The mechanic rip-off rort

[Express]

The mechanic rip-off rort


18 May, 2016


Adam Courtenay


If yours suggests you need fuel additives, chances are you're
being conned.



Be careful not to be swindled when getting your car serviced. Photo: Michele Mossop

When consumer ratings and research firm Canstar Blue published its auto-servicing ratings for 2015, it commented on what many Australians suspect about car servicing – more than 80 per cent of those polled were wary of being ripped off when getting their car serviced.

The comments came just after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found Kia Motors guilty of consistently overcharging customers in its "capped-price" auto servicing program – the ACCC found the dealership offered no "fixed price" on servicing at all – it had changed its price four times since 2012.

Gonzalez says the amount of "upselling" in the industry is endemic.

There is no sign that mechanic rip-offs are diminishing. The NSW Department of Fair Trading has recorded 2,240 complaints about automotive services from January 2015 to date.



Janelle Gonzalez: don't allow yourself to be swindled. Photo: Supplied

When Fairfax asked a number of industry stakeholders about the issues with auto servicing and mechanics, the list of potential rip-offs was lengthy and wide-ranging.

One respondent said there were cases of customers being offered vouchers for services to get them in the door but that individual local workshops refused to work at the low cost. "So they don't replace all of the parts they're supposed to in order to make up the difference in profit," he said.

Another common complaint was bringing forward scheduled parts replacements regardless of how many kilometres the car had driven or the time lapsed – this included barely-worn brake pads, "bushes" and "arms" replaced for the suspension, and timing belts being replaced at 30,000 kilometres rather than at the normal 100,000 kilometre mark. Others "create repairs out of thin air" in order to inflate the service charge.

"A rogue mechanic will not spend the time with you upfront to ask you the appropriate diagnostic questions and won't always have the right diagnostic tools available," says Janelle Gonzalez, who co-owns mobile mechanics franchise Blue Toro.

Gonzalez says the amount of "upselling" in the industry is endemic. Some of the dealerships and auto chains have your job card ready before anyone looks at the car, she says. "No one's taken it for a test drive, nobody's asked you what's wrong, nobody's checked it or opened the bonnet.

"They'll say you need windscreen wipers, wheel alignment, tyre changes, air conditioning sanitiser and even fuel additives – but these are already added into petrol," she says. "You don't need an extra $80 for the additive. The reason they're putting it in is that the companies making these additives are giving them a bonus for every litre they sell."

Gonzalez reserved most of her ire at the auto chains and the dealerships where many of her mobile mechanics used to work. "Our mechanics tell us they were consistently reprimanded for not reaching their weekly quotas," she says. Fairfax asked two dealers and two auto chains to comment. Midas and Ultra-Tune did not return our calls, nor did Sydney City Toyota. John Newell Mazda declined to comment.

Independent mechanic Josh Thatcher, who owns Edgecliff Automotive in Sydney, says that while he agrees there are rogue traders around, proper servicing costs money. Thatcher disputes some of the "rip-off" claims. "If you look at a car properly, there will always be problems," he says. "Every service there will be something needed to be done – possibly the tyres, the front and rear brakes or oil leaks.

He says the "upsell" accusation is open to interpretation. "There's no actual definition of what a service costs, unless you get into the nitty-gritty," he says.

His workshop aims to do a 12-month or 10,000 kilometre service, which means if brake pads or tyres appear not able to last that period, he will replace them. As for fuel additives, he happily uses them. "Not everyone on the road uses the best 98 petrol," he says. "And when our clients come back for another service after we've put these additives in, the engine is always clean."

Thatcher agrees there has been some level of over-selling among dealerships and auto chains. "These big overhead types of guys – the oversell has to happen. They have to do it to keep their doors open," he says.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said he did not believe rip-offs were endemic in the industry but it definitely was a case of buyer beware.

"I think the industry has become demonstrably better in recent years. We started the MotorServe service centres for this very reason – people didn't have faith in car servicing. There may be some rogue traders but there are safeguards to make sure people don't get done over."

Khoury says consumers need to remember that dealerships do not have to service a car for the warranty to remain valid, and they should always get a second opinion if they fear they are being oversold.

"It's about transparency. You have to take the customers through the journey and explain everything." Ultimately, the power is the hands of consumers. "Get quotes and second opinions and shop around. It's always the best advice if there's extra work needed beyond the normal service."

What do you think? Are mechanics routinely ripping people off? Add a comment below.

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http://www.smh.com.au/small-business...14-gov76k.html

[falconhell74]

Unfortunately there are quite a few around , I'm a mechanic myself but I have seen some rip off merchants in my time, especially in towns like Gladstone in QLD .
I was working for a company that have fleet vehicles and was sent a ute and told that it had a coolant leak before they sent it to me and to send it to the local (and only) dealership to be assessed and repaired.
Their diagnosis was leaking water pump $1800 yes $1800 to replace , I told them to take a hike as I would do it my self as Im a qualified mechanic with 20 years experience and I would just like to purchase the water pump.
They refused point blank to sell me the water pump .
So I said fine Ill get one from an auto parts store , they told me I wasn't allowed to .
I said try and stop me :-)
The following day I pressure tested the cooling system my self and surprise surprise no external or internal coolant leak.
I then tested the radiator cap and yep you guessed it, it was U/S .
So long story short $1800 to fix a water pump that didn't need fixing and should only cost a couple hundred at the most and turned out to be a $17 radiator cap.
I can guarantee the would have charged me the full $1800 for the job and possibly not even change the pump as li looked new any way.
So yes they are out there so shop around

[Yellow_Festiva]

Yes and no.....

Some are honest, some take advantage of clueless customers..

I caught out Toyota after they rorted my sister on brake pads I just replaced as well as a $90 charge for a tyre rotation. This was several years ago.

Ford kept harassing me for brake pads, tyres and wiper blades that were more than fine. They all lasted till the next service and had the brake pads changed just prior at my local mechanic for 1/3rd the price.

I buy and add my own additives. I price and buy my own tyres.

I just dropped off my Mitsubishi Monday.

Sure enough they suggested wiper blades ($90) and an engine carbon clean ($290). I declined both.

Having said that, they told me the tyres and brakes are fine with lots of life left.

Mitsubishi are also guilty of price changing. They have a different price for the same model depending on the year it was bought which makes no sense if it's the exact same car and work being done!

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Mitsubishi are also guilty of price changing. They have a different price for the same model depending on the year it was bought which makes no sense if it's the exact same car and work being done!

Actually that makes perfect sense.
Capped Price servicing is fixed at the time you buy the car. It wouldn't be capped if the price simply increased. So if you buy a Lancer this year, servicing is capped at $240 a year for the first four years. If you buy a Lancer next year, it will probably be capped at say $260 a year.

[Franco Cozzo]

Timing belts are made out of rubber, and rubber cracks and goes all stiff, maybe if Janelle read her car manual she might notice the 100,000km OR 10 YEARS suggestion for replacement.

[falconhell74]

Timing belts are made out of rubber, and rubber cracks and goes all stiff, maybe if Janelle read her car manual she might notice the 100,000km OR 10 YEARS suggestion for replacement.


Some are 60,000 km like the holden astra nearly $2000 service every 60,000 km ....... bugger that.

[Stefan]

I had my Audi A3 1.8T serviced at the local mechanic, he asks me ifs the timing belt had been done I said "No"

Tells me he thought so could not see it in the service book and noticed it had a lot of cracks in the belt and it was a time bomb, i would be better to leave it with him and pick it up tomorrow after he changed it, will be cheaper than Audi...

I told him the reason no timing belt has been done is that this particular model has a timing chain.......suddenly the sound of crickets.

Not sure he would have ripped me off but he certainly did not see cracks in my timing belt.

[Wretched]

I'll never go back to Ford for a service. Been to 4 dealers and the service has been average to outright rubbish. Sick of the garbage they spruik and the outrageous labor costs.
Will be looking for a local mechanic from now on. Thankfully the timing belt only needs to be replaced every 180k.

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by Wretched

I'll never go back to Ford for a service. Been to 4 dealers and the service has been average to outright rubbish. Sick of the garbage they spruik and the outrageous labor costs.
Will be looking for a local mechanic from now on. Thankfully the timing belt only needs to be replaced every 180k.

Well I was under the impression that timing belt intervals were only an issue if you have an interference engine. My mechanic also agreed with me on this and said that he does the same with his old mitsi (not interference). Just run the car till the belt breaks then get the job done. He said in his experience the belts tend to last a lot longer than the manual says they will, often more than twice as long. Mind you my first car was interference so I had it changed at the correct interval... only to grenade the transmission 4 months later and write it off

Anyone know if Barra 182's are interference or not?

[GO FURTHER]

Any time I've taken any of my cars in for a service or repair I prepare 3 lists;

List 1 - Things to remove from the car before dropping it off.
E.g. All valuables, coins, GPS, all tools, spare key, etc
I basically empty the console, boot and glove box, check under the seats, etc.
Trust nobody!

Often they will leave your car unlocked in the yard / car park when finished, so anyone can get into your car including the public.
If something goes missing, it's too hard to point the finger without proof. Best to just avoid temptation in the first place.

List 2 - An itemised list I give the service supervisor of what I don't want them to do or touch and things I want them to do
e.g.
a. Don't replace the wiper blades
b. Don't put "Ford's favorite" windscreen washer additive in my reservoir (I have that filled with "RainX" in the correct diluted ratio).
c. Don't wash the car! (No dirty sponge and swirls marks wanted)
d. Stamp the logbook.
e. Don't use a ratchet gun on my "locking wheel nuts".
f. Any items that have been done recently elsewhere (e.g. brake pads, wheel alignment).
g. Make sure that my oil filter "sandwich plate" (for my oil pressure gauge) is on tight before putting on the new oil filter.
h. Don't stick a "reminder service" sticker on my windscreen. (I hate stickers!)

3. List 3 - Things to check when I pick up the car
e.g.
a. Check log book is stamped
b. Check tyre valve caps are put back on
c. Check wheel lock nut key is put back in car
d. Check oil level is correct
e. Walk around car - Check for scratches, dents or damage.
f. Check odometer reading (I make a note of the reading when I drop it off, don't want my car being used for errands).
g. Check all chrome engine "bling" covers and items are still there!


Also I tell them that no extra work or repairs (not initially agreed too) is to be performed without contacting me first for approval.

If I ask them to replace certain items such as a fuel filter for example, I will get a permanent marker and place a secret mark or black dot here and there on the item the night before, so I can be sure the part has been actually replaced.

[Mercury Bullet]

I always leave a few coins, for ***** 'n giggles.

[Franco Cozzo]

Ive bought two new cars, never had them serviced at dealerships, only ever done by local mechanics and I supplied the oil and filters (genuine filters only).

They're out of warranty I do oil and filter myself but for the bigger more involved stuff it goes to the local mechanic.

[Trump]

There is no issue if one keeps his or her wits about them when it comes to service and maintenance of their car. That is why it pays off massively to be educated enough about the intricacies of one's conveyance to avoid getting burnt.

I just see it as being clued-up on what is for most people the second most expensive thing they will buy as common sense. However, many buy cars these days with the same amount of pre-purchase due dilligence that one would use to buy a bag of sugar for example, none.

[Falcon SXR8]

My favourite one was my local drongos at ford telling me I needed new back tires...... They were literally 1 day old had driven 3klm to ford dealer with them. Absolute scumbags

[falconhell74]

Originally Posted by Falcon SXR8

My favourite one was my local drongos at ford telling me I needed new back tires...... They were literally 1 day old had driven 3klm to ford dealer with them. Absolute scumbags

They weren't bald when you got the car back ???

[Falcon SXR8]

Originally Posted by falconhell74

They weren't bald when you got the car back ???

wouldn't surprise me

[Mercury Bullet]

Originally Posted by Falcon SXR8

My favourite one was my local drongos at ford telling me I needed new back tires...... They were literally 1 day old had driven 3klm to ford dealer with them. Absolute scumbags

Haha...memories.
Years ago I was given a yellow sticker by a copper for bald rears on my cobra.
I tried to tell him that I'd just bought them yesterday and they had done 5km.

A trip to the cop shop and a friendly chat with the sergeant had the sticker quickly removed.

[Pis-ton broke]

my first car when i was 17 ,a 74 escort need a tune (so i thought), so i sent it to a reputable garage. i got it back, not fixed, i need the car for tafe. i took i back, they fiddled with it, and said don,t bring it back. the car was running so badly at this time so i took it to a back yard mechanic, within five minutes he told me the dizzy shaft was worn, he took one out of a cortina and put it in the escort and fixed it.
my very first experience with a reputable and big name garage was a disaster. so ever since that time i learnt to fix my own cars and rebuild engines and so on. so really they did me a favor , cause i never use a mechanic and ive saved thousands and thousands of dollars.
atm my landcrusier is getting all new shocks and swaybar rubbers etc, pedders quoted (they checked it for me) stacks, i ask my mate who manages a supercheap store and he gets me his staff discount. so a big saving! imagine paying a dealer to repair and service this type of car, heaps
machanics= 0
me = heaps
how sweet it is!

this is going to be a long thread with many complaints.

[4vxc]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

my first car when i was 17 ,a 74 escort need a tune (so i thought), so i sent it to a reputable garage. i got it back, not fixed, i need the car for tafe. i took i back, they fiddled with it, and said don,t bring it back. the car was running so badly at this time so i took it to a back yard mechanic, within five minutes he told me the dizzy shaft was worn, he took one out of a cortina and put it in the escort and fixed it.
my very first experience with a reputable and big name garage was a disaster. so ever since that time i learnt to fix my own cars and rebuild engines and so on. so really they did me a favor , cause i never use a mechanic and ive saved thousands and thousands of dollars.
atm my landcrusier is getting all new shocks and swaybar rubbers etc, pedders quoted (they checked it for me) stacks, i ask my mate who manages a supercheap store and he gets me his staff discount. so a big saving! imagine paying a dealer to repair and service this type of car, heaps
machanics= 0
me = heaps
how sweet it is!

this is going to be a long thread with many complaints.

I hope your mate from super cheap knows that they get audited by the loss prevention manager, he doesn't have to come to the store to do it.
He can do it from home or sitting in his car via his laptop.
They are generally ex detectives or similar and can spot b/s a mile away.
All these things get checked without anyone's knowledge and if something appears out of the ordinary its see ya latter, don't come back.
It is treated as stealing from the business.
Not worth it to get 25% discount for your mates.
SCA managers are easy to replace.

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by 4vxc

I hope your mate...........
SCA managers are easy to replace.

ok, thanks for that, i will call him tonight. maybe the saving grace is that he has a crusier too, but i will see what he says.

[mike_nofx]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

ok, thanks for that, i will call him tonight. maybe the saving grace is that he has a crusier too, but i will see what he says.

A Bigger concern I'd have is using Supercheap Auto suspension in a Landcruiser!

[josh1990]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

ok, thanks for that, i will call him tonight. maybe the saving grace is that he has a crusier too, but i will see what he says.

He should know better, hope for his sake his area manager doesn't catch on to it. The discount can be used by immediate family members only. he would have had to sign a declaration (or several, depending how long he's been there) saying he understands this so if he gets busted he's done, no if buts or maybes. They've only just recently done the last lot of declarations too, probably 2 months ago. As a manager he could offer you a one off trade discount or a even a trade card (depending on your occupation) without risk to his job.

[josh1990]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

A Bigger concern I'd have is using Supercheap Auto suspension in a Landcruiser!

You realise SCA don't actually make any suspension parts right? It's all branded stuff (superpro, nolathane, KYB, Robinson's etc etc) that you will find at most other stores. Following your methodology everywhere sells crap suspension and we're all buggered?

[olfella]

If you think someone is ripping you off, regardless of what it is - get a second opinion!! Same with a doctor, mechanic, painter, electrician, plumber - the list goes on. We all can dig up horror stories we have experienced and I hope we all learn from them. Writing an article that has not been well researched does no one any good except her - she gets paid to write crap.

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by olfella

If you think someone is ripping you off, regardless of what it is - get a second opinion!! Same with a doctor, mechanic, painter, electrician, plumber - the list goes on. We all can dig up horror stories we have experienced and I hope we all learn from them. Writing an article that has not been well researched does no one any good except her - she gets paid to write crap.

hi olfella, your post in responds in mine i think, well at the age of 17 i was taught to respected my elders, and also to have some faith that the PROFESSIONAL mechanic would DO THE RIGHT THING. at that time i started learning that lots of people don,t do the right thing. and who was i to question the mechanic, at 17 you don,t know anything. such and easy target. easy money. i would like to say that the other mechanic that helped me was was my hero at that time , ive never forgot him, tony leea (sp) at badgerys crk nsw, top bloke.

the trade seems to lack =proffessional work ethics

[olfella]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

hi olfella, your post in responds in mine i think, well at the age of 17 i was taught to respected my elders, and also to have some faith that the PROFESSIONAL mechanic would DO THE RIGHT THING. at that time i started learning that lots of people don,t do the right thing. and who was i to question the mechanic, at 17 you don,t know anything. such and easy target. easy money. i would like to say that the other mechanic that helped me was was my hero at that time , ive never forgot him, tony leea (sp) at badgerys crk nsw, top bloke.

the trade seems to lack =proffessional work ethics

Unfortunately there are shonks everywhere, and they survive because people allow them to. But it must be remembered that at the end of the day the customer is in control because they are the ones paying.

I suppose I am lucky (or unlucky - depends on which side you are on) in that I belong to a licensed trade. And like a doctor or lawyer, if I do the wrong thing and get reported then I lose my licence. But even in saying that, the customer still dictates what I do and how I charge. They ask for quotes and if I am over what they want to pay them I dont get the job. If it does not meet their expectations, they query me and I have to be able to justify the complaint.

Even with mechanics, the same process applies. Like what you did at age 17, shop around. When you find a good one stick with them. The shonk down the road then starts to wonder when people drive past him and go to the more reputable shop.

To say the 'trade seems to lack professional work ethics' I think is wrong. Those reputable work shops do have quality process in place and it is wrong to tar them all with the same brush. They should have a complaint process. AND you should be able to report them to the body (like NRMA, RACV, AAMIE) they belong to and if that body gets enough complaints, then they are tossed out.

I have never forgot a lesson I learnt in early life when I was strapping for race horses. I was told there was a con man born every minute - and there were two suckers born for him to feed off. Dont be a sucker!

[bobthebilda]

I think alot of people would get the wrong impression of what is a rip off. Only today i got a friend to replace the front brake pads on the old Falcon. $39 for the pads, and he had them changed over in less than 30 minutes (obviously didnt charge me for the labour). Not sure what the going rate would be anywhere else, but i could assume that if i took it down to the local Kmart auto etc, then i would have been paying a share of their site rental costs, their equipment costs, the mechanics wage, the mechanics managers wage, head office costs etc. Most people would think that they are getting ripped off if they had to pay for more than 30 minutes of the mechanics wage to do the changeover (say $20), but you end up paying sometimes 4 or 5 times that much due to the huge costs associatted in running a business.

[PHANTMXR6]

Exactly. It's easy to say it should be a short cheap job, but not too many people take overheads into consideration.

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by PHANTMXR6

Exactly. It's easy to say it should be a short cheap job, but not too many people take overheads into consideration.

i don,t think people give a poo about over heads, just honestly and value for money is a good start.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by bobthebilda

I think alot of people would get the wrong impression of what is a rip off. Only today i got a friend to replace the front brake pads on the old Falcon. $39 for the pads, and he had them changed over in less than 30 minutes (obviously didnt charge me for the labour). Not sure what the going rate would be anywhere else, but i could assume that if i took it down to the local Kmart auto etc, then i would have been paying a share of their site rental costs, their equipment costs, the mechanics wage, the mechanics managers wage, head office costs etc. Most people would think that they are getting ripped off if they had to pay for more than 30 minutes of the mechanics wage to do the changeover (say $20), but you end up paying sometimes 4 or 5 times that much due to the huge costs associatted in running a business.

Most mechanics charge between $80-100 per hour to cover the costs of running the business (as mentioned above) and to put a little in his pocket at the end of the day for his efforts. Where the rip-off tag might be legitimately applied is on the $260 p/h labour rate that is found in BMW and M-B dealerships.