I went to get my oil changed this morning. I felt like an idiot. I carried in a coupon sent to me by Firestone. I had walked into a Goodyear store. I showed the coupon to the guy at the register, and he pointed out the fact that the coupon was for Firestone. I even told him that I felt like an idiot. I told him that since I was there, I'd go ahead and have the oil changed.
After about an hour of waiting, one of the mechanics came to talk with me. Now keep in mind that I spent 1500 dollars within the past six months fixing the car. It's a 92 Honda Accord EX. It needed major oil leaks fixed, and a new timing belt, new oil pump, etc. It also needed a tune up.
The mechanic talked fast. I didn't like that. He threw around some car terminology- %26quot;your car needs new CV axles, and the coolant needs to be flushed%26quot; etc. They also said the car needs two new tires. Now that part, I think is accurate. And yes, there is a small coolant leak. I know that for a fact. But this dude said there were %26quot;massive oil leaks.%26quot; He also said that they could fix my door handle. WTF? That has nothing to do with the functionality of the engine!!!!!!!!!!! He said it would be $95 to take off the car door panel, etc.
Did the first guy I encountered really think that I am an idiot?
There are no oil spots on our driveway. I did not have the presence of mind to think about this critically while the mechanic was rack-jawing to me. I did not have the assertiveness to ask him questions, either. I do feel intimidated by mechanics. I don't know Jack Schitt about mechanical things. I can't fix cars.
All in all, the supposed repairs would add up to me a lot of money. Maybe 2000 or 3000 dollars. This would include new CV joints, CV axles (?), two new tires, repairing the oil leaks, alignment, coolant flush, and some other things, as well. This pisses me off!
So in the future, how can I intimidate back to a mechanics who's blowing smoke up my @ss? Or how can I at least be skeptical and assertive? I think that they were lying to me.
How can I not be suckered into doing repairs that are not required? Has anyone else been taken for a ride by a mechanic? Isn't it very annoying and exasperating that some mechanics take advantage of laypeople?How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?And I thought they did that to women only!! I experienced the same thing when my A/C went out. I just went to put some refrigerant which was $199 next to my house. Still too much for me but hey, it's 90 degree outside. So I patiently waited when suddenly the mgr came in with a clipboard. I thought %26quot; oh no!!%26quot;. Yes my car needed a brain transplant. They gave me a tour to their work area where my car was plugged to a life support machine. Thee only thing I heard was bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla So how much? I asked, he said $900 but the guy claimed he could cut corners and fix it for $600. So with a smile, I said I will have to bring my car back sometime next week because I'm a busy woman, the economy is bad, I have no transportation to go as far as Tombooktoo where I work,...bla bla bla bla bla...I left giving them an ear full. I took my car to a friend mechanic in the next town who fixed it for $40. My A/C is so cold that I have to wear a furcoat inside the car. The lesson I learned from this:
Women who are looking for a man to marry, make sure they know about cars. ;)How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?ask him to point out the problems, then see if it really is leaking/ in need of repair, if he says no take it to another shopHow can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?You are lucky you didn't go to the Firestone store.How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?Unfortunately, this is more common than it should be. You need to get knowledgeable about your vehicle, at least. Purchase a repair manual at an auto parts store that has instructions and photos to identify repairs needed; that way you will at the very least be able to know if you are getting the run around when taking the vehicle for repairs. That Goodyear store has poor customer service - they should have either honored the coupon or given a discount (to prevent you, or any customer, from saying %26quot; sorry I made a mistake%26quot; and then going to Firestone)....hopefully you did not get the repairs done, will get the manual, then go to a reputable place for the %26quot;real%26quot; needed workHow can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?%26quot;Kindly come to terms with your ***, for it bears you.%26quot; What that means here is that there's no substitute for a bit of personal knowledge and capability. Borrow some books from the library, start buying car magazines, and just plain study. No easier way exists to be totally sure you know what's what and what's Shinola.
Same thing applies to other parts of life, like personal finance, etc.
BTW, your experience is one of the major reasons I prefer to get my nails greasy and do as much of my own wrenching as I have the facilities for. And that gives me an opportunity to spot stuff that might be going wrong with my ride before it does, giving me a chance to $ave for parts.How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?I am a 30 year shop owner the best thing that you can do is not use a tire place for anything but tires. check out the better Business in your area find a great mechanic that wants to keep your business word of mouth is the best way to find one. If you don't feel good about the person you are talking to DON'T SPEND YOUR MONEY WITH THEM. Every person that walks through my door is my boss I work for them. I have customers who I have serviced for over 30 years and their kids and grand kids and I hope the great grand kids. A good mechanic is like a doctor you have to trust them to tell you the truth. I hope this helps.How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?Did you go ahead and have these repairs done ? Too take your door panel off should only be about $40-50 and then what it cost to fix the handel but it probable just had a clip off in that case you don't even have to take the panel off $20 fix at the most ! If your car doesn't make a clicking noise when you turn hard left or right you don't need cv axle's unless the boot was torn then they can just replace that ! Did your car use a lot of oil you said you didn't see any more drips ? If it doesn't pull to the right or left when you drive straight down the road you don't need an alignment, but it's not bad to do a coolant flush you probably needed that ! If it is an automatic trans you could probably go for a trans flush also if you have more than 100,000 mile's on it. If you think and talk like you do on hear you should be fine just stick to your guns and may be get a second opinion . Next time you get your oil changed just go to a local lube center they will get you in and out in less than 15 mins.How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?I believe that what you encountered is an example of salesmanship that takes place in many other fields too.Of course you cannot carry on an intelligent discussion with the mechanic,you are not trained to his level.
When this happens to me in other situations,I listen to them for a short while to discover their true motive then politely end the discussion.There is no need to feel intimidated.After all,you are the one with the checkbook and the consumer protections.Next time you want a simple oil change go to a quick lube instead.At least their game is to upsell the customer on smaller items.Over time I learned to speak up and say %26quot;I appreciate the opportunity but I am not interested.thank you%26quot;.How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?First off dont say its the mechanics fault that you dont have balls to ask questions about things that you dont understand. 2nd he may be saying you have oil leaks if the person who did the earlier repairs didnt clean the engine off so it may still look like you have leaks. The cv joints are the axles ..usually the boot covering the joint rips or if there is a prolonged oil leak the oil will make the rubber boot fall apart which then alows dirt and stone to get in the cv joint and then ruin the joint. As for the coolant flush since I cant see the coolant I am not sure why you need a flush unless there is a bunch of crap in it. As for the coolant leak itself...ask whats leaking if its a hose fix it yourself...more then likely its just the hose clamp needs tighten.
As for bringing up your door handle needing fixed...ITS HIS JOB to inspect the car and find anything and everything wrong with the car...so he can make money by doing repairs..plain and simple.
The other thing is just cause a person says it needs fixed doesnt mean you have to fix it.
The last thing you want to do is piss a mechanic off trying to be an *** because you dont know anything about cars. How about you do some research and learn about your car so you wont feel intimidated.
Another thing you can do is say SHOW ME ask to be shown the cv joint and ask why is it considered bad...ask to see what a good one looks like...ask if the repair can be put off for awhile or is it so bad right now that it is a risk to you or the public driving it.
Take it to another shop tell them to inspect it ....dont tell them anything about the other inspection or anything they found. Compare the two...lets say they dont say anything about cv joint...tell them you think there is something wrong in the drive line and ask them to look at it again...if they still find nothing then draw your own conclusions.
There are mechanics that do take advantage of people and they need shot cause they give us real mechanics a bad name ...find one you trust and keep him and dont piss him off and he will do a good job.How can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?it sounds like the guy didnt approach you correctly and you went on the defensive. As a seasoned mechanic, service manager, floor manager, etc,Im telling you it is his job to bring to your attention defects in your automobile. It is also his job, by law to disclose a reasonable estimate, whether written or oral, for your approval. Now upon approval, the shop is required, again by law, to provide a written estimate of the repairs. This is called growth sales. The work he has done for you today is one thing, but the extra work is for growth of the business, making it more profitable. If you are in sales, they are called add ons.
Now consider this. This may not be you, but there are people in this world who are looking to get over, and say things like %26quot; my door handle worked before your mechanic got in it%26quot;. Then throw a costly lawsuit into the fray, basically muscling free repairs. Its happened to my shop when I first started out. So they are covering there respective rear ends.
Now to address your problem, an informed consumer is a smart consumer. If you dont ewant to study how a vehicle works, then listen to what your technician is telling you, and ask him to go into detail, if he cant, ask him, PROFESSIONALLY, to get someone who can. Questions like... What makes a door handle fail? what part has failed? Can i have the old parts back( request this before the repair begins). How does said part work in conjunction with the rest of the door handle?
You can decline the repairs, dont ever feel pressured. you are the customer. Think of it like this: you are in a restaurant, not a shop, you are the customer, he is your server. His job is to sell a product, you job is to pay the bill, and to accept his upsells ( side salad, bowl of soup,etc) or to decline them. It is totally your choice.
So whether the suggested repairs were legit or not, it is your choice to decline the repairs. If he persists, dont lose your mind, just be assertive and just say No, i'd just like my bill now, please.%26quot; It shouldnt matter if hes blowing smoke in your rear or not, be professional, it s business not personal.
Sounds to me like your emotions were twisted up ( maybe because you just dumped a small mint into the car) and you you defensive to begin with. Maybe Im wrong. Im not blaming you, we're human . But ive dealt with situations like this before, and once explained, the situation can be diffused. Parting suggestion: Try a different garage with a name behind it ( Sears, Firestone, Goodyear, Napa), places like that who have a franchiser to answer to. Maybe the personnel there will be more a fit to your personality. If you need something, email me at dieselskidz28@yahoo.comHow can I assertively deal with a car mechanic who says that my car needs lots of work done?Get multiple opinions. I had an '85 Honda Accord LX piece of junk. When I hit 95mph, it felt like the steering wheel was going to shake right off the steering column. Do you have the lights that sink into the hood when not in use?
