Can a mechanic charge you for a diagnostic test?
Or, the mechanic charged you for a diagnostic test but didn’t find or fix the problem. You feel ripped off, not just because of the money but because uncorrected vehicle problems put your safety — as well as the safety of passengers and others on the road — at risk.
What should I expect from an auto mechanic?
Like a doctor, the mechanic will typically diagnose the problem first, tell you what needs to be repaired or replaced, and tell you how much it’ll cost you to get your car back into shape. When an approved repair does not fix the problem, the mechanic failed to correctly diagnose the problem in the first place.
What to do if your mechanic charge is wrong?
If a charge looks wrong, you should ask about it. This doesn’t necessarily mean the shop is trying to cheat you — mechanics are human and they can make honest mistakes. How do you make sure you’re being billed fairly?
What was the service fee on my mechanic’s Bill?
On the bill was a hefty item—I kid you not—that was labeled “service fee,” on top of labor, parts, tax, recycling charges, oil disposal fee, and all the rest. My wife, always the braver of us, questioned this item, noting that the estimate was much less than the sum before us.
Can a car repair shop charge more than the going rate?
Although good shops may charge higher prices to cover the cost of top-flight technicians and equipment, bills that are always 20 to 30 percent more than the going rate should put you on guard, warns John Nielsen, director of AAA’s Automotive Repair Network.
If a charge looks wrong, you should ask about it. This doesn’t necessarily mean the shop is trying to cheat you — mechanics are human and they can make honest mistakes. How do you make sure you’re being billed fairly?
How does a car mechanic inspect a car?
For your convenience, our mechanics go to the car owner’s location to inspect the car. They do not put the car on a lift but may use floor jacks to raise up parts of the car as needed. For example, the rear of the car may be jacked up a few inches off the ground in order for the mechanic to inspect the wheels and tires.
What makes auto mechanics cheat or push unnecessary repairs?
What drives mechanics to cheat or push unnecessary repairs, Joe said, is the tiny profit margin at many repair shops. Most mechanics are honest, he said, but many are pressured by their bosses to perform unnecessary work. “The shop has to stay in business,” Joe said. “There are pressures to do things that maybe you wouldn’t do normally.”