Ripoffs and How to Avoid Them

Unnecessary or exorbitant car repairs head the list of consumer gripes. Many car owners feel they are being ripped off, and frequently they are. On the other hand, the trouble could be a misunderstanding or no understanding before the repair work was undertaken.

If you are a newcomer to a community or are traveling away from home, you would be well advised to patronize a dealer who sells the same car or who represents the manufacturer of your car. 

A franchised dealer of a car manufacturer is less likely to make unnecessary repairs, and is more likely to have the part or parts you need. If you are dissatisfied, you will have some recourse through the manufacturer. An independent mechanic may take advantage of an out-of-town traveler, and you will have very little recourse.

Ask for and receive a written estimate for repairing the car; it is a protection both for the car owner and the repair shop. Sometimes there is a charge for the labor of making a diagnosis and arriving at an estimate, but this charge must be reasonable and should be disclosed on the estimate. 

Some states have consumer protection laws, which guarantee the motorist the right to a written estimate before the work is agreed upon if the repair is expected to exceed a certain amount. It is always less risky to get at least two bids for repair work when you are in a strange city.

The repair shop should give you a bill itemizing the cost of the labor and all the parts-whether new or used-after the work is done. Remember that an estimate is. just that; no mechanic can always know exactly what will be found upon opening up the engine or the transmission. Repair costs for the rest of the car are easier to estimate.

When you first discuss the repairs, tell the repair shop that you will want to see all the old parts taken off your car. Reputable shops are usually glad to give you old parts, such as valves, rings, plugs, points, and condenser. Other used parts, such as starters and alternators, have to be traded in to get a rebuilt unit. 

Some parts under warranty may have to be returned to the manufacturer or distributor, but you can ask to see all parts removed from your car. If you see the old parts taken off your car, then the mechanic has probably installed new parts. Some dishonest shops have been known to state that they put on a new part and to charge you for it, while in reality they did not replace the old part at all.

Older cars, less popular cars, and foreign cars sometimes need parts that are simply not available locally and may take some time to obtain from a distant source. You might start revising your plans to include possible delays when the mechanic expresses doubt about the availability of certain needed parts. Consider a rental car to save your vacation-you can pick up your repaired car at a later date.

Some larger cities and most states have a regulatory agency you can contact if you feel you have been cheated on a car repair. Locally you can contact the Better Business Bureau or the consumer relations division of the chamber of commerce. You can write the state at¬torney general’s office, which will help you contact the appropriate state agency.

If auto parts are ordered through the mail but do not arrive or are not as represented, contact your local postmaster for information on filing a claim; also, you can complain to the Federal Trade Commis-sion, Washington, D.C. 20580.

OIL
 

To avoid some common ripoffs, stay with your car when you stop ill nn unfamiliar service station, getting out and watching while the attendant services your car. Wait until the service operation is complete he fore you go to the rest room or go inside for a soft drink. The few iwlni minutes this takes are well worthwhile.

Through ignorance or intent, an attendant may open the hood and check the oil as soon as a car pulls into the station. He holds the dip-Nfick in front of the unsuspecting motorist and with great authority announces that a quart of oil is needed. 

If the driver protests that the car should not need any oil, the dipstick right in front of his eyes provides the evidence that the oil level is low. As I mentioned before, since the engine has just stopped running and some oil still is circulating in the top of the engine, it is necessary to wait five or ten minutes for the oil to drain down into the crankcase. Then the oil level can be measured accurately and should show sufficient oil.

Let me say a word in defense of the station owner at this point. Most owners are honest and are trying to build a business, which can-not be done by dishonest practices. Some attendants do not realize that the oil needs time to drain down into the crankcase. 

When a quart of oil is added to an engine that already has enough, the engine simply throws out the excess oil. The only damage done is to your pocketbook. A variation of the “oil trick” is that the attendant does not push the dipstick down as far as it will go when he checks the oil.

You can easily avoid the oil ripoff by carrying out the four regular checks discussed in an earlier chapter, which include checking the oil yourself. When I stop for gas, I tell the attendant the kind of fuel I want and immediately inform him that the hood is okay. An honest at-tendant likes to hear this, as it saves him time and effort.

SHOCK ABSORBERS

Another ripoff to watch for is the “you need shock absorbers” ploy. You are more susceptible to this scheme on a toll highway or limited access highway where no other station is nearby. While your car is being serviced, you refresh yourself with a soft drink or visit the rest room. When you return, the attendant inquires how much farther you have to go. 

Whatever your reply, he will assert that your shocks are worn out, you will never make your destination, and you should not even drive a mile. The attendant just happens to have a lift available, and he can put on new shocks in a short time. You have heard that shocks do wear out and you have to make a decision about getting new ones installed, so what do you do?

Since it is true that any car part will wear out sooner or later, your shocks may be weak and need replacing, so that part of what the attendant says can be true. But he is telling a lie if he says you can¬not drive another mile with worn shocks. 

A car has four shocks, one at each wheel; they do get weaker and less effective with age and use, but they do not normally break or wear out all at once. In fact, you could drive the car with all four shocks removed, but not very fast be-cause the car would sway excessively and be unstable.

If this situation happens to you, thank the attendant for informing you that your shocks are getting weak and then proceed down the road, driving slower and more cautiously. At the first opportunity, or when you arrive home, get an opinion from another mechanic to see if you really need new shocks. If you do, check the local newspaper- shocks are frequently advertised on sale.

A variation of the shock scheme is for the attendant to take an oil can and squirt oil on one of the shocks, so that it leaks on the pave-ment from the outside of the shock. The attendant feigns alarm when you return: your shock is leaking oil, and you absolutely cannot drive another mile until he replaces all your shocks! 

The truth is that a shock absorber does contain a small amount of oil to make an air¬tight seal between the plunger and the walls of the cylinder, but it is not full of oil. Remember that shock absorbers do wear out even¬tually and will need replacing, but they do not wear out all at once.

ADDITIVES

Millions of car owners in this country have problems sooner or later; inventors and engineers are constantly seeking improvements in solving car problems. Unfortunately, gyp artists are also inventing “improvements” that merely fleece the public. Some additive products are helpful, some do no good, and some are even harmful to your car.

Supplementary additives for the engine oil may not hurt the engine, and they can be genuinely useful in certain cases. Remember a top grade (SE) engine oil already has beneficial additives.

In addition to additives for oil, dozens of additives are available to give a certain benefit or improvement to almost every part of the car: some are added to the gas, some to the engine through the carburetor, some are placed in the radiator, and there are even some for the bat-tery. 

I do not endorse or condemn the many products available; a few that have proved beneficial beyond any doubt are mentioned in this book. Products that claim secret ingredients that will do miracle jobs should be questioned. Before you spend money on additives to cure your car’s problem, check an unbiased authority, such as Consumer Reports. Another source of helpful advice is your honest, reputable mechanic