Law-Forums.org

[seme22]

Why are so many auto repair facilities allowed to rip people off so easily? That is, it is so common and such a well known event, why aren't there laws in place to deal with this? Why aren't lawyers suing these mechanics like they sue doctors.
I know it isn't all mechanics that do this, and I understand why it is so easy for them to pull this off, but why aren't these mechanics being punished?

I am in awe by the fact that there are auto repair facilities all over the place (especially college towns) ripping people off so easily.

I understand where they get it. A lot of times, people can't drive their car around looking for prices. A lot of time, they won't give prices until they open a car up, but some of the stories I have heard regarding auto repair facilities is just astounding.

A lousy contrast I know, but doctors can't sneeze in a hosptial without being sued, but some of these car repair facilities can take a repair that calls for 30 minutes, refuse to show the person what is actually wrong with the car when it is "opened up", claiming "you are not allowed", then charge 3 hours labor.

I know how the auto repair facilities bill, it's a lot like the system doctors use with specific billing codes. I have been reading proven reports of some repair facilities in the California area near UCSD) charged 3 hours labor on a repair that the books call for 30 minutes. Reporters using actors to bring cars in and watching as the "3 hour repair" is done in 15 minutes, then leaving the car sitting there for 2 hours before finally releasing the person.

Far too commonly are these repair facilities saying "A is wrong" when it really isn't. Claiming "we can't replace that without replacing this" which are blatant lies (according to the car developers and other expert mechanics who focus on that make/model).

I am sure anybody who reads knows this happens. It is astonishing how a repair facility like "Tires Kingdom" can take a repair that calls for 30 minutes labor in their computer, and charge 3 hours labor to replace two parts that cost them 25 dollars but costs the customer 60 dollars. When, sitting outside watching the mechanic do the repair, you see him at the car a maxiumum of 15 minutes.

Money is not that big of a deal for me. Common decency among fellow humans is.
To be allowed to sit there and do stuff like that while a doctor can't touch a patient's back without it instantly becoming "you touched my patient you caused his disability" from any lawyer if the patient was to take it there. Why aren't auto repair facilities paying thousands of dollars for the problems they commonly cause (I know many of you have has taken your car to a repair facility has at some point something broken, or missing....). I personally have watched as a mechanic doing a diagnostic code reading (while charging 45 dollars for it) tried to pull his code reading device out of the plug and broke the dashboard for my car where the bolt was connected from pulling to hard. Then look at me like I did something wrong then try to play it off. Then switch straight to "i have no idea what he is talking about" when the cops showed up. I might be a little biased due to the sheer volume of crap mechanics have screwed up on my car, broken, or have ripped me off over charging for repairs, but it is a common thing for mechanics to rip people off.

Honestly I understand the money a lot of people end up spending on their car repair isn't always a whole lot, but still, how they can they allowed to get away with crap like that. How many times have you actually seen a mechanic do any kind of actual repair on your car? If you ask, most likely they will tell you, you are not allowed to watch for "insurance reasons". Yet, almost every hospital in the country now has cameras in every operating room recording what is going on. Every endoscopy is recorded so that the patient can view it.

I understand supply and demand, and the fact that most people don't want to be mechanics, and those that end up becoming mechanics are in line in level of education as a garbage man, but still, why isn't there a organization watching to make sure this crap doesn't happen?

[gobrwy]

Why are so many auto repair facilities allowed to rip people off so easily? That is, it is so common and such a well known event, why aren't there laws in place to deal with this? Why aren't lawyers suing these mechanics like they sue doctors.
I know it isn't all mechanics that do this, and I understand why it is so easy for them to pull this off, but why aren't these mechanics being punished?

I am in awe by the fact that there are auto repair facilities all over the place (especially college towns) ripping people off so easily.

I understand where they get it. A lot of times, people can't drive their car around looking for prices. A lot of time, they won't give prices until they open a car up, but some of the stories I have heard regarding auto repair facilities is just astounding.

A lousy contrast I know, but doctors can't sneeze in a hosptial without being sued, but some of these car repair facilities can take a repair that calls for 30 minutes, refuse to show the person what is actually wrong with the car when it is "opened up", claiming "you are not allowed", then charge 3 hours labor.

I know how the auto repair facilities bill, it's a lot like the system doctors use with specific billing codes. I have been reading proven reports of some repair facilities in the California area near UCSD) charged 3 hours labor on a repair that the books call for 30 minutes. Reporters using actors to bring cars in and watching as the "3 hour repair" is done in 15 minutes, then leaving the car sitting there for 2 hours before finally releasing the person.

Far too commonly are these repair facilities saying "A is wrong" when it really isn't. Claiming "we can't replace that without replacing this" which are blatant lies (according to the car developers and other expert mechanics who focus on that make/model).

I am sure anybody who reads knows this happens. It is astonishing how a repair facility like "Tires Kingdom" can take a repair that calls for 30 minutes labor in their computer, and charge 3 hours labor to replace two parts that cost them 25 dollars but costs the customer 60 dollars. When, sitting outside watching the mechanic do the repair, you see him at the car a maxiumum of 15 minutes.

Money is not that big of a deal for me. Common decency among fellow humans is.
To be allowed to sit there and do stuff like that while a doctor can't touch a patient's back without it instantly becoming "you touched my patient you caused his disability" from any lawyer if the patient was to take it there. Why aren't auto repair facilities paying thousands of dollars for the problems they commonly cause (I know many of you have has taken your car to a repair facility has at some point something broken, or missing....). I personally have watched as a mechanic doing a diagnostic code reading (while charging 45 dollars for it) tried to pull his code reading device out of the plug and broke the dashboard for my car where the bolt was connected from pulling to hard. Then look at me like I did something wrong then try to play it off. Then switch straight to "i have no idea what he is talking about" when the cops showed up. I might be a little biased due to the sheer volume of crap mechanics have screwed up on my car, broken, or have ripped me off over charging for repairs, but it is a common thing for mechanics to rip people off.

Honestly I understand the money a lot of people end up spending on their car repair isn't always a whole lot, but still, how they can they allowed to get away with crap like that. How many times have you actually seen a mechanic do any kind of actual repair on your car? If you ask, most likely they will tell you, you are not allowed to watch for "insurance reasons". Yet, almost every hospital in the country now has cameras in every operating room recording what is going on. Every endoscopy is recorded so that the patient can view it.

I understand supply and demand, and the fact that most people don't want to be mechanics, and those that end up becoming mechanics are in line in level of education as a garbage man, but still, why isn't there a organization watching to make sure this crap doesn't happen?

All in all, you're complaining that a job that should take 15 minutes took longer than it should and it cost you more money. Then you said money is not a problem for you. In the end, was your car fixed or not? If not, return it to them. If it was fixed. just shut up.

[teyrnon72]

Most people have no idea how cars work and they never do the required maintenance, and when problems start coming up they rush to the mechanics

[sylvester37]

Rant unsupported by evidence. Reported for abuse.

[wilbart]

I assume you take your car to Tire Kingdom if I were you I would find a new mechanic.

[sebastiano]

I got ripped off??

[cumhea]

number one is fair market value the mechanics dont make up the prices the chains they work for do that figures right or wrong thats how that happens . number two labor rates are figured by the shop as well and the manufacturers figure the labor hours or book time as they call it dont hold it against the skilled mechanic if he can get ajob done that calls for 3 hours in 2 hours number 3 mast home mechanic have a tool kit that might cost 1000.00 dollars my box and tools consist of well over 50000.00 just to make it clear 3 years of college but i have a job making more money then most during my off time and i dont have a problem showing people whats wrong and dhowing them why before you start generalizing all mech please get a clue of what you talk about

[chepito]

Simple answer on why Mechanics are smarter then MD's..

A Doctor (MD) only works on TWO models made by ONE manufacture,,,and those haven't changed in THOUSANDS of years. and they still only "PRACTICE" medicin

An Auto Mechanic works on Ford, MBZ, BMW, Chevy, Toyota, Chrys, Nissan, Volvo, Fiat, Porsche, Etc Etc, and they each have many models and they change EVERY YEAR. Yet despite that we don't PRACTICE our trade.

Yes you go to cheap places that employ Monkeys (kids or guys who replace parts) you get what you pay for. (Somebody who tries to fix a problem by throwing parts at it) When you go to a Licensed/Skilled and Trained Mechanic you get somebody who has years of practic and training. (as a matter of fact I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering from a California UC school, and have worked 18 years in Aerospace, and managed the installation of a computer network for an ENTIRE International Airport.)

Take a basic Auto Maintance class at your local Comunity College... You will probably learn more about cars in the 2nd clas then you learned all your (short) life

Yes you pay more but it ends up far cheaper in the long run.

If you think you go ripped off....call the BAR (916) 255-4200 and file a complaint against the places that have ripped you off, or file a lawsuit yourself.

[pascoe69]

Let me guess you must be a doctor since you asked why more lawyers aren't suing mechanics so that rules you out as a mouthpiece.As far as people getting ripped off by mechanics there are just as many good ones as there are bad just like there are good doctors as well as bad. As far as a mechanic having about as much education as a garbage man the question I have is how many garbage men and mechanics do you know?Me personally I am highly intelligent as well as educated.The reason most shops charge 45 bucks or whatever it was to run a diagnostics on your car is why would I waste my time coming out to look at it tell you whats wrong and then have you take it somewhere else for free?I charge 60 bucks to tell you whats wrong if I fix it then I take off the 60. also charge 80 bucks an hour to fix it for the simple fact I have a business to run and overhead I also have repeat customers that come back when they need something done such be it an oil change or a tune up or a major repair they have been coming to us for years.I assume you take your car to Tire Kingdom if I were you I would find a new mechanic.So the moral of the story here is find yourself a new mechanic and dont lump the good ones in with the bad ones

[wilbart]

First of all I take offense to your comparison of my education level to that of a garbage man. I have three years of conventional college, two years of trade school, and two more years of various brand-specific schooling. I have an BA in Business Admin, three degrees from three different local tech colleges, and my education continues constantly (at my own cost) as cars become more and more complex as the years come and go.

So: your foremost concern is that there is no watchdog organization for repair shops to make sure there is no rip-offery going on. Have you heard of Yelp? Or maybe before you entrust your car to an unknown shop, ask your friends and family where it is that they get their work done? We have a capitalist economy here. Buyer beware; that goes for the service industry too.

Do YOUR homework as a consumer and RESEARCH your repair facility on the most amazing consumer watchdog ever invented, the internet.

Our specific "billing codes" that you mention come from companies like AllData and Mitchell's. They are updated daily to give us the labor time it takes to do a job, so we can give you, the consumer, as honest and accurate a quote as possible when we fix your car. These labor times are usually pretty accurate, and when they're not, we adjust them.
Most certainly there are price differences between a repair shop in a wealthy suburban area, a depressed inner city location, or a rural location, strictly due to differences in overhead and cost of parts and fluids.

My liability insurance covers customers in my shop. I allow them to watch myself or my mechanics work on their vehicle as much as they wish. Some shops, mostly bigger chain types, do not allow this, and that's just the way it goes.

I know that not all shops are honest, or talented, and that some are downright awful, but with the economy how it is these days you are usually safe patronizing an established independent local shop. We are not here to go out of business, and at least here at my place, we try as hard as possible to make sure that every customer leaves smiling.

My little shop is on a busy corner in a wealthy residential area. My labor rate is $100 per hour, and parts markup is 120% over what I pay. Doing honest work and neither over- nor- under repairing cars, I am able to pay my overhead, pay my employees, and take a modest paycheck myself. I am not getting rich by any means, but I do love this business and always do what I can to make sure that I can keep coming to work every morning and be my own boss. And I am not alone.