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I Don't Understand What My Mechanic is Saying
Mr_Shiftright
Member Posts: 64,481
in General
Probably one of the leading causes of mistrust,
bad feelings and litigation in the auto repair
industry is poor communication between the
technician and the car owner.
Let's face it...these men and women are trained to
repair a complex piece of machinery, not
necessarily to be articulate and sensitive to your
needs; nonetheless, many mechanics do a poor job of
explaining the problem and the cure....and some
may even be deliberately obscuring the issue.
So if there's something going on with your car
that needs explaining, or if you're not buying the
mechanic's story, post your question here and we'll
all try and make sense of it.
bad feelings and litigation in the auto repair
industry is poor communication between the
technician and the car owner.
Let's face it...these men and women are trained to
repair a complex piece of machinery, not
necessarily to be articulate and sensitive to your
needs; nonetheless, many mechanics do a poor job of
explaining the problem and the cure....and some
may even be deliberately obscuring the issue.
So if there's something going on with your car
that needs explaining, or if you're not buying the
mechanic's story, post your question here and we'll
all try and make sense of it.
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Comments
This topic actually reminds me of a "Car Talk" segment I once heard. A listener called in to ask what words and phrases she could throw around at her mechanic's so that he wouldn't think that she was completely auto-ignorant and try to take advantage of her.
Their tongue-in-cheek response: Lots of four-letter words. If you want to know how talk to a mechanic, you'd better know how to curse a lot.
The advice is not entirely without merit.
FWIW, let's keep the focus on positive communication, ok?
Bonnie Rick
Town Hall Community Manager, edmunds.com
Constant correction is itself not entirely "positive communication". Maintaining a low profile and just deleting offensive material might be a more effective strategy.
Buy a manual and look at the parts and read the procedure. It's a very economical way to check up on the mechanics.
Yeah, get a second price quote, for certain, but I think most of the cost is probably for labor to replace the track....also, sometimes the windows have to be installed in a special way that might require your mechanic to take the pieces to a glass shop...taking a glass and track out of a door can be a lot of work.
36000 mile bumper to bumper warranty?!
It should definately be covered! I can't
understand why the dealer is giving a cost
estimate to fix??? Is it already over the
mileage limit? If not, I'd go back to the dealer
and tell them to fix or replace entirely.
Modern cars have an enormous amount of plastic including many of the parts that help guide your window up and down. They are flismy, wear out quickly, and Honda is not known for there quick and reliable power windows. Wes.
On the other hand, who is known for RELIABLE electric windows?
Who has the most reliable power windows? I find that a tough question to answer, because I only notice cars that have windows that do not work. It is rare to get in a Honda product over ten years old and have all 4 windows work properly up and down with no noise. Honda windows from when the car is new are slow and seem to deteriorate rapidly, which is in great constrast with the rest of the car. Just like an air conditioning system, the key to making power windows last is to use them frequently. At least once a week I roll all the windows up and down and once a year I remove the door panels and lubricate the window mechanism. Never had any problems. The power windows in my 69 Cadillac still worked like a charm even though they had never been replaced. Later, Wes.
Gus, what is the best you've beaten a rated time for a job, for which you were proud?
As a shade tree mechanic, I'd like your opinion on SATURN heater hoses-they are about 3" long, mounted between the engine and firewall, with about enough room for a small monkey's paw to reach them. What would you say for time to change these 50 cent pieces of rubber?
more if I can swear that I didn't damage the heater core.
My advice is to not try to impress the mechanic with your knowledge. When you leave your car for repairs, you are entering a contract in which one party -- you -- is the operator and the other party -- the mechanic -- is the expert.
Do tell the mechanic your complaint -- don't tell the mechanic what you think is causing the problem.
Excellent advice -- get a repair manual (the factory shop manual is best) and read up on the area where you think a problem might be. You don't need to reveal your knowledge, but you're better off if you have some.
The bottom line -- if a mechanic wants you to agree to a job described in confusing technical terms, be careful. It isn't your job to understand the mechanic's job -- it is the mechanic's job to rectify the situation of your complaint.
Finally, if you use a dealer service, rest assured they have probably seen your problem and know exactly what is wrong.
1)jack up the car and remove the wheel. Leave all other wheels on the ground (assuming no limited sleep). Put back 2-3 lug nuts,do not tight them.
2)start the engine, shift into the gear, rev the engine and apply the breaks simultaneosely.If first attempt didn't work, try again. This will unfreeze any old drum.
Another tip about broken bolts: weld nut of appropriate size to the remains of the bolt using CO2 or argon welding machine. If first one didn't do the job, try again.
We used to send new technicians after a TR double E or an ST 1. Parts had small branches and stones all boxed up and ready to go!
Guess we used to drive the shop owners crazy!
Both on a '94 Jaguar XJS12
Repairing the power steering line, and replacing the fluid that has drained out.
Replacing the 3 inch rubber water hose line.
In both cases, I think I was ripped off. If it's the normal cost...fine. I'm not objecting to normal profits......just in taking advantage of a female. Sitting at the dealership with a broken down car doesn't give you alot of options, however information, even after the fact, can be used to help in the future.
It's hard to say without looking at the car if you were taken for a ride...if it was the low pressure line on the power steering, and this is accessible, that shouldn't cost much...but with that big V-12 in there, perhaps they had to dig out the high pressure line, and I'm sure the part itself, being a special hydraulic hose with special fittings, was quite expensive. The fluid doesn't cost hardly anything.
I'd guess such a repair would cost about $150 for the part plus a coupe hours labor at most...so maybe $300 for the job?
Most independents are around 2/3 the price of a dealer.
Given that info...I'm not done with the dealership!