Look out for red flags – Don’t get ripped off

TO be fair, most auto mechanics are decent, hard-working individuals who endeavour to ensure the safety of their clients.

Unfortunately, there are some mechanics who think they can exploit women’s often limited automotive knowledge to earn a few extra bucks.

To counter this, many women have had to resort to having male partners or friends accompany them to have vehicular problems diagnosed and service fees quoted, to minimise the chance of getting ripped off.

However, just in case you have to make one of these trips alone, auto mechanic and car enthusiast Roshane Holness shares a few red flags that might indicate your car repair specialist is trying to rip you off.

“If you aren’t well-versed about cars, then chances are some bad seeds in the automotive industry could make attempts to hike prices, or even pretend to have rendered services, for example, that they didn’t complete at all, just so they can dig a little deeper in your pockets,” Holness said.

He apologised in advance for the actions of the few bad apples, and shared the following signs to look out for:

Auto mechanic won’t show you the old part/s

He tells you he had to change a part or two because they were in bad condition, or that he needed to change the air filter, which had already been changed a week ago. However, he cannot show you the parts he changed and becomes uneasy when you ask him to show you what was done.

If this happens, he is banking on you not wanting to cause a scene.

Inconsistent labour estimates

At the beginning of the conversation, he told you the price and you didn’t flinch. Chances are he thinks that he can add a little extra without you realising, since you didn’t “bawl down the price”. if you should ask about the price change, he might tell you that he forgot to add something. Don’t be afraid to ask what the additional thing is.

Other mechanics might tell you that they can’t give you a labour cost because they might “buck up” on another issue, and so you have to wait until the work is complete. If this happens, you may want to shop around.

Vague answers

When you ask your mechanic to diagnose a problem, as well as to say how he intends to fix it and what will be needed for the repair, he brushes you off and tells you, “You wouldn’t understand, it’s complicated”, or “Easy thing that fi deal wid man, no worry yourself man”. He may also tell you to trust him because he is a specialist.

Even though you are still confused about what is actually happening with your vehicle, he wants you to leave a down payment without stating the true nature of the repair required or the price.

Mechanic insists on buying the parts

You tell the mechanic to give you a list of what is needed, but he insists that he wants to buy the parts, although you have made it clear you do not want to use his “link” and would rather get the genuine version in an auto store.

Chances are he wants to buy the part/s through his connection because he will also benefit from the purchase.

Suddenly, it’s the biggest possible problem

What sounded like just a small rattle, and might very well have been a small problem, is suddenly blown out of proportion.

The auto mechanic comes back telling you that the catalytic converter is shot, that your muffler is rusted and that the exhaust pipes have holes in them. Additionally, the mechanic keeps extending the repair time to make it more believable — chances are he created phantom repairs.

To be sure you are not being ripped off, ask him to show you the problems that need to be repaired on your car.

Bringing forward scheduled car service and parts replacement

Even if you don’t know much about your car, your car manual does, and it is the best guide as it relates to servicing and repairs.

To bump up repair fees, some auto mechanics will tell you that you need to do a particular service of one part or another, even though your car has not reached the mileage outlined in the manual to warrant that change. They might also want to cut the life of a part in half, just so they can make some extra cash.

— Penda Honeyghan