Ok, fellow gear heads and everyday commuters, we should discuss something that is under the fingernails of practically every car owner in the world, the trip to the mechanic. We use our cars to drive us to point A to point B, to school, to work, to that adventure on the weekend. And when something is bound to go wrong we give our old steed to a person who has special knowledge–a person who, in theory, knows all about what makes it run, how to diagnose a problem, and what to do to get it running again. It is an inherent gesture of trust, right?

The thing is, though, that to many of us, the inner workings of an internal combustion engine are as incomprehensible as the dark side of the moon. We are not all car-savvy and though some of us can manage the simple stuff, the larger problems always drive us to the experts. Unfortunately, this knowledge gap provides a very broad, shiny gap that some less-than-scrupulous mechanics can exploit. It is a sad fact, but it is one that has been experienced by millions of drivers, and has made what should have been a simple repair process into an exasperating, wallet-busting experience.

The bad news, which is at least a good news, is that there is nothing really new, under the sun, in these cheap tricks. All the tricks that have ever been experimented on unsuspecting customers are on the record, and we can take them to pieces. Buckle up, then, as we are going to dive into some of the most irritating, frustrating and, in some cases, downright deceitful methods mechanics have ever dug deeper graves into the wallets of customers through tricks that are, quite honestly, simply shady. We are drawing aside the veil of these universal disappointments, since it is the forewarned that is the forearmed.

1.  Pushes Customers into Making Unnecessary Purchases

Think about driving into the shop and having what you believe to be a simple problem, say, a squeaky belt or a check-up, and getting sold a shopping cart full of expensive parts that your favorite everyday car simply does not require. It is as though visiting a fast-food restaurant and them attempting to sell you a fancy steak dinner. The context clearly explains that when a customer visits a Pep Boys Tires to seek services, there are high probabilities that the customer would be pushed to the name brand products, which is understandable. But the waters are spoiled when a mechanic takes advantage of that trust and sells unnecessary expensive items.

Summary on purchasing unnecessary parts:

• Mechanics can coerce clients to buy expensive or performance components that are not applicable to their vehicles.
• The customers usually become victims of the so-called trap of the professional recommendation, thinking that they need the upgrade.
• Stores can make higher profits on upselling than on solving the problem.
• Trust may soon become an over-investment in non-performing or non-safety parts.

This is not merely a matter of brand loyalty, or telling you that something is better than something else, but literally a mechanic attempting to persuade you that your 150,000-mile sedan requires a performance component that belongs in a track car. According to Complex, a mechanic might sell a part that is actually very expensive, which should not be in a sedan with 150,000 miles on it. It is an old trick, and it is based on the premise that when a professional suggests it, it must be necessary. You are left with the question of whether you are being smart by upgrading or you are being fleeced.

What is really kicker about this is the lack of connection between what your car actually needs to operate safely and reliably and what the shop will be getting out of selling. Although we wish that the number of auto shops which attempt to pull this off are few and far between, it is not unheard of. It is a frustrating situation when you can just trust their experience and soon enough, you are faced with a bigger-than-you-anticipated charge of parts that will not improve your commute in any way.

2.  Preying On Customers

Oh, the feared check engine light. It shines threateningly on the dashboard, a silent portent of possible disaster, and it always appears on the most inopportune occasion possible. To a majority of car owners, this small amber light is a straight ticket to a mechanic, and in most cases, a very expensive one. It is the sort of thing that makes your spine chill as you are aware, on a deeper level, that it is hardly ever a fast, cheap solution. Or is it?

The fear factor of the check engine light:

• The check engine light tends to cause panic among the drivers.
• Unscrupulous mechanics take advantage of such fear and charge exorbitant or counterfeit repairs.
• Most stores make simple problems more complex to charge more.
• Absence of transparency makes customers pay services that they did not require.

The disturbing fact is that this universal anxiety may be, and is, frequently, used. The scene explains how an airflow sensor was deliberately interfered with by a group of people working at ABC News to activate the check engine light. Then they went to a couple of repair shops and they found mechanics who were attempting to overcharge them to perform a minor repair. This is not only involving the act of overcharging, but rather exploiting the fear and lack of particular technical expertise that most vehicle drivers possess upon seeing that light.

Worse still, most of these mechanics did not even tell the truth about what the real problem was initially. They would cloud, confuse and in general make it sound much more serious than it actually was in order to warrant a higher cost of repair. It is a good illustration of how a simple diagnosis code can be turned into a big financial nightmare and you find yourself with a lighter pocket and still with a question mark on the integrity of the service.

3.  Free! Just To Find Out What Went Wrong With The Car

Who doesn’t love free? The offer of a free third-visit oil change, or a free tire check-up in the car industry, is music to the ears. It exploits that universal human need to feel like they are getting a deal, a small additional. However, as the saying goes, when something sounds too good to be true, then it is. And in this instance, it is usually a wolf in sheep clothing.

The unseen price of free services:

• Free services are usually used as a trap to enter your car.
• Mechanics take advantage of these free checks to diagnose or discover additional issues.
• Once in, they propose expensive repairs in the form of an emergency.
• What begins as a freebie may result in a high repair cost.

The customers must understand that such freebies are usually only a way of getting under the hood. They are an invitation, an open door to a mechanic to peep in your car. As soon as they have such access, the game starts. That is when they bring all the problems to the customer, as Goliath reports, hoping that something will shine through to raise the eyebrows of the owner. It is a disguised diagnostic session that is disguised as a goodwill gesture.

Then, out of nowhere, the free tire check makes it apparent that your brake pads are unhealthy thin (even though they are), or free oil change causes you to be in a dire situation with a leaking gasket. The mechanic has managed to transition to a free service to possibly discover a host of problems that, by chance, will cost you a lot to resolve. It is a nice trick of getting their foot in the door and, regrettably, it usually works.

4.  Billing Labor Hourly Billed To Do A Simple Repair

It is not necessarily a problem to bill labor on an hourly basis. Actually, it is a rather common practice in most service business, auto repair being no exception. It does not need to send red flags up. What however does become of interest is when a mechanic then decides that a simple, half-hour job is somehow taking several hours, and is dramatically increasing your final bill. It is then that the alarm bells ought to begin sounding.

When time equals money:

• Some mechanics willingly extend short repairs to make more billing per hour.
• Simple tasks such as changing brakes pads are blown out of proportion.
• Certainly, there is a trick of inflating labor charges by means of so-called gravy work.
• Knowledge of average repair time can guard you against fraud.

This is a strategy, and it does not reflect well on the customer: according to ABC News, mechanics refer to it as gravy work. It is basically inflating the bill by deliberately delaying the repair work. Consider a situation where you take your car to get your brake pad replaced, which should take a maximum of thirty minutes to an hour and pay half a day of labor. It is enough to make you feel like you have been taken on a ride and not the good kind.

The key here is knowledge. One should have a rough idea of the time that repairs ought to take. Although each job is unique and some unforeseen pitfalls may be met, a half-hour replacement of brake pads should not, in any case, take several hours. This is a direct blow to your wallet and a breakage of trust you have on their efficiency and honesty.

5.  Gets Preoccupied With Repairing Another Thing

Remembering that even going to the car shop is a psychological challenge to some. You have a problem, you have acknowledged that there is a problem that needs to be fixed, and you have prepared to take a financial blow. It’s a process. However, what makes this process even more difficult and frustrating is when you take your car to the shop because of a certain problem and the mechanic returns with an entire list of new problems that he claims are critical and that they require immediate attention.

Major points of switching the focus to unnecessary repairs:

• Customers come in with a single problem and walk out with several problems that are urgent.
• Mechanics can change the focus on your actual problem to other irrelevant problems.
• The layperson cannot easily know what exactly needs to be fixed.
• The cost of repairs can be elevated by this bait-and-switch technique.

The situation described above is best exemplified by a case presented by Complex: a customer arrives with a problem of a belt, and the mechanic discovers another issue and wants to repair that, as well. Then, your intended repair turns out to be a much bigger, and much more costly, job. It is not merely an upsell, but a change of focus, which tends to negate the initial purpose of taking the car to the shop.

The actual challenge to the customers is to know the extent of severity of these other problems. Is it a small oil spillage that can be postponed or a disaster that is about to happen to the engine? It all depends on the honesty of the mechanic in the first place. This is a strategy that leaves car owners in a state of confusion and bewilderment as they are torn between believing the professional and whether they are being ripped off into making unnecessary repairs that they do not require at the moment.

6.  Painting An Ominous Picture When It Is Not That Bad

A mechanic is a doctor to your car in many ways. Their task is to check the issue and repair it, and cars, as people, fall ill. However, where a good doctor would normally strive to reassure and talk positively about the condition of a patient, some mechanics see it as playing to their advantage when they do the very last thing that they should do. They tell a tale of an imminent misfortune, and inflate the problems that your car has.

The most important lessons about exaggerating problems to create panic:

• Some mechanics overstate the problems with cars to appear to be disastrous.
• Fear-based stories compel customers to pay to do unnecessary repairs.
• There are honest professionals who describe short-term and long-term effects in a relaxed manner.
• Basic services are turned into emotional traps as a result of fear-mongering tactics.

According to Complex, a mechanic can turn a negative story about the state of the car, which is exaggerated to begin with. You may enter with a slight rattle, and walk out believing that all your suspension is going to blow out, and that your life and limb would be in danger with every turn of the wheel.

A decent, honest mechanic will obviously tell a customer about the problem, its short-term effects, and its long-term effects, but he/she will not fuel the fears of a customer with regards to the true state of the car. They will not paint such a grim picture when it is not that bad. This is a very frustrating form of manipulation that capitalizes on our inherent fear of security and the lifespan of our prized vehicles and transforms a simple service check into an emotional roller coaster.

7.  Charging Customers Work That Never Happened

It is important to be clear that the majority of mechanics are honest, hard-working, and sincere people who simply enjoy working on cars and assisting people. They are trying to earn their living, as any other person. However, there are the bad apples, the repair shops that have likely attempted this particular trick at least once, and it is, perhaps, one of the most outrageously dishonest tricks in the book: charging work that was never done.

Memoir of charging work not done:

• The most obvious scam: charging the customers with counterfeit repairs.
• Stores purport to have changed or serviced components that they did not even touch.
• Later customers find out that the problem still exists.
• Always demand to get old parts returned and verify what was really accomplished.

This isn’t subtle. It is talking about what is probably the least creative action of all, where ABC News cautions against people who charge to do work that was not originally done at all. They can say that they have changed a part or changed a fluid, or made some tricky adjustment when in truth they did not touch it. You literally pay the price, and even then you are not receiving a service that you were not given, yet your initial issue is probably still there.

Regrettably, the customer tends to pay the price later in the road when he or she discovers that there is still something wrong, or when another mechanic indicates that the so-called new part is too old. It is not only irritating, but also a direct robbery of your hard-earned money and a total betrayal of trust. It points out the paramount importance of demanding old parts back and being careful about what work was actually done on your car. It is an irritating reminder that not all people in the service business are working in your best interest.

Ok, we have had an adventure ride through some of the most dubious tricks that mechanics will do, such as pushing parts that are not necessary, or charging ghost repairs. But do not put away your lug nuts, we are not finished yet! Our journey to automotive enlightenment is a long way and there are still too many potholes that have been excavated by less-than-stellar repair shops that we have to negotiate. We should continue shedding the layers of frustration and unveil even more tricks that cause us to want to throw our wrenches in frustration.

This is not only about complaining, but it is about knowing the game in order to play it wiser. All car owners in the world should get a fair chance and a decent repair. So, strap in to the next set of stuff that mechanics do that makes all of us just like the heck. Power is knowledge and in this instance, it is also money saved.

8.  Upselling Fluids And Services

You have likely encountered this one when you have rolled into a quick lube shop, or even a full service shop, to get something as basic as an oil change. Then, your regular visit turns into a sales pitch of the life and death of all fluids and services in the world. It is what the business world refers to as flushing the wallets, and it is an art of turning a small necessity into a significantly bigger bill.

Something you should know about fluid flush frenzy:

• Regular oil change is usually a high pressure upsell.
• Mechanics: Mechanics are pushing high-quality fluids or unneeded replacements as a source of profit.
• Wallet flushing occurs when you are sold things that your car does not need.
• Check your manual prior to hiring to change the fluid.

According to Brake & Front End, stores will tend to push fluids on clients that are much more costly than the basic, and fully effective brands. Does your driver require that ultra-premium brake fluid when the regular one is already satisfactory? Probably not. The thing is that these more expensive variants will increase the bottom line of the shop, not necessarily your car performance or life.

It is even worse when you are being advised to change or refill a fluid in your car that you do not even need. Your mechanic may recommend replacing your transmission fluid, power steering fluid, or coolant, although it may not be even close to the recommended service time by the manufacturer. It puts you in a dilemma of whether you are doing the right thing to your car or falling into a well-planned upsell trap. Never ask, never leave your owner manual unchecked!

9.  Can’t Show What Is Wrong

Here is a golden rule of car owners: when a mechanic tells you that something is wrong, he must show you. Seriously, don’t be shy! You would not trust a doctor when he or she tells you that you are in need of a major surgery without any scans or evidence, right? The same is applicable to your automobile particularly when the maintenance cost is beginning to rise.

Seeing Is believing:

• Fraudulent stores purport that parts are broken but they will not display the evidence.
• Customers must never accept faulty parts without viewing them.
• Openness generates trust; secrecy is a warning.
• When a mechanic is unwilling to provide evidence, doubt his/her integrity.

According to Complex, one of the tricks some mechanics use is stating that there is a problem, but they do not provide the evidence. They will inform you that your air filter is fully blocked and requires changing, but when you request to see the part that is causing the problem, it is suddenly that it is already disposed of, or it is not readily available. They should be able to demonstrate the nail to you in case there is a nail in your tire. In case you have worn out brake pads, you are supposed to see those paper-thin pads.

In the absence of any hard evidence, you are completely at the mercy of what they say. Such lack of transparency means that an unscrupulous mechanic can tell you whatever story he or she wants regarding the state of your car, and may well charge you to fix something that is not actually broken. The faulty component must always be seen. An honest mechanic will gladly take you through it and point out to you what is wrong. When they are unable or unwilling to, then it is time to be suspicious.

10. They Do A Repair Without Authorization

There is a universally accepted rule in the auto repair industry: Diagnose, seek permission, and only after that repair. It is a basic chain that is meant to secure you and the store. You have an idea of what is wrong and how much it will cost before any serious work is done, and they make sure that they will be rewarded in their work. However, sometimes you come across a rogue shop, which chooses to omit a number of essential steps.

How can you escape repairs without authorization:

• There are stores that do repairs without the consent of the customers.
• This is not only against fundamental ethics but also in most cases, it leads to surprise charges.
• You are entitled to accept all paid labor prior to its completion.
• Always demand a written estimate and provide the explicit authorization.

Suppose you take your car to the doctor and have it diagnosticed, and the doctor calls and tells you that it is all fixed, and you are going to receive a call with an estimate. That’ll be $800.” Wait, what? This is a major red flag. The Bureau of Automotive Repair makes it clear that a shop has to seek approval before going ahead with a repair that will cost. This is not a favor, but a legal and moral requirement.

Mechanics that do repairs without your express permission are bullying your hand. They have already done the job and now you are the one that has to pay the bill, whether you wanted that particular repair or not, or maybe you would have gotten a better price somewhere. It is an annoying violation of trust and a complete disrespect of your right as a consumer to make informed choices about your car. A written estimate should always be obtained and clear approval should be provided.

11. Excessive Promises on Timelines

Oh, the never-ending game of the it will be ready by Tuesday promise, only to have Tuesday turn into Wednesday, and then Friday, and finally, who knows? We’ve all been there. You leave your car, carefully plan your alternative transportation, re-arrange your appointments, and basically organize your life to the anticipated time of pick-up. Then the call cannot be resisted: We had a little hitch…

Overview on the endless wait game:

• Mechanics also promise more than they deliver in terms of repair schedules.
• Delays affect your time schedule and create an added burden to everyday life.
• Delays are frequent and this can be a sign of ineffective management or staffing.
• Open and frank communication on delay will save trust and forbearance.

It is not merely an inconvenience, but a break in your whole routine. Every delay will be another day of scramble to get a ride, use a bus, or tap into your Uber account. The indecision is frustrating, the endless loop of anticipation and frustration as you look at the phone hoping to be called but it is continuously rescheduled. It drives even the most tolerant car owner to the point of utter frustration.

Although unexpected problems may always occur during the process of repairing vehicles, a tendency of over promising and under delivering on schedules is an indication of a bigger problem. It may be bad scheduling, understaffing or just a lack of respect of your time. What began as a mere repair may turn out to be a week-long adventure of waiting, wondering and wishing you had a backup car. We understand that things go on, but a bit of honesty and improved communication will go a long way.