Never breathe down the next of your mechanic.
Another thing that I would never do, despite knowing how to fix most cars myself, is to breathe down someone else’s neck while they are working.
No matter if you know what the person is going to do or not, having someone watch your every move while you are trying to work is annoying, and it can be seen as you not trusting the mechanic to do their job.
Sure, we all want to know that nothing is going to happen to our cars, but believe me when I tell you mechanics are some of the people who hate being watched by the customer the most.
This is not because they do not want you to see what is going on, but rather that one too many bad experiences with pushy and “know-it-all” customers can push even the most patient people to their breaking point.
For this reason, a lot of garages and even smaller mechanic workshops are going to tell the customer that they need to bring their car over and leave it with them over the day so they can do the repair.
It is not that most repairs or checkups end up taking that much time, but it stops a lot of the customers from hanging around the shop while they wait since many have work in the mornings as well.
But do not think that they are lying to you either! A lot of repair jobs can end up taking a couple of hours since a lot of us end up getting parts on the same day, and getting the parts from suppliers can take up to an hour by itself.
11 Responses
I go by the mechanics pray I do stuff that alot of people aren’t trained for buy putting a person in a vehicle after you have just done a brake job on it.
This was truly a wonderful article and very well needed. My experience in finding a good auto mechanic was that I asked a friend of mine who was a mechanic (not professionally practicing) who did he go to? (My thinking… “If a mechanic couldn’t repair on their own cars, i.e. illness, hospitalization, travel, etc., then who would a mechanic trust or use?) When he told me who he uses and recommended him to me, I went and used him. He’s been my (and my family & friends) auto mechanic for 30 years now.
Unsubscribe me from all your notifications
I recently paid a “technician” 160.00 per hour to install a water pump. He also replaced a serpentine belt and belt tensioner. I called the shop to inquire about the hefty rate and was told that it is standard.
Who governs the rates that shops can charge for auto repairs in my city? I live in Tucson, Arizona
No one can fix my ’07 Kia Amanti. 3 shops everyone has a different evaluation. From battery strain, starter, auto start to wiring or Powertrain Control Module. No answers, no parts, still sitting, not running. Need help or advice.
In other words, never trust a mechanic I have learned !! And in my own surveys they abuse women!!
Government should be in controll and that’s a statement I hate to say
This article contains good information, but also grammatical errors that detract from its value. Needs proofreading. ChatGPT can even do basic proofreading for you.
Humorous sign in garage
Car repairs $50/hr
If you watch me $60
If you talk to me $70
If you give advice $80
If you try to help me $90
If you worked on it yourself $100
The book you recommend–“How Cars Work”–was published in 1999!! Quite a bit has changed in the past 26 years (I hope)–do you have a more recent publication to recommend?
Spot on and absolutely correct!
I was an auto/truck ,mechanic for 40+years and “all of the above” do apply, and then some, The one single irritant that always got me was the customer who told me what “the problem was and how to fix it!” Followed by the next best one, “I can tell you thats not it”, when given the diagnosis of the problem! I also NEVER told a customer over the phone what the problem MIGHT BE! IF the customer could talk to the Tech fixing the car, and explain to them the symptoms, and when the problems occurred, they usually got it right the first time! Time is money, and fixing your car, is best left to the professional
I never found the 4 things because of all the fucking add!