Auto Mechanic Woes - commiserating with Jerry (Page 4): I never understood why it takes 15 seconds for 5 guys to change 4 tires, adjust the chassis, clean the window, and fully re-fuel...

Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA

I never understood why it takes 15 seconds for 5 guys to change 4 tires, adjust the chassis, clean the window, and fully re-fuel a car.
At Jiffy Lube it takes up to 45 minutes for 4 guys to change the oil. To rotate the tires can take an extra 20 mins.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

sb wrote:

I share Jerry's frustration with his plumbing woes... (show quote)

Great post and one we all can relate to. The $12.00 tire rotation charge would piss me off no end. You are correct. The tires are off anyway. Surely they could put them back onto different locations. I guess not.

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

HOHIMER wrote:

My oil change guy wanted $34.00 for a new air filter. I declined. Bought one on Amazon for $12.00. Opened two clips and installed it myself!

That is what I have found with my Dodge diesel too. The Dodge dealer tells me I should have them install a new air filter. I stop at Walmart on the way home and buy one for much cheaper. Seems to work just as well as the factory filter for much less money.

Dennis

One Jughead Loc: Greene County, OH

dennis2146 wrote:

Great post and one we all can relate to. The $12.00 tire rotation charge would piss me off no end. You are correct. The tires are off anyway. Surely they could put them back onto different locations. I guess not.

Dennis

Today's cars have the tire pressure sensors that require their location to be changed in the computer so they show up correctly on the dash panel. Don't know that I could re-program their location even if I had the equipment to do it.

Bruce

10MPlayer Loc: California

I feel your pain. My wife signed us up for one of those air conditioning maintenance programs after our AC unit quit a couple of years ago. I'm okay with it because the system did leak down after about 7 years since it was installed and I don't want to go thru waiting a week in 100 degree weather for service. BUT. The big but, the whole thing is just a way to get a salesman into your house so he can sell you stuff you may or may not need. They want $385 to install a sensor to shut the AC system down if the condensation pipe should get clogged. There's a condensation drain, then there's a backup condensation drain if that one gets clogged.

I'm smart enough to look into something before I waste money on it. The sensor they want to install costs less than $20 and I found several online sources that convince me I easily install it myself. I guess the point is there are a lot of hucksters waiting to grab as much of your money as you're willing to give them. It pays to look into these things and figure out if you feel confident you can do it yourself. Or at least find out enough information to know whether what they want you to do is even necessary.

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

HOHIMER wrote:

My oil change guy wanted $34.00 for a new air filter. I declined. Bought one on Amazon for $12.00. Opened two clips and installed it myself!

Try Rock Auto.com They usually beat everyone else's price and it is OEM

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

nicksr1125 wrote:

Sounds like a scam to me. Brake fluid doesn't need to be changed unless it's contaminated and calipers don't need to be rebuilt unless there are known problems like a seal leaking. I'm surprised they resurface rotors. Most of the current model rotors are too thin to turn. They're usually replaced. The local Goodyear Tire Co. store will balance & rotate tires free with a synthetic oil change which I do anyway. Will do the same if you buy tires from them for free every 5,000 miles.

Actually Brake fluid does need to be replaced and it should be done approximately every two years depending on the type of driving and braking you do. The reason it needs to be changed is that brake fluid breaks down with heavy braking and is not as effective as fresh brake fluid.

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

First time I ran into cabin air filter was with my 2005 chevy cobalt. I drove the car for over two years with declining air conditioning output. When I finally decided to do something about it, it was in for an oil change and they did a courtesy inspection which included the cabin air filter. They told be it was dirty and needed changing. I decline to have them change it and went to autozone and picked one up and changed it myself. The AC output went back to freezing cold like when I drove it off the lot and after that I changed the filter at least twice a year.

I get my tires rotated free. It is part of the purchase deal that they will rotate my tires for free as long as I own the car. I buy my tires at Firestone, I also make a one time purchase for wheel alignment each time I buy a new car.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

One Jughead wrote:

Today's cars have the tire pressure sensors that require their location to be changed in the computer so they show up correctly on the dash panel. Don't know that I could re-program their location even if I had the equipment to do it.

Bruce

Yes, there is that too. I do not know how that works. I would THINK that if you rotated a low pressure tire from the back left to the front right, the sensor would simply show the low tire now on the front. Surely a sensor there should show a low tire. But maybe not. That would be fairly simple if true.

Dennis

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

The tire pressure monitor on the Subaru will not let you know which tire is low so you have to check them all or put air in all of them to ensure you have inflated the right one. Everyone should be checking there tires at least once a month and bringing them up to the correct pressure.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

DirtFarmer wrote:

These guys are in business. They need to cover the... (show quote)

And will the tires need balancing?

erickter Loc: Dallas,TX

Tomcat5133 wrote:

You know we move to Florida 3 years ago. I have a ... (show quote)

If I wasn't leaving Southern California's insanely crowded and highly dependent car culture, and already moving to a lower cost state (TX), I'd move to your city in Florida just to be near an honest and curtious auto mechanic. Your experience is refreshing - almost cathartic in fact - compared to the emenise amount of corporate and political automotive shake downs that permeate the US culture, economy, and legal system. Much of that stems from too many stinking automobiles and not enough public train transportation due to powerful US auto cartels and political payoffs. The US is pathetically (and deliberately) behind Japan, China, and Europe when it comes to investing in public rail transportation that truly serves people instead of political racketeers and corporate goons. Not withstanding my pro train bias and auto industry rant, I am glad you found an honest auto mechanic and shared your story.

02Nomad Loc: Catonsville, MD

I, too, have found 2 mechanics to work on my cars. They are honest almost to a fault. I have asked their advice before buying a particular vehicle and have never regretted following their advice. One time, I needed to have a part of my exhaust system replaced and they apologized for using an aftermarket part that was $300 rather than a Toyota part which would have cost $800! They treat women the same as men too. A woman that I worked with came to me one day and said that she was having trouble with the transmission in her car. She said that she had gone to AAMCO and they quoted her $1,500 to repair it. I advised her to go to my mechanics and get a quote from them. They changed the transmission oil and filter for $23.95 and it worked perfectly!
I honestly don't know what I would do if they ever went out of business! I don't trust stealers.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

jerryc41 wrote:

Brake fluid costs just a few dollars, and changing it at least every two years is a very good idea.

Contrary to common perceptions, that is good general advice although I'd say 5 years ... but it can be forever.

Here are good ideas on that. If you drive a tow vehicle often, two years might well be a good idea ... or a high performance vehicle or a sports car/curvy roads driver 2-7 is a good idea ... if you drive a 40 MPG car to the mal and the grocer and back, probably never.

A visual check every 5K miles or so is plenty. If you are losing fluid thats an obvious issue ... but give it a whiff and see if it has a tinge of burnt to it. Also is it getting darker, if its no longer ... or barely ... transparent thats also a bad sign.

Brake fluid most certainly DOES degrade over time, how much time is determined by many factors. Signs of degradation without inspection are gradual and hard to notice because you drive the car regularly and emergency stopping distances may degrade by a few feet a year and be unnoticeable in routine driving.

danbir1 Loc: North Potomac, MD

Well, yes you may buy it on Amazon and install it yourself, But... (example)...
You can not walk into a restaurant with a steak, give it to the chef to cook for you for the same price..Can you?
A business lives and exists to service you because they charge mark up on parts and charge for labor, $34 for an installed air filter is very fair.
This is NOT a confrontation, it is to show the other side, often missing from UHH complaints about merchants.