Okay, here's one reason why you have a hard time finding an honest mechanic.
Back in the mid seventies, I started my own Wrenching business. Stuggling to gain a business base, I charge 10-20% less than local shops AND pass on my parts house discount on to my customers. Still struggling, though.
Woman brings me her big block V8 mustang, runs like crap on 7 cylinders. I look at it, decide it needs a tuneup and she agrees to the price. Number 8 spark plug is a #$%* to change, you have to undo the motor mount and jack the engine off the frame to change # 8 spark plug. It still had the original FoMoCo Autolite spark plug in it with very little electrode left. The previous shops changed all the plugs but #8 on their tune-up service. I finish the tuneup and deliver tha car back to her, same agreed to price. She is ecstatic about how well the car runs (it was a pretty fast car!). And she come by next day to laude praises about the car and my work. I think, "great! a return customer and maybe some referals."
A week later I get a phone call. "The car's broken what did you do to it?"
I go over to find that she (or perhaps her boyfriend) had destroyed the rear ring and pinion set of the car. I was expected to repair and replace the rear end for free because it was fine until after I worked on it.
I quit the business over this and a few other incidents very similar to it.
But, do NOT think auto shops only pick on women.
In the 80's, I bring my 71 Mustang into the shop for new tires. While up on the lift ,the mechanic brings me over to examine the ball joint play. He jimmies it around and shows me about 1/8 inch play in the joint. Tells me it needs major front end work, new ball joints, idler arms and strut bushings while its apart.
I ask, "how much play do think there is in the joint"? He says, "nearly an 1/8 of an inch." I ask if he knows what the allowed tolerance is? He says "I don't know but that is too much, it's about to fall out on the highway!" I tell him I checked those joints a month ago myself and the book says the wear limits are .250, or 1/4 of an inch. (I had checked the front end completely before having new tires put on) "It doesn't look worn out to me." His jaw visibly dropped. I walked back to the waiting area where 25 other people were standing to also get tires put on their cars and other servicing, too.
I watch as the Mech goes and talks to someone else. Turns out it's the manager, who also looks at the car's ball joints and then walks over to me to ask why I want to drive such an unsafe car on the public roads, Making sure everyone else in the waiting area heard the conversation. I ask him to show me the tolerance spec for that car's ball joints. Raising his voice he proclaims that he has 25 years in the business and doesn't need to see a spec sheet to know that my car has worn out ball joints and is unsafe to drive on the highways. And, legally, he can't even give the car back to me because it is so dangerous. I tell him I have a front end shop that I frequent and I'll take it to them for their evaluation. He proclaims sarcasticly, "Well, if you've got someone you can TRUST...." and walks away shaking his head. They finish putting on the tires and I leave, missing out paying them $500 to rebuild my Mustangs's front end.
I took the car to my trusted front end shop for it's scheduled alignment and asked, specifically, to thoroughly check the front end components. I had noted that the idler arm was a bit looser than I thought appropriate and told them to change it and tell me if it needed any further components.
They did the checkout and aligment and returned the car to me stating; "It just needed alignment, ball joints are fine with plenty of wear left in them. While the idler arm has a bit of vertical motion, it doesn't change the way the tires track, or effect tire wear. We'll change it if you insist. But, it really doesn't need it." When I told them of my previous encounter, they could only shake their heads.
I drove the car another 50000 miles and the ball joints, or for that matter none of the front end components beside shocks, ever needed replacing. Great tire wear, too.
Cheers,
