Most Important Question to Ask Your Mechanic Before Agreeing to a Repair

Firing the Parts Cannon Problem

A common problem with having your car worked on by a garage---whether it be a dealership or a private business---is that not all mechanics are equal when it comes to their diagnostics abilities.

With some mechanics their diagnostic abilities are rooted in training which is backed up (but not always guaranteed) by certification. For other mechanics their diagnostic abilities are more (to be nice here) intuitive, meaning that without concrete data they fire the parts cannon at a problem without fully understanding what is going on with an engine.

Sometimes this works, but many times it does not.

Because of this many car owners find themselves in a dilemma when a garage has worked on their vehicle and cannot seem to be able to fix the problem but has charged them all the same for the time spent and parts thrown into the non-repair. If you are in this situation, should you continue to throw good money after bad money? Or stop the repairs and move onto another garage? And what should you do to avoid this kind of situation?

Related article: Why Car Maintenance and Repair is So High Today, Says This Mechanic

Protect Yourself from This Car Repair Problem

Find out the answers to these questions from a recent Car Wizard YouTube channel episode where the Car Wizard demonstrates one example of where a firing the parts cannon fail by two garages resulted in a quick and much less expensive fix in his garage all because the correct diagnoses were applied.

Please Note: Only the first 9 minutes of the video are necessary to the topic.

TWO shops couldn't fix this '13 Challenger! CAR WIZARD's team had it fixed in an hour! Crazy simple!

And finally…

In case it was not clear from watching the video, the answer to the most important question to ask your mechanic before agreeing to a repair is this: “Will I be charged for parts and repairs that do not result in your solving my car’s problem?”

If the mechanic hems and haws over his answer, it’s time to find another garage and mechanic. In an ideal world this would seem like a no-brainer, but in practice you need some protection (preferably in writing or visible garage policy) that your non-repairs are covered by the garage doing the work. This does not mean that you will not be taken in by some parts replacement that were not needed when the problem does wind up fixed, but it’s the best you can do in a non-ideal world.

For additional articles about working with mechanics, here are three selected articles to consider:

• The Biggest Red Flag You’ve Taken Your Car to the Wrong Mechanic

• Consumer Reports Car Experts on Finding a Trustworthy Mechanic

• The Car Repair That Makes Owners Maddest

Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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