The one thing about car culture that saddens me most is the realization that, to many people, cars represent not freedom or joy or fascination, but pain. I’ve met far too many people for whom cars are a genuine burden; something breaks, they take it in to a shop, and some greasy person across the counter hands them an exorbitant bill that they have no choice but to pay. It’s a feeling of helplessness, and it has ruined cars for many, many people. It’s for this reason that good, trustworthy mechanics are so important to me, for in some ways, they hold the keys to car culture. They can make it or break it.
I remember seeing this when I was growing up; my family was on a road trip from our house in Leavenworth, KS to a campsite in Colorado Springs, and somewhere around Hays, Kansas — basically the middle of nowhere — the thing left us stranded. All eight of us stood there on the side of I-70 waiting for AAA, who towed us into town.
There, a mechanic charged my dad $1000 for the fuel pump job; given that that was about 2006, that’s equivalent to $1600 in today’s money! And that had to come out of the pocket of a Lieutenant Colonel who was the only breadwinner in a family of eight. My dad did a good job of making it seem like it wasn’t a huge deal, as the camping trip was absolutely epic, but that’s a lot of scratch!
But my dad couldn’t turn a wrench to save his life. An incredibly resourceful and smart army officer? Sure. But a mechanic he was not. In fact, I’d venture so far as to say my mom — who was usually the one taking our cars to the shop — was maybe the better mechanic of the two. But neither of them were in a position to push back on that $1000 bill. And that sucks.
So many people experience that feeling of helplessness and dread when their car breaks down; it’s something I’ve never felt before because I have the most trustworthy mechanic of them all: myself. But some folks avoid that terrible feeling without having to do the dirty work, because they have “a guy” (so to speak). They’ve got a trustworthy shop that will walk them through what broke and what needs to be done to fix it.
Do you have a trustworthy mechanic? How did you find them, and what is it that they do to make you feel that they’re trustworthy?
Top graphic image: depositphotos.com
My father took his car to Dick Carroll in Dunedin FL for years. My husband and I moved here a few years after he was gone. My retirement gift was a new car, but when the warranty ran out I went to them. Twenty plus years later they remembered my Dad and that started a fantastic relationship with them. They’re so honest and kind. It’s terrific!
You can’t, they’re really more of a myth, like the Yeti, or his North American cousin, the Sasquatch, or shiksappeal.
When I drove German cars, I Googled a place close to both home and work. Turns out that crazy, flailing-armed Italian is not only a great mechanic but incredibly honest and fair with prices. I stopped going to him since I now have newer Fords with warranties, but as soon as my daughter’s Mini needed work, he was my first and only call.
To answer your question: total luck.
My mom.
The repair was one I started myself but thanks to a perfect storm of design choices, missing information and a lack of correct tools I found myself in the unenviable position of being stuck halfway through a job of replacing the control arms on my Accord. The car was immobile of course. I called the only person I knew who took their car into a shop, my mother. Her recommendation was emphatic and since I had little choice I arranged for a flatbed to bring the car in.
The shop owner was very sympathetic to my plight. He understood exactly what had gone so wrong for me and he had no problem installing the aftermarket parts I had bought. His quote for labor was quite reasonable, so reasonable even my Cheap Bastard self questioned why I had even tried DIY.
The next day I got a call. The car was done! When I went to sign the paperwork I found the cost was quite a bit lower than the quote. The owner said he had comped me for the work I had started. He also told me the original control arms had, in his opinion, been fine. Greeeaatt. That’s what I get for believing a stealership’s complimentary recall inspection report. FU Capitol Honda of San Jose!
I wish I could recommend this shop to my fellow SFBA Autopians but sadly the shop was a victim of the pandemic.
Honestly, I found my mechanic on Yelp. He had high reviews and hasn’t disappointed. I’m also lucky in that I can work on my FJ myself except for the really big jobs (I had him do the shocks/struts because I live in an apartment building and honestly, I knew it was gonna be a bitch so it was easier to just pay to knock it out). But, when I’ve needed him to help with things I couldn’t do myself, it’s been reasonable and worth it.
Word of mouth. If you have an older car and you see someone in your neighborhood with a well cared for example, ask them. Our current local independent German car mechanic has ties to my son’s private Christian school.
For our SAAB, I forgot whether we looked on SAABNET and cross checked with Yelp. We have two mechanics depending on what is wrong and who is busier. They both know that we can’t always fix everything at once; we have to do triage.
The German car guy takes lots of photos, which is nice.
Also, if the shop has been around forever, that is a good sign. We have a local shop that specializes in air conditioning. Another one specializes in brakes, though they do other repairs.
First one I got on a tip from an admin assistant. He was right around the corner from the office, so it was both convenient and he turned out to be very trustworthy. He lost his shop (too trustworthy?), then he moved to work at some other shop, but then I lost him when he suddenly didn’t turn up for work. I didn’t trust the guy who owned the place.
I then turned to a friend who had a trustworthy mechanic that was a sports coach (Coached my son in another sport as well) in our mutual local sports association. I used him for a while, then he sold his shop to another trustworthy mechanic and that is where I am today. Dude doesn’t screw me over on anything (I am driving Toyotas, though), and his shop is always busy.
I think many mechanics go the “trusty” route when they discover that the people who they don’t rip off bring more business to them.
I’ve found a grand total of one so far, and unfortunately he was not geographically convenient at all for regular service, so it was basically one and done.
It was just rolling the dice on a guy with good internet reviews after I had two shops tell me I needed an expensive repair that didn’t seem right. I called and told him I was asking for another opinion, and he was also willing to work with me on a used part if I did need it. He found the $5 part that failed instead of the $800 part.
I just tried a new guy, based on a personal recommendation, and the internet thinks the place is good too. He appears to be honest at least – I was ready to pay for major surgery on my car based on some symptoms that are somewhat common to the model and while he was familiar with my car’s tendency to have that problem pop up, he insisted he saw no evidence of it and suggested something less drastic. He seemed to run the right diagnostics, so we’ll see how that goes. If he was just trying to run up my bill, he could have just confirmed what I told him I thought it was.
One shop near my house that I was trying to “get to know” since my car is getting old wouldn’t even look at it when I told them what it seemed like the problem might be. So I guess I am done with them if they think a hybrid is too complicated (issue had nothing to do with the battery or electric drive system…it was something that could have failed on a car in 1968). They have a lot of good reviews as well, even for one that involved a used engine swap…so I thought this guy might be up for anything.
Unfortunately all these guys seem to be rather inconvenient on the whole. My last episode there had my car gone for over a week. And in my experience, indie shops are nearly as expensive as dealerships in this area. My hope is they actually do good diagnostic work and not just throw parts you don’t really need at it.
It sucks when you move and have to find a new doctor, dentist, optometrist, mechanic, etc.
I recently replaced the front struts on my F-150 and just got around to picking a place to do the alignment. Took a chance on the Ford dealership about 20 miles away, as the local (non-Ford) place has a reputation for doing “necessary” work you didn’t ask for and not giving you your car back until you pay for it.
They did the alignment reasonably ($145) and gave me a list of suggested service items to the tune of $2,500. Some are reasonable (front hub is worn and loose), and some, well, aren’t (swollen lug nuts, to be replaced by OEM parts for $166, that will eventually suffer the same swelling problem – the Internet says to go aftermarket for about $40 and never have the problem again).
Pretty sure I’ll probably go to them again for the major stuff, but the minor stuff (lug nuts, rear shocks, etc) I’ll do myself. In the mean time, I’ll keep asking around.
There was one in the family, thank god. Now that I moved out of New York I’ve kinda been in traction ever since.
I keep forgetting how old I am. To me, 2006 is not that far back, and my first thought was; why didn’t David try giving the gas tank a good wack? then realized you were around 12 then? In the middle of a 500 mile trip, my alternator quit, called AAA and asked if they could pick one up at Pep Boys and deliver it to me. After explaining I had the tools and didn’t need a tow, she said she’d ask around to see if one of their drivers could accommodate. Twenty minutes later, I got a call back, he was at a local Pep Boys, handed the phone to the clerk, I told him my CC and specs., had it in stock, I got it 15 minutes later, and was on my way. I know some good local independent shops for inspections, and tire changes, and that’s all they do for me. Those that want New, lease.
For better or worse, I have settled on taking our cars (both Hondas) to the local Honda dealer. I know I’m paying extra for the privilege, and I definitely have done my share of griping about the dealer costs. But they stand behind their work 100%, and on the one or two times I’ve had any issues at all, the service manager has made it right for us. We haven’t even bought a car from them, but we have family members who told us about how great this dealer is.
Ask a friend, particularly one who cares about their cars. People who use their cars like appliances frequently treat them like appliances – don’t mess with until it breaks. Or ask a mechanic. If you have a trusted one and you’re looking in another area, ask if he would recommend anyone there. You might be surprised.
As for evaluating a mechanic, take your car in when there’s nothing seriously wrong or you’re pretty sure you know what the issue is. (A good one is brakes. Measure your pads and rotors, and then ask them to check them. See what they recommend.) Do they recommend a bunch of service that “needs to be done”? Do they recognize when something needs to be done “sometime soon” but not right now? Does their diagnosis line up with yours? Does their alternative diagnosis make more sense? Do they do the job you ask them to and do it right? Do they put things back together properly, and leave them clean? Do they treat you fairly? These are some of the things to consider.
I don’t think there is some formula, you need to be able to listen to someone explain the problem and what they are going to do to fix it.
Just had a serious issue with a dealer, walked in prepared for a fight, supervisor owned the problem and it was done easy-peasy.
So the “car talk” type of mechanic? I think that’s a good yardstick.
I never really have. That’s why I do basically everything myself. That and profound cheapness. I’ll buy a luxury car, but the day the warranty ends, the only times it will see a dealer is for free recalls. I’ve gotten to the point where I will buy equipment or tools just to avoid paying someone else. It is not the most efficient method, but until I am unable to turn a wrench it’s not going to change.
Disclaimer: I obviously don’t mount and balance my own tires (yet), do painting, or other specialist tasks, but if it can be done in my garage, it will be.
Ditto
Yep, same. My vehicles go to other shops for tires (usually, I have hand tire tools) and alignments. I have a local trusted shop for each that hasn’t screwed me over…..yet.
I went to a shop my parents had good luck with once and they said my grinding noise from the 4wd hub was a sticking brake. I stupidly doubted my diagnosis and let them replace brake lines, they said it fixed it. Literally changed nothing, their “master mechanic” obviously couldn’t hear anymore.
TL;DR – I didn’t.
Actually the Jeep dealer in town has been good. And there’s a couple other places I might try. But labor is so, so expensive (not begrudging, just pinching pennies)
I found one by pure luck when my Miata shut down outside an auto parts store, they recommended me one across the street. When I showed up there he had a Mazda RX7 that he built all the modifications, that thing was insane. It’s like I won the lottery, a Mazda expert and reasonably prices. Maybe my car did that on purpose lol
The only indie I trust is a small shop that specializes in Euros. I found it because I sold a pair of home theater speakers to a guy on FB marketplace and showed up in my S5. He showed up in his work clothes. We got to talking and yeah, only place I’ll go and so far only place that can do a decent alignment on the Q7 with 4WS.
Also, to expand on why I now trust them…M first experience there was to get the Q7 an APR tune. Should’ve been an easy 1.5 hour flat rate and that’s what they quoted me. Turns out my car is such an early build that APR didn’t have a file for my ECU software. They had to call APR, actually dug up records of 3 other shops that tried to tune it and met the same software problem (with the previous owner), spend 3 hours on the phone with APR tech support, update my ECU to the newer software, then flash the tune. All in it was like 6 or 7 hours of work for their tech and they STILL only billed me the quoted 1.5 hours of labor. While I was sitting in the waiting room I overheard them talking to a little old lady, and instead of giving her the ‘ol’ “your car will literally explode if you don’t change your cabin air filter RIGHT NOW” speech, I heard them telling her she could wait, things weren’t necessary right now, and she could save some money. Just the way one of us would talk to a relative, like” this is really bad, but we found some other stuff that isn’t a big deal and it’s cool if you don’t wanna spend the money on that right now.”
As a spouse of a retired military officer, we moved around a lot, and often asked for recommendations from people we know..once we had gotten to know people.
So far, so good, even now as retired civilians. The place I was recommended to isn’t the cheapest, but is honest and fairly priced for what they offer: a shuttle service, transparent on pricing if there is a cheap part vs an OEM vs an upgrade, free snacks and wi-fi if you wait in their lounge….which is clean, and pleasant.
Plus, they encourage you to ask their techs and advisors about upgrades or special order parts, and if they feel they can warranty the work and the quality of the part, they will work with you.
In short, they treat people right. Again, not the cheapest….but so far, no complaints about the quality of the parts or the work.
You get what you pay for.
I’m also in the “yes…me” bin. One of my closest friends turned wrenches for like 15 years, so I can also turn to him in times of desperation.
My brother was recently told he needed something like $4000 in work on his beater daily driver by a tire shop/repair facility. Half the work they said was needed should have been in the “suggested” column at best. His worst problem was a serious vibration though. When we took his tires off, we noticed one was damaged and worn out of round quite a bit. The TIRE SHOP missed diagnosing tire failure, the single most common cause of new vehicle shaking vibrations.
And so many techs nowadays are parts replacers, not diagnosticians who know why parts need replacing or how to identify just the failure. Shops prefer the shotgun approach. Its more profitable.
I have not yet found a mechanic whom I can trust. I mostly work on my own car but there are things that I just cannot do either due to lack of skill or tools/accommodations and have to use one. And every time I go somewhere, something gets fucked up. I picked up my car from alignment shop the other week, and all but one toe link have ball joints twisted to extreme. Their answer “oh it is fine, doesn’t hurt anything, they rotate you know” – no it is not fucking fine you goddamn Neanderthal.
Recently I let Ford change my AT fluid and they broke off the crankcase vent tube nipple on the plastic air tube. I wasn’t mad they did (that damn thing is ~$300), its freaking plastic and if you mishandle it it’ll crack. I was mad that they just closed the hood as if nothing happened (you cannot not notice this).
Pathetic losers. All of them.
Word of mouth is the best, but when had my ‘12 Frontier the last few years I needed to find a shop and didnt have any recommendations.
ultimately just tried to do a fairly thorough job researching on google/reddit, then took a bit of a leap of faith and chose one. Shout out to Troy Auto in Troy, MI – they were fair and did good work, IMO.
Well you can never win on a break down in the middle of nowhere. However ask yourself if you prefer not having a mechanic available in the mi6of nowhere. Are the really taking advantage when they could be out of business when no available customer for days? I simply wait until I can ID the job than discuss with the mechanic and see how truthful he is. I would take a bullet for my mechanic. Just yesterday my VX power steering failed two days for parts on a holiday. The owner drove me half an hour to my other car then to a Toyota dealership to fix my fob. He won’t even charge me. Another time they went to NYC for a replacement motor and never charged me.
I’ve found it easier to find trustworthy motorbike/scooter mechanics than car mechanics. Maybe it’s because there’s a certain level of mutual respect between the mechanics and riders as there are more car drivers than motorbike riders? Who knows . . . My local motorbike mechanic was recommended to me by my next door neighbour who has a motorbike. The mechanic has been great. He does all my MOTs and lets me know when I need to sort out something myself or when he’s concerned about something. I also trust the guys that sold me my electric Vespa conversion kit: Retrospective Scooters. Great people there, they know their stuff, and are always dead honest with me.
Same here – my motorcycle shop is fantastic, and it’s a way different experience than say going to a car mechanic. I often get pulled into conversations about random motorcycle stuff there, or brought back into the work area to be shown something cool about some other bike on which they’re working.
But what really did it for me was a having my non-starting bike brought in, and once in the shop, it then apparently started right up. They could have easily claimed to have fixed something and charged me, but they didn’t – they simply said no charge, come get her when you’re ready. I usually change my own fluids, but that time, I paid them to do it all b/c of how their honesty impressed me.
“Do you have a trustworthy mechanic?”
Yes… me.
And if it’s something I can’t do myself, the Canadian Tire that is close to my work is okay. I’ve gone to from time to time.
In the past, I’ve found trustworthy mechanics either through word of mouth or through Google reviews.
I have a Mr Tire I like b/c 1) the name, and 2) damn TPMS sensors…so simple but no way I can do it myself (though I did learn tire mounting and balancing in auto shop once upon a time…ah complex machines not available to the home mechanic)