I signed up for an oil change shop; had a 18.99 coupon. How did the fast-talking salesman convince me to spend over $200?

I had just purchased, last fall, the used vehicle from a reputable dealer in my area, I even had my own mechanic check it before I signed the deal. He put it up on the rack and ran all kinds of test on it.

I only drive it around town as I have another truck for long distance ventures. I kept telling the salesperson, that I am sure the dealer did, 'that' before he sold it to me, but he kept on talking about what the manufacturer recommends. He had me totally convinced that it needed a page full of future preventative maintenance.

I am NOT mechanically inclined but my son is. When I got home and told him what I paid for, he hit the roof !

Wow. I just say no.

CotePony Wrote:
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> I am NOT mechanically inclined

And there's the problem. Anyone who is not mechanically inclined should never purchase extra services without running it by someone they know who IS mechanically inclined first. These guys know you don't know, they also know that when some who doesn't know hears "problem in the future" they get visions of being stranded in a bad neighborhood at 3am (even though they would never BE in a bad neighborhood at 3am) or a tire falling off their car while doing 80 down the interstate.

I'm fairly mechanically inclined, and I only take my car to a place I trust for actual work. I'll do oil change shops, but would never let those kind of places actually work on my car. And anything that's suggested to me that I don't understand, I run by someone who DOES understand and can explain it to me before I do it.*

*that advice can also be applied to investments

During a safety inspection years ago Midas decided my vehicle had three severe leaks and would not pass. It just so happened to also be the second to last day of the month with the plates due. I was aware of two very minor leaks in the old car, oil and power steering fluid. For the oil it was about a quart every six months or so and power steering was even less. They showed me this huge puddle of power steering fluid before telling me it would cost $1,200 for all the repairs. I point out the car was only worth about a thousand, it would be stupid for me to throw good money after bad and I would get a new car before paying that much for repairs. The mechanic was in shock and told me he couldn't afford to get a new car. I them told him he apparently was stupid and left. From the parking lot I made an appointment at a gas station nearby for an inspection the following day. Several times the rest of that day I walked out to the parking lot at my office looking for fluid under the car and never found any. The puddle they had shown me was a pinkish color so on returning home I checked my power steering fluid which I had just topped off that morning. The fluid was clear. Will it come as any surprise to find out the gas station passed my vehicle and when I questioned them about the leaks the reply was, "What leaks?" The delay did cost me $5 since the plates were renewed a day late. All in all, much better than $1,200 in bogus repairs.

Never, ever get repairs unless it is from someone you trust completely. Even with someone you trust there is no harm in getting second opinion.

That's kind of the danger with those quick oil change shops. They make no money on the oil changes. It's a loss leader for them. So they have to look for something else wrong in order to make a profit. Some, but not all, prey on the folks who don't know their cars well.

I just did two Midas visits. The first one said there was a leak that would cost $300 to fix. The second store said all was a-okay. Huh?

The only conclusion I could come up with was maybe the first store wiped the liquid away. But why wouldn't the 2nd store have seen new fluid or damp liquid stain on the pan. So annoying to have to question if these issues are legitimate.

I just play the "dumb woman" routine and tell them I'll tell my husband about it when I get home. I rarely get offered services I don't need. I only do Chevrolet dealer oil changes, and I have found them to be honest and reputable.

I waited until I'd been told on two different oil change shops that my battery needed replacing to even look into it, and even then I took it to Auto Zone to be tested (there were no symptoms at all of a failing battery). They reported that it had a full charge but the reader said it was dead. Clearly something was amiss, winter was coming and I saw it was the original battery and 5 years old so I went ahead and bought a new one -- from Auto Zone, not an oil change place.

About a month later I sold the car....

But I would never do anything on the recommendation from an oil change if it didn't confirm symptoms I had been experiencing. And even then, I'd probably go to my own mechanic. The one time I did agree (after being told about it three times) that I needed an air filter and told them to go ahead and change it, they were out of them anyway.

The oil change employees work on commissions.

For mor einfo get this book online or from your library and you will not belive the thievery that occurs with auto mechanics: "What Auto Mechanics Don't Want You To Know" by Mark Eskeldon(sp)

And it is well documented that becuase auto delaers and repair chains are such huge advertisers, the media will not expose them but will generally only go after the mom and pop thieves. Only the Wall Street Journal years back would report the scandals with Sears auto repair centers nationwide. Yup, a business newspaper was the only one covering it back then...

I find it amusing that two different MSCs are doing the same Jiffy Lubes in my area. One pays $5 plus reimbursement up to $40, and the other pays $40 flat and gives you a $20 off coupon, making the oil change $20 and I get to pocket $20. Hmmm. Which one do I go with every single month since I am averaging 3500 miles a month with this job. Hmmm.

That said....

Every single time I go they tell me I need a new cabin air filter. Every single time I say yes. And every single time they don't have it in stock, but can have it there in a couple of hours, or the next day, or add designated ETA here. It's not like I have an unusual car. It's a Kia, and it's a 2008, so it's pretty common. Oh, and when I ask about it, suddenly it's not that important, and it can wait until my next visit.

I finally looked up how to replace that filter, took the old one out, and vacuumed it. Now it's clean, and perfect. Let's see if they notice.

Please know that the large chains offering simple oil change shops do not make their money from oil changes. They make it from the "upsells" (additional services). Fairly recent legislation stopped the chains from stating that parts/services were needed prior to manufacturer specs./recommendations. As a result, many chains have gotten around this by stating that belts and hoses are worn and in need of replacement. My favorite is the ever popular serpentine belt. Good money is made due to the disassemble costs (labor) and hard to trace the need for it. I feel sorry for the mechanics who have to "hock" these products as a part of their job. I thank them for their recommendation and move on.

He said that I needed a radiator flush, Jiffy Lube and if I didn't get it, the radiator would push through any rust or water (?) into the system and it would ruin my brake linings. I already knew that the radiator contained water.......I just don't know how he convinced me to accept that procedure.

One question on the report asked if I felt pressured. In the narrative I stated I didn't feel pressured but confused.

I also told the rep that I was going to take my car back to the dealer and see what he would recommend. This did not sway his decision one way or another to continue with the upsell. Oh, yes, I also replaced the air filter even though, it was a cream colored instead of "white". I didn't see any evidence of oil or anything disgusting on it.

For sure, that's my last oil change. I'll have my son do it at home.

Those Chevy dealers are not all honest. During shops, I have had all kinds of mechanical problems pointed out to me that were not legit. I had a dealer pull the wire off the licence plate bulb and then tell me I needed a 80.00 fix. My tires would be good at one place and yet the next place told me they weren't legal. When the water pump was going, I had three different dealers tell me they couldn't find the reason why my car was overheating. Right now, I have a cracked windshield. My regular mechanic pointed out where someone who changed my wiper blades had let the arm come crashing down on the windshield, cracking it.

The chain of Jiffy Lubes (All run by the same franchisee) near me in MD and DC have not pushed any services except the ever popular carbuerator flush (or whatever). They do tell me what Honda recommends for service intervals, and what they say has corresponded with my owners' manual. BUT, I seldom if ever, have those items done at Jiffy Lube. I suspect that the fact that my state's Attorney General's office has their own, very active, fraud team out shopping auto service locations might have something to do with this all. When I cross into DC and visit non-Jiffy Lube places there, I get all sorts of scary "findings."