car enthusiasts only...

[tboy]

Thanks for the links, this one proves that the naysayers are wrong (that ALL mechanics are crooks):

"25 out of 51 shops tightened the battery terminal without charging for unnecessary repairs and earned a Pass rating. Among them were three shops that corrected the problem at no charge, including two Midas shops in Montreal and a Goodyear store in Vancouver. "

This statement is a misnomer: parts counter personnell have NOTHING to do with the repair bill on a vehicle. It is the mechanic who determines what needs replacing. The second part is also a misnomer: ALL mechanics EVERYWHERE work on a flat rate scale for repairs as set out by the industry. EVERY mechanic strives to do repairs in less time than specified.

The "parts personnel" that were on a commission were probably the ones on the customer side where if you come in for parts for a tuneup they also try and sell you an air filter etc. That isn't that unusual, as I said, name me ONE sales based organization that doesn't do that......

"Former Canadian Tire employees told the Association the incentive system used in many Canadian Tire stores pays counter personnel a commission based on a percentage of your bill, and a premium to mechanics who perform repairs in less time than what is charged to the customer"

Also, they plainly state CTC had a 53% failure rate in their tests. Considering the national average is around 51% we're not talking a big difference here.

I also stand behind my statement that they have quotas to fill. Now I won't go so far as to say that at some point, a sales manager says we have a lot of mufflers in stock try to get rid of them, but as for quotas? Those APA links don't say a damn thing about quotas. They just plainly state (like almost all sales jobs) that the sales people are paid a commission...BFD If that what determines whether someone is a crook or not, then every car dealership, realtor, outside sales rep, industrial supply company, every futureshop, and every gas station owner is a crook and outta be locked up because they ALL try and upsell you........ALL of them.

 

[james t kirk]

"Former Canadian Tire employees told the Association the incentive system used in many Canadian Tire stores pays counter personnel a commission based on a percentage of your bill, and a premium to mechanics who perform repairs in less time than what is charged to the customer".

AKA, a flat rate shop. That's how most shops work. The downside for the mechanic is that if he takes longer to do the repair, he still only gets paid the book rate.

The one scam that I saw happening at a dealership was where the Mechanics would find simple problem, but say it was a more complicated problem.

Example, you pulsewipers don't pulse. The mechanic discovers a faulty connection, fixes the connection but tells the shop foreman that the module is gone.

You approve the repair.

They go to parts, order a module. They charge you for a module, including installation. Say it is a $500.00 bill. The mechanic keeps the new part, bills the time to R and R the module.

You pay the $500, your wipers now work again, you're happy.

The mechanic now sells the part back to the parts dept. guys for 20 or 30 cents on the dollar or he hoards them and sells them to the local garages.

Let's just say that back in the day when I hung around a lot of grease monkies, I'd see crates of carb kits show up (and I mean a box like a cubic metre full of carb kits) at the local garage. A genuine Delco parts that guys thought they were getting their carb rebuilt and in actual fact, they got a new choke linkage or the like.

 

[tboy]

I have no doubt that stuff like that happens but I will guarantee you one thing: if a service manager, sales manager or the dealer finds out about it? That mechanic and parts person would not only be fired, but probably charged with theft too.

Having my family being involved with Ford for about 15 yrs, and me working for CTC for 18, and my father a mechanic for CTC for 40, yes, scams do occur and I can't tell you how many times the people pulling the scam get canned. I can also tell you that, having hung around the place where my father worked and getting to know the mechanics, that most of them would do MORE than they charged for and I can't tell you how many hundreds of times a car would stall in front of the garage and 2 or 3 would go out, get the thing going, and then go back to work. I witnessed it hundreds of times.

On the other side of the coin I can also tell you that I've seen hundreds of times where a mechanic gets a job that only pays 1.2 flat rate and then spent 8 10 12 hours on it and only get paid for 1.2 hrs. (and yes, electrical problems are THE worst.....)

There is a famous one going around where a fly by night tire shop would sell you retreads but charge you for new.

 

[landscaper]

basic rules to find a good mechanic( any tradesman really)

1) ask around get a referal, people will tell you if they have a good mechanic

2) educate yourself, I don't mean learn how to tear down a hemi, but learn the basics of how breaks work in general for example that along can save a fortune on roters and drums

3) check the shop out find out which flat rate they use there are two of them
find out if the mechanic is licensed some place CTC is an example have a limited number of certified trades the rest of the parts changers work under supervision.
find out if the mechanic gets a cut of any parts installed this happens all the time and can cost you a lot of money

Check the garage out with the BBB see if there are any complaints

Meet the mechanic himself this may require you to get there early to have a coffe and say hi, if you don't like the guy go elsewhere.

Make sure the shop is clean, rubbish scattered about and a filthy floor are bad signs

Learn your rights as a consumer, the garage requires written authorization to do work, they have to save any parts for inspection ( this is for a limited time but looking at the parts will tell you if replacement was required in quite a few cases)

These will get you started and probably save you some headaches.

 

[S.C. Joe]

Sometimes its the management that is more crook than the mechanics.

There is no set rule, if the mechanic is really trying to find the problem thats one thing but when they just sell you stuff when you have a bad wire, that does go on. Same with finding the problem fast but billing you for 3 hours to find the problem.

Its beed going on likr forever. Anybody recall 60 mins around 15-20 years ago? They put a hidden camera under a motor home and had a mechanic loosen a brake hose to made noise rubbing on the wheel. They then went acting like they were from out of town on holiday and just started to hear a funny noise. Some shops were honest, some were not. One shop told them they needed a new ring and pinion gear in the rear end for $700, 60 mins told them to go ahead. The video show afterwards they just repair the brake hose and did not replace the ring and pinion...the cops show up and arrested the owner and mechanic, they both were found guilty and went to jail

 

[S.C. Joe]

That tape I bet is long gone but check this out


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIfidE7zpxU

 

[Doctor Zoidburg]

Circumstances conspire to make honest people crooked.

If a mechanic works for a dealer or a retail chain suck as Canadian tire, sometimes they cheat you not because they are making extra money. It is because they are under pressure to do a job within a certain amount of time.
Then there are the small shops, they are not nessesarily honest nor are they dis-honest. Sometimes these small shops have fallen behind in their ability to diagnos problems nor do they have the new tools and electronics to do the job properly. I know a small shop where the owner will cheat customers by providing sub standard work or replacement parts in order to make more money. He swears he is an honest man, but I know he is fooling himself. He also has anger issues over his divorce and bad choices he made early in life. He takes his frustrations out on his clients by over charging them and doing as little work as possible. Oh yes, he is also a church going born again christian. Take your car to him becuase like he sais, The other places are all crooks! The lord will provide! Provide to him with his own assistance.

 

[S.C. Joe]

What a joke, a few people got fire but none got arrested for a crime

Glad I change my own oil and do my own brake work. That is so wrong cause many people don't change their oil every 3 months or so, they wait for 6-7 months. Then when the motor dies, they blame the company who built the car.

 

[tboy]

That tape I bet is long gone but check this out


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIfidE7zpxU

Yeah, that's an old video.....seen that one before.