13 Things Your Car Mechanic Won't Tell You

Driven cars forever with check engine lights on no problems no issues except at inspection time. Many times they don't interfere with the performance of the car at all. Too many mechanics have told me this to count. All depends on what it's on for. Get a free check at Auto Zone, Advance, etc.

spend a little bit of money and a little bit of time and take an automotive course at a community college. Be an informed consumer and the risk of being taken advantage of is greatly reduced.

Yes, there some crooks out there.
We have to be wise and know the manual and what's going on under the hood.
There's always a chance that "some" mechnanics will sell you a bridge if you so believe it.
When in fact all you probably need is something simple.

this article sucks, i would be more worried if a mechanic needs a computer to tell them whats wrong with a car............

I'm in the repair business, the biggest mistake people make is looking for the cheapest price. Where ever the "best" deal is that week is where they go. NO loyalty, except to the dollar... When they really need someone they have no one to trust, no relationship established. Find a good shop, get to know the guys(or girls), be loyal to them and they'll be loyal to you. Get a second opinion if you don't feel comfortable. ASE certification is mostly crap. So the guy can pass a test, big deal. Can he fix a car and treat people right. I read the books and passed the tests. It didn't make me better or more trustworthy mechanic. I don't think the've developed an ethics test yet. For you folks that feel Fluid flushes are scam, don't do them. Every time I flush nasty ,rusty brake fluid out of a system, I know I've just extended the life of someones hydraulics. When a grabby, groaning steering system leaves the shop quiet and smooth with only a minor fluid exchange rather than a costly pump or steerng gear replacement, I feel kinda' proud that I just saved MY customer a ton of money. The negativity toward us repairmen makes me think it must be hell to be a lawyer..................

Do not marry your mechanic. I married mine and my SUV never works right.

I always get #1 said to me and even though I know it's probably a scare tactic... I worry that maybe this time they are telling the truth!

Plain and Simple, the best thing you can do for yourself, your vehicle and your checkbook... is to get to know your car, understand how it works, and what needs constant checking, and altering, tweaking, replacing... and write these things down!!! I am a Single white female, 5'8, blonde hair, 120 lbs, 2 college degrees.. and I change my own oil -- the only reason I give you that breakdown is because people think I am kidding when I say I work on my own car... Until they see my car, and they see the meticulous care I have kept up on it...

Just because you are a woman, does not mean you can't know your car. I have never fallen for BS from a mechanic... although they have tried... and quickly realized they better go correct my bill before I call their BS...

Cars are easy to learn also... I would suggest every woman learn how to work on her car before opening her legs to have kids.. IT's so much easier.. and saves time and money and headaches... And besides.. in the end, you are sitting in your car proudly, thinking "So what did I think I ever needed a guy for?"

as an ase master technician i can say that there are some things you shouldnt save money on. #9 is valid, i would never put cheap brake parts on my car. i also wouldnt skimp on tires or suspension components as these are the things that keep you in control of your car. #12 is valid. emissions warranties in california are at least 7 yrs or 70,000 miles. #5, scan tool yes but engine analyzers are a thing of the past. they work very well but you wont see them often. they are too big and the technology is obsolete. most engine mechanical probs can be diagnosed with a vacuum guage and a leak down tester if the tech, knows what he is doing. #6 is true, but if your cars manufacturer doesnt recomend synthetic then dont buy it. #4 is just common sense and state law. #8 is simple, your service intervals are usually in your owners manual, or a dealer can print out what is recomended at a given time/mileage interval. the best way to find a good mechinic is word of mouth. personally i wont sell you some thing you dont need but i will make you aware of what you do need. and it always up to you what you buy. i hope this helps someone, there are good stores out there who do look at what is best for you before themselves.

if you have to be told to and when your car needs to be taken in for repairs or oil changes and so on than you have to read the manual and most of you don't. and that what's cost you the most money over the year. learn how to read and you spend less money than most of us who do.

THANK YOU!

i agree with you another hockey fan. i too know NOTHING about cars, so when i feel like when i go to a shop i'm getting fleeced for all i'm worth. now i go to family members, 2 uncles are mechanics, for minor things. they let me know what i should take to the shop and how much i should be paying.

I disagree with #6, #10 and some of #8.
#6 some new cars that have a light telling you when to change you oil counts revolutions of the motor they do not know what kind of oil it is.So you still have to change it.
#10 tires build date???? many tire shops carry the most popular sizes and reorder weekly and if properly stored no woories.
#8 well the first part is right coolant and brake fluid and powersteering fluid do not usually get flushed and filled unless there is a serious issue with a major component of that system. Injectors DO need to be cleaned sometimes. I agree there are some good additives out there but they will not totally clean a clogged or very dirty injector. A good shop will disconnect the fuel system and run pure cleaner untill the injector has a proper spray pattern. Ususlly clogged injectors are caused by high miles and cheap gas.

I feel blessed because I've found an honest mechanic.. I can't believe it either, but it's true. He's had more than one opportunity to rip me off and he has never done it. Which is exactly why I keep giving him mu business. Perfect example is # 8 on this list. Just this week he had my car in to be inspected and I asked about having the radiator flushed. e said he would check my coolant and see if it needed to be replaced; and that I probably didn't need the flush (which would have been about 70.00)... my coolant was fine and didn't even need replaced, let alone flushed.
He's Awesome !

Whenever my check engine light comes on it's always been because I didn't close my gas cap tight enough. If it comes on right after I've gotten gas, I'll tighten the cap and drive around for a day. The light always goes off right after that. One repair shop tried to get me to pay $100 for a diagnosis test but I refused because I knew that I didn't need it.

Really, just learn something about your car. If you're standing there with your thumb up your butt going duh catalytic what? you're clearly not going to get the same deal.

#12 is good to know!

I don't know a THING about cars. My hubby on the other hand knows just about everything there is to know, so funny thing when I take my car in for a simple oil change and he's there the car is in PERFECT condition, but if I'm alone there's always one or two serious things wrong with it. It's a 2005 car too. I hate that car dealerships do this.to women.

zebralover & others- that person who offered you a diagnostics test for $100 is a flat out scam. The people at autozone (national auto parts store, I believe) checked mine for free and it took less than two minutes. They will print out the codes for you so you can take them to a mechanic or handle the problem yourself. They do the test for free everywhere, it is just a hand-sized machine that hooks up near the steering wheel and prints out codes...

I always bring my dad or husband with me when I go to a mechanic or junk yard for parts. I know I will get "scammed" if I go by myself, even if i properly research costs ahead of time. I have a hard time saying no, so I have to take back-up. I am about to try a new mechanic in town and hopefully he will not be as bad as the last guy. He was up front and honest at first, but as we became more loyal he started making prices higher because he thought we trusted him that much. After a fiasco regarding fixing my blinkers on my old van, we had to go. (something that takes 5 minutes and cost $12 for the part turned into a $300 job with him. My dad was able to do it himself afterward.)

Number 2... You can't always trust AAA shops. My husbands 56 bel air was in an accident and needed body work. No big deal right? Take it to a AAA body shop (we have AAA for our insurance), then it sat. And sat. One month went by with them repeatedly telling us it'd be done soon. Low and behold, they hadn't even ordered parts yet! They had no idea how to work with metal, so they shoved it to the back! Arg! Needless to say, we took it to a classic car shop.