# Should I take the car dealership’s diagnosis to my mechanic? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2018, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334 "2018-02-22T12:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/1 "2018-02-22T12:55:09Z")
My mechanic is a childhood friend of mine so he’s handled my auto work since I was a teenager. However, I had an issue that I felt needed expert diagnosis: engine vibration at constant speeds and an occasional slight whining when accelerating. I took it to the dealership, and they came back with 2 major repairs with a $2,000 price tag. I paid $130 for the diagnosis with the understanding that it would be deducted from my final bill. Is it appropriate for me to take the diagnosis to my own mechanic to see if he can do the same work cheaper? I don’t want to get on the dealership’s wrong side, as I may still need them in the future. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/2 "2018-02-22T13:09:00Z")
It’s business, not friendship. The dealership will be happy to have your business any time as long as you’re not an ass of a customer. Go to your friend - what have you got to lose? Our car goes to the dealer for recalls, but all the other periodic maintenance and repairs are done by our local mechanic. I’m sure the dealer would rather have our business, but I do what works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/3 "2018-02-22T13:09:22Z")
I would expect dealerships to be used to customers saying various forms of “Oh. Wow, that’s expensive, I’ll need to think about it” and taking their cars various other places to have the actual work done. So long as you are polite, and pay the diagnosis fee, I don’t think they’ll care. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/4 "2018-02-22T13:15:13Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > My mechanic is a childhood friend of mine so he’s handled my auto work since I was a teenager. However, I had an issue that I felt needed expert diagnosis: engine vibration at constant speeds and an occasional slight whining when accelerating. I took it to the dealership, and they came back with 2 major repairs with a $2,000 price tag. I paid $130 for the diagnosis with the understanding that it would be deducted from my final bill. > > Is it appropriate for me to take the diagnosis to my own mechanic to see if he can do the same work cheaper? I don’t want to get on the dealership’s wrong side, as I may still need them in the future. if I was the tech at that dealer, I’d be more than a little miffed. I’ve actually been in the reverse situation. I wrenched at a small garage; someone had her car towed in for a no-start. we were pretty busy and couldn’t look at it right away. she called every 20-30 minutes asking if we looked at it yet. finally, when we did and figured it was a failed PCM, we called her and she said “Oh, well, I just found out it’s still under warranty so (_dealer_) is sending a tow truck to get it.” Gee, thanks. Constant harassment and wasted time for $0. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/5 "2018-02-22T13:50:07Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > if I was the tech at that dealer, I’d be more than a little miffed… Yeah, that’s what I thought, but doesn’t the $130 that they charged me imply that they acknowledge that I have other options? Or else why charge me? Funny thing is that I think I’d be less inclined to use someone else if they provided the diagnosis for free. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/6 "2018-02-22T14:02:32Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Yeah, that’s what I thought, but doesn’t the $130 that they charged me imply that they acknowledge that I have other options? Or else why charge me? Funny thing is that I think I’d be less inclined to use someone else if they provided the diagnosis for free. You always have options. They charged you for the diagnosis so you don’t owe the dealer anything. But your own mechanic doesn’t have to accept the conclusion of the dealer and wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to repeat the diagnosis process himself if you expect him to be responsible for the results. He might conclude that the problem is something else. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/7 "2018-02-22T14:08:16Z")
Did you sign a contract with the dealer that once they found out what was wrong, you would pay them to fix it? I highly doubt it: If you had, you wouldn’t be asking us. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/8 "2018-02-22T14:25:58Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Yeah, that’s what I thought, but doesn’t the $130 that they charged me imply that they acknowledge that I have other options? Or else why charge me? Funny thing is that I think I’d be less inclined to use someone else if they provided the diagnosis for free. I’m not saying it’s some grave injustice, just that I’d be miffed. as in “if you wanted someone else to fix it, why didn’t you bring it to them in the first place?” ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/9 "2018-02-22T14:58:24Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I’m not saying it’s some grave injustice, just that I’d be miffed. as in “if you wanted someone else to fix it, why didn’t you bring it to them in the first place?” This is what i was wondering… If you took in to the dealer for “expert diagnosis”, does that mean you’d shown the car’s issues to your friend already, and he didn’t know what was going on, but now that you have the dealer’s tech’s diagnosis, you’re comfortable with him working on it? If it were me, if I believed the diagnosis versus wanting a second opinion, I’d go with the tech I trusted to find the problem to fix it, otherwise there’s the risk of a game of Telephone scenario with details being lost in the handoff of information. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/10 "2018-02-22T17:48:42Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I’ve actually been in the reverse situation. I wrenched at a small garage; someone had her car towed in for a no-start. we were pretty busy and couldn’t look at it right away. she called every 20-30 minutes asking if we looked at it yet. finally, when we did and figured it was a failed PCM, we called her and she said “Oh, well, I just found out it’s still under warranty so (_dealer_) is sending a tow truck to get it.” > > Gee, thanks. Constant harassment and wasted time for $0. Zero dollars for testing and evaluation? I’d say that’s a management flaw at the garage. Why on Earth wouldn’t they charge for that? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/11 "2018-02-22T19:28:04Z")
You paid for a diagnosis (information) and got a diagnosis (information), end of contract. You can now decide, based on that information, to have the dealer fix it (and they will nicely apply the diagnostic fee to the service, a fairly standard practice but not universal), have someone else fix it, fix it yourself or not fix it at all. Why the tech or dealer would be “miffed” is beyond me, they got paid their full rate for the service they provided. Do they hope you’ll spend more money there? Sure, but that is entirely your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/12 "2018-02-22T19:31:34Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I’m not saying it’s some grave injustice, just that I’d be miffed. as in “if you wanted someone else to fix it, why didn’t you bring it to them in the first place?” Oh, and the answer to this is “I paid you for your knowledge specific to this vehicle, at your full asking price. That is all I needed at that point.” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/13 "2018-02-22T19:57:41Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Zero dollars for testing and evaluation? I’d say that’s a management flaw at the garage. Why on Earth wouldn’t they charge for that? This was supposedly a long-time customer that the owner didn’t want to “lose.” > [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Oh, and the answer to this is “I paid you for your knowledge specific to this vehicle, at your full asking price. That is all I needed at that point.” > [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > You paid for a diagnosis (information) and got a diagnosis (information), end of contract. You can now decide, based on that information, to have the dealer fix it (and they will nicely apply the diagnostic fee to the service, a fairly standard practice but not universal), have someone else fix it, fix it yourself or not fix it at all. Why the tech or dealer would be “miffed” is beyond me, they got paid their full rate for the service they provided. Do they hope you’ll spend more money there? Sure, but that is entirely your choice. well, for one thing, it’s because (most) people are not Vulcans or robots and typically don’t interact with each other in such a cold, detached, rigidly logical way. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/14 "2018-02-22T20:05:43Z")
You paid for the service of the diagnosing, and you now have the diagnosis as a result, you are free and clear to do what you will. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/15 "2018-02-23T14:01:53Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > well, for one thing, it’s because (most) people are not Vulcans or robots and typically don’t interact with each other in such a cold, detached, rigidly logical way. Sorry, I don’t get his at all. I sometimes have my mechanic diagnose an issue for me because he has specialized equipment that I don’t have at home. I pay him for the service. Once diagnosed I decide whether to fix it myself or let him do it. Everyone is OK with the arrangement. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-take-the-car-dealership-s-diagnosis-to-my-mechanic/809334/16 "2018-02-23T14:11:50Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You always have options. They charged you for the diagnosis so you don’t owe the dealer anything. But your own mechanic doesn’t have to accept the conclusion of the dealer and wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to repeat the diagnosis process himself if you expect him to be responsible for the results. He might conclude that the problem is something else. Truly. The garage I deal with charges $80 for a diagnostic but will do anything you ask them to. If, say, you come in and say, "I want the O[sub]2[/sub] sensor replaced, they will happily do so, but if the check light _still_ won’t go out, sux to be you. If you pay the diag, they say it’s the O[sub]2[/sub] sensor, and the light stays on, you got a free sensor while they figure out what’s up (this does not happen often).