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What happened to the honest mechanics?Posted Wednesday, February 3, 2010, at 10:04 PM
I took my car to a mechanic near my office in Franklin yesterday because my driver's side window wouldn't roll up. They looked at it and said that I needed a new motor, a new regulator, and a new regulator tape. They told me that parts and labor total would be $396. I told them that I would have to bring it back. They said that it would be $80 for breaking the door panel down and diagnosing the problems. That was fine with me. They asked if I wanted them to fix the window in the up position and I said sure, that would be great. They charged me an extra $40 for that. After paying and driving back to work I noticed that my driver's side door wouldn't lock. I called them and they swore up and down that it couldn't possibly be anything that they did. The guy answering the phone argued with me that it wasn't their fault and the owner said it must just be a coincidence. After driving it back down there they finally fixed the door lock. I noticed that the plastic molding piece that fits around the door lock in the door panel was turned around from where it was when I drove there. They had put this in backward. The best part? Another mechanic fixed the window with the regulator tape ONLY. No motor or regulator were needed. The mechanic that worked on my car was not only incompetent, he was flat out lying when he said I needed a new regulator and motor. The owner of the shop is either negligent, an idiot, or just as dishonest as his mechanic was.
This place has an A+ rating with the BBB (supposedly this is a difficult rating to obtain) and this is the sort of shady operation they're running? I had used a mobile mechanic from here in Shelbyville a while back that not only took my money to purchase parts that he never bought but he messed up my transmission when he tried to fix it. Then he just disappeared and never called me back. Why is it so difficult to find an honest mechanic that's not going to steal from you and charge you for parts that you don't need? I'm fine with paying for repairs since I don't drive new cars (or have a car payment) but I'm sick and tired of some mechanics (I know not all mechanics are crooks) trying to rip people off. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
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My theory is most honest mechanics go out of business, as they don't make as much money as the shady ones; and the closer you get to a big city, the further you get from small town core values.
My car(s) I've taken to both shade-tree and regular mechanics, depending on what needed to be done with it; not being mechanically inclined. The only motor I run well is my mouth... ;p
Landers treated me fairly on a front-end alignment; the cost was about 1/3 of what the Honda dealer in Franklin was quoting.
Gary's on Coloredo has done right by me in the past; he's a pretty good guy. The last time I was going to use him he had a big job on the rack, though, which is how I ended up at Landers.
WalMart seems to have the best price on new tires; save yourself a few bucks and buy them new there, just the tires, and take them to V & R to have them mounted and balanced. Landers isn't actually all that much more than WalMart, and have more options available with the service.
Ricky Blanton's shop, V & R, on 41A towards Unionville (next to the dump in El Bethel), has always done right by me; my CV axle cost $30 less there than shopping around town (bought the part myself at O'Reillys).
Brian, the manager at O'Reilly's, will work with you on figuring out what you actually need for your car, if you know roughly what's wrong with it. I know people that prefer Auto Zone and Advance, but O'Reilly is the only one I know that will give a full refund on defective parts; the others will only allow you to trade-in at their store. So if they have a crappy vendor, tough luck; you still need to have it replaced with them.
Emmet Ray does good work (also on 41A; big blue building), but as I recall from a past conversation, he's migrating towards more business picking up vehicles bough from online auctions, and transporting them to the purchaser.
I'm sure there are other good mechanics in the area; these are just the ones I've used.
For shade-tree mechanics, I was going to give shout-outs to whom I've used, but that basically defeats why I don't use my name on here. :p
Dunno if any of that is helpful or not. :)
I know of 2 honest mechanics in Shelbyville.
One is Justin Peoples of Peoples Automotive. He is honest and does quality work for a reasonable price.
The other is one that I have known since Jr. High School, when he grew up working in his parent's gas station. He has had his own shop for many years now. He does not do all types of auto repair, but the work he does do is quality at a good price. His name is Keith Tune and he can be reached at 684-2220.
William
HorseGentler . . . I have also heard many good things from people here at work about the two mechanics you mentioned even though I have never personally used them.
I always go to Gary's Wholesale for tires and he actually knows what he is talking about and seems to be very honest and fair. One time I had an issue with my car and took it to him and he didn't charge me because it was something simple to fix even though he could have charged me for labor. Landers is another great place for honest service.
Thom . . . I had the same issue with my window a couple of years ago and took it to a place here in town and after they almost beat my door down, they informed me I would need all types of parts even though they had yet to remove the cover to see what actually might be wrong. I decided to get a second opinion and went to Rambo Glass and I was glad I did . . . come to find out I only needed one part and that was all.
Since I have a newer vehicle now I just take it to the dealership to have it maintenance except for tires and such because the dealership with definitely overcharge you on things like that and mine has definitely tried it before.
Actually, while we're on this topic; who would those of you who have lived here longer recommend for imports? Both of my cars are Civics.
One has a screwed up engine because I trusted someone to work on it that didn't know what he was doing, because my shade-tree buddy and I were pissed off at each other - lol! ;p
So I am looking for two things, I suppose:
1) A good, honest mechanic that has experience working on Hondas (as they tend to have temperamental settings); someone who knows when it's best to use generic parts, and when I need to cough up for the dealer parts (but have them still do the labor).
2) Options for rebuilding / sourcing the top block, since numnuts misaligned the cam and bent two rods into the piston, blowing a hole in the top of the piston case... :p (I know, my car-lingo sucks...) I have heard that Acura engines can be swapped in, but I'm more interested in maintaining fuel efficiency than extra horsepower. The other issue with that vehicle is that the CPU is going bad, and it's a CA emissions vehicle; I can't typically find the CPU or emissions extras, for that model year, in a local junk yard.
The second is a lower priority, as I'm not working presently. :p
I also recommend Justin Peoples and Keith Tune. My father, mother, and myself have used these guys many times in the past and they are reliable and honest!
Thank heavens for my brother-in-law -- he's better than AAA and Auto Zone put together. When he stops fixing my car, I think I'll go Amish and get a horse and buggy. I know how to make horses work!
Keith Tune is who I would use if I needed someone to work on my car. The biggest problem I have with Keith is he's always so busy but I guess that just means he is good at what he does :>)
Just stay away from Blue Farrar, he charged for parts not needed, then didn't install them, leaving me to buy new parts and install them myself.
I'll chime in for Keith as well... He has done me a good job for years... and overall, I feel at times he doesn't charge me ENOUGH for the good job he does for me. Thom... I'd recommend Keith without hesitation. I do have more than one vehicle, so I can leave one with him a day or two... but he's been as fair as fair can be with me... and I'm willing to pay up for the honesty.
Roger Clanton at Clanton's Automotive Repair 41 A N. does good honest work at a very fair price.
I have used Gary for my tire needs for years and he has always been a good honest man. For mechanical needs you might try Drew's Total Auto Care across from McDonalds. They do excellent work and they too, are very honest folks.
To the women---Go to Gary's-he will not steer you wrong..I bought tires from Blue a couple years ago and 1 week later took 1 back to him and he would not honor the hazzard insurance I had. Went to Gary he fixed me right up and have been going to him ever since.
As a female, I've had a bad experience with a couple Analytical mentioned.
I will agree, Keith Tune is good, but always busy. Another good one is Mike Totty, over by the Good Sam.
I've thought about taking an auto repair class or even small engine repair cause there are not enough lawn-mower fixers either and its about that time of year.
The Dodge dealership in M'boro has probably seen the last dollar from us.
Took it in for one problem and ended up with a water leak and an oil leak we did not have before. $400 dollars later we still have the oil leak and they say we need another fix on our transmission that will cost $800.
Speaking of transmission, they replace some type of valve packs two years ago and had to "replace" them again this year. They could not tell me why, but you know there was no warranty. I wonder if they actually replaced them the first time.
Emmitt Ray near Unionville is really good.
I still miss Wayne Oneils shop. I think he went out of business due to bad (non-paying) customers, so I guess it works both ways....
Oh, I also have a question:
Why are all the tire/mechanic shops working on a first come/first served policy?
No one takes appointments anymore....
I drive a diesel. Are all these guys mentioned above good with diesels too?
espoontoon, it sounds like an opportunity that needs to be explored. Many of our schedules are as hectic as theirs and there should be a way to fit in a few true appointments in a day's time.
I know that it is tough to always know how long a repair can take since "things" happen, but they have books to give guidelines.
Welkindance... diesels are a different animal. You might get the shops above to service them, but major repairs are a different story. I've recently bought one, and am still looking for a good diesel mechanic myself. Hopefully someone can make some recommendations.
If u want a good honest mechanic go to waynes over on depo st I've been going there for as long as he's had a shop his shop is by far the best in town
espoontoo,
I may be mistaken on this, but I believe Gary's will do true appointments. I suspect the issue is people scheduling a block of time, the mechanic turning people away as they expect to have that slot filled, and then the customer no-shows and they've lost business for that time slot.
mmp84,
Heh, can't speak for the female experience; though I can imagine, knowing how shop-talk can go. For small engines, I've been told the fella next to V & R (don't know his name, sorry) does rider and push mower motors, and there's a place on left going out of Unionville towards Rover on 41A. I've never used these though; I've only lived in Bedford County a year now.
With the current economy, though, you might have a good idea there. As a woman, if you get the training, and get a license yourself, you can set up for government benefits currently available to both small business start-ups, and as a DBE (Disadvantaged Business Entity). DBE's get preferential treatment for different programs, and their only requirements are to not be owned by a white male, and earn less than a certain cap annually.
i have used most of these mechanics in the past but the only one that will make your car last and is alot cheaper than any of them is gale "pograb" pinkston. he owns pinkston automotive on north hillcrest drive, he is as honest as they come and you CAN'T BEAT his prices.
I have always done buisness with Gary at Gary's Tires. He's honest and does not over charge me. He even checks stuff I forget like oil and air conditioning. He's reliable and honest.
I am a mechanic by trade myself but I do not do very much work for the general public. I have listened to more than npeople being slandered on than I really like to hear. Keith tune is a great guy and has lot of experience. If I was not one myself he would be the one that I would take my car to myself. As far as a diesel mechanic, I dont know who to recommend off the top of my head. I work on them at least 8 hours a day but dont know who locally would do you an honest job at a fair price. I am sure any could service them, but I have seen more than one turn them down because they just have enough experience with the motors to try and repair them at there shop. I only send the trucks that I am responsible for to the dealership if they are under warranty. Most guys at the dealersips wont work on a car on the side unless you know them pretty well. If I was to recommend some one it would probably be Jutt Peoples behind the old harris middle school.
What about Mark's,out on Madison?He always gets me in and out as quickly as possible and will pick up and deliver.I have an import and a domestic car and he keeps them both in great shape for me without charging an arm and a leg!Try him Thom,684-4881.
Reasons like this are why I learned to fix my car myself. This way if something is done and still doesn't work, I only have myslef to hold accountable for it. Parts and labor are also much cheaper this way. Moreover, if you attempt to buy a part from a parts store and they tell you it is a dealer item, you can find those parts online that are cheaper than what a dealer offers/ orders.
Hello, I agree about honest mechanics or even skilled ones who give a "HOOT". My drivers side window stopped working on my Suburban. The Chevy dealer wanted hunks to repair it but I bought the motor and replacement mechanism at Auto Zone and did it myself for about 90 bucks.The vehicle is 10 years old and the mechanism had rusted out.