5 Secrets your Mechanic doesn’t want you to know

In an ideal situation, your mechanic ensures your car stays in good working condition but because he wants to keep on making money off you, there are car secrets your mechanic will not share with you. Such information would probably reduce the frequency with which you visit the mechanic’s workshop but since you do not know these things, it will be business as usual for the mechanic.

Finding a good car mechanic is like finding a good babysitter or hairstylist—once you’ve found them, you never want to let them go.

But if you’re worried that you’re paying too much to get your car serviced, being over-charged for parts, or are paying for things you shouldn’t have to pay for, Below are other secrets your mechanic might not be sharing with you.

1. Simple Repairs

Some repairs are simpler to carry out than you think. However, it is not to the benefit of your mechanic to tell you this. If you don’t know this already, your mechanic goes ahead to work off the cost of parts and administrative charges.

2. The Less You Know About Your Warranty, the Better

Not knowing about your warranty is good for a repair shop. Come to think of it, it is not the duty of an independent mechanic to tell you about your warranty, because he gets to charge you for the repair if you don’t know it is still under warranty.

Dealership warranty works in a certain way. If you get your car repaired somewhere while under warranty and the car develops a fault as a result of that repair, the dealership is no longer obligated to cover the cost of fixing the problem.

3. Rebuilt Parts Can be as Good as New and Less Expensive

Your mechanic won’t tell you that you can save money by replacing a part on your car by buying a used part. He will wait for you to make the suggestion. If not, he will give you the estimate for new parts.

However, it is not all the time that a used part is advisable. Though it can save you some money, sometimes it is not the answer. It may not exactly fit the purpose of the repair.

4. New Brake Rotors Instead Of Turning

In the “old days” brake rotors were often turned to resurface them when new brake pads were installed. When changing pads it is still important to ensure that the rotors are clean and free of grooves, but these days is it usually cost prohibitive to turn them. Rotors can often be replaced for around the cost of machining, and the rotors on newer vehicles are also made to be lighter, meaning that a resurfacing could reduce them beyond their minimum tolerances. Also, the more metal removed from the rotor, the poorer the brakes’ resistance to heat fade.

5. Part Quality

When replacing parts on your car, it’s important to make sure that you use quality parts. This doesn’t mean that you have to buy parts from the dealer or buy the most expensive replacement parts, but you should stick to parts with a name that you recognize.