. If they truely believed in the intervals they recomend, they would have longer warranty periods. And the same goes for aftermarket warranty programs. They will deny any claim that does not follow their recomendations, not the manufacturers. If you plan on keeping your rig for a long time, replace fluids at more frequent intervals, cheap insurance.

I see that you're trying hard to be one of these mechanics:

I am not a wrench turner (accept for my own vehicles) just very experienced. Take my advice as you will. I do on all of my own vehicles.

Those are still two separate services. You're still trying to upsell the higher priced service, even though you don't know it needs it.

I stand by my opinion of your thought processes. And then you claim you're not a wrench turner, but you're very experienced? Whatever, dude.

This is what you sound like:

'Well, this is what I would do on my vehicles, so you need to do it to, because I think it is better.'

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:18:13 AM EDT

[#28]

I was screwed a couple times by a stealership and and independent shop. Both places told me to fuck off so I called the BBB, and got my money back. Since then I do all my own repairs, it takes more time but saves a ton of money even when I need to buy special tools, and I get to keep them when its done for the next job

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:26:43 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:

I feel like calling the Manager at Firestone to let him know what is happening at his store. Should I, or should I just leave it alone?

Who do you think is training them to do this???????? He'll probably get mad that they didn't push hard enough!!!

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:35:45 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

Quoted:

This is business as usual with mechanics.

Pretty much.

Yup, fuck you too.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:45:35 AM EDT

[#31]

Guy down the street brought his suv to Firestone in the winter for repair. In the spring the AC was blowing warm. Knowing I did AC work he asked if I'd take a look. Pressure was low and I couldn't find a leak so I pulled it down and left the gauges on over night. Still showed the vacuum the next morning so I recharged it. Never had any AC problems for several years. Can't prove anything, but my guess is the freon was released when it was there for repair.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:53:18 AM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:
I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

I've heard that bullshit line before.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:57:58 AM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
I have been told that if a vehicle is really a danger, once they have found the problem, by law they can not let you take the vehicle home. you would need to have it towed.

You have been lied to.

You might have to sign a waiver, but not being a law-enforcement agency, they have no authority to sieze and impound your car.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:58:56 AM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Any guy who can't put brake pads on his wifes car deserves to be charged more.

I know a guy who drives around in a '68 Camaro acting like a badass who brought the car to a shop over one burned spark plug wire.

It's a brave new world of....men, if you can call them that.

I have a sloped gravel driveway. It's really neither safe nor comfortable for me to change brake pads in the environment I have to work on vehicles.

If it doesn't involve jacking or crawling around on the ground, (minus a simple tire swap) sure I'll take care of it, otherwise it's going somewhere that can do the job more efficiently.

Now if someone would open up a rent a shop (similar to auto hobby shops on military installations) i'd be all over it. Doubtful because of the lawyers.

I tore down a Harley tranny still on the bike and replaced a shifting fork when I was young and lived in an apartment.

I did it on my apartment balcony. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Posted: 9/10/2011 11:59:52 AM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
Glad I do all my own work.

no shit!

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:01:27 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

Quoted:
This is business as usual with mechanics.

You're damn right....yeah folks..I'm out to rip you off.....I am going throw an estimate at your wife/girlfriend/whatever so big and epic it'll be the stuff legends are made of.

not all mechanics are out to rip you off, but alot will.

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:03:19 PM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:
They and I don't know that you're Mr. Fix-it-Fuckin'-All and you're Johnny-on-the-Spot with your maintenance.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't; if they/I/we are legitimately checking something as part of a courtesy inspection.

Your avatar combined with this post creates a picture of sad irony.

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:05:10 PM EDT

[#38]

I maintain my car well enough, and know what it needs done. I've never had a mechanic surprise me by saying "You need to fix this".

I always have a clear idea because I pay attention to my car and inspect it regularly. When the tires get rotated, I inspect under it myself,

and I know the status of my brakes, the condition of all the belts and hoses, how many miles are on the wearable items, etc.

I've had some fairly expensive repair bills but never anything surprising. I COULD keep driving with leaky valve cover gaskets and a leaking

power steering rack, but I'll spend the money to get those replaced.

CJ

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:09:06 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:
Also when ever I have a car on the lift for whatever, I always give the steering and suspension a quick check over and let the customer know if there are any issues. If that makes me an upselling crook, so be it. They don't have to have the work done, but at least if the lower balljoint shits the bed a week later I won't be hearing, "Jesus crist I just had it here last week why didn't you fix THAT!"

If I were to send my AR to get SBR'd would I be rightly upset to find out my gunsmith disassembled the lower as part of a courtesy inspection?

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:09:54 PM EDT

[#40]

I was told by someone who works at firestone that they recommend that their svc. people try to find approx 1000.00 in services on every car that comes in.......Thats what I heard. this is from a firestone on a .mil base.

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:11:36 PM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Also when ever I have a car on the lift for whatever, I always give the steering and suspension a quick check over and let the customer know if there are any issues. If that makes me an upselling crook, so be it. They don't have to have the work done, but at least if the lower balljoint shits the bed a week later I won't be hearing, "Jesus crist I just had it here last week why didn't you fix THAT!"

If I were to send my AR to get SBR'd would I be rightly upset to find out he disassembled the lower as part of a courtesy inspection?

You forgot the part about the gunsmith/gunshop saying that your lower 'accidentally' fired more than one round per trigger pull and then giving the local ATF field office a courtesy call.

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:33:11 PM EDT

[#42]

Rule for a successful life: learn to work on your own vehicles and make friends with a mechanic.

I can do most things on all our vehicles, maybe 60% of all possibles, but we are very close with a very talented mechanic, even if he us from Canada.

And my best friend/brother from another mother happens to be a commercial sales manager for Advance Auto when he's not fighting fires.

My other best pal has no mechanical skill and used to take his truck to those chain type places. If I had a just 5% of the money they ripped him off for over the years I could buy a complete Bushy and probably a few Pmags.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Posted: 9/10/2011 12:48:54 PM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:
Firestone guy wanted to charge me 400 just to mount and balance tires I bought elsewhere. Drove across street to Gateway, 60 bucks. I have never returned since.

wow! it is 8 bucks a tire to mount and balance where i go.

Posted: 9/10/2011 1:10:45 PM EDT

[#44]

Franchise auto repair shops seem like trouble to me. Car Mechanics are like lawyers: it's really hard to find the good ones, and when you do find a good one, keep him around for the rest of your life!

I bought a lifetime alignment deal from Firestone, and every single fucking alignment I got from them was crap, even when I provided the specs. About 3 months ago I took my car in for a new alignment as it REALLY needed it after a wheel bearing replacement. The dude at the Redmond Firestone told me my tie rod was stuck, it would break off at any moment causing me to crash and burn, blah blah, and they could replace it for $250 bucks.

I could just smell scam coming from the meth head looking dude, so I took my car and left after nearly 2 hours of waiting!

A mechanic friend recommended me to True Line of Seattle/Bellevue, a car shop that's been in one family for three generations. Right now it's the owner, his son, and two other mechanics. When I went into the Bellevue office, it was like I was walking into a dentist or lawyer's office. The owner was the only person there, and he expertly installed new tires and aligned my car in 90 minutes. He was able to diagnose worn steering bushings, and his alignment is the best i've had in 10 years. Sure, his one time alignment cost $150, about twice the $80 i'm used to paying, but holy shit, the adage of "buy once cry once" couldn't apply more to my situation

Don't bother calling the management at that Firestone scrun, they are probably behind their employees tactics.

Posted: 9/10/2011 1:15:25 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:
The wife took her 1999 Yukon down to Firestone to get the front brakes done. She found an online coupon for $25 and based on their posted prices, we were figuring less than $150 for new brake pads and rotors turned with tax.

$1190 + Tax, they found (17) items that they "recommend" along with that they told my wife (w/ our 1 year old daughter) that not having this work done could endanger her and our daughters lives. They could get started ASAP and put 2 guys on it and have it done before 6pm. She told them she needed to talk with me.......... they instantly said that she would get an additional 10% if they could get started right away before they got "too busy"

Needless to say..... I picked it up with her and drove it down to a Mechanic friend that is an hour away. He is a great guy and honest beyond belief.

New Pads, (L-F) Caliper, turn rotors, oil change, transmission service, radiator flush and fill, new exhaust gasket, rotate tires and new wiper blades. $400 +tax, done tomorrow. He says that most of the stuff that they "recommended" was a stretch, at best.

I feel like calling the Manager at Firestone to let him know what is happening at his store. Should I, or should I just leave it alone?

Know about it? Hell, he probably taught 'em how to close the sale.

Posted: 9/10/2011 1:18:48 PM EDT

[#46]

Quoted:

Rule for a successful life: learn to work on your own vehicles and make friends with a mechanic.

I thought the saying was: "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, make an ugly woman your wife."

Posted: 9/10/2011 1:22:59 PM EDT

[#47]

Could have been worse, you could have needed electrical or plumbing work on your house............

Posted: 9/10/2011 1:36:25 PM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:

Quoted:

The wife took her 1999 Yukon down to Firestone to get the front brakes done. She found an online coupon for $25 and based on their posted prices, we were figuring less than $150 for new brake pads and rotors turned with tax.

$1190 + Tax, they found (17) items that they "recommend" along with that they told my wife (w/ our 1 year old daughter) that not having this work done could endanger her and our daughters lives. They could get started ASAP and put 2 guys on it and have it done before 6pm. She told them she needed to talk with me.......... they instantly said that she would get an additional 10% if they could get started right away before they got "too busy"

Needless to say..... I picked it up with her and drove it down to a Mechanic friend that is an hour away. He is a great guy and honest beyond belief.

New Pads, (L-F) Caliper, turn rotors, oil change, transmission service, radiator flush and fill, new exhaust gasket, rotate tires and new wiper blades. $400 +tax, done tomorrow. He says that most of the stuff that they "recommended" was a stretch, at best.

I feel like calling the Manager at Firestone to let him know what is happening at his store. Should I, or should I just leave it alone?

The manager would probably appreciate your feedback, they not only like negative feedback but they like to know when their people are doing what they are supposed to. Yeah, the coupons for dirt cheap basic stuff are just an excuse to get your car into the bay. I hate those places, and never had the stomach to work that way, which is why I don't work on cars for a living anymore, I didn't have what it takes.

I'm fairly certain the "Manager" knows what went on.

Exactly.

I ran a GM dealership service dept for 20 years. Fired several techs that would pull this crap. But, chances are the manager spiffs these guys to sell sell sell.

I'd make the call, but don't expect much more than lip service back.

Posted: 9/10/2011 1:41:08 PM EDT

[#49]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Recommend maint: Drain and refill transmission at 30K for $60.00.
Upsell BS: Transmission flush $110.00

With a drain and fill, you are only removing about a 1/3 of the tranny fluid. Would you only remove a 1/3 of your engine oil during an oil change?

Plus if you do a true "Flush" they have a machine that runs cleaners through the complete transmision that removes varnish and gunk. $110 vs $1500+ for a new tranny?

I've never talked to any real trans guy who recommends a tranny flush. Every one of them actually recommends against it.

Every one I have talked to has if it is done at 30k mi intervals, but if the first one is at 100k+ mi, the answer is overwhelming "HELL NO!"

Doing a drain and fill is better than doing nothing, but you still have most of the acidic fluid in the system.

EDIT: OWN page 3

I do my own work just so i don't have to put up with the bs scams the lube and tire places pull. I even take my tires/wheels in off the car so I they don't even have an opportunity to try some of that stupid upselling shit on me.

but i've been able to get all of the tranny fluid out without a flush .... drop the plug. lower the side the plug is on so most of it runs out.... owners manual calls for 2.9L and i'm able to put that much into it every time i exchange the fluid. sounds to me like i'm getting all of it out.

Posted: 9/10/2011 1:45:41 PM EDT

[#50]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Also when ever I have a car on the lift for whatever, I always give the steering and suspension a quick check over and let the customer know if there are any issues. If that makes me an upselling crook, so be it. They don't have to have the work done, but at least if the lower balljoint shits the bed a week later I won't be hearing, "Jesus crist I just had it here last week why didn't you fix THAT!"

If I were to send my AR to get SBR'd would I be rightly upset to find out my gunsmith disassembled the lower as part of a courtesy inspection?

Who said anything about disassembling anything?
Yeah, that's a real accurate comparison.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Auto Mechanic tries to scam my wife, what do I do? (Page 3 of 8)

General » General Discussion

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us