Went to take my car in for a wheel alignment and to get the lower ball joint boots replaced at a local tyre place (chain store). Anyway i got a call saying that the lower ball joints have no play in them and the mechanic has not recommended that i have the boots replaced, fair enough. He then told me my brake pads are really low, do i want them replaced and brakes machined for $160. I said no, ill take care of it, he said fine.

Had all the work done, they balanced the wheels even though i didnt ask for it, but i didnt really care. So i got the car home and jacked it up and took off the drivers wheel to see the brakes. First of all the brakes are fine, have ages of pad left in them, but what i did notice is that my inner CV joint boot had a crack in it and threw grease everywhere (pretty noticeable).

So my question is why did they tell me that i needed something done when i didnt really and forgot to tell me that i needed my cv joint done. If they said that i would have told them to fix it right away. I know it sounds kinda like conspiracy talk, but do u think they may have just wanted me to wait a while and come back in with "i hear this clunking noise all the time when i drive"?

Just so u know i went to another mechanic and had the cv boots replaced, got both inside and outside done (may as well while it was off the car) and even he said i should just replace the whole shaft even though i said the joint was making no noise. I think i need a new tyre store also.

What do you guys expect the mechanic to tell you when they look under your car?

a quote from my previous mechanic "what the hell is that" :nuts: i still dont know if he was joking or serious but lets just say i got my oil changed and never went back there

Went to take my car in for a wheel alignment and to get the lower ball joint boots replaced at a local tyre place (chain store). Anyway i got a call saying that the lower ball joints have no play in them and the mechanic has not recommended that i have the boots replaced, fair enough. He then told me my brake pads are really low, do i want them replaced and brakes machined for $160. I said no, ill take care of it, he said fine.

Had all the work done, they balanced the wheels even though i didnt ask for it, but i didnt really care. So i got the car home and jacked it up and took off the drivers wheel to see the brakes. First of all the brakes are fine, have ages of pad left in them, but what i did notice is that my inner CV joint boot had a crack in it and threw grease everywhere (pretty noticeable).

So my question is why did they tell me that i needed something done when i didnt really and forgot to tell me that i needed my cv joint done. If they said that i would have told them to fix it right away. I know it sounds kinda like conspiracy talk, but do u think they may have just wanted me to wait a while and come back in with "i hear this clunking noise all the time when i drive"?

Just so u know i went to another mechanic and had the cv boots replaced, got both inside and outside done (may as well while it was off the car) and even he said i should just replace the whole shaft even though i said the joint was making no noise. I think i need a new tyre store also.

What do you guys expect the mechanic to tell you when they look under your car?

Depending on the mechanic, some will do only what you ask. Others will give the car a look over while they are fixing whatever you asked to have fixed.

Your CV boot could have cracked or split on the way home.. Hence why they said nothing.

maybe, replacing the joint was too much trouble and he wanted money so he made up the brakeslol

or maybe he's seeing something your not?

either way, always good to get a second opinion. In most cases, its free to get someone to check it.

try that, or else its gonna be on ur mind. Also better to be safe.

He probly never looked at it, then to cover his ass said "oh the breaks need doing" haha!

Thats really dogy ey.. I reckon he would have charged you for the brakes and not even put any new pads in there and just left the old ones.

I remember when i got my engine put it they said that my CV are stuffed and would die after a month. Well its been a year and a half and i havent heard any clunking or anything.

Best way to find a mechanic is by word-of-mouth. Ask some reliable people you know where they go. They'll also tell you who NOT to go to.

My mechanic is worth his weight in gold!:D and you can't have him.:badgrin:

My mechanic is the husband of a women my mum works with, hes very cheap and I trust him as he has always done the right thing by us. I used to go locally (as in I went there...once)

Went to get a pinkslip, he failed my car claiming my steering wheel grip had too much twist in it and he would need to get a specialist in and charge $80 to get it fixed.

I took it to this husband dude, he fixed an oil leak, replaced my wiper blades and said "Wtf...?" to the steering wheel issue, + pink slip, all for $60.

Almost due for a service and I know where ill be going.

Best way to find a mechanic is by word-of-mouth. Ask some reliable people you know where they go. They'll also tell you who NOT to go to.

My mechanic is worth his weight in gold!:D and you can't have him.:badgrin:


thats the best advise you can get !

Im in perth and have a real good mechanic and what he doesnt know he finds out first before he just dribbles on like some mechanics !

Nic
WA

From my own experiences over here - he tried to make a quick buck without caring about your safety. Sad ...but thats what it sounds like to me. - He was lying bout the brakes as you found out...well....that would be enough for me to doubt ANYTHING else he sais.

I have, through this forum, finally found a mechanic that I trust and that now takes care of my ride. Thanks, Rhino! :D

So i got the car home and jacked it up and took off the drivers wheel to see the brakes. First of all the brakes are fine, have ages of pad left in them,

did you check the other side sometimes it locks up and wears quicker.

I always ask my mechanic to do whatever service I booked it in for, and to give me a written report on anything else they see that needs attention now/soon.

I find that usually if you ASK them to look over the car, they will, cos it not that much effort to do it while working on it and also cos if they're honest and lay it out for you, then you're more likely to take it back there to get the work done. But yeah, I always personally check the stuff they list, and have found it to be BS more than once.

I'm still looking for a good regular mechanic here in SA if anyone has a recomendation. It's too far to drive to Lonsdale to get my car done at Direct Auto and be stranded without wheels down there.

Friend of mine got suckered big time when he only asked them to check and they did all sorts of adjustments without his knowledge, again he was dumb to bring it there without asking for opinions so he paid useless $300.00 for nothing done!

Your CV boot could have cracked or split on the way home.. Hence why they said nothing.

Had coated the gearbox and surround with too much grease for the 2km trip home.

TJ Sports, no i havent, i will have a look but it would have to be a considerable amount of more wear considering how much life is left in the drivers side.

What do you guys expect the mechanic to tell you when they look under your car?

I'd expect them to tell me anything they notice that could be wrong. If I was a mechanic and was under the car fixing something, I'd give everything I could have a look at a quick once over. So long as it didn't take too much extra time so I don't have to charge them for it.

If I saw anything that was cracked or broken or low I'd let them know, ring them and ask them if they want it done, if they don't, I'd leave it.

It's the same as what I do when working on instruments, they might want a restring, but the bridge might be lifting, so it needs to be fixed, ring them and find out if they want to go ahead with it (you can't just do it and expect them to pay for it, they legally don't have to).

That's what I'd expect, I'd expect them to tell me everything they find.

why would you take your car to a tyre shop for a service?

they change tyres and do wheel alignments:nuts:

most people that work in thoes places are not even qualified

tyre shop = tyres wheels and wheel alignments thats it..

they servive cars because theres not enough money in thoes 3 things alone

its like midas they are an exhaust shop,

these sort of workshops do not have the tools to service and diagnose problems

Honestly. I’ve had so much trouble with Mechanics recently it’s just not funny!

I only found out that RPW existed the other day after looking on these forums. If you are in Perth take it to them, every other place I’ve taken my car has either f$%^ed something up or quoted me $550 for a $99 item etc...

I do not trust 95% of mechanics and that sucks. And it’s just the service I have been given and the dodge quotes I’ve been given that are to blame for my attitude.

and then a racq nrma equivelent vehicle inspection which ever is cheaper

if they dont pass thats what has to be done

no need to worry
having been in the auto workshop business i can tell you for a fact... all the mechanics job in a work shop is to find things wrong so the owner can be a millionare and the driver pays big bucks !! no bull****


thats so true but if you has slack workers that dont want to do a greasy job like a cv boot, they wont tell the manager of the workshop so the manager doesnt know he cant up sell to the customer and the slack mechanic doesnt have to do the job,

not all workers in a work shop work like this, if theres a good bonus system the mechanic will write every thing that he finds even very small things,

or if the mechanic gives 2 sh%#s about the workshop and hasnt got problems with that place that he works he would do his job propily ,

ive worked for some real asses before that were under paying me and you get to the point where you dont care any more you think im not going to look for problems because that makes the boss money not me,

why would you take your car to a tyre shop for a service?

they change tyres and do wheel alignments:nuts:

most people that work in thoes places are not even qualified

tyre shop = tyres wheels and wheel alignments thats it..

they servive cars because theres not enough money in thoes 3 things alone

its like midas they are an exhaust shop,

these sort of workshops do not have the tools to service and diagnose problems

True, but if you were doing a tyre change and say for example, you noticed they had a hole in their exhaust. Would you let them know or just not say anything? It wouldn't cost you in time to tell them at the end of the day...

No flames, just giving an example and asking a question.

me being me i would tell you but ive never worked in a tyre shop

i dont thing a tyre shop would look that hard

Best way to find a mechanic is by word-of-mouth. Ask some reliable people you know where they go. They'll also tell you who NOT to go to.

My mechanic is worth his weight in gold!:D and you can't have him.:badgrin:

i second this. once u find a mechanic you can trust, stick with him. I have always taken my cars to the same place, because he's the sort of bloke that runs a family business, and who will tell me if i DON'T need something replaced, as well as when i do.

my advice is don't pay attention to so called SPECIALS that you pick up in the paper and so on, find a good mechanic and stick with him, it may seem a little more expsive in the short term, but it'll save u a lot.

EXAMPLE: My gf bought some voucher service deal thingy from a door-to-door salesman, which was like $99 for 6 services, but only included labour. I said it was dodgy when i heard abt it, and surprise surprise, when she went to pick her car up after the first service - bill = $390, including al this wierd sh** they "had to" replace etc etc.

I have a brilliant one, but he's in Collingwood and may be a distance to travel depending on where u live, but i would stake my left ball on his recommendations.

:D :D

I too prefer to replace the whole shaft, you pay $30.00 each for boots, pay to have them fitted. You pay $110.00 for a shaft with a reco inner and new outer, it actually work out cheaper in the end.

As for the other parts, there is no excuse to telling someone he needs new pads when he does not.

If you do take your car for a service and stuff is done that you did not ask for, as in the above post, you do not have to pay for it. Just be sure that you did not sign the usual dodgy "work acceptance form" that most workshops have you sign stating that if they find something wrong they do not need your permission to rectify.

my bro's mate works in a family run type thing. i dont take it anywhere else.
watch out for the ones that give you a free safety test and then say they cant legally let you drive away without getting this this and this fixed :shock:

my bro's mate works in a family run type thing. i dont take it anywhere else.
watch out for the ones that give you a free safety test and then say they cant legally let you drive away without getting this this and this fixed :shock:


i dont agree

ive had cars come in to work with major safty problems eg.1. falcon came in with 1 front pad missing and the piston was rubbing againsed the disc rotor. eg 2. hilux came in with a crack right through the chassie.

too dangerous to let them drive away
if the car left the workshop like that and they kill someone whe work shop is liable not the dick that drove the car in that condition

i dont agree

ive had cars come in to work with major safty problems eg.1. falcon came in with 1 front pad missing and the piston was rubbing againsed the disc rotor. eg 2. hilux came in with a crack right through the chassie.

too dangerous to let them drive away
if the car left the workshop like that and they kill someone whe work shop is liable not the dick that drove the car in that condition

I would have thought that as long as you make a note on the report you give them that in your professional opinion the car should NOT be driven more than 2 feet you'd be covered.

I've had that written on a report after I had some work done on a panelvan I was restoring. They said it should cover their arses.

nop still wont hold up in court it there wanting to drive the car away we the mechanic are sopoest to ring transport and report the car then they come out and tell you that it cant be driven only tilt trayed...

but we the mechanic cant hold the car by law


stupid bloody laws

i dont agree

ive had cars come in to work with major safty problems eg.1. falcon came in with 1 front pad missing and the piston was rubbing againsed the disc rotor. eg 2. hilux came in with a crack right through the chassie.

too dangerous to let them drive away
if the car left the workshop like that and they kill someone whe work shop is liable not the dick that drove the car in that condition

yair fair nuff if it is something like that. youd want to be able to actually show the customer whats wrong and all that.
there are some dodgy places out there tho that advertise "free safety checks" or whatnot just to lure unsuspecting members of the public into the workshops where they are "trapped"...
if that makes any sense

People, remember that each state has different laws, working in the industry I now work in this has been made very clear over the years.

For example in Tas, when I ran my shop, if there was a car that had not been paid, I simply jacked up the car and took off a wheel, the police came, told me to put it back on, I would reply and state that I will when the bill is paid, the police then walked away. This was a few years ago.

The point is, if you have signed an acknowledgement that you authorise further work to be done, you are bound by it. It is illegal in all states for a mechanic to keep a completed car on his premisis.

If the car is not roadworthy, you can call the authorities, I have done this a few times, they will in some states attend your workshop and defect the vehicle thus preventing it being driven on a public road.

why would you take your car to a tyre shop for a service?

they change tyres and do wheel alignments:nuts:

most people that work in thoes places are not even qualified

tyre shop = tyres wheels and wheel alignments thats it..

they servive cars because theres not enough money in thoes 3 things alone

its like midas they are an exhaust shop,

these sort of workshops do not have the tools to service and diagnose problems

midas here in Geelong do servicing and suspensions as well... and they are VERY thorough with their report

midas here in Geelong do servicing and suspensions as well... and they are VERY thorough with their report

As are many of these service centres as they have to be more particular because of people who have the similar attitude to Magnus.

Sopme should not be allowed to touch a car, then again same goes for quite a few so called mechanics.

i used to work for midas ...every car gets one of thoes reports weather its booked in for service or booked in for a muffler the car gets its 40 somthing point inspection

thats how they make money

goes like this....


hello ive booked my car in to for a rear muffler

hi.....ok then ill take some of your details
would you like us to do a free 40 something point inspection on your car while its here

o yes please

ok we had a look over the car and found a few things wrong

o realy?
whats that going to cost to fix

your looking at about $1500 to $2000
.................................................. .......

now dont laugh as when i worked at midas they tryed to find at least $1000 worth of work on every car... even know it was booked in for a exhaust leak..which is going to cost you half an exhaust system allready

some work shops are good most are full of crap and want ya money

well maybe it was because i got my car in for a full comp service for a log book entry and not an exhaust prob that i feel i got good treatment there... they gave me honest reports on breaks wheel alignments etc and didnt sting me for anything extra that wasnt neccessary

magnus that's insane. Didn't you feel like a jerk for doing that? I'm also assuming you would generally find extra things that would be needing to be done anyway but seeking out stuff for the sake of making money. I wouldn't be able to do it.

A couple of years ago we had all four tyres replaced on our previous car while on holidays in Bairnsdale, VIC. Apparently they were unroadworthy.:doubt:

We chose one of the bigger tyre companies so we could take advantage of the after-sales rotation and balance when we were home in Ballarat a few months later. The Ballarat guys then told me the rear bushes(sp?) needed replacing.

My mechanic said, "Bulldust!":roll:

magnus that's insane. Didn't you feel like a jerk for doing that? I'm also assuming you would generally find extra things that would be needing to be done anyway but seeking out stuff for the sake of making money. I wouldn't be able to do it.


why do you think i got the ****s and left


they say its THE MIDAS policy

Maybee in your store but I have a mate who runs a midus in Tassie and if he heard you generalising all midas like you have ... well I would be running fast

Some stores, yes probably do this, not only midas but be careful of generalising all stores

why do you think i got the ****s and left


they say its THE MIDAS policy

lol it's the bull**** policy more like it!

Glad to see you didnt put up with that crap

some work shops are good most are full of crap and want ya money

:bowrofl: :bowrofl: