Failing to confirm the problem. It isn’t rocket science, really — you have to confirm the problem before you fix it, right? Of course, you must recognize the problem before you can even dream of straightening it out.
Insufficient Road Testing. The importance of a thorough road test (even for an oil change) is well documented in automotive training manuals. But the definition of “road test” for many technicians is “n. – the process of driving the vehicle into the auto shoppe for invariably shoddy repair work.”
Improper diagnosis. Improper diagnosis results due to the above reasons, just to name a select few. Mechanics will dawdle away for hours, thinking they’ve got the problem down pat, but think again — who’s missing work and a day’s pay just to square this away with the Mechanic from Hell?
Parts — the Magic Cure-All. There are many technicians who treat fixing a vehicle like betting on the lottery, in the sense that they use random parts to solve a problem rather than admit they can’t do it. You would often hear mechanics go, “So I, like…replaced this with that and that with this, but I’m sorry to tell you this baby ain’t fixed yet.” Alright, so we’re back to the very first mistake; diagnostics first before going full speed ahead, blah blah blah.
Failing to address the primary concerns foremost. It is common for mechanics to spend an interminable amount of time looking for a quick upsell to improve their bottom line. That’s perfectly fine and dandy, actually — provided they don’t charge you for the inspection, that said inspection doesn’t interfere with your schedule and that the upsell is actually valid (in most cases, the answer is “NO” to all three!) It is safe to say that a free inspection plus upselling is usually a red herring that leaves the main concern pitifully overlooked. So¦what’s wrong with my car?
Overconfidence. It is also common for unqualified or even incompetent technicians to overwhelm themselves with complexity. Rather than defer to a more experienced technician or facility, they often keep going and do more harm. How’s it go¦The road to hell is paved with good intentions?
Choosing the easy way out. Mechanics are often so determined to get the job done with some time to spare to rush home and catch the Dukes of Hazzard re-run that they would create a plethora of problems, such as short circuiting your car’s electronics, breaking fragile parts, snapping bolts, you name it. Refer to Auto Repair: How Can They Screw Up an Oil Change for a great discussion.
Dodgy Repairs. Whether through incompetence or laziness, mechanics frequently don’t do repairs correctly. All too often, their work turns out to be rubbish. Forgotten bolts, parts not lined up correctly, or components not re-installed properly are common. It gets worse with computer repairs: incorrect software programming, coding, and resynchronization protocols are just a few.
No re-confirmation done. Once a repair has been completed, double-checking the repairs performed is essential to ensure the car is back in running condition. Many times different parts are thrown in (as if the technician was auditioning for MasterChef) and as a result, the car’s owner is back a day later with his vehicle, borrowing a few words from the host of another cooking show — Hell’s Kitchen.
Making a mess. You must think those first nine mistakes were a hoot to read about (but a pain to experience), but wait till you see those two gigantic boot marks on your carpeting and greasy fingerprints on your new paint job, courtesy of a mechanic who’s no neater than your average two-year-old toddler handling a chocolate cookie.
Whether you’re having transmission problems or need a land rover rear axle, we’ve got the parts you’re looking for.