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Page generated Jun. 27th, 2025 01:08 pm
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Date: 2005-04-27 02:15 am (UTC)I took my car(s) for a while to the mechanic across the road from the university. it was within walking distance, and (initially important for our 4WD) it was an LPG specialist.
for probably 2 years I had my car(s) serviced there regularly, and was totally happy with the results. Then one day I took my car in and noticed the owner, who formerly did or supervised the doing of the repairs, dressed in business suit and shirt instead of overalls. Seems he'd taken up one of those mortgage brokering things, and was doing that instead of working on the cars. However, his new chief mechanic was "a really good guy" and would look after my car for me.
Cut to me coming back at the end of the day to a $500 bill (for a _service_ ?) and the news that my car needed at least $2800 spent on it *urgently* to bring it up to a roadworthy condition. The head was cracked, they said. The shockers were shot. the tyres needed replacing. and on, and on and on the list of urgent repairs went.
I was shocked and upset. they wanted me to book it in the following week to have the head replaced, at a cost of not less than $1800. I said I had to take it home and talk to my other half about it. They warned me not to drive it too far or I risked damaging it permanently. Luckily my mother rang not long after I got home and I was talking to her about it and she suggested I take it to _her_ mechanic, a friend of the family I'd known since I was about 7 or so. His verdict ? other than the tyres (which really did need replacing), there was absolutely no evidence for any of the other repairs needing to be performed. And the hundred-and-something dollars they'd charged me to "clean and adjust" the idle control motor was outrageous (it can't be cleaned, and it takes less than 5 minutes to adjust with a screwdriver). In short, I'd been ripped off by them, and they were looking to rip me off some more.
So, two and 3/4 years and many many thousands of kilometres later, I _still_ haven't had the head replaced, and there's still no evidence that it needs it. Nor have I had the shockers replaced (although they are now starting to show some wear). The brakes (which the first mob "repaired") have had to be replaced. The alternator (which they replaced) has had to be replaced again because the one they replaced it with was faulty.
The moral of the story is never to believe the mechanic who has vested interests in performing expensive repairs, which may not be needed. And when you do find a good mechanic, treat him (or her) well and hang on to him. They're worth their weight in gold.