I spent about $400 today to repair my car, feel like rip - off
By kingparker
@kingparker (9673)
United States
August 20, 2011 12:24pm CST
I am not sure whether this shop really rip me off or not. After last time oil change, the mechanic show me about this leaking, a small crack on the radiator, I felt uneasy about for a few days, and finally, I decided to bring the car back to get it fixed. I knew the price ain't cheap, but I also want a peace of mind. This morning, I got up early, and they finish the job about 2 hours. I can see I got a brand new radiator on the gear. On the service sheet, they recommend me for other services such as brake flush and another one I don't remember. Gosh, it is like every time I go in there get oil change, or do some service, another one just comes up, and I need to pay attention to. I felt like I been rip off a little. How am I suppose to come up that much money to upkeep my car to a perfect shape. After I would done all the service, I might got no money left in my saving. I might pick another service shop next time.
4 people like this
10 responses
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
25 Aug 11
I responded to one of your others posts about you getting you car fixed, you mentioned the radiator and you mentioned struts. I also told you that mechanic shops and dealerships are in the business to make money, and when they tell you you are going to need something, they are up selling you a repair. That is how it works.
1 person likes this
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
6 Sep 11
Well, I know from experience that dealerships have to tell you about safety issues by law. Like if you bought a new car and the manufacturer had a safety recall, they have to, by law, tell the customer. But, in general, even though they have to tell you about safety issues, they are still going to up sell the repair.
@sender621 (14889)
• United States
20 Aug 11
There have often been times that i wish I knew more about auto repair and mechanics. when you get the bill from the garahe, it is unfathomable to believe that the work that was done could cost that much. the parts are not made of gold, but the price would make you think otherwise. i think a lot of us feel cheated this way.1 person likes this
@finlander60 (1804)
• United States
20 Aug 11
Good mechanics have to have tools, training and a place to work. None of those things are CHEAP. Prices of parts are going up in price practically daily. Consider the Doctor you go to. You don't just pay him for what he does, you also pay for the training it took for him to be able to work on your body. The automobile mechanic is just like the Doctor. The big difference between Doctors and Mechanics is that the Doctor works on a model that hasn't changed in thousands of years while the Automobile Mechanic works on models that change every couple of years. If you don't trust your mechanic, look for another one.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
20 Aug 11
I had a recently emergency during our trip and were charged a great deal of money because we were out of towners with no options. It does make you wonder how ripped off we get each time. The worse part is after getting home I could have had the repairs done for free because my water pump was life time warranted.
I do have a city reputable guy who will only repair what is needed and will not rip off his customers. Sadly we were way too far to have him to the work for us as towing would have been way out of the question.
It is best to get word of mouth of others when opting for a service repair shop.
1 person likes this
@goggles213 (735)
• Philippines
20 Aug 11
Repair shops normally recommend a lot of repairs because that's how they earn. This is the reason why I'd rather get a personal mechanic than go to a repair shop but I guess that depends on the location and the number of reliable mechanics on that area. I suggest doing some research about your car so that you'll know if there is a need to change some parts or if you can still retain it.
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
10 Sep 11
Personally this is one of the problems when you take a Car into be serviced. Especially one you might not have a Warranty on, is that they will always tell you there is a lot of excess things that need to be done, and many times do excess of that so it is often best to get an Estimate first and then decide from there. But if you feel like you are being ripped off, next time you need your Car serviced it might not hurt to check around and find your Best deal around. Just make sure others have taken their car their as well.
@finlander60 (1804)
• United States
20 Aug 11
Here in the United States we have an organization called the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence which tests any mechanic that is willing to pay for their test. When and if the mechanic passes the NIASE Certification test the mechanic will get a certification in the particular aspect that they have been certified shown by a Framed Certificate which is, usually, posted on the wall of the shop in a prominent place. If the place that you go in to doesn't have such a Certification, ask why they don't have one. If you don't get a reasonable answer, just leave.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
9 Sep 11
Most places do inspections on your vehicle when you do an oil change. I don't know that what they suggested was anything wrong. But I'd shop around on prices or get referrals from friends and families for the shops they use. All I can say is that's the joys of not having a spanky new car anymore, trust me I'm finding that out.
@dellessimon45 (710)
• United States
19 Nov 11
This is the only thing truly preventing me from working on my car to make it better, faster, and louder! I want to do so much to my truck but I'm afraid I don't have the money to do so because its so expensive to repair or buy anything in the automotive industry! I would have to save my online earnings forever before they were able to get me anything significant for my transportation and this saddens and discourages me.
I would say to prevent getting ripped off next time, look up relative prices and calculate an average quote. If the repairman offers his service for way more than that average, find another one who will be more suitable for your budget!
