While maintenance is an inevitability when you own a car, getting scammed at the garage should not be. So, to ensure that you get an honest, fair deal from the mechanic, be aware of these five common scams and follow these three best practices.
Common motor vehicle repair scams
- Misfuelling – Garages can quote thousands to flush the system after misfuelling (petrol in a diesel vehicle and vice versa) has occurred, but in actuality, it is generally a simple process
- Invalidating the warranty – Garages will that your warranty will be invalid if the owner uses an independent garage
- Offering a free motor vehicle health check – Garages have recommended repairs – such as tyre changes, brake pad replacements and other minor repairs – de done after conducting a free inspection
- Recommending a more expensive, premium engine oil – Garages will recommend that motorists opt for the more expensive, premium engine oil. But, it may not be necessary, and you may not even notice a difference
- Claiming that additional repairs need to be done – Similar to the free health check scam, garages will recommend that motorists have additional work done on their car ager the garage has finished basic maintenance, such as an oil change
Best practices
- Research different garages to ensure that they provide high-quality work and offer fair prices. Be sure to check review sites. In addition, you should verify that the garage is an industry recognised garage
- Ask for a written estimate before agreeing to any vehicle repairs, and consider a second option from a different garage
- Verify that any new parts come with a guarantee
- Keep a record of all the maintenance performed on your vehicle
