If you own a car and know nothing about cars, then you aren’t alone; everyone has been there in the past or even present, so negotiating with your mechanic is going to be a problem. Check out these negotiation tips with a mechanical expert if you don’t know much about cars.
We can say it is in the blood of mechanics to cheat both their seasoned and novice customers, and as a novice with no idea what you are doing, it is going to be worse because the mechanic would just rob rhyming words and faults around knowing you know nothing about them. So negotiating with your mechanic might as well be an “MMM” scheme because you might lose your money quicker with the estimates he brings.
Some mechanics have a tremendous soft spot for stupid people who have issues with their cars. Due to the fact that they are intelligent enough to understand how to con ignorant individuals with difficulties into giving them a lot of money to address those problems—issues only they have the intelligence to resolve
In this situation, vehicle mechanics are the wise folks and clients are the problem-makers. Not all technicians are unscrupulous con artists who fabricate and exaggerate automotive problems in order to steal your finances and will to live, however. There are reportedly two or three honest people. Moreover, they all reside in Lagos and learned at the same place where they apprenticed. Cheating is a good thing to make money.
Repairing cars is just so damn expensive. You’ll also be responsible for paying the charges associated with getting your jalopy or expensive vehicle back on the road if the issue keeps persisting. Here is my expert advice on how to negotiate with a mechanic when you know nothing about cars:
Recognize when the setup is arriving
Mechanics have a method for determining how stupid you are by asking you a series of common questions. They’ll ask about your car’s tire pressure, what brand it is, its oil capacity, and the number of cylinders in the engine. They are fully aware of the solutions to each of those queries. And if they don’t, they might very well be able to discover them by just taking a quick examination of your car, which would take them no time.
The only reason they’re asking is to gauge how little you know about automobiles. You can anticipate an additional N7,000 to be charged to your estimate for each incorrect or ambiguous response you provide, which would include parts they aren’t ever planning on fixing.
Keep terms in mind
Every time you want to do something simple like service your car or change the oil, make sure you keep abreast of unfamiliar terms. You can bet that as soon as the mechanic comes, he will have one diagnosis or another just to eat your money. For instance, the substitute rear function gasket for the transnabulator is something you need to get familiar with. It doesn’t matter that the part is fake. When it “breaks” again, Or has a fault as your mechanic would say, you can call him out on his bluff.
A complaint is never enough
When the mechanic gives you your keys after the repair is finished in exchange for the fee we agreed upon, you would have to object when I notice that my car is still oozing a brownish liquid or any form of a suspicious odour coming from your car. This is because there is a high probability they will fix anything and then mutts bum you your car back so you won’t get suspicious, or if they fix it but do a half-job, know when to put your foot down even if you don’t know anything about cars because these so-called mechanics have probably made the issue worse than it is.
They would now pretend that everything is fine for you to go back and give them more money for repairs they were supposed to do in the first place, and they would have the last laugh and call you a “mugu”, so it is best you cross-check everything or check for leaks before leaving their shop.
Negotiate Wisely
Because the mechanic knows you are a novice, they would take full advantage of this and even inflate the already inflated prices and bring estimates that cost an arm and a leg. Don’t fall for their trap and instead shop around; don’t use only one mechanic; compare their prices, and see which ones are more within your budget or if there is any significant difference between them.
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