@himom:
Yep, that is sears automotive, despite the fact that they claim they no longer give their ‘service advisors’ a piece of anything you buy, they will tell you all kinds of things. The best were their “lifetime” shocks and struts, the only problem is when they went, they would tell you before replacing them you needed new springs, new tires, and wouldn’t replace them unless you bought the other services (basically, it is a sham warantee, their US head of service told me that if they had to honor those warantees without the extra work, they would go broke…when people ask me if they are worth it, I tell them go to a garage and get them to put in Monroe shocks and struts, won’t need to worry about them for another 100k miles…
One of the other problems is that many local mechanics are honest, but they don’t necessarily have the skills or the equipment to diagnose problems, so they do things the old fashioned way, replace things until the thing works, then charge you. I really wish I had more time to work on my cars, it is frustrating when Honda wants 400 bucks to replace my hood latch, when a brand new latch (OEM) from an outside dealer with the cable was like 70 bucks, and my labor, well, would be free:).
We have owned a lot of Volvos (since 1984) and used to have a great and completely trustworthy Volvo mechanic with his own small local shop. Unfortunately, he decided to go into real estate investments and give up car repair.
We use the Volvo dealer for warranty repairs and when the Volvo maintenance recommendations hit certain big mileage points. Other than that, oil change places for oil changes and tire replacement and brake work at tire places.
We have ended up with a series of used Volvos over our marriage. I’m glad we have a reliable mechanic that keeps H’s Volvo running because it makes him happy. I’m personally ambivalent about that brand but H has come to like it.
Another Volvo owner here. I trust my service advisor at the local dealership. I’ve taken the car in for brakes squeeling multiple times, and they’ve sent me away saying there was nothing wrong. The incident I like best, was when he said “I understand you’ve had some trouble with your lights (which cost a ridiculous amount to replace) so I went ahead and replaced them for you” (under warranty, right before my warranty was going to expire). He knew which lights tended to go when, and was looking out for me. I may be in the market for a new car soon, and one reason I’d consider another Volvo is “my guy” at that dealership.
I trust mine. He was more sad than I was when my '92 Escort finally had to be replaced. Sometimes he gives us huge breaks on labor costs when we have a run on repairs with our two elderly cars.
But I don’t trust many mechanics. Way back when I was in grad school my '81 Escort needed a few repairs and I figured I’d take it to a mechanic near where I was attending school three days overnight instead of at home where I needed the car for work. He took me on a test drive and started “diagnosing” several problems that I knew the car did not have - figured I was a 22 year old female so he could trick me. He was pretty upset when I told him I KNEW what was causing the engine noise and that it definitely wasn’t what he claimed it to be
Finding a mechanic you can trust is a major find. We need our vehicles, they cost a lot. This person in our lives that we can trust and rely on can be a major stress reliever!
That’s why we’ve stuck with our mechanics, year after year. We had another pair of mechanics we liked for awhile, but we switched because we found another who was more convenient to my workplace at the time and had lower prices but still great service.
I drive Hondas so I really don’t use anyone other than for oil changes and brakes/tires every so often. If I actually need repairs done, there is a local shop I somewhat trust. Just avoid going there if I can.
Another longtime Volvo owner here who knows how important it is to find a trustworthy mechanic. Wd do have a good one now who has just told us that our current 15 year old S40 with 135K miles is going to need expensive repairs before too long so we should start looking for another car
I wonder if cars that inspire a loyal following tend to have dedicated mechanics that do the same. D recently bought an a VW. We found a nearby shop with a guy that has inspired quite a few fans. Having spoken with him, I admire his dedication to the cause.
There was a tire franchise nearby that I loved for many years, with a great manager. Until they tried to get me to buy a new oil pan-getting a little soft in places, or so they said. No way. Had it checked by another mechanic, no soft or rusty spots found. This van was on its last legs, and a rust bucket. Not worth fixing in my book, and confirmed by another shop.
I got myself a code reader that I use to pre-diagnose any time a check engine light comes on. The reader cost about $30 and plugs in under the dash. I do trust my mechanic, but it also gives me peace of mind if I figure out what is the likely problem. I Google the code that comes up to figure out what the problem is and what it will likely cost. Check Engine can mean anything from your gas cap is loose to your transmission is about to go. For me, knowledge is power. (You can also go to a parts store, like AutoZone, and they will read codes for you for free.)
Different cars require different readers. If you have the wrong one, you won’t get the correct codes. We bought a reader and had to return or donate as it as unhelpful for our old Volvo.
We even found D an excellent mechanic we trust in LA. He works on her Volvo so we sleep well at night. He even has a deal with Enterprise so you can rent from them at his shop for $10/day, as long as you’re 25+, I believe.
Himom that is correct. You need the right reader. Some cars have unique ones. I have an Audi and it requires a Audi/VW reader. Other readers/cars use more generic code readers.
