Automobiles and underhood diagnostic techniques have changed dramatically since I was a motorhead in the 70’s, later a mechanic, and most recently a territory rep for an electronic diagnostic equipment company. We manufactured test equipment for driveability problem diagnosis and state emission analysis.
While it is true that there are dishonest mechanics/dealerships, I submit the same postulate is applicable to any/all areas of commerce.
Modern motor vehicles are a complex blend of machine and computer. Engine performance/emission control, automatic transmission, ride height/stiffness, climate control, and antilock braking are all examples of how these systems offer you a safer/more efficient/environmentally responsible driving experience.
Can I fix today’s cars with the same vacuum gauge, dwell tach, and timing light that I used in 1973? Hell no! The mechanic of today is part wrench turner, part electronics technician. An oscilloscope/ ECM interface and the ability to use them from a diagnostic standpoint is applicable in today’s garage.
Talk to your friends/neighbors to determine a trustworth shop, and please stop the unwarranted bashing of dedicated/trained technicians.
You fail to understand that when a mechanic works on your car, they will generally see things that you don’t. So when you’re getting new brake pads, the mechanic may see other problems (broken shocks, springs, bushings, etc…). So yeah, you may come in with a brake problem and leave with many problems fixed. This is good thing. Sure, there are some dishonest mechanics (I know a few), but their actions would only mimic the attitudes of the customer (Don’t be a dick).
Ilsa, I’m not concerned about mind control. Only dishonesty.
Dances, it is, in fact, a brush of flame that I wave. I do so out of frustration with the mechanic at the dealer I went to. My problems are with dishonest mechanics and dealers. Perhaps I should have been clearer. And yes, modern cars are a complex blend. Perhaps too complex for many who choose to work on them.
Parental, for four years my car alarm worked fine. A couple days after the mechanic at the car dealer sees it for the first time, it begins going off without provocation. In order to get some proper sleep, I decide to leave the car unlocked. The car locks itself, and shortly after the alarm goes off again. I repeated this process a number of times before I realized I had to just leave the car door open. There were other problems that were new after the car was worked on. This wasn’t a matter of a mechanic finding problems I didn’t know about.
And I’m not a dick. I’m exactly the kind of customer they want. I brought my car in for an oil change and replacement battery, and calmly handed over the $273, thinking to myself that the old battery said 60-MONTH WARRANTY in 2-inch letters across the top.
I work at a car dealership, and people are always telling me something I fixed caused a totally unrelated problem to crop up. I don’t see how replacing the battery could cause your alarm to go off two days later.
On the other hand, honest mechanics shouldn’t be expected to waste their time dealing with people stupid enough to hand over close to $300 for a $80 job that could be done for even less in their own driveway (though warranty reasons may preclude that)…
60 MONTH Waranty? Are you sure? I sell car bateries and in my opinion this is WAY TOO MUCH.
I give a 12 month waranty. I can’t give any more than that because battery longevity depends on how the battery is used. Taxi drivers for example change batteries maybe once or even twice a year.
Temperature is another important factor. Extreme temperatures (both low and high) kill the batteries. Also, most cars have their batteries inside the engine bay, which warms them too much. Some cars (Mercedes and VW Beetle comes to mind) have the batteries below the rear seats which offers a good protection.
This reminds me of experiences that friends had with a local mechanic. This mechanic specialized in FIATS, and generall did a good job. However, EVERYBODY who had their car fixed by him had to have a muffler replaced 6-8 months later!
The guy would put a welding torch to the side of the muffler…the burned area would rust hrough and blow out.
The guy made a LOT of money replaing mufflers!
Don’t know where you are Dog80 but folk around here sell batteries with 60 and 72 month warranties. Granted, there is typically only a 12 or 24 month free exchange, and the balance of the warranty is pro-rated based upon age, but this is not news. Crikeys-when Sears was selling DieHard™ batteries back in the 1970’s, they had a 5 year warranty, one of the reasons they were such good sellers.
The first battery (the one the car came with from the factory) usually lasts for up to five years. All batteries after that, last for 2-3 years. (I believe these statistics to be correct. I have cross-checked with other repair shops) And these figures are for light use only!
It’s probably the hot weather that kills batteries faster.
Also, I don’t know why the first battery always lasts more, but some other mechanics I have talked to, think that its because the whole recharging system is degrading as years pass.
Well I don’t work at a car dealership, but I know exactly how. I just replaced the battery in my car and I found out that after the battery has been disconnected, the alarm goes off as soon as it’s reconnected. The dealer probably didn’t tighten the connections well enough when hooking it back up, and now every once in a while there is a loss of the connection for one reason or another, say extreme cold.
A better solution would have been to just cut the wire to the alarm box under the hood. Then it can go off all it wants, and no one has to hear it.
Personally, I fucking hate car alarms. 99% of the time, they go off because a truck just went by, or a cat jumped on the hood, or some damn thing. You never see a car with its alarm going off, and someone is actually trying to steal it. Goddam noise pollution, if you ask me. When I hear a car alarm going off in my neighborhood, I hope someone is stealing it so I won’t have to hear it any more.
Anyway, back to the wire-snipping bit: I once had a car that came with an alarm. It was controlled by a little remote that attached to the key ring. I never used the alarm, so I left the remote at home. But one time, as I was driving along, the little light that indicated the alarm was active started blinking. (I was driving past the airport at the time, so I assume it got hit by a radar pulse or something, and got activated that way.)
So I get where I’m going, turn off the car, and open the door…and the alarm goes off, and me with no way to deactivate it. So I popped the hood, located the thing making the annoying racket, and cut the wire leading to it. The alarm never bothered me or anyone else again.
I submit that all this is exactly WHY people are so insecure and quick to anger about mechanics. It’s entirely possible to be a resonably educated person but not have the basic knowledge you need to be able to judge whether or not a mechanic is behaving in a trustworthy manner–it’s rather like picking a good doctor–there’s this omni-present fear that you don’t even know what signs you are supposed to be looking for. It’s easy to say “talk to your friends and neighbors”, but it’s entirely possible that they won’t know any better than you whether or not their mechanic has been ripping them off: all they know is that people have been nice. And crooks can be nice.
Dealing with mechanics leaves many people with a sick and vunerable feeling that they may well be taken advantage of, and, even worse, that if they are, they will never even know it. It’s easy to say “well, then learn about cars”, but life is pretty damn full for a lot of people, and even a few hours a month to work on the car would mean giving up something precious. So we live with the sick and vunerable feeling once or twice a year, but it leaves us grumpy and suspicious.
I think the vast majority of mechanics and dealers are honest. What grinds me is the auto companies and some of the parts they put in cars. If you have a GMC Envoy, you better pray for long headlight life because it costs NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS to replace a headlight! Likewise, if the rear window should break, that’ll be TWENTY THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS , please.
Well there ya go - it took hundreds of years for Ford to come along and implement the system of interchangeability of parts, and only 50 for all the car companies to get rid of it again. :rolleyes:
