My auto repair service stories
I worked for an auto repair service center in New Jersey that bought a piece of equipment called the engine vac. This machine says it will clean fuel injectors plus remove carbon deposits from cylinders and valves. The machine claims to restore power and fuel economy to your engine. The engine vac machine connected to the fuel system and pressurized cleaning solution was fed into the engine while it was running. The auto repair service sold for $110.00. The shop spent $2000.00 on the machine and the service was not selling well. They put a poster up on the wall from engine vac that explained to the customer all the wonderful things the machine did. The auto repair service adviser would take the customer over to the poster and use the poster to help sell the service. Still the sales were low. The dealership implemented a bonus plan to the mechanic and service adviser. For every engine vac service sold the mechanic and service adviser would split a $20.00 under the table cash bonus. The dealer would take money out of petty cash and hand over the ten-dollar bills to the mechanic and adviser. The effect this had on the auto repair service department personnel was nothing short of amazing. Suddenly every car that came in needed a engine vac service.
If the customer was watching they would see the connection hose attached to their vehicle and the vehicle was running but it was not really connected. At this dealership the service was a complete scam. $110.00 for no services rendered. I would actually hook the machine up to the vehicle and perform the service as engine vac specified. I never felt any improvement in power nor found a customer that had increased fuel economy. Auto repair service scam
The oil change game. You may know that the most common service in the automotive service retail business is the simple oil change. I want you to learn how the repair facility views this common service so you can protect yourself. There are many kinds of shops that perform this service. Dealerships, chain stores, quick lube centers, independent shops and mobile auto repair service. They all view the oil change as an opportunity to up sell you something else. The profit margin on an oil change service is very small. The shop considers this an acceptable loss because it provides them an opportunity to look your vehicle over very carefully. The shop calls this an at bat. And sometimes they strike out but most of the time they hit a home run. Being under your vehicle and then in the engine compartment to refill the oil provides them with all the opportunity needed to work up a nice big list.
It cracked me up when they started selling windshield services where they would apply a rain shedding product and new wiper blades for about $75.00. When I say that oil change and quick lube centers do not employee qualified technicians I am being truthful. These auto repair service shops pay a very low hourly rate and there fore are unable to find a certified technician to work for $7.00 - $9.00 an hour. This could spell trouble for some customers. An oil change is a simple operation but if done incorrectly major engine damage can result. Oil change what could go wrong?
Quick story I had a friend of the family go into a quick lube and they sold her an air filter. I do not perform oil changes for people because of the difficulty in getting rid of the used oil!When replacing the air filter the oil changer wiped out the air box and got distracted and left the rag in side and under the air filter. When he started up the motor, yes the rag got sucked into the engine and bent an intake valve and cracked a piston. The shop did pay to have the engine fixed but the car never ran the same again. A flat rate mechanic at a dealership repaired the engine cutting corners due to the flat rate system and the car had multiple problems after the engine service. Most mechanics are not as good at putting engines together as the factory is. Even if they are not flat rate. It takes a lot of skill, knowledge and practice to perform engine work properly. Oil change and quick lube up sellsLets hit a few more common up sells from the oil change service. The repair shops like to sell coolant flushes. This will be coming to an end soon due to the now wide spread use of extended life coolants.Starting in the late 90’s General motors starting using a new red coolant called dexcool. The recommended service interval is every 100,000 miles. Now all of the major manufacturers are using some kind of extended life coolant. So check your owner’s manual for service intervals.
If you have a vehicle with the old green coolant (ethylene glycol) it is recommended to change your coolant every 30,000 miles. So don’t approve the auto repair service until you check your owner’s manual. Remember the shop recommends it for them not for you. Next since they are under your vehicle they could not help but notice you need shocks or struts replaced. They love this repair again because it’s quick and easy with a high profit margin. Shocks are replaced on as needed basis. When shocks or struts are worn out the vehicle has a poor ride as in it bounces up and down excessively. When shocks are bad you can get choppy wear on your tires (they look like stop signs). Shocks and struts are fluid or gas filled. If they leak they will leave a trail of oily film on the shock or strut body. The standard shock and strut test is push down on the vehicle front and rear bumpers separately and hold it down and then release it. The vehicle should return smoothly to its original height. Not bounce up and down like a bobble head doll. Ask you're auto repair service provider to do this test before approving the repairs. Help the Auto-Facts website and keep the free auto repair service stories flowing by giving us a bookmark :-) If you would like to find out about the car mechanic that built this website visit the homepage where car questions are answered
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