.. for the life of me every time I've taken a vehicle in to be serviced I always leave feeling slightly screwed over.... it's always the same old story... you take your car in and you think it's a quick fix... for an example...I say to the serves guy. .my alternator is burnt out pretty sure of it..
He say yup sounds like it... leave it with us will call with a quote...it shouldn't be too expensive...2hrs later he calls and says all friendly like (hi .it turns out it was your alternator but also.....(ok.. now there it is. The also). Here it comes the bumbing up the bill part....you need this as well done to fix it.....always the same old song and dance...any one else feel like your always being racked over the coals?

only when i buy stuff
buys beware
but seams that is a good thing
as far as cars , i know a little about them and have friends that know a lot about them ,so its unoften to get taken on that


but with that being said
make sure they change your blinker fluid
and take the winter air out ya tires and put in summer air
oh yeah and make sure they add air to your windshield whiper's , so they stay lighter then air and are able to push that water off your windscreen : )
now if ya dont believe that lie be true
ask the blind man , he saw it too

It's good to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of something you depend on every day to get you where you're going.

Sometimes something starts to go and we ignore the symptoms till the damn thing don't start or we are stranded on the side of the M1.

Like with your alternator. The service guy may say, "yeah, it's shot, and you need to replace the belt and the tensioner". You may think he's just padding the bill. If ya know a little bit about cars you could say, "just do the alternator for now, I'll get the other stuff later".

Most mechanics are honest, most but not all. And not all of them are good at their job.

Absolutely correct^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I was a mechanic at a Chevy dealership back in the mid '70's and even then most people (women and men) knew almost nothing about their cars. I'm sure it hasn't gotten any better with today's herd of men (?).

I worked for an undercar garage a few years.
Their policy was no pressure.

When a customer came in for brakes or a muffler or whatever.
We always gave them an estimate on what it would take to fix what they wanted.
We also gave them a separate estimate based on what should be done with the job.
While some customers elected to just have brake pads installed or a muffler installed, the majority elected to have the job done complete.

With an alternator, its best to change the belt unless it is already recently new.
Its best to test the battery, check the belt tensioner if it has one and check the system for parasitic draw.

In the case of a front brake job, the rotors should be turned true or replaced with new. The calipers should be rebuilt or replaced.
The brake fluid should be bled and the rear brakes should be inspected and adjusted.
We gave an estimate for front braked pads only.
We would not guarantee anything but the condition of our lifetime warranty brakes and we always kept the recommended estimate with the receipt.
When the customer returned because their brakes were pulsating or shimmying, we pulled out their receipt and showed them the original estimate that they declined.

If I changed your alternator at your request but didn't recommend replacing the cracked belt I would be derelict in my responsibility to you. However, if I recommend a belt and you decline, I'll still change the alternator but when that belt breaks, its not my fault, even if I had it off while changing your alternator.

Some shops, will decline any work not done as recommended.
I understand their point of view as well.
Their reputation is on the line.

I do know, If I gave an estimate on the repairs you need, I kept my word.
If I said I would do such and such for $120.80 your bill would be $120.80 OR LESS.
OR LESS comes into play when a part that can be reused is reused, muffler clamps, hangars, Rotors that measured out good after turning on a lathe, alignments that require less shims, etc.
We had a No Shop Charge policy.
Rags and consumables needed to do a job were part of doing business. Diagnosis was flat rate by 10ths of an hour, .1 = 6 minutes

If something happened that would make the repair go over the estimate, work stopped and the customer was called. If it was labor, the shop ate it.
If it was a mistake on the estimate, the shop ate it.
I had many very loyal customers that called me their mechanic.

I worked in the service dept at a car dealership. Each service writer made a percentage off of each service they sold. More work done meant a higher paycheck for them.

Stick to what you know needs to be fixed. Get it fixed and know something else is due later.

Dont be a doormat.

I only concede to extra work done after Ive done my homework.

From my point of view, this is one of the reasons I always trade my vehicles in every five to six years. I hate vehicle breakdowns.

Well, There's a difference between getting your car to run, and actually having it running properly. Also, not all shops are professional experts with ethics.

Now, assuming you take your car to an ethical expert, it's still gonna cost you more than you may expect or they may quote you higher and find other issues as well. An ethical expert will educate you and let you know what you can get away with to save some money now and what issues are critical and need immediate attention.

Pretty much the same with anything else in life.

One thing that I do, that helps, is to always listen to my car when I start the engine. You get to know what sounds normal. About 15 years ago, my car wasn't acting right and a bit sluggish. I was thinking, oh no maybe the transmission. I took it in and there was a transmission leak and the fix was inexpensive, and my car had the usual pep it always has.

My policy while I was dealing with customers (most of my career was in fleet garages) was to educate them about their own vehicle. I found that most people do want a job done right. I found the ones easiest to teach but hardest to persuade were the women. Men came into the shop thinking they knew more than someone who does this work for a living. Women were apprehensive about being taken advantage of by a mechanic.

Since I was truthful and offered them the option to decline recommended maintenance, most men agreed to do the work right now and the women tended to leave for a second opinion but seemed to find their way back to me to actually do the work.
Since I never realy belittle anyone for their ignorance, the information and the conditions I showed these people allowed them to understand what needed to be done without them feeling inferior.
Plus, when they did make the decision on what they wanted done, I accepted their decision, I covered my butt with a proper estimate but I didn't not give them grief for their informed decision.
What made me feel effective is when these people returned to me at a later date to go ahead and have the maintenance work done with me.

I realized it was their car and their money and I didn't really need to know their reasons for their decisions. I accepted the work they were willing to give me and my reputation kept me busy.

I think my mechanic is good.

With basic mechanical skills and the information on the internet I'm able to do must repairs myself. I had the brake lines rust out on my Chevy pickup and the dealership said it would cost $1700-$2000, I did it myself for about $250 which included buying a flare tool and a set of flare nut wrenches.

Good for you. Not everyone can do that.

I worked a couple years as a service advisor/ast manager at a new car dealership.
I would never take my car to a dealer unless it was something other mechanics couldn't fix.
It just costs too much.

After a 30 year career I am no longer able to do mechanical work.
I still know how so my son does it for me. I teach him.
We (I supervised) replaced all the steel brakelines on my 98 Dodge 4x4 two years ago. Every line all the way up to the master cylinder.
The job required cutting, bending a flaring both standard double flares and the newer bubble flares.
He did an excellent job.

Years ago, his mom (X) helped me change mufflers, starter, alternators, two engines and one auto tranny. I taught her.

Anyone can do the mechanical work.
They just need a good teacher and there are plenty of youtube videos available that will show you what you need to know.

Diagnosing drive-ability problems or electrical problems are a bit more intense.
Its also important to realize you need to have good quality tools and the right tools to do the job. Many people don't want the hassle.

For them, a best practice rule of thumb is to check and see if there are specialty shops related to the work you think you need. The mechanics in these shops usually get related training in that specialty.
The only time you would seek a dealer is if the car is still under warranty or no specialty shop is available.
There are shops that do general repairs (meaning they will tackle nearly anything that comes thru their door) and if you find a reliable one go there before a dealer.

The dealer doesn't rape you for money.
They operate on SRV (Suggested Retail Value) and are top quality trained to work on specific models. Most are good mechanics and can handle the job but, you will pay top dollar for everything.
As a service advisor I was often confronted with customers that complained an oil change was $38 when they could get it done at Jiffy Lube for $9.99 with a coupon.
What many don't realize that dealer mechanics are tracked for campaign and recall completion. They know what to look for while they are changing your oil. They also see known issues that may be happening to your car but haven't caused an issue yet. They make money on campaigns and recalls even when the repairs are no cost to you. So, they look when they get a chance.

Most online parts chains have a feature that lists open recalls and known campaigns when you enter the VIN and year make and model.
If its a recall, it should be free to have it fixed.
A general mechanic, even when very reliable, usually doesn't check your car for recalls or campaigns and when it is an issue, will charge you if you want it fixed.
I had a problem with the seat in my 99 Cavalier. I got an estimate to have it fixed at a local body shop. Then, while looking into doing it myself I found a recall on that seat open on my VIN.
I took it to the dealer and they installed a new seat at no charge, then took care of another recall on the emissions system.

Humm first of all I never take my car to a Dealership they are higher then heck and yes try to sell you more stuff that they say needs to be done..

Shop around and find you a shop you can trust.. The place I take my car too they will say at times you might want to fix this as well but... not required at this time...So far they have always been honest with me and if I have to leave my car they actually will take me home and come get me when it is ready...Yea a shop in a million.... Why I have used them for at least the last 10 years.... or more..

It is a Owner operated shop by a couple of brothers... And even others I have talked to that uses them all say the same, most honest shop they have ever found...

Myself I prefer using small businesses that are Owner Operated..

IDK, people are dishonest because they lack proper knowledge of product, service, customer, or industry, or all, or a mixture of fore mentioned. I don't think the targets gender plays a role in the overall "con". At least that's been my experience when in sales with bad sales reps. Gender doesn't matter if they can make it sound good for a sale, they'll say it.

You're right, some people can't do that. But there a lot of people who DON'T want to do what I did for various reasons, including being TOO LAZY. People who CAN do something but are too lazy shouldn't complain about the price of having someone else doing it for them.

And then there are people who say "I can't do that" because they never did something before. There is a big difference between not KNOWING how to do something and not being ABLE to do something.....being unable and not knowing are often conflated.

I am ALL girly when it comes to cars.
I know nothing whatsoever.
I have never put gas in a car.

So my car won't start, I can tell tis the battery.
Call the shop, they pick it up.
They call, needs new battery, I pay and take car home.

Next day, car won't start..again..WITH new battery.
Call the shop, they pick it up.
They call, say, must have been another bad battery, we will
put a new one in (one day old new battery!) I take car home.

Guess what the next morning? Dead as a doornail.
I call the shop, they come pick up the car again.
Next call, new battery come get.

I say NO! You keep it overnight and try and start it in
the morning!

Next day I get a call from the owner, he is laughing his head off..
he says, okay we would not have believed this in a million years,
but we had the camera on the car lot overnight and we will
show you what happened.

In the middle of the night my car turned itself on, ran until the
battery was emptied=dead. They had a good laugh but all they knew
to do was to UNSET all my alarms, so I now have none, but the freaking
battery works.

The point was, when I explained it to them, I could see them start
with the eye-rolls for girlies..like, what you say simply is not possible.
Until proved it WAS possible on their time.
So no, I do not trust ze mechanics.

UNSET all my alarms, so I now have none

thats a trip soufiehere

I feel pretty confident with my mechanic. I was already thinking that I needed a new battery. he came to my house and took my battery to test. He called the next day and came to my house again to install the new battery. I don't know if too many mechanics would come to your house.