Are You Using the Right Mechanic?

I like how the article starts with implying that all mechanics are thieves and low skill. In my 40+ years as a mechanic I found that most people are more emotionally attached to their car than a member of the family. We accept problems with all other machines we use as a matter of life. Not so with our cars. ASE is expensive for the mechanic and employers do not pay for this. ASE is simply paper testing, not skill driven testing. If you buy a well made car in the first place you will limit the problems encounterd with car ownership. To me, it's like buying a tool. I can buy a good tool once and be satisfied with it or buy a crappy tool over and over and never be happy with it.

Fact is, todays cars are made better and last longer. Make a good choice in the first place. Car purchase is such and emotional process, logic and sense play little in most car purchases.

Mechanics are like doctors, teachers and any other person. There are good and bad ones. Every article written about the trade trashes out the mechanic. So glad I am retired from what was once a well paying and satisfying trade. I just loved dealing with the public who has so little idea of how anything works or is repaired. Got an ap for that?

Uhh...yeah, sure! I hired a ASE certified NAPA shop to replace the clutch in my sons car. I was going to do it myself, but it was winter, and the ASE/NAPA shop was clean, warm and dry, as oppossed to my cold drafty barn. Two weeks, and $600 later my son was driving home from work on a Saturday night, the driveshaft fell off of the transmission, jammed into the road, and almost launched my son through the windshield and nearly flipped his car over. The police told us we had 24 hours to move the car or it would be impounded, so we spent Sunday trying to find a wrecking yard that had the right bolts to re-attach the driveline. On Monday morning I called the ASE/NAPA shop and demanded my money back. I was told that I should have brought the car back to them because "we stand behind our work" Really? Well, who was supossed to pay the towing bill? After threatening legal action, they finally refunded $200. I expressed my concern about other possible damage to the car and they just laughed. About a month later, the clutch slave cylinder that they had supposedly replaced began leaking so bad that the clutch would not disengage. They refused to cover it under warrenty, so I finaly wound up pulling the transmission and replacing the slave cylinder myself, which is about 95 % of the labor of a complete clutch job. I should have done it all myself in the first place! Now the good part....about 3 weeks later my son's differential locked up. When I dropped the pan I found several broken teeth on the ring gear, and a sheared spider gear shaft, obvious signs of a severe shock to the differential.....cau​sed maybe by a driveline jamming into the pavement at 35 MPH? Of course the ASE/MAPA shop denied any responcibility.

Meanwhile, there is a guy about two miles down the road that works out of a garage  behind his house. No fancy certificates on the wall, no waiting room, but he has a constant backlog of customers that won't take their cars anywhere else. ASE/NAPA doesn't mean diddly squat! $10 say's this comment doesn't last on this site, if it even gets posted at all 

@ RT in Nashville. Like many "shade tree mechanics" you still believe that having an auto parts store employee scan your car's computer will reveal the problem. It don't work that way, RT. Scanning a computer will merely produce a "related" code as to what or where the problem actually is.. An oxygen sensor code is one of the most common, and stores like "VatoZone" have sold billions of dollars worth of un-needed oxygen sensors on this code alone. Don't forget, the counterman at the parts store has an IQ that is slightly higher than bread mold, and usually has barely enough training to hook up a scanner, and read the numbers, much less diagnose the the cause of the code being set.

Flat rate fees are a huge misnomer. "Flat rate" is the time dealer mechanics are paid by the manufacturer. Even for highly experienced mechanics these times are nearly impossible to match or even beat.."Real world" labor guides work more in favor of getting the job done right, not getting it out the door, so you can get the next one shoved in.In a nutshell, if you want your car fixed right, expect to pay a little more for the quality...

Well I read every comment and the article and I only have a small bit to add. First, there are two types of repairs (1) operational problems and (2) worn parts replacement.

The first type of repair requires knowledge and understanding of the operation of the car and how the different systems work together. This knowledge is used to diagnos the possible problem and recommend a solution. Just like a doctor has to diagnose your symptoms to tell you what medicine you need the same with a good mechanic. Also just like a doctor may get the diagnosis right 90% of the time they still make mistakes and get it wrong. The same with a mechanic, a problem may appear to be caused by this and in reality be caused by something else. Both doctors and mechanics need continued training and experience. The medical certificates for a doctor and the training certificates for a mechanic all mean they have had some training in doing this job. However, just like a medical certificate from the University of Tiawan will not hold the same educational value as a certificate from Harvard Medical School the same applies to a general ASE certificate and a GM or Ford Dealer certification. When you select a mechanic to keep an older car running you need to evaluate their knowledge and experience and previous referrals to find the best. A good doctor takes care of your body and you need a good mechanic to take care of your car.

Now as regards the second type of repair, the parts replacement, you can go to any "qualified" service center but be prepared to pay more, risk them damaging something else using the wrong tools and taking more time because they don't have the training or experience. Just because I can replace my brakes in 1 hour doesn't mean I can replace the brakes on a Corvette or a Camero because they are designed quite differently. Replacing things like belts, tires, wipers, filters, and fluids is easy and something you can learn but to be really safe on the other things it is essential to have a good mechanic that is familiar with your vehicle and has the right tools to make the repairs or replace the parts.

I have been a part-time inspector mechanic for 15 years and I know what I don't know and I will tell my customers they need to go somewhere else. I get a lot of repeat business because of this honesty and attitude.