Search:
NewArticleDaily your source of new articles posted everyday
Submit Articles | Member Login | Top Authors | Most Popular Articles | Submission Guidelines | Ezine Notifications | Article RSS Feeds

Home | Cars And Trucks

Be Aware of Automotive Repair Scams

By: Tom Selleck

When you are attempting to get your car fixed the last thing you want to have is a car dealership try to swindle, con, or cheat you. Especially, when your car needs collision repair or calls for other maintenance repairs.

According to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, there are over 25,000 consumer complaints filed due to some form of fraudulent auto repair every single year. Awareness is the best preventative action you can take.

Car owners have been losing an estimated $20 million per year on needless car repairs. Most probably never even knew that they had been cheated by their mechanics.

It is easy to see how fraud could almost effortlessly be part of the automotive industry. Even though most mechanics and shops are honest, there are some that try to come away with more money.

The reason why the minority can swindle us is because most people know little or nothing about car repair so they are easy to take advantage of. In order to avoid falling for these schemes, it is good to be aware of the tricks that are often used.

False estimates are a type of scam that occurs when mechanics give a low initial repair estimate. Then when you come back to pick up your car they hike up the costs after repairs have already been done.

The excuse for the extra costs will usually be that new problems were found during the work and they claim they needed immediate fixing. Most people will end up paying the hiked up price because they have no way of verifying the legitimacy of the mechanic's claims.

You should be aware that some shop owners and mechanics have been known to leave the estimated amounts blank when they ask customers to sign repair authorizations. Then later on they can fill in an inflated amount or descriptions of problems after the consumer leaves the premises.

To avoid falling into this trap ask your mechanic to notify you before any extra work is done on the car. Be sure to get all estimates in writing and signed.

Doing this will help you avoid being taken advantage of. Get your own personal copy of the receipt or any paper work from them and look over them carefully before signing.

Shady highway shops are like the restaurants located in a theme park, convenient and expensive. These shops are often referred to as highway bandits.

Because of their location they generally hike up their prices because they know you are more likely to pay them instead of going out of your way to another location to get gas, air, or water.

Car owners, whose automobiles break down in the middle of the highway, generally are the ones who fall into this expensive trap. Often, they are willing to pay the extra money rather than getting stranded in the middle of the highway.

Hook deal scams occur when a company advertises ultra low or free deals on oil changes or tire rotations to get you into their shop for the low-cost/free service.

Then they will attempt to convince you to purchase more expensive repair services based on the recommendations they come up with when looking at your car. Some very dishonest mechanics will make up problems or cause predicaments themselves in order to get money.

If a suggested repair doesn't seem right for some reason, get a second opinion before agreeing to allow them to do the work. Unnecessary part replacement is when some mechanics will try to convince you that a part of your car needs immediate replacement when in reality the part is not broken and works well.

To avoid falling victim to this scam, always ask to see the part that supposedly needs replacing. If it doesn't look broken, get a second opinion.

Ask to keep the old part to make sure that a replacement was actually performed. Another way to avoid being scammed when it comes to product replacement is by making a small mark on the piece that they claim needs to be replaced.

Then allow them to fix it. If the mark is still on that piece of equipment you know that it was not switched out and replaced.

Other ways to help you guard against auto shop fraud include looking at the environment of the auto shop, get estimates from multiple shops, perform a background check on the auto shop, learn of your friends' experiences, and find an auto repair shop that you trust before you need one.

If you are aware of the problems that can occur you will have the power to prevent unnecessary problems and expense from occurring to you and your vehicle.

Article Source: http://www.newarticledaily.com

Thomas A. Selleck has worked in a body shop for the last 14 years and written hundreds of articles about collision repair. He recommends (www.AdamsG3CollisionRepair.com) for auto body and paint.

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Cars and Trucks Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Cars And Trucks
Sign Up for a free account or learn more.
New Stuff
About Us
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


© 2008 New Article Daily. All Rights Reserved.
Use of our service is protected by our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

Powered by Article Dashboard