Scoper50

As some of you know, I am a mechanic, and have worked in the industry for 9 years now. I have worked at independent shops, as well as dealerships. I know how this industry works, and I know some of the shady things that some mechanics do. Most mechanics are paid by the job. Lets say you need a waterpump in your chevy. The mechanic will look up in a book the number of hours the job is sopposed to take. Multiply that number by the hourly rate the mechanic makes, and that is basically what he gets paid. The payment system for a mechanic is a little more complicated than that, but thats all you need to know for right now.

Knowing this, a mechanics goal is to turn as many hours per week as he can. Lets say the book says it should take 2.5 hours to replace your waterpump. If the mechanic is experienced and has done the job several times before, he might be able to do it in 2 hours or less. Even though the mechanic has only spent two hours on the job, he gets paid for 2.5 hours because thats how the system works. Thats how a good mechanic can make a hell of a lot more money than an inexperienced beginner.

Now to the point. Good mechanics can make decent money doing repairs, but the good money is in the maintenence. For instance, an oil change in most shops pays the mechanic .4 hours. Thats 18 minutes. Most experienced mechanics can do an oil change in 10 minutes or less. So the mechanic is already 8 minutes ahead in his day. Like oil changes, most maintenence procedures pay the mechanic very well. It's often times their bread and butter. So any given mechanic is eager to sell you maintenence procedures to pad his own wallet.

Most mechanics are honest, and will only try to sell you services that are actually recommended by your vehicles owners manual at the proper intervals. But the following information will hopefully tip you off when a mechanic is trying to rip you off, and more importantly save you some of your hard earned money.

1. ENGINE FLUSHES (typically $100-$200)
An engine flush uses a big, expensive machine and proprietary chemicals to purge your engine of sludge. An engine that's running too hot or one that's neglected can sludge up, and if so, a flush is indicated. A quick peek into the oil-filler cap should let you see any deposits. It's not a normal maintenance item.

2. FUEL INJECTION CLEANING ($125-$200)
This is a fair price for this service, which uses another impressive machine — but only if your fuel injectors are actually dirty, and you have driveability issues because of it. If your Check Engine light isn't on, and your car's running fine, pass. Also note that major brand gasolines already contain fuel injector cleaner. Simply put, if you haven't been experiencing problems. It's a waste of money.

3. OIL ADDITIVES ($5 and up)
There are all kinds of tiger milk or snake oilon the market, from stuff that's supposed to cut friction and increase fuel economy, to products that promise you can run your engine dry of oil without damage to the bearings. Right. Trust me, if it was that good, it would already be in the motor oil from the petroleum company and in your crankcase when you bought your car new.

4. GAS SAVERS ($10-$400)
From magnets to vortex generators to water injectors and (I kid you not) ectoplasm traps — that claim to improve fuel economy for various pseudo-scientific reasons. None have helped, and some have actually hurt performance. Your shop may be unscrupulous, or just misguided — but you've been warned. Any device that purports to increase mileage won't. The EPA has tested more than a hundred. None of them work. If these products did work, the car companys would have built them into the engine as a stock item. After all, gas milage is a selling point for car companys these days.

5. LONG LIFE ANTIFREEZE ($4-$8 per quart)
Okay, some GM cars come factory-filled with five-year coolant, andI suggest that owners of these cars stay with it. Your car may not have been designed around GM Dex-Cool's additive package. Almost every manufacturer specifies some proprietary additive package nowadays, and cooling systems can develop corrosion problems if they don't get it. Pouring the wrong coolant into a car engineered for a specific type is asking for trouble. Mixing two kinds without a complete flush in between practically guarantees it.