There are a lot of scams, many of which are legal, in the car selling and repair business. Luckily, it doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to avoid most of them.
And it’s worth knowing that for the most part, those trying to fix your car are probably not trying to outright rip you off. Most mechanics and car dealerships are on the up and up. But like any group, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the barrel.
“The system! The whole stinking ball of wax. It’s a scam!” — Vermin Supreme
In general, if something feels like a scam, it probably is a scam. The best response is to walk away. No point arguing and you’ll be unlikely to win any lawsuits associated. Just don’t accept the deal and leave.
There are a myriad of scams that feel like scams when you hear them, but are just legitimate enough that you might wonder.
Generally, if a service center is recommending something, it’s probably needed. But don’t be afraid to get a second opinion at another shop. When doing so, don’t tell them about the previous technician, simply ask if the item or items need replacement or repair.
Any mechanic who gets offended that you might want to ask another about something is probably not worth returning to.
“Have any of you ever heard of having to replace lug nuts on your vehicle every 10,000 miles?” This online question from Brett Moline felt like a good starter for this subject.
Yes, lug nuts can swell. It’s most often caused by mistightening the lug nuts on installation. Usually repeatedly so. But there’s no “interval” for replacing lug nuts on the regular. So, any dealership or shop telling you that you need to swap out your lug nuts at every tire rotation or at specific mileage is perpetrating a scam, knowingly or not.
This doesn’t mean lug nuts don’t swell and it shouldn’t be taken care of. Swollen lug nuts, while not necessarily a safety issue while in place, are a problem when it comes time to swap those tires out.
They can be broken or compromised when the technician has to force a socket head or wrench onto the larger nut in order to remove it.
It’s easy to test lug nuts for yourself. Use the tire wrench (aka lug wrench) that came with your vehicle, put it over each of the lug nuts on your wheels. If it slides onto them without much effort, the nut is good. If it requires force to get into place, your nuts are probably swollen and should be replaced.
Further, if your lug nuts are rusty or show any signs of corrosion, they should probably be replaced. Most lug nuts from a manufacturer are just fine for five or more years.
Flush Or Not?
“My dealership recommended that I get a fluid flush on my transmission and anti-freeze,” posted Mary Frankle online. “The owner’s manual doesn’t say anything about these. But I am not that good at the technical stuff.”
Mary’s vehicle is over 10 years old, so there are a few things that could be required such as one or both of these items. It really depends on the vehicle itself.
In this case, Mary was being scammed on one, but not both, of the recommendations.
Most likely the dealership is going off a general chart of recommendations (usually per the engine) and not one specific to her vehicle. That’s not unusual with one as old as hers.
Her transmission should not require a flush at all, as the fluid is “lifetime” fluid and the transmission is considered sealed.
A coolant replacement (not always a “flush”) is recommended every 80,000 miles on her vehicle. She will be due a timing belt change in about 10,000 miles, though, so doing the coolant flush now would be a waste of money as it will have to be done when the timing belt is replaced anyway.
This scam looks like a combination of bad interval planning at the manufacturer and a dealership shop not doing due diligence.
Double Charges
Double charges are another common scam.
Unscrupulous shops will charge the full replacement rate (technician time plus parts) for everything being done. Even if those things coincide with one another, meaning they took less time when combined.
Replacing spark plugs and coils, for example, is all done with the same turns of the wrench. Similarly, replacing an alternator and accessory belt also requires little added time.
Unfortunately, the only way to avoid this particular scam is to know your vehicle well enough to probably be doing many of these things on your own.
Brakes And Tires
Brakes and tires are another common upsell scam.
The shop will recommend replacement too early or claim that repairs are not possible. With brakes, it’s a good idea to assume the worst, but double check anyway. A reputable shop will let you look at the pads on your car and show you why they might need replacement. The thinner the pad, the more likely it needs replacing.
For tires, the upsell is usually with a claim that the tire cannot be repaired after a puncture. This is very rare, though. Punctures through the tread are almost always repairable. Unless the vehicle uses special tires like run flats or the tires were driven on while flat, it’s likely that a puncture can be patched. If you are running on a spare, it doesn’t hurt to drive the vehicle to another tire shop and make sure.
Be aware, however, that most tire shops will no longer do plug-only repairs. There’s a safety reason for this. It’s not a scam.
Without removing the tire from the wheel and inspecting the inside puncture, it’s not possible to know how extensive the damage from the puncture was. With the tire already off, there’s no reason not to patch from the inside.
Don’t Forget The Auto Parts Store
Cabin filter, engine filter, or windshield wiper replacement is another common upsell.
While not necessarily a scam, these are convenience upsells that many who get service done on a vehicle will agree to. These are easy replacements that any car owner can do for themselves, but which are also annoyances.
Replacing these things might only take two or three minutes, but then there’s the drive to the parts store to buy the parts and standing in the sun or cold to make the replacement.
For a few bucks more, it’s easy to avoid the hassle and just have it done by someone else.
For the frugal, though, it’s worth noting that many auto parts stores will replace wipers or filters for free when you buy the parts from them. So, it might be less of a hassle than you’d think.
