It is not okay to get scammed by any business, but with the costs of owning a vehicle, being “upsold” out of additional money is beyond unacceptable from your chosen repair shop. Auto repair complaints make up the largest group of consumer grievances. Many of these involve unnecessary or overpriced upsell tactics. Vehicle repairs and preventative maintenance cost enough and shouldn’t run you more than the work they’re doing and the parts you need. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that consumers lose tens of billions of dollars each year due to faulty or unnecessary car repairs. The top scams include selling lifelong transmission fluid, informing the customer of the repair when the car has already been put on the lift and disassembled, falsifying replaced parts or repairs, “giving” free alignment checks, and selling lifetime brake pads for an extremely low price. Knowing the tactics will help keep you better aware so keep reading…

“Lifetime” transmission fluid isn’t meant for the life of the vehicle at all. After 80,000 miles on this so-called “lifetime fluid” your transmission fails and you have to buy a new transmission for thousands of dollars. To protect yourself, check the owner’s manual and replace the transmission filter and fluid about every 30,000 miles. Also, don’t find yourself trapped into either authorizing overpriced/unnecessary repairs or risk getting your car back in a disassembled and unusable condition, or paying a large and unexpected fee to have your car reassembled only to find that nothing was repaired. Demand that you are made aware of the needs of the vehicle and the services that should be done before you are locked into any costs, fees, etc… It’s very easy for an unethical mechanic to convince car owners that unnecessary repairs are needed because the average person doesn’t know much about their cars. Finding a trusted auto repair shop is necessary to avoid this. Shop for a mechanic before you need one so that you don’t find yourself in a bind.

Consumers have rights, so be sure to ask to see the parts that are being repaired or replaced. Older parts should be dirty and new parts should be clean. “It’s very easy for an unethical mechanic to convince car owners that unnecessary repairs are needed because the average person doesn’t know much about their cars,” according to fraudguides.com. Free alignment checks aren’t free if they scam you into services or repairs because of it. Don’t accept recommendations to sell you shocks or struts, ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, and axels until you see the worn out parts. With the exception of a major pothole incident or an accident, an alignment should be good for 50,000 – 100,000 miles.

Finally, buying lifetime brake pads at an extremely low price like $89 usually means low quality parts and in order for your lifetime warranty to apply, you may have to buy new calipers with your new cheap pads. There may be other stipulations and exceptions down the road. Be sure to find a trusted repair shop. This is your vehicle, after all, and is it crucial to keep it working safely and properly. To read more on upselling tactics could cost you too much, click here.