Can you trust car mechanics?

[jaguar]

My parents have this car mechanic they've been taking their cars to for many, many year. My mom has spent THOUSANDS for several years on getting her '92 Cadillac repaired-- it seem like something is always wrong with her car. Well, I decided to take my car in for a tuneup before I hit the roads on a long trek to Oregon. My car has been running just fine, with the exception of this "whistling" noise I've heard the past 8 months. I've never really had any serious problems with my '98 Ford Escort. Sooooo, the car mechanic calls my mom and says everything is fine, but he believes it needs a new timing belt in the engine.... approximates it will cost $450. We get my car back a few days later and the total bill was $880!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I about freaked!!!!!! The mechanic was trying to show us "pieces" of the worn out timing belt and said my car would not have made it to Oregon.

Should we have gotten a second opinion? Does $880 for a new timing belt seem legit?! I just don't know if you can trust a mechanic no matter how many years you've been going to them.

[Filipe]

I'm not entirely sure about your question, Jag...but I have a thread you might enjoy reading (or replying to) on letsrun:

www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=904165

[jaguar]

Haha, already seen it!!!!! Aren't the stories classic?

[Filipe]

Haha, already seen it!!!!! Aren't the stories classic?

They definitely are...they certainly aren't the type of stories you can just make up!

I'm SillyPutty :)

[jaguar]

I know. Figured you out.

[Filipe]

I know. Figured you out.

Was it really that easy?

Anyways...back to the topic of mechanics...I've often heard (on other message boards, never had to deal with them myself...that there are those who are out to get you.

And then, I don't know much about cars...but I think my dad needed his timing belt replaced...I'm going to just stop talking about cars before I sound even dumber than I already do :)

[exjersey1]

My parents have this car mechanic they've been taking their cars to for many, many year. My mom has spent THOUSANDS for several years on getting her '92 Cadillac repaired-- it seem like something is always wrong with her car. Well, I decided to take my car in for a tuneup before I hit the roads on a long trek to Oregon. My car has been running just fine, with the exception of this "whistling" noise I've heard the past 8 months. I've never really had any serious problems with my '98 Ford Escort. Sooooo, the car mechanic calls my mom and says everything is fine, but he believes it needs a new timing belt in the engine.... approximates it will cost $450. We get my car back a few days later and the total bill was $880!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh, I about freaked!!!!!! The mechanic was trying to show us "pieces" of the worn out timing belt and said my car would not have made it to Oregon.

Should we have gotten a second opinion? Does $880 for a new timing belt seem legit?! I just don't know if you can trust a mechanic no matter how many years you've been going to them.



You need to be able to talk "mechanic talk" when you take your car in, just like you need to do "barber talk" when you get your hair cut so you don't end up with a disaster.

A couple of things to be aware of:

Most auto manufacturers now consider replacing the timing belt as preventive maintenance and recommend doing it every x number of miles. I believe that on your Escort, Ford would recommend somewhere in the neighborhood of every 60,000 miles. So depending on the mileage of your car, a mechanic will suggest it (or try to sell it, depending on how you want to look at things) at tune-up or oil change time.

Also, and I believe this is true on the Escort, the timing belt isn't visible; they're generally inaccessible until you remove the water pump. So I would tend to take it with a grain of salt if someone told me that "it looks like your timing belt is about to go."

[jaguar]

Ok, my car has around 76,000 miles. The good thing is the whistling noise is gone, so maybe it was a legit replacement. He did say it was difficult to get to.

Just wondering.... would (or do) mechanics tinker with other car parts so one thing after another starts to go? This is the first time I've gotten a tune-up on my car from this mechanic.... kinda worried, considering my mom has spent so much on her car (although a '98 Ford is definitely NOT a '92 Cadillac). My car is not coming back once it gets to Oregon. Hope it stays in one piece for a bit longer!

[Sulus]

Serious inequality of information in this sort of case. Just have to try and find someone with a good reputation.

[KenA55]

From someone who was his own mech for years-

I generally don't get anything major fixed simply on a recommendation- there better be some major symptoms before I'll spend the major bucks. Otherwise I'll simply wait to see if the problem grows and develops into something that justifies major work and expenditure. And yes, the timing belt is internal to most engines, somewhat, and in this day and age often buried behind tons of assorted crap that all has to be removed and then reinstalled just to get at the real job. So what isn't a big job once you can get right at it can be very labor intensive nevertheless.

Generally, when I tackled something major, there would always be a small but baffling assortment of various nuts, bolts, and washers left over once everything was back together. :D Oh well, can't complain as long as everything held together well afterwards.

Back then, when you opened the hood, especially on the straight or slant sixes, all you saw in front of you was an engine, along with plenty of room on either side to crawl right in and get comfortable with the thing. Try doing that with your escort.

Of course the best way, once you can afford it, to avoid most of the issues you mentioned is to avoid owning middle-aged vehicles. Either own fairly new and then pass it on to someone else once it begins to show signs of becoming a bit loose-jointed; or own truly decrepit where major expenditure simply means it's time to put the thing out to pasture, since it's entirely replaceable for less than the cost of major repair. But some do love their older vehicles, and will therefore spend lavishly to keep it up as good as possible, despite the fact that advancing age insures a growing financial sinkhole.

[TrackDaddy]

People who because of their occupations you can't generally trust and why (but not everyone within these occupations are crooks obviously):

Auto mechanics: Especially those service writers who work on commission like at auto dealerships. The fact that they work on commision should in itself be illegal. How do you know if something needs fixing or not?

Attorneys (no offense to any attorneys): Have designed the entire legal system to suit them. The whole ethics bar association thing is laughable. Personal injury attorneys are the scourge of society. Attorneys don't follow law, they try and manipulate it. They can be blamed for most of what afflicts society. Can you be ANY KIND OF ATTORNEY, BE TOTALLY HONEST and HAVE SUCCESS? Hard to do.

Doctors: Self regulated crooks. Of all the critical jobs in America that require drug testing...why not the most obvious...physicians? How can THEY NOT BE DRUG TESTED when they have access to so many drugs and have the lives of so many in their hands? Self regulation and this absurd "pass" in society that they are above wrongdoing. They (along with pharmacuetical and insurance companies) are the primary reason that healthcare is out of control. They BEGAN THE DRAIN on the healthcare system by making people slaves to their fears. "I'll see you in two weeks..." When they know nothing is wrong with you. Now they're in bed with pharmaceutical companies...who tell you to ask your doctor about the drug commercial you just saw on TV.

Car salesman: Where do I start? Who takes this job and keeps his soul? Very, very difficult. I believe that nearly 100% of the time an attempt is made in some way to deceive the consumer. You shouldn't ever feel good about buying a car because the truth is...you lost. Dealerships REQUIRE you to be dishonest to work there.

Why don't car dealers just put the price on their cars and leave it at that...like Albertson's does on a loaf of bread and battle their competitors for your business? Why is the price pracitcally everywhere..."negotiable?"

Because among others...all who are gullible will soon become victims.

Insurance companies: The biggest buildings in many, many cities are owned by insurance companies. Need I say more?

I got some more generally crooked occupations I'll holler about later.

[harrier12]

Much like Ken, I do my own maintainance. The Chilton guides and the factory manuals do a lot to circumventing dealer mechanics. I also have an OBD II diagnosis computer, so if my car does squawk, I know what's up.

When that fails, I take it to mechanics I trust. May take a little while to find, but its worth it in the long run. I've got a good suspension/brake guy, a good lube and tune guy, just have to find a new engine/electrical guy to replace the one that retired six months ago. All of these mechanics were found by word of mouth or just sheer dumb luck, and none have steered me wrong.

People who because of their occupations you can't generally trust and why (but not everyone within these occupations are crooks obviously):

Car salesman: Where do I start? Who takes this job and keeps his soul? Very, very difficult. I believe that nearly 100% of the time an attempt is made in some way to deceive the consumer. You shouldn't ever feel good about buying a car because the truth is...you lost. Dealerships REQUIRE you to be dishonest to work there.

Why don't car dealers just put the price on their cars and leave it at that...like Albertson's does on a loaf of bread and battle their competitors for your business? Why is the price pracitcally everywhere..."negotiable?"

The way to deal with that is to turn the tables on them. Ask them for the invoice, ask them how long the car has been on the lot, and go from there. Both my aunt and my high school economics teacher did that, and ended up walking off the lot with a C230 sports sedan and an RS6 between them at significant discounts-invoice, at least 5k below sticker. Both cars had been on the lot for long enough that the dealer was forking over money to the manufacturer, and they were more than happy to get them off the lot. You also have to be willing to walk away, and make them think that it's not that important to you.