Every car owner is always possessive about the car’s cleaning, maintenance, and other factors. When it comes to taking your car to a mechanic for an oil change, cleaning, and other sorts of maintenance, you might have thought, is your mechanic hiding something? No doubt, mechanics are mostly honest and don’t go for excessive charges. But, they are not telling you a few things.
These are all about earning slightly extra bucks by hiding crucial factors. To do this, some mechanic prefers the use of cheap quality parts, whereas some prefer not fixing the problem so that they can charge extra in the next maintenance. It is important that you stay selective and learn about the necessary details.
These are some important things that every car owner should know before heading to a car repair shop. The below mentioned are 20 things that no mechanic wants you to learn about.
Let’s have a look
1. Never Sign Authorization Form
Mechanics want you to sign authorization forms instantly. They provide you the paperwork. Well, it is always important that you read it because they have a hidden policy or charges that you might have to pay. The overall cost of repair increases by a significant amount, so you have to be careful.
2. Avoid Flush Oil If the Limit is Far
Most car engines don’t require using flush oil unless you cross 100,000 miles. It is usually mentioned in manuals, and you can check it. Mechanics may force you to use quick lubes, but there is no need if your car is not near the numbers mentioned in the manual. This thing can help you save extra bucks.
3. You can change the oil on your own
Oil-change is one of the most important things that you should do from time to time. The process of oil changing will surely boost the performance and riding experience. You can buy the oil kit from the auto parts store, which can reduce your cost by 20 to 25 bucks if you do this process on your own. Changing the oil twice a year is a timeless option to keep the vehicle smooth.
4. A new car can be your best option
If you are considering buying a used car, you should think twice because sometimes getting a new car can be the best option. A new car will give you so many trouble-free years of riding and new technology. If something happens to your car, the dealer will help you to get fixed it in the warranty. Mechanics will never suggest you buy a new car, as they want to employ them to repair the used cars.
5. Can cost you twice which they agreed on
A professional mechanic will never ask for the extra money if there is no big issue related to the automobile. If you choose the right dealership service center, they will update you from time to time and tell you the details about the major problems. On the other hand, they will never return your car before the problem is fixed.
6. It is not well if the engine light stays on
Usually, mechanics might want you to see it, but it should be important to check those engine lights before you pay. These lights will help you to see that the problems but also can be a relief for your future. Why wait until the small problem that you have now to get a big one? In some cases, the engine light is turned off at the mechanic shop for a temporary basis, but it reappears.
7. Don’t keep it for so long
If you are already facing some big problems in your car, don’t keep it forever. The mechanics will never tell you about that because of their own sake; they will always want you to drive that thing until the wheels fall off, which is good for their pockets. The best option is to consult with any other mechanic to figure out the issue.
8. You can also complete the brake job
Once you start doing a little work on your vehicles by changing the oil, you can also perform the other task, which is a brake job. This process is a little dirty and tricky, but it can save you some serious money. It can be an exhausting task because of no hydraulic lift, but you can use a premium jack that will handle the weight.
9. You can repair the dents
There are many dent removing kits available in the market, which are so cheap that you can easily use to spring out the dent, which will surely save your time and money. If this is your first time, don’t get panic, all the kits come with a manual by which you can easily learn the process. Make sure you get the best kit, which has more positive reviews for better results.
10. Car Oil-Change interval is not the same told by Your Mechanic
Most of the car lubricants claim to provide an oil-change interval of 5,000 miles. Mechanics always says that you have to change the oil after 4,500 miles, which might be a wastage of money. You can drive an extra thousand miles and change the oil after that. Very few mechanics will tell you this thing.
11. Don’t Leave Old Parts at Repair Shop
In case the mechanic changed any part, you must ask for it while heading back home. Asking for old parts helps you know whether the mechanic has changed the old part with a new one or not. In many cases, mechanics fix the old part and use it but won’t share it with you so that they can change for a new part.
12. Take Test Drive
Missing test drive after a complete fix is necessary before leaving the repair shop. A regular test is important to eradicate all the issues at one time. Mechanics also suggest test drive, but if there is any part that can’t be fixed by the mechanic, then he/she won’t tell you. In such cases, they don’t want to go for a test drive, and when you return again, they can charge extra.
13. Avoid Friday Afternoons for a fix
If you want to opt for proper maintenance and high-quality work, then you should avoid Friday after. In case you call your mechanic and ask for an appointment on Friday afternoon, they can still ask you to come over. But, they won’t tell that they will rush. Most mechanics rush and avoid proper cleaning and repair.
14. Go for genuine Replacements
When it comes to change parts, you should go for genuine parts from the same manufacturer. However, if you want to go for slightly affordable options, then consider reputed after-market brands. The market is flooded with a range of manufacturers and the cheapest one, usually Chinese manufacturers. You can avoid getting a poor quality product by considering brands.
15. Knowledge about Specific Model
There are two types of places where you can go for repair: Dealership and Private shop. Both are good to go, but if you own a brand-new car that is new in the market, then try preferring dealership because they have better access to resources. A private repair shop might not have the complete detail about your car model, but they won’t tell you about it.
16. You Don’t Need what I Recommend
The mechanic might recommend so many things that you can avoid and save extra bucks on the repair. The only reason behind the suggestion is, they can charge you extra for spending extra time even if they are not lots of work. Spending extra time on your car will make them charge extra, and you should avoid it.
17. We are Not Licensed Yet!
No mechanic shop will tell you whether they are licensed or not. A certified workshop is safer because they are not going to loot you. Some non-certified workshops are charging extra for no reason, and they don’t have complete knowledge about the car you want to repair. This is important that you should go with a licensed workshop.
18. Consider The use of Engine Analyzer
Mechanics might say that they don’t need to use engine analyzers because these are fancy tools, nothing else. Then don’t prefer such workshops and avoid that place in the future also. The reason is, engine analyzer provides most of the details that can’t be seen directly. Such equipment plays an important role when it comes to engine work.
19. There is No need of Cleaning Fuel Injector
The fuel injector is a tight and well-sealed place that doesn’t get much dirt. Even though you are using the car for a couple of years, the need for cleaning fuel injector is redundant. But, the mechanic might put extra pressure and come up with an extra number of reasons to clean it. You can avoid the cleaning part of the fuel injector.
20. Be careful and pay extra attention when it comes to brake
No mechanic will tell you which kind of brake leather is being used as if he is putting a cheap quality brake part. Make sure that you avoid cheap brake parts, they are risky, and they won’t last long. Genuine brake parts cost slightly extra bucks. Mechanics can’t have parts for all the cars, so they prefer cheap quality options. However, you can ask for a genuine replacement.
The Final verdict
Apparently, all mechanics are not the same, and you can find some great places where mechanics are totally honest. It is not about a good-looking or a fancy workshop, but it is all about reputation. A reputed workshop provides quality job to keep getting customers, and they prefer quality services over the charges. So, you can choose such mechanics and avoid facing above mentioned issues.