As most car owners know, going to the mechanic can be a stressful experience.
One of the main fears of car owners getting their cars fixed is that they’re about to be ripped off. In a survey of 1,000 drivers conducted by Consumer Affairs at the end of last year, “Over 3 in 4 (78%) drivers we surveyed said they don’t always trust their mechanics,” and “only 17% of respondents felt like they’re always charged fairly for car repairs.”
Consequently, drivers frequently search for ways to avoid getting scammed at the repair shop. While there are many tips for those seeking methods to be charged honestly for a car repair, one piece of advice reigns supreme: Finding a mechanic that you can trust.
However, this is easier said than done, as a story from TikTok user Jonathan Monson (@dirty2dreamyllc) recently noted.
What they don’t tell you about diagnoses
In a clip with over 673,000 views as of Friday, Monson recalls how he ended up quitting a job just four hours after starting with the company.
According to Monson, he was hired at a repair shop to run the front of the shop. However, upon actually starting his job, he was asked to diagnose an issue with a vehicle. Monson thought this was strange but, as he was a capable mechanic, he decided to take a look at the car.
“I proceed to diagnose the car. The vehicle had a mass airflow sensor code…and I happened to notice that it’d just been to Jiffy Lube recently,” Monson recalls. “So my thoughts were, ‘I bet you they didn’t plug the sensor back in.’”
With this knowledge, he returned to his new boss and asked to run a few tests to see if this was truly the issue—but his boss wasn’t having it.
“He says, ‘Sell them a mass airflow sensor,’” recounts Monson, taken aback.
Monson ignored this request, instead opting to run the tests as planned. As it turned out, the sensor was left unplugged; when he plugged it back in, the check engine light went away. Despite this, Monson’s boss insisted that he sell the customer a new sensor.
Instead, Monson approached the customer, informed them of the actual problem, that he fixed it, and the fact that his boss wanted him to sell the customer a new part regardless. He then encouraged the customer to leave and “never come back to this building, because this guy is a shyster and I’m not going to be working for him as of the end of this conversation. Today is my first day and I’ve only made it four hours and I’m quitting.”
The customer thanked him for his honesty and handed him a business card, promising to follow him wherever he went next.
“That right there, folks, is the reason why I’m a success several years later—because people follow me wherever I go, because I run an honest business with integrity,” he concludes.
@dirty2dreamyllc One of my most viral posts I ever posted and it begs repeating. This is why I started my own company. I have been in automotive for 2 decades and I got sick of seeing people lied to and ripped off. We started Dirty2Dreamy with integrity in mind and look at what it’s become #automotive #cardetailing #autodetail #detailer #detailing ♬ original sound – Dirty2DreamyLLC
Commenters share their mechanic horror stories
In the comments section, users thanked the TikToker for his honesty, with many sharing their own negative experiences with auto mechanics.
“I have been in the Auto Repair industry for 50 plus years and see this all the time. It’s hard to find an honest repair facility. Good for you,” a user said.
“I worked for Firestone in Newport Beach. Car had a bad radiator cap. Was told by manager to place radiator anyways… I looked for work elsewhere after that,” added another.
“Work for a company for about 3 months same thing happened,” offered a third. “Tried to force me to sell the guy a power steering box when he didn’t need it and that was it for me put in my two weeks notice to the left.”
“I’m a widow on a fixed income. My AC in the car stopped working. Goodyear in Waco charged me $157 to diagnose the issue. They told me I needed a whole new AC system for $2100,” stated a further TikToker. “I got a second opinion. It was a valve that needed replacing for $140. I feel Goodyear owes me the diagnostic fee. Shysters.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Monson via email.
Update 8:25am CT, Jul. 4, 2024:
In an email to the Daily Dot, the TikToker said that “these tactics are sadly more common than you’d think.”
“I ran 20 shops in my 13-year work time in the automotive industry,” he continued. “Every single shop I took over as a manager had a salesman or technician that was underhanded. First thing I did at any shop was a cleanse.”
As far as how those in the industry can fight against this behavior, the TikToker offered his thoughts.
“You combat this by living integrity out loud. Make sure your team knows that you stand for integrity and honesty and anything else is unacceptable,” he stated. “Actions speak louder than words. Regular audits help and secret shoppers.”
“I’d like to add that there are great shops out there and they are usually incredibly busy. If your mechanic has a month wait, there is a reason,” the TikToker concluded.
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