This Is How Car Dealership Mechanics Are Ripping You Off

The car repair industry has become unfriendly to people and now you are expected to be a rich guy to be able to repair a 20-year-old Toyota. More and more pretty decent cars head to scrapyards just because they have a minor problem that is too expensive to repair. At least, this is what the dealership says.

I have experience working for a Ford dealership in my country and I also communicate with a lot of dealership workers in the US and also with independent mechanics. So, I've decided to let you know what are the things that the dealership is trying to do to rip you off. And what exactly you may try doing to avoid extra costs.

This article is based on my experience and also the opinions of my friends-mechanics all around the world.

What are the schemes dealerships use to steal your money?

After selling the car to you, dealers still want to make money. So, they will service your vehicle, at least during the warranty period. When the warranty is over, you have the right to go to any other shop or service the car yourself, if you want.

But the majority of car owners keep going to dealers. I can't say this is a bad choice because the schemes that I'm telling you about today will also work in independent shops.

Here's what they may do to steal your money:

1) Installing used or cheap parts

Instead of getting a new OEM part, you may get a used part from a scrapyard. It will work for some time, but of course, it has a much more limited lifespan than a good OEM part you've paid for.

2) Not actually conducting any repairs

Sometimes, you may be surprised to get a $2000 bill after taking your car just for some regular oil changes because the mechanic decided to rotate the wheels, adjust the toe and caster, replace some leaking hoses, change some mountings, clean something in your engine, etc. There is basically no way you can check if those things were really done, so mechanics very often say they did them but they did nothing, just took your money.

3) Inventing diagnoses

Diagnosing a modern car is not that easy. So, mechanics use this fact and often tell you that the car needs certain repairs when it actually needs just battery replacement. In the end, you will be paying for some new sensors, wiring work, software updates, and other things that your car actually doesn't need.

4) Software updates

This is my favorite. Now, a lot of dealers and independent mechanics say something like "Oh, I've seen this hundreds of times, your car just requires a new software update for $300". When the software is updated and nothing changes, they say: "Oh, probably the problem was in that sensor" and charge you another $300 for replacing it. Software updates are almost always the way to get some money out of your pocket.

5) Installing bad parts when you don't see this

You take your car for an oil change, and then the mechanic tells you "We've noticed that something was wrong with the front shock absorber and proved it was broken". If you had no problems with the suspension before this, it's likely that the bad shock absorber was installed in your car while the car was on the lift. Now you will have to pay for the new shock absorber, and of course, for labor.

6) Replacing entire units instead of repairing them

I knew one mechanic who loved replacing the entire fuse box instead of replacing one fuse. Fuse replacement doesn't cost anything (like $10 for coffee) and fuse box replacement is a complex and labor-intensive task with a certain bill that comes after that.

Also, I hate the way people now replace engines and transmissions once something is wrong. They don't even check - maybe it's some sensor or control unit failing.

7) Charging you for services they never do

My friend who is a woman told me once how a guy tried to steal her money in the tire service. After installing the winter tires, he seriously asked if she would love a vanilla or strawberry scent air in her tires for an additional $20. He just didn't know that this girl was a car magazine editor and I think antifreeze is circulating in her veins, not the blood.

But this is just a joke for $20. And you can't imagine how many such services you can "get" even in official dealerships.

How can you avoid losing your money in car dealerships?

Unfortunately, you can't completely control the process of car repair just because you probably don't know all the procedures. So, it's very important to avoid going to repair shops or dealerships that are known for stealing people's money.

Here's what you can do:

• ask your friends to tell you about a good shop that doesn't cheat on the clients;
• read reviews online and see if the dealership you want to go to is good;
• when giving your car to a mechanic, tell them that you have all the parts numbers listed in the notebook;
• also, tell a mechanic that you will not pay for anything that is not agreed upon before the car is on the lift.

One more interesting trick is to claim that you aren't going to pay for the work if it doesn't bring the result. So, if your suspension keeps knocking after the service, you won't pay for labor. This makes mechanics super attentive when diagnosing the car.

The good thing is to check the verdict in different places. If the dealership tells you that the engine needs to be replaced, don't make quick decisions. Go to a good independent shop and ask another mechanic to inspect the vehicle. Maybe, you will have a better result there.

Find your trusted mechanic and use them as your reputable source for information about car repair. Even if your car is under warranty, advice from a good independent mechanic may change the way you act in the dealership.

Do you have experience with unfair mechanics? Write in the comments and let other car owners know!