How Mechanics Rip you off

[zdunklee]

I thought this was a really good segment today and I have one to add:

I have a friend who manages a Belle Tire and they charge you $5 per tire to "Nitronize" your tires when you ask for it. Little does anyone know that if you ask or not they are using the exact same air for your tires...thus if you are stupid enough to ask you pay an extra $20 for the same thing you could get for free.


Edit: Also that mechanic who said you can't mix compressed air with nitrogen is an idiot....air is 78% nitrogen as it is, that is why it doesn't save you enough miles for the price you pay for it.

[Howie Feltersnatch]

I though they were using some special nitrogen enriched helium or something...to improve my gas milage?!?

well either way I didn't pay for it

[zdunklee]

I though they were using some special nitrogen enriched helium or something...to improve my gas milage?!?

well either way I didn't pay for it

It is, but they use it all the time...they don't have two seperate air hoses in their shop it is all the same air.

[Howie Feltersnatch]

hmm,

didn't hear the segment but my buddy (former mechanic) was telling me that one of the reasons he got out was because shops weren't making much money, and in order for him to get paid he would have to 'make work'. basically telling someone (under warranty or not) that their car needed something NOW weather it was going out or just looked bad to conjure up some work.

[zdunklee]

hmm,

didn't hear the segment but my buddy (former mechanic) was telling me that one of the reasons he got out was because shops weren't making much money, and in order for him to get paid he would have to 'make work'. basically telling someone (under warranty or not) that their car needed something NOW weather it was going out or just looked bad to conjure up some work.

Yea, my dad owns his own shop, but he is the only employee. It has actually picked up for him since the economy went downhill because he charges about half the labor rate of dealerships and doesn't rip people off because he does car work for fun and doesn't really like to work any extra so he can get his own projects done instead.

[Biff]

Can anyone debunk the "nitrogen is less likely to vary in pressure" theory?

[Howie Feltersnatch]

Yea, my dad owns his own shop, but he is the only employee. It has actually picked up for him since the economy went downhill because he charges about half the labor rate of dealerships and doesn't rip people off because he does car work for fun and doesn't really like to work any extra so he can get his own projects done instead.

I was talking mostly dealerships do this anyway, not saying ALL DEALERSHIPS DO but that dealerships seem to be most likely TO DO IT.


I try to do as much to my vehicles as possible. A can of beer and a small tool box will take care of most repairs.

[zdunklee]

Can anyone debunk the "nitrogen is less likely to vary in pressure" theory?

No, because that is true, it won't vary in pressure as much as because it is a very stable gas, unlike regular air which has 21% oxygen as well and is a lot more prone to expand due to change in temperature. It is used in both Race Cars and Aircraft specifically for this reason. Specifically in racing it allows teams to have much better control over the handeling of their cars because the lack of expansion in nitrogen allows them to change the handeling by increasing or decreasing the psi and knowing it won't change over the course of the race.

However at best it will get you 3% better gas mileage or about 1 mile per gallon difference for the average car. Thus for $20 every time you have your tires rotated it is not at all worth it. If you rotate every 6000 miles like most tires reccommend then you get an extra 180 miles out of your car over that time at 3% amounting to about $20 in savings at the current price of gas...

[Wiener Poopie]

They pry off car badges and blame it on children (Howie and I)

[Howie Feltersnatch]

rotate tires? don't they do that when they go down the road?

[krystal]

My dad was a mechanic for years and years. He always said that you really got paid crap for what you do. He was actually an emergency mechanic and isn't the up-sell type. It's really no surprise that we were so poor when I was younger.

[Howie Feltersnatch]

They pry off car badges and blame it on children (Howie and I)

I REMEMBER THAT! THOSE FUCKERS!

[Biff]

I rotate my own tires

[Wiener Poopie]

After the jackass fucked up Howie’s truck 1,000 times at the local oil change place I wont let anyone change my or my old lady’s oil. :evil:

[zdunklee]

I rotate my own tires

I generally do as well, although with my new tires it included free lifetime rotations at discount tire, so for the life of these I will most likely just let them do it and save myself the time.

BTW if you are looking at new car/van tires I highly reccommend the Goodyear Assurance TripleTreds...I have never had tires with better rain traction, I can't even get the traction control to go off anymore in the rain and I have tried a lot. (also discount tire has them for the best price by about $20-30 per tire depending on size).


Poopie....how the eff does someone eff up an oil change?

[Howie Feltersnatch]

After the jackass fucked up Howie’s truck 1,000 times at the local oil change place I wont let anyone change my or my old lady’s oil. :evil:

which time?

[potthole]

Poopie....how the eff does someone eff up an oil change?

I had a place put in old used oil once. I should have known that the advertised $5 oil change was too good to be true.

[Howie Feltersnatch]

I'm trying to remember all the bad oil changes i've had.

Had a quick lube place put 6 quarts of oil in my V6 Ranger...yah gallon and a half... Now I'm the type of guy that checks the oil nearly every gasoline fill up. so i noticed the oil was WAY over full which is not good for the truck. I took it in,fought with them on the amount of oil it takes, and told them not matter what they thought it took for oil I only wanted 5 quarts in. They randomly drained some out oil and called it 'good' and gave me a "ok you're all set". I mentioned that I chose to pay extra for Valvoline High Mileage oil, so I wanted some money back for the extra oil I bought, they gave me a 10% off my next change coupon...I replied again with, "1, i paid more than 10% for that one quart of oil and 2, do you think I'm coming back here?" the guy gave me a $5 bill from his pocket and asked if i was happy now (snidely) and replied with a "YES, thank you!"


Uncle Ed's 'pressure tested' my rear diff in a Chevy truck I had, the test blew a hole in the diff cover leaking out all the gear lube. Luckily I had my transmission guy look at my tranny and he noticed it, fixed it, re-filled it, and charged me only for the diff cover....and apologized for the diff cover because it was an extra $5 as they only had chrome in stock. My trans guy was a good guy, Uncle Ed can lick my balls.