By: Christian Porter, owner, Everest AutoWorks

Christian and Tonya Porter, owners of Everest AutoWorks & AutoSpa, with their four children –
Zachary, Madison, Elijah, and Ezekiel.

Have you ever been scammed by a dishonest car dealer or auto repair shop? Do you believe many dealers and repair shops take advantage of women? Do you wonder if you are getting what you pay for when you pick up your vehicle after service?

If you have said “No” to these questions then please do not think about changing where you take your car for service. If you answered “Yes” to these questions then the following Top 10 List of Auto Repair Scams might just save you a lot of time, money, and frustration.

I put this list together because I see at least one person a week, almost always a woman, that comes into my shop for guidance, a second opinion, or because she has suspicion of a scam from another repair shop. These are not fun visits. I hope that everyone reading this article learns enough to avoid becoming another unlucky statistic.

Due to space limitations this article will detail the first 5 common scams on my list of Top 10 Auto Repair Scams – And How To Avoid Them.

10. “Your air filter should be replaced at every oil change.”

This is a common tactic used with many quick service or franchise car care centers. You might hear something about poor gas mileage as the reason for replacing the air filter so often. The truth is this filter should be replaced once a year or every 12-15,000 miles. This item is important for good gas mileage but replacing too soon is simply a waste of money.

9.“Free Alignment Check” or “Lifetime Alignment Service for $249.”

The “free” alignment check opens the door for all kinds of recommendations from the sales desk. The lifetime agreements usually exclude all but the simplest alignment adjustments. Both tactics are commonly used to sell shocks or struts, ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, and axles. Always ask to see proof of a worn part if you are suspicious of the recommendation. Excluding any major pothole incidents or accidents, your cars’ alignment should be fine for 50-100,000 miles.

8.“Extended Oil Drain Intervals from 7,500 to 15,000 miles.”

More and more vehicle manufacturers now include free scheduled maintenance for the first few years of new vehicle ownership. There are many benefits to extended oil change intervals. Unfortunately most of these benefits go to the dealer or manufacturer and not the new car owner. Advertising extended oil change intervals sells more cars. Over the last few years factory maintenance schedules have become less and less comprehensive especially for manufacturers that include free maintenance as a primary tool for selling more cars. This is alarming! I am amazed at the poor condition of the oil and oil filters that get drained from the engines of these new vehicles. The scam here is that the evidence of this problem only becomes apparent after the vehicle warranty has expired. Also, after the warranty expires the lack of maintenance tends to increase repair frequency beyond the warranty period which is yet another benefit for the dealer. The truth is these new extended drain intervals were created by people in the accounting and marketing departments of the manufacturers and not by the experts in the engine and drivetrain departments. In fact, some manufacturers have recently scaled back maintenance intervals to original levels due to excessive warranty problems. One final thought regarding this scam, centers around this personal observation: Every professional mechanic I have ever known (which includes many dealership mechanics) will change the oil in his personal vehicle every 3-5,000 miles. Real mechanics know how important it is to keep fresh clean oil in an engine.

7.“Your transmission fluid never needs to be changed.”

This scam is very similar to scam number 8. Once again the only real beneficiary of this recommendation is the manufacturer and the new car dealer. Some manufacturers are saying that transmission fluid no longer needs to be changed. The fluid is now called “lifetime fluid”. Unfortunately sometime after 80,000 miles on the “lifetime fluid”, the transmission usually begins shifting poorly. The most common fix for this problem is usually not a transmission fluid change but a transmission rebuild to the tune of $2,500 – $7,500! The argument being sold by the dealer is that the fluid is designed to last the expected life of the transmission and the life of the transmission happens to be 80-100,000 miles. What a scam! My wife’s Suburban has 215,000 miles on the original transmission – and it shifts like the day we brought it home. Why? I replace the trans filter and fluid every 30,000 miles. That’s it. By the way, the biggest benefit to the dealer comes when the customer is told their 5 year old car with 80,000 miles needs a $7,500 transmission. This sometimes results in a frustrated customer leaving in a new vehicle. Either way the dealer wins.

6.“Lifetime Brake Pads for only $89”

This tactic is a great money maker for most franchised repair shops. The way it works is simple. When it is time for brakes the friendly salesperson behind the counter will rave about the benefits of their lifetime brake pads. You only have to pay for the pads one time and if they ever wear out you will not have to pay for a new set of brake pads. Sadly, the people who buy these pads are buying the most expensive set of brake pads they have ever purchased. Here is the scam. You just paid for a low quality set of brake pads that usually very noisy, leave a lot of dark corrosive brake dust on your wheels, reduce the life of your brake rotors, and increase stopping distances. There is another catch to this scam too. The salesman might tell you that the lifetime brake pad warranty only applies if you buy all new brake calipers with your new set of pads. The worst part about this game is that your new brake pads will last about half as long as your original pads and every time they wear out you will be required to replace your heavily worn brake rotors! But at least you won’t ever have to pay for another set of brake pads again. Right?

I will finish out this Top Ten List in the next issue of the New Castle County Women’s Journal. I hope you learned enough from this article to avoid being taken advantage of the next time you visit your local repair shop.

Everest AutoWorks & AutoSpa is Delaware’s only full service auto repair and detail shop that caters to the unique needs of women. For more information about Everest please visit us at everestautoworks.com or call 302-737-8424.