20/20 Undercover Investigation on Repair Shop Fraud and Dishonesty
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- čas přidán 14. 09. 2014
- September 12, 2014 -- A 20/20 undercover investigation into repair shops reveals some shops scamming customers and charging for unnecessary repairs, however, NJGCA member Sam Shah was found to be the only honest and forthright mechanic to be visited.
The honest one at the start didn't get enough notoriety for being so awesome and honest
Truth! And respect
YES!!!!
The question remains whether he would have been as honest with the women. Both mechanics got right to the problem and fixed it. Only when the women were there did 'other problems' get found.
@@JKiler1 the first one was with her alone and didn’t even charge her.
@@texasmonster1668 no, they had a man bring it in. That was the whole point.
As a kid my dad lost his job and he’s vehicle broke down. The mechanic took all his money 💰 and he couldn’t pay the rent. So I decided to buy a book on repairs and became the mechanic for the family. I taught my nephews and son and we don’t worry about crooks.
I do my own work too. Cant trust shops.
U must live in NY or NJ I've only met a few honest people from either state
I live in ontario canada but have travelled all 48 and most of canada. Not many people anymore can be trusted coast to coast in both countries and likely a world wide issue. Lust for wealth has corrupted even the more honest people. Everyone wants more money no matter how they get it. Try to be honest and get fucked over and left to starve. I have learned to rely on myself. Anytime help others free of charge then ask that same person for help they either say no or want max money they can get. In my 20s i helped friends move with my car and my gas and never asked a penny nor offered one. Then my turn to move using my car and my gas but not 1 person would help unless paid them by the hour. Then my car broke down and needed a ride to work. 20 mile drive and 30 yrs ago when gas was cheap and everyone wanted 100 bucks. Broke down and called my exs father. He was like mid 50s and said 10 bucks plus a coffee. Shops try to screw me over but i kinda know mechanics so catch them but they still try. Decided to buy my own tools and do my own repairs. 200 bucks buys alot of tools. Mostly yard sales. Dont need snap on for only fixing 1 car time to time. Blew a wheel bearing out west. Shops quoted 700 plus tax. Bearing was 80 bucks so bought a few tools and 3 hrs later back on the road. 80 in parts, 200 in tools and 3 hrs in a parking lot. Still have the tools. Shops are rip off scum bags that dont deserve customers and 90% of the humans alive dont deserve friends.
I do as much of my own auto repair that I can, mainly oil changes and other minor maintenance. Also owning a cheap scan tool is helpful in retrieving codes from the computer.
My granddad once told me since I'm a female he wanted to teach me auto repair so that noone can screw me over which he did & as a 58 yr old female i still work on my own vehicle.
I am a life long technician. This really really infuriates me that this goes on. I don’t let any of my friends or family take anything to a shop. If I don’t have the tools to make the repair myself (usually the diagnostic computers) I either go with them or have them go to the shop and folks that I trust and use.
If it’s not my trusted shop I make sure the shop knows who I am and I’ve already been under the hood and tell them what I found and tell them what I want done so they can’t pull some shit.
Shops that do this need to be closed and jailed.
Settle down mi Amiga! You probably have ripped one or two greengo'$ off before! Typical Joe Biden loving clown....
technician without a diagnostic tool? you're a mechanic
@@12mak
Yes I am a heavy diesel technician (not mechanic) ASE CERTIFIED. My employer has the diagnostic computers-but I do not. They cost anywhere from $10k to $100k. No I don’t have a computer.
@@sgtmajor well that's fair. I'm ASE certified as well, but I have a personal scan tool for myself if I ever need it. Problem with having them yourself is they get outdated quick.
@@12mak
Thus why I won’t buy them. It’s just to easy to take an auto to the parts store and run codes. If not take to the shop and run codes
It took me one time to go to a mechanic when I was 18 to get screwed and never go back to one ever again. I then bought a tool set and started learning everything I needed to keep my cars running and how to repair. I work 60 hour weeks at my job and still have time to make sure my cars are doing good. Learn to do basics and you'll be ok. Oil changes, fixing flats are essential to saving money on having someone else screw your car up and not take responsibility when they do it.
On older cars you can do that. On new cars it's all computerized so you have to get it done at the shop a lot. Some things you can do yourself.
@@thomasgallegos2832 Stop scaring people. An oil change is an oil change and a flat is a flat. You can find almost any job online nowadays. He wasn't referring to an engine overhaul, so chill dude.
@@thomasgallegos2832 nonsense.
How was you screwed over
@@thomasgallegos2832 Many tools used for checking computer codes are relatively inexpensive. Learning how to repair a computerized car just takes intiative and cracking some books.
You should recommend the honest mechanic at the beginning who didn’t charge, that’s a shop worth supporting !
Exactly
They said the name of it
Props to that first shop, it’s nice to see people being honest and treating others with respect
Bet you, deep down, he was still thinking, "women..."
@@randomuser8945 *smh* women...
Sad that we have to comment when someone acts like they should and we all get surprised.
@@SalfordAmmies84 that's the world today. Since 2012 we've seen a decline in overall manners, morals and ethics. Everyone is a greedy pig nowadays. Time to buy a plot of land in New Hampshire and settle down away from all the losers lol
I was charged $450 to change 4 brake pads. That was the last time .
I do it all my self. I just changed front rotors and brake pads my self yesterday, $168 with tax for all parts. Took me couple hours at very slow pace.
That's a fair price for a shop to charge. Especially if it is including rotors or even resurfacing the rotors. Usually it's one hour of labor per axle plus parts. The average shop charges 100 per hour, and shops mark up parts a percentage (25-45% of their cost). But good for learning to do it yourself.
$168.00 including tax for 4 rotors and 2 sets of pads. Really? I guess you used white box chinese garbage.
@@michaelh2034 this was in 2011 my friend. $450 was worth more.
Ohhhh Do your own mechanical work, You'll save money and you'll learn as you go.
Çcccn lcn
When I heard 2020 I was like was this shot in 2020 🤣
Facts lol got me too😂😂
@Steven Ares I'm trying it on my wife's making sure she don't know about my girl friend
lol Ye me too
An educated consumer is a salesman's worst nightmare.
An educated consumer is a *DISHONEST* salesman's worst nightmare.
Went to pep boys for an alignment and they didn't do it but refused to let me have my truck back until i paid a $89 inspection fee
False. An educated consumer fixes their fucking car. Only morons who wont listen and dont care ignore that dead misfire and warnings from the technician.
Idiots dont wanna spend 600 fixing their 8,000 vehicle. Cuz math is hard. Ignore that 600, you'll crack the block soon enough (twice this week that has happened, 08 civic and 06 trailblazer), then your car will be worth 50 dollars (scrap is awful right now). Plus you wont even be able to drive it to work, still owed money? Well good thing you were an educated consumer....
Educated consumers come in and say I have done research and this is likely the issue, or these are great tires and I want those. Only morons buy the Chinese tires that were 200 dollars less than the brand name tires they should have got.
When those 280 tires wear out in a year and you crash into a ditch once it snows, I'll be waiting to say, good thing they were a smart consumer and didnt wanna spend money with us.
Smart consumers tend to buy better products cuz they understand buying a pair of 180 work boots will last 2 or 3 years, while numb nuts keeps buying a new pair of 60 dollars payless shoes every 6 months. Who was smarter and which salesman was happier. The one who sold the bigger better item.
How is that good for sales.... you make zero sense
A miseducated consumer is the worst. Certain they are right and that they know more when clearly they are dumb as rocks and Google or that guy at the parts store was wrong. But instead of listening to someone who has spent their entire adult life doing this and knows more than any site they could visit or any number of forums all wrapped into one, they insist they know.
Those are the worst consumers for salesmen. Until the salesman proves them wrong. I love taking miseducated people out and showing them physical damage that clearly is contrary to what they were insisting was wrong.
They finally realise they really dont know what they are talking about and either shut up and listen or storm out in frustration. Either way, I'm the one that gets paid 70k plus a year to do this, not you. The more you mess this up the more I'll make later.
@@retiredtidepodeater3339 perfect
I don't understand why they're not arrested; charging for work that was never done is theft, is it not?
I would consider it stealing, it i pay for a service do it and just that service dont suggest something else
+Dixinormus Is it fraud through and they should be arrested.
+art deco Its a civil matter.
+art deco It some jurisdictions it may be considered fraud. But in order to get arrested, a victim must come forward to the police. I'm assuming that didn't happen in these cases.
No! It's the American way.
I was always told there's three kinds of mechanics. There are the ones that will intentionally rip you off they're the ones that don't know what they're doing and they will rip you off because they'll replace stuff you don't really need. And then there's the honest mechanic and they are very very hard to find
This is just as much of an indictment of people in NY/NJ as the auto repair industry, honestly. I’m married into a family of Jersey Italians that work in auto body and it’s amazing the stories they tell of the service side of shops ripping people off.
You are in jersey would you expect anything different
never go to a tire store to fix an engine issue
ItsInTheDetails *Tire (Store) ? Lol*
@@IDABAYAREA650I Bridgestone
@@StickyJohnson Turtles are cool
Every repair shop sells tires. Most tire stores do auto repairs.
@@robinstewart6510 Nope. The mechanic I go to doesn't do tires or alignments, if it's necessary they sub it out to a tire shop. Similarly, the tire shop won't do anything more than routine maintenance. One reason is the alignment rack takes a whole bay and brings in only $75 a shot, it doesn't make economic sense if you don't do a ton. The other thing is with tires, people go there with unrepairable flats and need replacements right now, not waiting for 3 days. The tire store has stock, it doesn't make sense for the mechanic to carry piles of tires, particularly if it's not a dealership and they have to carry sizes for all cars.
This is why I only work on my car myself.
The guy that just plugged it back in and didn't charge anything... Uh, can I use you for my mechanic even though you're thousands of miles away? I mean, seriously, contact the BBB and give this guy the Medal of Honor!
But seriously, can we give acknowledge the guy that didn't charge her? 👏🏼
They should do investigation on attorney & physician's scams.
Many quack doctors out there.
Plus what the fuck you talkin about lawyers scam I understand they charge high but that's not scamming you're just paying money for a chance to not go to jail even the best lawyers in the world there is still the risk of jail
I agree with that
Amen
An attorney is just a scumbag with a tie! I hate it when someone always says OB successful like a doctor or a lawyer if I was a doctor and I heard that I'd punch him right in a f****** face! That is such an insult to be compared to a piece of s*** lawyer!
Mechanic here, and one gripe I have with this video is with the way they portrayed "gravy work".
There are book times for every single job (an industry standard is often Mitchell times) and these are estimates of how long these jobs should take. When you are starting off in the trade, you'll often be slower than these times but still charging the book time, and when you improve you'll find you can beat them. Just because you improve over time in the quality and speed of your work shouldn't mean you should charge less.
Book times for an inept mechanic ba ha ha ha ha. Thats a screw job
No, that's just reality bruh
Fuck book times
how about the rust belt vehicles.
As a mechanic and shop owner this upsets me. Ive been in business for 20 years and something like this would be my flat minimum charge of $35.00. I have a mortgage to pay on my shop. Upgrades every year on my scanners and in some cases replacing diagnostic tools not to mention buying speciality tools as needed for certain cars. Wages to pay my techs and make a living myself. Book time is what it is, if I am good at what I do, why shouldn't I get paid for it if it takes less time? Overcharging is not acceptable but charging book time is the industry standard. Easy question to everyone, do want the best rate of pay for what you do? Obviously the answer is yes. So if a mechanic is honest, does only the work needed and doesnt overcharge, why shouldn't he or she charge the allowed book time.
4:11 that's respect right there. Mad props to this dude!
We're blessed to have a Mechanic in our area who I'd trust with anything I have.👍
You lucky
It never pays to cheat people. I go to a great mechanic that has a small garage and lives next store, and is willing to work right in front of you and be honest. Because he knows you will tell others of his Great Service and will do better that way.
It's amazing how powerful "word of mouth" can be. I work as a computer technician, and when I was working on home computers at mom and pop stores, we always saw people come in with computers that had been taken to chain stores and diagnosed with tons of cash worth of repairs they didn't need.
Honestly exactly how I am. I ended up having an issue I did not fix correctly for my customer the first time due to over looking something. I told him exactly what happened and fixed it free of charge. He ended up paying me 150 dollars for my time and told my he was just happy I was honest.
Awesomeman1987 It was nice what you did! -Why cheat someone once to make some cash, when you can have the same customer for years and make that money 10 fold? People and businesses will never learn.
Anthony Canzoni "Next store"? lol
When people in general used to be honest themselves. Customers are the biggest liars and cheaters these days.
Being a mechanic for over 32 years now and seeing this has made me sad :(. Never in all my years have I ever charged someone for something they didnt need or something I didnt do.... But its people like this that make me look bad. just takes one bad apple
I'd be more than happy if it were one bad apple. It's plenty more, and it's already driving me to the edge, doing everything I can to drive off from having to visit one already.
Lots off bad apples
“gravy work” is called flat rate all shops do this
Yeah why should a mechanic charge less than being better? They would be robbing themselves. You are paying them for the experience
Thank you tools aren't free skill and knowledge aren't free. If you think they should be go try it at any university and see how fast they call security on you.
And why wouldn't you consider that to be a scam? Do you get charged a "flat rate" at McDonalds, the shopping mall, or the gas pump? Heck, most mechanics are now charging this "flat rate" plus the actual time to do the repair, parts, and so on.
@@robinstewart6510 flat rate is how they are paid. this isnt a special charge flat rate is just being paid for how many hours you billed. for example say a job takes three hours ( a time mandated from the manufacturer) the customer is then billed parts and labor and then the technician gets paid 3 hours so say they make 15 an hour then they would make 45, gravy work itself varies from shop to shop and tech to tech but think of it like easy stuff like oil changes brake work suspension etc the benefit of flat rate is that techs can make alot of money if that same 3 hour job takes 1 hour then they can do 3 in an hour tripling their pay for said hour
@@robinstewart6510 sorry but you don’t understand what you’re talking about. Mechanics get paid flat rate by the shop
I remember one time my mother got my great grandmas SUV checked out to make sure it was road worthy, and the guy ( mechanic ) lied about the tail light ( don't remember the specifics ) and told my mother how much it would cost to repair, two seconds later after buying a part for the light at AutoZone ( right across the street ) she had the employee take a quick peek at it and it turned out the mechanic was lying. The mechanic seemed ashamed and didn't admit to lying after it was addressed, he refused to address his lie.
That really hurt when they said coming to a repair shop is dreading. All those shitty mechanics give mechanics a bad name
And your a honest 1 ????? I still haven't found one honest one
Me neither
Firestone is the worst, I had several bad experiences with them.
The one in my area has been good to me, I’ve only used them for one oil change and one alignment. They definitely up charge though I overheard them give someone a quote for 800 for brakes on a carolla
Same I got overcharged at my Firestone
If you lie and defraud someone, you should have to pay the customer 3 times the amount AND be closed for 1 full week for every hundred $ over the actual price.
kudos to that first guy, caught red handed on camera being an industry saint. ive never worked for a shop that lies about what you need but certainly ones that price gouge and try to exaggerate every finding from an inspection
The guy in the first garage must've realised it's some kind of setup... I ain't a mechanic but i know, as will any mechanic, that these cables don't simply "pop" out on their own; hell, they can sometimes be hard to pull out.
So the first guy was smart and a good mechanic, the others were good mechanics and dumb? and yet you say a good mechanic should be able to realize it didn't pop out on it's own. Not sure what that makes the rest of the guys. Perhaps just bad mechanics all around.
That sensor could have been left unplugged by the last mechanic just by changing the air filter. I don't know why people find it so hard to believe that a shop would be this honest.
@@KeithsReviews An unplugged air flow sensor will instantly set a code; like before you even back it out of the repair bay nevermind when the customer picks the car up and the light is suddenly on. This "unplugged connector" has setup written all over it.
@@scdevon Ok good point, but say the person worked on their own car and forgot to plug it back in. Too many variables.
sab188 they do I’ve had injector harness clip pop off and cause a fucking HORRIBLE misfire. Luckily I build my own and work on my own cars but it happens and it’s happen several times to me personally.
The "check engine light" is called the "money light".
We call it the "empty wallet light"
And 99.9 percent of the time, it's only a sensor...
Just put a piece of black tape over it!
The sad truth
I'm a 52 yr old woman, and before I was aloud to drive off in a car when I was a teenager, I had to know how to work on my car, and I'm so glad my dad taught me besides I love to take care of stuff myself. My husband 17 yrs passed away 2 1/2 yrs ago, and he was a great mechanic too.. So many men don't know how to work on a vehicle, and that blows my mind away. All 4 of my son's know how to work on there own cars, and my 2 daughters know but, they are both married to men that are great mechanics. Today's youth don't care about stuff like that, and it's sad. When I was younger, every guy I knew could work on cars, now it's take it to the shop.
😆🤣😂😆 My (5) grandkids will be taught also.
I remember growing up I've always was made fun of, because I would always read the manual of everything I've own, and keep said manuals. But when said people who've gave me shit for reading said manuals, always had questions on "why is it not working?"
Most mechanics are honest. The service writers are trained to get as much of your money as possible., not all just way to many.
Bullshit. Stop protecting your fellow liars.
Sincerely, an aircraft mechanic.
capitalismforme I’ll second this as an aircraft mechanic. Car mechanics are complete asshats. We miss one thing at all, ever, once, and people die.
You go ahead and tell yourself that lmfao
Na you're all crooks
Dave Crupel All the prideful people will have their part in the Lake of Fire, this is the second death.
The first guy was cool. He didn't charge anything for looking at the car and had remedied the situation without cost. As a mechanic I'll say there's some shady MFer's out there, most of us are honest though, because, and I'll say this again. All you have in the profession is your reputation. And if you're shady like the last two, you won't remain in the business for very long.
Agree, real techs, at least all of them ive ever worked with(highly trained and specialized dealer techs) are honest and do good work...
This video really fails to show those of us in the field doing honest work and doing right by our customer on a daily basis!
Since when is charging somebody book time unreasonable? Moreover, what if you live in a Rust Belt state like myself and you have to add extra time on there for all the BS I'm going to have to deal with just to get the damn thing apart, not to mention all the parts that may or may not break due to rust and corrosion, which of course we explain to the customer prior to starting the job!
If you don't work in the field you have no idea the amount of time and money shops eat on a daily basis just to keep customers from complaining about many things related to their poor maintenance habits!
They make it seem as though everything we do is a rip off or scam!
They need to do a video of a customer coming in looking for free work, because more often than not they want to get away with doing the bare (half assed method w/cheap parts) minimum to try and repair a problem! Worse, they do this only to turn it into "well it never did this before you touched it" which is far more common than dishonest mechanics are!
People are always looking to place the blame for their more often than not, lack of scheduled maintenance and general upkeep of their vehicle, it's always on the tech for your oil pan to be leaking or check engine light to suddenly come on after doing a simple rear brake job or the fact that your car is got over a 150K on it! News flash people there's a reason why most manufacturers only offer 150 thousand mile warranty!
I love it how they bring in their 40 year old Tech veteran and make it seem as though you don't ever have to change fluids nor do you have to charge book time; so apparently guys according to the 40 year old veteran Tech we should only be charging straight time...oh really? I'd love to explain how much time they're going to have to pay me for finding an open in a harness or a difficult parasitic drain etc etc... Anyone who works in the field on modern cars knows damn well this guy is full of s***! Working out of your mom's garage on a friend's vehicle from time to time doesn't count pal, certainly not as being a tech these days! Not saying there is not some stellar DIYers out there, but working in the retail side of the house is a whole different ballgame!
So they put it in the scheduled maintenance from the manufacturer as a recommendation and when we explain this to the customer we're somehow trying to rip them off?
WTF! I'd love to have a conversation with this clown!
No youll go somewhere else and open up a garage and teach youngsters how to be shady too
Diego Delgado Don't get mad because what I said resonates and tells the truth! Teaching young kids how to turn wrenches honestly and ethnically is difficult no matter where you go!
Don't sit there and assume you know who I am or what my ethics are when it comes to business pal! Not everyone in this world is out to f*** y** over either, but I assume you're one of those people who thinks They know everything when it comes to working on cars Oh except for when you have to bring it to a shop to have somebody like me unf*** what you could not do correctly to begin with and then have the nerve to blame me for being unethical for charging for my time! I guess everything should be free though seems to be a common theme these days!
Nathan Pauly my comment was to fishhunter foo
"gravy work" actually refers to a job which takes less time than the book calls for. So should the shop get paid less for doing it faster? Example: a water pump on a 4.7 dodge calls for 2 hours. I usually can do it in 45 minutes or 1 hour because I've done it so many times. They still get charged the 2 hours, regardless of if it takes 1 hour or if something goes wrong and it takes 3 hours.
Literally lmao i mean my shop will take an hour or so off of some jobs that have a ridiculous book time cause we’re an independent shop but no flat rate shop would be doing the same thing and i dont blame them
You should charge the time that it takes. If it takes you 45 min then that's what should be paid. Hell even round it to the hour but don't add another just because that's what a book says. It's about ethics.
@@pedronunez8911 no. if I went to school and had years of experience and training, why would I get paid less for doing the same job in less time?
It goes both ways, if it is 1 hour book time and it takes me 5 hours, they pay 1 hour. if it is 1 hour book time and it takes me 30 minutes, they pay 1 hour. It goes both ways and is industry standard. Completely ethical
@@pedronunez8911 Book time is just as much for the customer as it is for the mechanic. Starting out, there were times where the time it took me to finish a job was double the amount of time the book estimated. Hell, there are still jobs to this day where shit just falls apart or doesn't come apart at all that'll make a job take much longer than it needs to be.
@@Justin-ts4rb That's not even remotely true. Most shops punch in and out for jobs regardless if they're supposed to do it in 10 min. They'll find reasons to take longer. I've seen them do it, I know people that do it and there's no denying that.
I stopped going to normal gas station/repair shops a year ago. My mechanic has proven to be as honest as daylight. Normally he tells me the issue, I find and buy the necessary parts at a healthy discount, and then he does the work and undercuts his price. Because of his honesty, my 18-year-old manual shift continues to run extremely well., and I can actually afford to keep it going...
I have one mechanic ive took all my cars, he is very honest about eveything. Im glad i have a great mechanic that is honest and wont charge me a arm and a leg. Then again i take him all 3 of my cars , hes done all my work on my 2007 trailblazer ss and 2003 e46 m3 and he always shows me receipts . Here in colorado
When I worked at jiffy lube I was taught to lie to customers and try to RIP them off and I wasn't about that
Standard at ole criminal lube
It’s so true...my last manager wanted me to lie to customers to make the store more money. And this was 22 years ago.
@@matthewcaughey8898 haha criminal lube
@@bluemonday2000 in more ways then one. Jiffy Lube is a place where more then a few ex cons work. They don’t run background checks on people who work there, and often don’t ask questions.
@Matthew Caughey
More like sex lube, because your wallet is about to get fucked by their scams 🤦♀️
I have a friend who’s a mechanic and he’s one of the best human beings I know.
First thing you should always check when your light comes on is your gas cap. All too many times has this been the case.
He's in a Hollywood movie disguise??? He now looks like Homer Simpson's next door neighbour Ned Flanders.
He has - Better call Saul - hair.
Scarlet Roger LOL man that’s funny
I was looking for this comment lol
Scarlet Roger okaylee dohkalee
nevets68 definitely Saul Goodman
I’m so glad I’m a certified mechanic and work for a passionate family owned business that truly cares for the customer and not our wallets. Shame on these pieces of shit. This is why I’m fortunate to be able to do my own work
Thanks for sharing again
I own a mobile auto repair business and I encourage my customers to watch while I repair their vehicles. I dont charge extra for parts, since the customer can buy them at the same price. Word of mouth is the best advertising.
happened to me, my trusted mechanic started to take me for a fool and charged me $480 for a $79 oil change. when i questioned he said there was alot wrong with my car and he assumed i would want it fixed. i was unhappy and told him that i would never come back to him again. and then i started learning to DIY service. now i make videos on basic car service and try to help people on youtube. they are just so dishonest these days.
even when you think they're your friend, the more issues that you need fixed on your car, will eventually reveal to you that they are not. Happened to me recently and every since then I've took it upon myself to learn as much as I can about my car. Normally, I do things myself but with major jobs I take it to a shop or someone more experienced but what I learned is that experienced does not always mean honest. For me, I was given this car my senior year in high school so it wasn't a responsibility I was necessarily ready for. I didn't ask or beg my parents for a car. My dad repaired things as much as he could and I watched him until he eventually just got tired of dealing with it so I was left to fend for myself. You live and you learn but it makes you take your life and your peace of mind more seriously. Props to you for realizing that and helping others
I make videos of myself farting.
I think the first mechanics they took the car to realized they were being set up with an unplugged MAF sensor. Those things don't just come unplugged on their own. You really have to manipulate them to unplug them. At least they were smart enough to realize that unlike the others.
tubehound69 maybe they were just honest
tubehound69 yeah, even u thought that was weird. I took my senor off and that little shit would not come out lol did it to my mom's car and same story lol
A better test would be to loosen the gas cap. It will cause a minor EVAP leak and set the CEL light. Gas cap gaskets do deteriorate and it is the most common problem with EVAP codes. I've experienced it on 3 of my cars over the years. One time, the emissions test station failed to secure my gas cap after testing the seal. It passed emissions but the CEL came on shortly after I left the station.
Also, when I get a CEL, I use my OBDII to reset the light. If the problem comes back, then I know I have a hard failure. A couple of times, the problem never came back.
Why is it so hard to believe that honest mechanic shops exist ?
@@KeithsReviews I have no doubt that honest mechanics exist. But they are hard to find. Secondly, most people don't know enough about their cars to know if they are being taken for a ride or not. The dishonest mechanics try to take advantage of that; the honest ones won't. An honest mechanic will have more work than they can handle - word gets around. It's true for almost all repair techs whether it's your car or home appliances, etc.
I love the fact that audra is an honest and knowledgeable mechanic this is why I love working as a mechanic
This is exactly like the Canadian show, both good to watch, so many people get ripped off. Always good to have someone with you who has some experience with cars.
People need to do this more often! Show the honest shops as well. It's a good way to show people where they should go in their community. Do it like they do restaurants. Test the shop and make them post the grade on their front window. If they are dishonest and get an F grade it would be posted on a sheet on their front door.
This is embarassing for even the viewer to watch.
Patrick Dow [4343
Having done this work for 45 years makes me sick when these guys do this to the public . I never charged book. Time an always was straight forward with my customers , always
I got Gipped off $4000 in engine rebuilt. When I went to pick up my car. I later found out that the auto mechanic shop only changed the 4 intake valves in 1 cylinder. I was told by the mechanic that my pistons in bank 1 & 3 were bad. Also the throttle body was bad. And they demanded a upfront service fee before working on the car. $4000 gone just like that. That would have been a down payment for a car. PS…this happened in North Brunswick, NJ… on Livingston Ave.
Damn, I knew firestone was always trying to rip me off. They always find multiple faults with my car whenever I go to get a simple oil change.
Had a little shake at certain speeds BMW. I took my car to a national chain that specializes in tires to have the wheels balanced. Still had the shake, took it back and asked them to diagnose the problem. They told me I need new front and rear brakes and rotors. they wanted $1300 for the "needed" repairs. I took my car to an independent one man garage. He put it on the rack and spun the wheels. Found a broken belt in one of the tires. Cost me one new tire.
Yeah i mean brakes and rotors has nothing to do with the shake that you had unless the shake occurs when you are braking. Those big chains always trying to scam people.
My uncle Ryder shop like this for many years really highly respected guy Highly Educated very nice automobiles he owns 10 different houses really good guy thanks Uncle Roy
I absolutely love when these guys get their cards pulled in these sting operations! Goes to show you there are still some very dishonest mechanics out there Who will TRY to get you to spend MORE money than what you SHOULD in that single trip!
Most mechanics are honest, like 51%.
+Jackie Y. Freedom Haha!! And I think even that's a bit generous.
DatCat I'll let you know as soon as I find one!! I've been through several mechanics over the years where I live, they've all been either incompetent or crooks. It doesn't help that I usually drive Japanese cars, so rarely if ever need a mechanic.
+4nuk8r well then i dont see you repairing many vehicles then because there is no way i would allow you to buy my vehicle, repair it, and then sell it back to me at 15 times the normal cost of repair when i could take it around the corner to a shop that wont put me through that kind of shit. btw how are you going to buy every 2014+ vehicle that someone wants you to do a 35 oil change on it or a tuneup. i repair my own vehicles anyways but still that is why there are no- hassle mechanics out there.
***** i dont see that working where i live but hey if it works for you then kudos to you for making a living doing what you like to do but the whole sign my title over thing is where you would lose me because since i know more about my car than anyone else i would already know exactly what is wrong with it and how to fix it so that way i could tell you what it is that is wrong. if you found something else that i didnt know about and you mentioned it to me then 99.9% of the time i am going to want it fixed anyways.
Sweet!!! I am among the honest. There are plenty of cars out there that need honest repair and I'll wait for them.
His definition of gravy work is inaccurate
He described flat rate time... dies he like getting paid 10 bucks total to do brakes? Hey i got it done in half an hour boss pay me less please.
The first mechanic that plugged in back in and didn't charge anything is a good guy and I hope he gets lots of business over this video! My hero.
Yea he did the right thing when he could have been a crook like the others. Greed is a powerful motive for most
I had my car in a local garage and when I went to pick it up the mechanic told me he worked on it for 10 hrs. I drove by the garage at 9 am and my car was still outside. I got a call at 4 saying my car was ready. I was there at 5 and asked him why he charged me for 10 hrs. He said he had the car in at 6 am and got done at 4 pm. I called him out and I said I saw the car out front at 9 am and they don’t open till 8. He back pedaled and said he would only charge for me 6 hours at $160.00 an hour. I filed a report with the Better Business Bureau and the state consumer protection agency. Beware !!
Next time you get your oil changed, look in the shops trash can and you will see a pile of like new air filters they charged people to fix.
These electrical connectors on today's cars have a very positive locking system, connectors do not just fall off. These guys should have known something was up when the saw the sensor disconnected.
About the "check engine light". This light is federally mandated to tell you when your emissions system is not working correctly (even emissions like raw gas from a loose gas cap). You should get a check engine light diagnosed but not with the same urgency as with that little red oil can glowing red(shut the engine down now)or drive the car more than 10 feet with the engine temp in the red. Too often people operate the car with no oil pressure or when it is overheating and use the excuse "it was not safe to stop when I saw the light was on" (you can continue driving with the check engine light on steady, just get the code read).
Glad you set the record straight Dan … the people making this video want to make it seem like most Techs are crooked ….
Should do one on Dentist or Doctors …. Guarantee that their % of dishonest and incompetent people is much much higher than our Field !
@@tallspaniard1 My Dealership pulled this disconnect thing on me. Brand new car. Complaint was "AC inop) The relay in the fuse box was removed. We were short staffed and the BMW sales were through the roof. No time for games"
The Cadillac Division of GM used decoys to keep the automotive techs on their toes and on top of having to be ASE certified , we had to take Craftmanship Test every 2 months which pissed everyone off to no end .
Hell Cadillac would fire a tech for getting dirt on any steering wheel after 1 time … No warnings ….
The best thing about Cadillac was their GM Training centers in Atlanta Ga .
I was taking EFI training when no one knew what fuel injection was in 1976 …. Ooops gave my age away LOL
You take care Dan ….
@@tallspaniard1 Hello "tall" I had a good time at the Phoenix GM training school. BMW had a great school outside of Chicago. We had a big engine cooling fan replacement campaign right around the year 2000. All the guys replaced hundreds of these engine cooling fans. BMW gave us a nice watch after the end of the campaign. I don't know where mine is.
@@tallspaniard1 About ASE's (I had mine) There was such a mindset in the shop that if a new guy came in with ASE's then he couldn't be a good mechanic. This idea came primarily from the guys that could not pass ASE tests.
Good for him exposing the scandalous car industry..
As a former auto mechanic this angers me. I worked in a repair shop from the 1980's to the 1990's in a small town. Our customers were treated honestly. Sometimes we wouldn't even charge for a small repair and many were repeat customers. Beware because dishonest scumbags are everywhere. My advice is always get a second or third opinion.
I wish they were forced to stay and watch the video so they couldn't just say "I don't know what you're talking about" and walk away
I wish they would show footage of them going back to the repair people that did the right thing and thank them.
I love the walk away. Priceless.
i was a Service Manager in the UK.
we never ever conned a customer. we were proud of the service provide and it paid off with most customers returning for every service or repair.
In most cases, if the repair is under 10 minutes I make the choice as the service advisor to either not charge them or internal the cost of the 10-15 minutes the tech billed. Being honest plus little things like this is a way to build a clientele for life! We are not all crooks.
Ya you are. You don't make money unless you prey on people's ignorance. You guys get off on it. You enjoy it. You think people are stupid just because they don't know how to work on their own cars.
Well since you know me well enough to call me a crook please do me a favor and tell me what my favorite color is?
By not ripping off your customers and doing good work you will get repeat business and they will tell a couple of people you will get one . Treat them right. More will come .that's how you build a following of a mechanic and build a good business, you can advertise until the cows come home and it won't bring customers but word of mouth is what brings them in . I am a ase certified Master mechanic and owned my own shop until I became disabled. For 30 years I did good honest work and when I owned my own shop I was so busy I was booking appointments 2 to 3 weeks out because we simply couldn't keep up with the amount of customers we had. The moral of the story is being honest and doing good work is going to make you more money than ripping people off . Repeat customers are what you should strive for . They are going to drive a car for an average of atleast 60 years . You can rob them one time for a thousand dollars or you can make good honest money on them forever!
I had a check engine light on my 02 Chevy Venture. It was a Po 455 I think. All I needed was a gas cap. Westside auto repair n Atlanta told me I needed to replace the charcoal canister for $525.
One of best things a car owner must do is to buy an OBDII tester and learn how to use it. Basic ones are less than $100. It just might pay for itself in one visit to the repair shop. In your example, it saved $500+
@@danburch9989 until it tells you to buy an oxygen sensor or cat and you believe it, when it was something else causing emissions issues that was only represented via emissions thru 02 and cat codes. Or it tells you that there is a misfire on cylinder 2 and it has nothing to do with coils or plugs. Cuz that 100 scanner has zero functions and doesnt touch what a real scanner can do.
If your going to buy a cheap scanner for this kind of stuff. Then buy a good one. they will cost you a minimum of 250 to 300, learn how to use it. Learn how the functions work and watch some you tube videos on what graphs mean and how they should normally act.
100 scanner is a code reader, something any place will do and write down for free
3 quick examples of not true to code diags from this last week. 02 code for bank 2. It was faulty cam and crank correlation causing poor fuel trims which resulted in lean codes. Not a emission problem and good luck figuring that out without a mechanic, even with a 300 scanner.
Cat codes, customer asked us to replace her cat, 1200. Convinced her to pay us an hour to diagnose. It was a plugged variable valve solenoid starting the engine of oil causing it to run hot which made the cat think it was running rich. Again, no scanner will tell you this kind of shit and only point you in the wrong direction.
Customer came in with a random misfire code p0300, also p0301 p0302 p0303 and p0303. He's thought he needed plugs and wires. Timing jumped a tooth, needed a new chain.
I said it MIGHT save some money. No code reader tells you what component has failed. It just reports the symptoms. It's up to the service tech to identify the cause. But if you can reset the CEL and the problem never returns, you've saved yourself some money. Happened to me 2x. But if it does return, then it's off to the shop I go.
@@danburch9989 glad to hear you are not advocating going off codes.
That's my only point and in reading that I thought you were saying just use code readers.
I figured a few examples of how codes are indicative of what wrong, not necessarily what exactly is wrong, would be helpful. Assuming the code shown is what needs fixing is to waste a lot of money.
Although there are some codes that are exactly what the code says. Example, I take variable valve solenoid stuck. Replace the solenoid and do an oil change and you probably just saved a diagnostic. But I dread telling someone that then they come in like but you told me that was it. Without a diagnostic I cant pinpoint what is wrong really
thebigz198506 it's up to the person to research that code not just swap parts
Respect too the guy that just plugged the cord back in and didn’t even charge I pray his bizz is booming and great 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 guys like him are the ones I want working on my car I’ve even heard stories off people breaking stuff on purpose just to get more money
A few years back this scam appeared in Cleveland , Ohio . When air conditioning refrigerant was very expensive , a customer would take their automobile in for an unrelated repair in the winter season . They would remove the refrigerant and sell it back in the summer to them .
Why are these people not radomly tested by independent inspector to make mechanics do what there been payed for or giving lengthly sentences in jail this is alot worse than someone snatching your handbag!!
Prosecute people for that would be dangerous, even honest ones would be concerned that if they made an honest mistake is diagnosing a problem they could go to jail. Then we would be way more thorough and takes time and resources increasing the cost which will be a 50 percent of the population. And no more free bees to anyone.
I'm not big on increasing government spending but if my state police hired 5 people at trooper wages to do nothing but undercover mechanic stings I'd be fine with it.
Good question. The county gov't does random checks on restaurants. But since local news stations do this, the gov't saves money (our taxes) by not having to do it. The gov't is reactionary - they only act if requested and if they feel like it.
All shops should be held accountable
You can't claim to be an honest mechanic if you allow your job to override your morals. If your boss pressures you into shady business practices and you oblige, you are most certainly _dishonest_.
Good for you for seeing this guy for what he is . A man that will sell out for $.
Now he is playing the part of Crusader for Justice .
Joe has no principles , he sold out his Soul long ago .
Some mechanics are really honest and do their best to not charge you too much...
If a brake job pays 1.5-2.0 hours and they can do it in 20-30mins that is just attributed to how well they can do their job. Don't try to get a bill for only 30mins, they have invested the time to get this good, you pay book time; if it takes them 2 days or 30 mins you pay the same, period. Funny how these people complain because of what they pay if they do it too fast, but if a tech takes 2 days to complete a job, and the price stays the same, the customer says nothing.
Winjury I agree with you on this but some people may not get the concept. Working in this industry requires skill and knowledge. And the greater of both you have combined with quick turn around time, the more profit the company makes along with yourself And the quicker you get it done, the happier of a customer you have along with more likeliness to get possitive wom advertisement
Moon Pie an hour for most models including turning rotors ya thats doable.
I'm not a mechanic and can change my brake pads AND rotors in 30-45 minutes at a leisurely pace.
And I don't have a big fancy car lift or use impact guns on every bolt. Just a jack, stands and hand tools.
Winjury - I think you missed my point.
Why pay for a 2hr brake job that includes turning rotors when replacing them is faster and cheaper? Turning them practically guarantees the rotors will warp again leading to early pad wear/failure and potentially more damage to the brake system. You can replace the pads and rotors in a half hour for a lot less money and less risk of future problems.
Turning rotors requires a great deal of skill. As you said, anyone can replace them. $25 for pads, $60 for rotors and 30 minutes of labor.
I never had the $99 brake jobs in all the years I took a car in. There was always some BS reason why it ended up costing $250-350. I do my own now for less than $150 and that's buying the better parts.
Cerus98 if replacing your rotors is cheaper then turning them then you are buying cheap crappy rotors or the place your attempting to get them turned is charging you way to much.
This is common practice imho. But most of these videos focus on the mechanic that did the work. I would like to know if they are pressured into doing this by management. They loose their job but the upper management just plays innocent and hires another man to do the same thing.
Don't assume everyone knows what your IMHO acronym stands for a. It's just as easy to type it out instead of trying to be trendy
I started a business because of this video. A PC repair business. I offer videos and pictures with every repair.
A few years back our Citroën had it's two year service. They didn't even open the bonnet/hood. Just stamped the service book and took my money 💰. Never went back. Another garage charged for brake pads yet it was clear from the dirt on the wheels that were not removed!
I went to school for auto tech. I have been in the field for a while. I believe many times it comes down to morals and honesty. coming home knowing you did your best. There are some wacky people out there but feel free to talk directly to the mechanic when you can
the wonders of having a brother as a mechanic. i got my cambelt replaced for the cheap price of what it cost for a new belt :) never have has to step into a mechanics workshop for any repair.
I does get tiring of being that "GO TO THIS GUY" crap, from Computers, Electrical, iphone repairs...It get's tiring.
Salt Factory please, I do it for free for da fam. Except parts of course.
Salt Factory lol it's called a timing belt but I do all my brother's work for him also
“ If you’re flushed with cash , get ready to get hosed “ 🤣
This is why I have become my own mechanic (despite not having any training) and have avoided shops for the past 20 years. I repair my own Prius and BMW. (two difficult cars)
This is why you do fluid changes yourselves and buy a scanner with obd1 or obd2,most likely your car will need a obd2 depending on the year and it scans for any codes for what's wrong with the engine.
That's the problem with people, they think if they have no job than the world is going to collapse upon them. When you have a job that collides with your principles, you will always(!) chase after your tail. Have principles, don not overlook them!
That's easy to say. Mechanics is a very iffy industry where lay offs are pretty standard when there is no work. Most auto mechanics don't make a lot of money either. Many have families to support.
I witnesses our local Tires Plus upsell a customer ahead of me hundreds of dollars of multiple parts and repairs. He was an older man and I felt bad for him. Then while having them put on new tires for my car they started telling me I needed an air filter, alignment, and new tire pressure sensors after they stripped one of them trying to remove it. I told them to leave the sensors alone and that the one which threads were stripped could only have stripped while they tried to remove it. That sort of crap needs to stop. I think people need to be informed as to who to contact after being scammed. Any major repair with high costs should only be considered after getting a second opinion by a shop that someone you know trusts.
Check engine light goes on
1. Go to an automotive store you can gain access to a code reader cheaply or even free. Code it yourself.
2. Read what the code could be before going to have it fixed. It can be as easy as your computer timing out on on change and can just be reset.
Dude that was honest at the Belleville nj Quality auto service his name is Allen very nice guy I deliver motor oil at that facility 👍
I hope his business quadrupled.
ASA says "the majority of the automotive repair industry is ethical..."
That is the problem right there.
I told my kid when she got her first car: "This is your car. Learn how to take care of it. Listen to it, pay attention to it and learn everything you can about it. No one knows more about your car than you do."
That advice won't necessarily protect you from a dishonest mechanic but it sure helps when a problem develops and your working with an honest one.
I've been a mechanic for 25 year's got my training from up north can't sell something if you know nothing about it when I moved to Florida I took a store manager job at Firestone after a month the district manager comes to see me asking me why numbers are dropping I told him I can recommend it but if it's not needed I will not force sell he tells me my job is to sell $200 dollars to every car that comes into the shop so I stood up and wished him good luck I have a continence and a mom and sisters I cannot be that way I've seen cars come in with a coolant leak and seen people driving stew drivers thru the radiator be careful out there guys
LMAO You can't take a mass air flow sensor apart and "fix" it. They can be disassembled to a certain point, but if they go bad, they go bad. Sometimes I just wanna scream at these inept people who understandably don't really know what certain, relatively simple parts are, but still allow themselves to get shafted at these crooked shops.
Some of these shop needs to be shut down it's the owner and the manager who makes the employee do this
Years ago I had a coupon for a cheap oil change at a Firestone store so I took my car in for an oil change. I drop my car off and go across the street for a cup of coffee. I get a call telling me that my oil change is over but in checking my car they determined that I had worn out wipers and my air filter was clogged and filthy.
I went back to the shop and opened the hood and showed the manager my air filter. I write the date that I change the filter on the filter itself. It was dated two days earlier, I had replaced the air filter and wiper blades at the same time. He didn't say a work, just walked back into his shop. I never went back.
My local Ford dealership service department had been honest with me for 25 years, until my last visit. I had a parking brake warning occur and brought along a printout of the service bulletin on the issue. The service writer didn’t even look at the bulletin and they charged me $160 to diagnose the problem; told me I needed an $1800 + rear brake job. They brakes are FINE! They never got the issue to occur, and it hasn’t thrown that fault now for 4 months. I was out $160 for a lesson learned. I filled out the customer comment card and mailed it to the service manager….Crickets. LandMark Ford in Tigard Oregon.
How about do a story on incompetent mechanics? Incompetent mechanics costs as much as a scammer to the customer, even though the intent is different. The insane things is people just pay the bill even though there are instances when the problem are not fixed. There are diagnostic flowcharts in factory manual that includes replace parts without testing!!!
That's not true
BTW it is a good idea to clean your MAF sensor every once in awhile. lol
I had a repair shop in Rhode Island (BTS Repair shop) back in 2016 try and charge me $1200 for a complete muffler replacement on a 1998 Toyota Carolla. I told him he was absolutely insane, and I'll get a second opinion.
Brought it down to Midwest Collision in Warwick, said all they need to do is weld out the Catalytic Converter and weld a piece of straight pipe in its place for $175.
ALWAYS get a second opinion before any major repairs are done.
Agree, 2nd or 3rd opinion just for sure. 👍
It's pretty simple: Goodyear, Firestone, Mr. Tire, Mavis. All are ripoffs. A lot of the quick change oil places are also. I had my oil changed in my Chevy Suburban at a quick change place several years ago. As they were changing the oil, they told me that I had a front side marker light burned out. (I knew, but forgot about it.) The bulb is a small 194 bulb. A 2 pack at Walmart is about $4.00. I asked her how much a new bulb would be, and she told me $30.00. I almost choked. I then remembered that I had a single bulb of that type in my center console. I pulled it out and handed it to her and asked her to put it in. She refused. I asked why. She stated: "You don't understand sir, that bulb doesn't have the small module with the antennae on it." She then said that the bulb will "talk" to the main computer to tell it that it is working. I replied I doubt it and left. Unreal.
$300 for a MAF? HA the one for my Accord is $26.
They charge based upon the VALUE of the repair to the customer. Pay $300 and you have a running car. Don't pay the $300 and you have a pile of junk. I call it extortion pricing. They charge 2x - 4x the retail price than you would pay if you bought it at your local NAPA or discount auto parts store,
@@tanessastephenson1514 lol, good luck you will lose
@@tanessastephenson1514 you can get bad parts out of the box. In 12 years a customer has never ever in any case or shop or story have i ever heard won. Waste of your money but the guys at pepboys will be more than happy to present a shit ton of paperwork and drown your claims with evidence.
26 for a maf, no fucking way. I just googled whatever garbage you're talking about.
Sure on 1aaautoparts.com its 26.95 for some shit part that fails in a week if it even works at all.
Shops dont use shit quality parts, and wont even at your request. You can bring that garbage in and well install it an tell you zero warranty. We wont care if we charge 80 bucks we put it in plug it in and pull it out. Same issue, not our problem. Would you like us to diagnose that or do you want us to throw a quality part in, be warned, with no diag we cant guarantee it'll fix whatever issue you're having and regardless you pay for what we did or have done. we have warranty conditions that need to be met. On a Honda accord the correct and only maf that should be installed is a denso mass air flow sensor. Guess what, 136.99 for that one. Guess which one the shop used. And guess what, shops, all shops, charge mark up. Minimum 45 percent, so that 137 part is now 197, plus tax 209. "But you cant get one for 2?" Then go do that on your own. you want a professional repair done right you buy quality parts that are expensive. I can give links to prove this if needed. Cheap fucker
Your the guy who bought 2 batteries at Walmart mart for 65 a battery in 3 years and doesnt believe us when we tell you to buy a better battery. And you guffaw at us when we try to sell you a 5 year warranty battery for 125 bucks.