Consumers Need Better Representation at the Mechanic
A few months ago I went to a local car repair shop to get my oil changed. I don’t drive my car that often because I’m usually taking public transportation to school and work. About two weeks ago I noticed my oil light had gone on and I started hearing a strange noise from the engine. I had not even driven 1500 miles from my last oil change so I knew something was wrong. I didn’t have time right then to go, but I knew I had to take it back to the shop very soon.
My friend Avi, who, unlike me, is quite knowledgeable about cars, asked to take a look at it before I take it to the shop. Apparently, the mechanic forgot to put the cap back on the engine. Oil has been sputtering out of the engine causing me to be extremely low on oil. Yes, I know I should have opened the hood myself before I went back to the shop.
I went to the mechanic yesterday to complain and they quickly filled up my oil for no fee and replaced my engine cap. Then I mentioned, per Avi’s suggestion, that if I start hearing problems from my engine, I’m coming back.
I hate situations like this. They made a stupid mistake and should be held accountable. If my engine has serious issues, my mechanic should pay for it. And yet, I walked out of there with no guarantee that if I have issues, they’ll fix it without payment (or with a heavy discount). I hate relationship-based commerce. I also hate to haggle. I shouldn’t need to be pushy or have a better relationship with a vendor to get the exact same level of service or price as anyone else. I think the consumer could use a car agent.
A car agent would be someone who would look after the best interests of their clients at the mechanic. A car agent could represent many clients (cars that need servicing), and can negotiate bulk pricing for standard services (regular maintenance). If the mechanic tries to screw over a client, the car agent could threaten to move all his/her clients elsewhere. That would keep mechanics in check.
I’m not saying I’m getting ripped off (even though it would be nice if they remembered to put the cap back on my engine). I just don’t know if I’m getting ripped off and I don’t have someone who is looking out for my best interests. I’ll ask Avi, but I bet I’m not alone in this situation.
The web community has already recognized this problem and have come up with different solutions. MyDealerReport gives car dealerships ratings based on user reviews. RepairPal and DriverSide help you find user reviews and prices for local mechanics. I think these sites are a start but we need something more to represent the consumer’s interests when dealing with mechanics.
What can I say… Get rid of a car. Imagine how much money you will save. Then you can use this money to rent a car whenever you need one. Furthermore, if you are lucky and you live in an area with community cars, such as Zip, then you are all set. You did say you mostly use public transport. Also, you can bike pretty much everywhere.
As far as the mechanics are concerned, I don’t think I had a good experience with them… ever. I think there is some genetic thing or perhaps breathing all those fumes. The worse one was the Toyota dealer in Sunnyvale. I took a Camry with a check engine light there and they figured out there was something wrong. $800 and a week later, the check engine light came back. $500 and a week later the check engine light was on again. I then took it to another place, they fixed the original problem for $200 and said that Toyota dealer was full of … well, you know. That said, this guy did other weird things, so he is not super great either.
I guess the whole thing is like voting. You vote for less of an evil instead of for somebody you care about. Same with mechanics. You go to a less bad mechanic.
Ditch the car…
I hate hate hate going to the mechanic. Someone should sell “car repair insurance” – take the average annual cost of ownership for my car, and just charge me monthly for it. Then let me bring in the car whenever there’s a problem and fix it for no cost. I’d be much happier paying for that than ever dealing and haggling with mechanics again.
Ely, I’m so sorry! You know if were were at ebizQ, we could have taken a look at it over in the parking garage.
Customers should always check to make sure that gas caps and dipsticks have been replaced after every oil change. Another thing to watch for is to make sure that the oil filter has been tightened all the way. I once lost three quarts in two hours this way an if I hadn’t pulled over and noticed, I might have blown the engine.
Thanks Gian. I’ll know to check in the future.
Ely, I’ve had good luck with Bob Wisniewski over at Hastings Car Care Center over on Saw Mill River Road (914) 478-3010
My car was leaking antifreeze from back of engine block, which I thought would have entailed a $800 head gasket replacement. Instead, Bob took the time to Id the problem as a heater hose in the back, so I got off relatively cheaply.
Plus we can hang out while you get your car done:0
All best
Gian