Is it just me, or is it impossible to find a legit service 'person'. No matter how 'reputable' a shop may be, it seems that those places are such revolving doors that there is just no tellin who you will get next.

And I swear there have been times when I know they didn't grease all the fittings etc.... Last time I got oil change at a station, they didn't lubricate the ring, causing my oil filter to get so stuck I had to stab it with a large screwdriver to remove it.


It's not even about the money anymore. I just straight up don't trust shops. And not putting anyone down, I know there are a ton of good mechanics out there that would do you right... But they are getting harder and harder to find. Anymore it's just people who are good only when it's their car or someone they know, otherwise they don't give a hoot. It's like the instant you refuse to buy whatever they are pitching that you don't need, their attitude shifts to, well if they don't care about buying these new overpriced tires, then why care about doing a good job.

Maybe it's just the area I live in. But you are more likely to find teenaged punks and middle aged women, and straight up ignorant sales people at the counter working these places than a real mechanic. I thought the big O near me was legit, because they had 2 lifted XJs out front always on a ramp to show off... I guess those guys realized there are better places to work because now it's crap service there and those guys are no where to be found.

Anyone else wanna get in on this rant?

 

Nah... I live in a small town with two locally owned shops. They are both excellent and reasonably priced... just dropped my Jeep off at one for a new set of tires, only because the first one I went to couldn't get them until Tuesday... they were almost exactly the same on their quotes, about $5/tire higher than Walmart (50 miles away).

I think what it boils down to is reputation. In our small town word of mouth will make or break you, in a big town there is always another customer right around the corner.

Find a shop that does it right, and get to know the guys/gals working there. People treat folks they know better than strangers for the most part.

 

Never go to chain stores expecting great jobs. That is mistake number 1

 

One angle that I can leverage more these days is the strong relationships I have built up at my parts store. In my case, it a local Advance Auto in my small town. I do all of my own work, and that is why I am in/out of Advance a lot (mostly for consumables like oil, chemicals, rags, etc), so I have gotten to know a lot of the folks that work there, and whenever possible take the time to get to know them better. Where this can pay off is that they deal with all of the local service providers day-in/day-out. So if I needed to know which one to use in a bind, my contacts at Advance could tell me which ones are treating people right or are the best to deal with.

I would like to say that because I live in a small town that reputation matters and word gets around, but the truth is, where I live people will remain loyal to service providers that are screwing them over. Like my neighbors that get dinged for over $400 every time they get their brakes done. No matter what. But when I ask them if they would like to do them for a fraction of that amount, they say they "know a guy, who takes care of them". Yeah...they are being "taken care of" all right.

Even if I could get past the moral issues I see with some service providers, I still have the problem of service providers not knowing their craft all that well anymore. One of curses that comes with learning how to diagnose and work on your own vehicle is that you start to realize how bad some providers are. Because when they open their mouths, they say stuff that is wrong, or expose that their troubleshooting techniques make no sense. This happens with the Jeep a lot, where a local mechanic will say things that may be true for other vehicles but is just plain wrong for the Jeep. But they'll have no problem charging me for all of that "wrongness" and the time that it wastes.

Lastly, to be fair, I'll say that many young auto techs and independent mechanics probably started with good intentions. But it appears to be a very tough business and I think many of them get bitter and burnt-out. Some seem to be able to take the high road, but not everybody is built for that.

 

Honestly, unless it is a pain to do in a home garage I will always do a better job than a mechanic. (I don't have an overhead lift, or every tool known to man, or a 10000000 Ton hydraulic press, HVAC service items, etc).

I have the time and vested interest to go back and re-do something if its not correct. To take the time to wire wheel rusty bolts and fasteners before reinstalling, to paint parts before installing so they don't rust immediately, etc.

Shops suck ***. They want to charge you crap tons of money to do a barely mediocre job. And when they screw something up, there is little chance they will willingly fix the mistake.
I stay away unless I absolutely have to. This goes for chains, dealerships, and independent mechanics. If you know the guy personally it might be different.

Now FABRICATORS are a different story. They aren't looking to fix every POS on the road for a quick buck and depending on the project, there is no where I can come close to their level of fit, finish and quality. Huge difference than a mechanic though.

EDIT:
The most hilarious part is when they try to make something seem so hard and reject the work. For whatever reason, any time I call a shop they **** and moan about how hard of a job I am proposing and only want the low hanging fruit that nets them huge profit margins. Basically taking people for a ride
I think the last straw for me was needing an O2 sensor changed during a cold snap (was like 10*F outside during the daytime, and closer to 0*F at night). Went to the brakes plus by my office with the O2 sensor in hand, forgot to ask how much it would be (I was thinking $40 was expensive but worth it). They charged me $80 to change it. My jeep is lifted 4.5", I could have pulled into a gas station and changed the sensor in 10 mins. A$$holes....

 

the $80 is pronably their hourly charge and their minimum. There are lots of small cljobs that take little time
cant charge $40 or less for pr you will never stay afloat. Most shops have a 1 hiur minimum.

 

You've got that right. Recently I practically begged friends not to take their car to Pep Boys for brake service. Unfortunately the quote from a local reputable shop that I recommended was a little more expensive so they went with the "3 wise men" and learned the hard way.

 

This could not be more true for the shops in my area. THEY ALWAYS **** AND MOAN about the work whenever it's actual work. They also make everything seem like such a huge task. Replacing a clockspring in Toyota corolla... most shops wouldn't even touch it and said take it to dealership, who wanted over $500. I got the part on fleabay for $8 free shipping even. After it arrived in mail, 20 minutes later, I had a working airbag in my steering wheel again.

And no, I'm not a mechanic, but that is why it's so super cringy when you go to a shop and can tell they are talking out of their ****. They think they are going to quickly lose everyone with their tech mumbo jumbo and that blondes with large breasts are just going to hand over the checkbook to rebuild their entire crapbox.

They also get an attitude the second you sound like you may know what you are talking about... "How much to replace a water pump on 96 Cherokee sport?".... "HOLD ON THERE BUB, we haven't even seen it in our shop and diagnosed it yet!" It's like calling a barber asking how much a haircut is, and he says, 'Just wait a minute, I haven't even seen your head yet!'

 

My approach for the last couple of years is to try and do everything myself, and keep developing my circle of friends that do the same. So that the occasional job where extra-hands are helpful, I can have a buddy help out. We can also help each other out with various specialty tools (welders, presses, etc.) I'll be honest though, it has been tough to find people that do their own work. But within the Jeep and Overlanding (camping) community the percentage of folks is higher.

I also try to learn things in advance when possible. Because it sucks to try and learn diagnostic techniques when the problem is in effect. So for example, learn to use that multimeter, test lamp, scanner, and oscilloscope when things are working properly...so that you'll have some confidence in them when things go south. I also schedule various jobs prior to failure if possible. For example, I had a 22 year factory fuel pump and a seriously rusty fuel tank and filter. So I didn't wait for that to fail on its own schedule. I might not have gotten every penny worth out of the original parts, but I think that is worth the convenience of doing the job when it works for me (and not when it is 0 degrees in January).

 

Just wanted to add to this, as I took in my wife's toyota for oil change and tires this weekend to a tire and lube service station...

They acted like I was really putting them out because I wanted an oil change in the same day. They said it would be a 2 hour wait (it wasn't they just say this to scare ppl off) and then when I asked about tires.... OH MAN that was going to add SO MUCH MORE TIME, they said not sure they can even sell me tires that day!

Then after all that they make me sign a paper at the end stating they told me how little tread was left on my front tires!

CASE IN POINT!!!

I swear shops in the surrounding Denver areas are PURE GARBAGE!!!!!

 

do you go to chain shops like jiffy lube? If so, thats not just a denver thing. Also, these chain places are basically like fast food. You get what you pay for.

 

Im very fortunate that im a mechanic in a very different arena. I restore vintage Mustangs. Im a gearhead. The owner is a gearhead(not always the brightest bulb, but whatever). Coworkers are gearheads. And we all love these cars, and what we do. It's MY JOB to treat every car like my own.

The basic philosophy here?

Whether its a numbers matching Shelby, or a tired old 6cyl coupe... every car in the shop is SOMEBODY'S pride and joy. Somebody's baby.

I've worked in "regular" shops. I didnt enjoy it at all. "Low hanging fruit" is exactly right. All they want are the gravy jobs they can milk for easy money, and no care is given by the "techs" that gorilla their way through half assed repairs.

There's only one local straight up repair shop that i trust and recommend to people. Mander Automotive in Helotes TX. Old Bob Mander is a good guy, and his crew are the real deal. And their prices are good. Bout ten years ago i was living in an apartment and needed a clutch I'd ordered put in my '87 GT. IIRC they charged me $375 to swap it out.

 

Even the "local" chain around here has their issues. Their machinists (same name) are good, but their everyday service centers are skeevy. They'll sell you a "complete overhaul" for your automatic trans and neglect to tell you it doesn't include a new set of shift solenoids, then recharge you for the gasket kit after the old solenoids fail, redoing it all. Or change rotors without even bothering to measure and offer to turn them, and buy the dealer-priced hardware. It's like, hey, I'm happy to pay you what you charge in labor, but don't play the markup-the-most-expensive-parts BS game with me.

The worst was with the last car I took to a shop: my civic. put me through the ringer with motor mounts, trailing arm bushings, and distributor #3 (of 4). I'd had enough and vowed to learn.

This was reason #1 I started to learn to do this **** myself! I knew one guy, Ford guy, who had his own shop for years. After he retired he gave me contacts for all the stuff I can't do; namely welding/exhaust and other fab work. Don't have to worry when I need work done now.

 

This.. Only, these days, I'd say $95.00 an hour is more accurate. No matter where you go.. They are all going to charge you about that amount an hour. Anything less then that, and I have no idea how they are managing to pay for.... rent on their building, consumable expenses like lubricants, office supplies and new tools, property taxes, state mandated employee health insurance, employee salaries, employee benefits, environmental punishment fees, insurance against frivolous lawsuits, and.. so on.

I don't begrudge the hourly charge. I just do my best to find a company that gives me quality work for that time.
And yah..it's tough finding someone you trust. but when you do. You treasure them like gold.

I know a mechanic like that. He always tells me its gonna cost a million dollars. So I can't use him very often. But when I do, he puts everything back together. No missing bolts. (I have a dodge durango with its radiator zip-tied in place because the idiot mechanic I used, lost the bolts... and just didn't tell me about it.. Man that pissed me off.) But THIS guy does it right. And even cleans the engine bay for you before you pick up the car. Pretty cool.