Fucking car mechanics

The BBQ Pit
1

About three weeks ago, the inspection deadline for my car was quickly approaching. Unfortunately, I just moved in July and was therefore pretty far from my list of trusted mechanics. So I took a gamble and brought my car to Pep Boys for an inspection. Hey, I figured, at least they have a central office I can yell at if I’m displeased, right?

Oh. My. God.

You wanna know why it’s been three weeks since? It’s taken me that long to calm down enough to write about it. I am a fairly young, blonde, woman, which I know can put me at a horrible disadvantage when I’m getting my car worked on by people who don’t know me. But I’ve never been so royally screwed before. First, I watched the guy put my car on the lift, and I’m pretty damn sure the car is not supposed to be catching air while it sits tilted on the lift. Then, they didn’t let my car pass inspection, which would have been okay as long as they could tell me why. They did by handing me a list of stuff they wanted to do to the car, with a total bill of ~$700. I drive a ten-year-old Ford, and they wanted to put all these top-of-the-line, fucking after-market parts on it. Completely inappropriate for the kind of car I drive. Now, I knew it needed struts, and they gave me a quote for that, but of course the kind they were gonna use was way outta line for my car. Plus, then they proceeded to pile on a bunch of shit I know my car doesn’t need, including ‘computerized alignment’ of my tires–what for, I don’t know, being that my tires are already aligned. Oh yeah, and to top it off, I knew damn well when I brought my car in that the muffler was on its last legs. The mechs never even brought it up. I’m starting to think that the mechanics don’t know what anything other than the struts or brake drums look like…

I told the clerk to shove it when I got the news, paid for my flunked inspection, and left to travel far too far to get a real mechanic to inspect my car and to take care of the struts with, duh, parts that are appropriate for a 10-year-old car! Oh yeah, and we had a good laugh over the Pep Boys estimate.

What the fuck was wrong with these people? They’re never getting my business again. I have found another shop to try, but I’m not looking forward to trying this again. I can’t figure out if this is a rant against bad service or a rant against being taken advantage of because I’m 1) female 2) young and 3) from out of town. Aaaargh.

(By the way, I felt really sorry for the other woman waiting for her car in the shop with me. She had come for new brakes, and they were telling her that she could have “brakes that will get squeaky” for $170, or for only $30 or $50 more she could have brakes “that won’t get squeaky.” Anybody wanna explain what the hell they were talking about? I’ve never heard of this squeaky brake line before…)

2

That “computerized alignment” is necessary when you’re replacing major suspension pieces, so don’t be too hard on them for saying you needed that.

3

Been there, many many times, and I happen to be a guy.

First rule: never never go to a large chain parts store. They hire people based on availability, not on experience or knowledge.

Every single time I go to Grand auto, or Kragen/Schucks/Checkers? I get the wrong part. No matter what. 1972 chevy 350 motor? most common engine there is? they give me parts for a 1990 mazda pickup. Brake rotors for a 91 5.0 mustang? I get the rotors from a 93 2.3 mustang, Way too small, wouldnt even fit over the bearings. I know what I am talking about when I ask for a part I have even asked for the part number, and its still wrong.

Last time I went there, I asked if this time they would be so kind as to give the right part to me. Guess what? they got all uppity, pissed off, and still gave me the wrong part. The next day, I talked to the manager, gave him my list of complaints and told him that I would never ever come back. He was amazed that his people were so dumb.

Small locally owned shops are best, and taking a guy friend helps too.

4

Regarding the “squeaky” brakes, they were probably talking about different kinds of brake pads. I can’t remember which, but one kind starts a little squeaky until you break them in, then stops. The other (more expensive) doesn’t squeak.

5

My first job as a mechanic was in a high volume brake shop. We had three grades of brake shoes–no disc brakes in those days. As the grade of brake shoes increased, so did the price. ALL THREE “grades” of brake shoes came from the same box–there were no differences between them.

Don’t take your car to high volume, chain type stores. If you do, don’t complain when they try to hustle you—that’s how they stay in business.

6

Hmmm. Thanks, Herder, that makes sense. Wish I’d listened to the conversation more closely; my general impression was that the pitch was the brakes were gonna squeak for all eternity, but I could be wrong.

fnord is right that I should be taking a guy friend. In a perfect world, such actions aren’t necessary, because everyone gets equal levels of fair service. sob Plus I hate it when people try to make the sale with the guy I bring when it’s me making the decision for my car/apt/electronics. But I’ll probably start doing it anyway.

The irony is that I work with a buncha (male) civil engineers, and when I mentioned it at work, I got the feeling some of the guys weren’t sure what struts were. There’s nothing wrong with that, but they probably do better with getting their car inspected than I do.

On preview: So, LouisB and others, is it an in-general-good-idea to avoid those shops that only do one thing? For example, next is a new muffler. In any other business, I would favor somebody who specialized in what I wanted done, but I guess this doesn’t apply in the business of auto mechanics?

7

The last time I checked, I could purchase three different types of brake pads for my vehicle: organic, semi-metallic, and composite ceramic. All three types should receive a coating on the backing side prior to installation with a slightly sticky aerosol or tube applied product known as something along the lines of ‘disc brake silencer’ or ‘anti-squeal’.

Contrary to popular opinion, there is no break-in with disc brakes. Provided that the rotor was properly turned, the inner and outer bearings are in good condition, and the caliper is not defective, all planes are equal, parallel, and runout is minimal.

The best defense to being taken is to know your vehicle, your own driving habits, and keep track of when things require replacement. If that is done, fraudulent claims will pop up red flags.