A car expert posted a viral TikTok sharing how to tell if you’re getting ripped off or overcharged by a mechanic or dealership.
The user @motorcarnut has reached over 19,000 likes on his video. In the caption, he wrote, “How Not To Get Overcharged By Auto Repair Mechanic Or Dealership.”
“How not to get ripped off when you get your car repaired,” he says as he stands in front of a Volkswagen car.
Discovering an attempted rip off
@motorcarnut explains that he found a document in the glove compartment of the car that he found to be “about a year old.” After reading the document, he says he discovered that the owner had been scammed out of their money.
“Maybe even $1,000, with the fluid they never changed,” he says. “Some of the things are so obvious that they’re stealing from the customer.” The last page of the document shows the total charge for the car owner’s mechanic trip was $2,902.32.
Next he zooms in to the document he found in the car. The text says, “Power steering flush, remove all fluid, flush complete, power steering.” All that came out to a total of $85.
“That sounds all great and good,” he explains. However, “this car has electronic steering. It’s not hydraulic, there is no fluid. That’s a blatant lie.”
Ask what you’re being charged for at the dealership
Further, he says that the “brake flush” stated as complete on the document was never done as there were “no tools marks.” Additionally, he says the transmission flush was never completed, but the receipt shows a charge for that service totaling $253.94.
@motorcarnut says the intention of his video is to help customers avoid being scammed in the future. His main advice is to ask questions about everything.
“If you ask, they’re gonna figure ‘OK, this guy’s a little knowledgeable… I may not take advantage,’” he says.
Before ending his video, he adds, “Especially women, you know they love to take advantage of women, I see this all the time.”
“Even though this was printed out, the guy paid, and he still got ripped off about a $1,000 minimum,” he says.
Viewers offer more bad dealership stories
Other dealership customers have shared experiences with salesmen trying to trick them into paying more than needed for repairs. The Daily Dot previously reported on a woman who caught an Infiniti salesman trying to scam her. She said, “I could tell he did not like when I called him out on every little thing, cause I know that he was playing me.”
Mechanics are notorious for taking advantage of female customers; some even admit to doing so. This discrimination is known as the Pink Tax. In this case, that discriminatory pricing carries over into the car world, though this likely doesn’t come as a shock for many women who own cars.
“And these shops wonder why everyone questions them,” wrote one user.
Another user said that “dealerships = stealerships.”
What to do if you think you’re getting scammed?
“Is there an undercover team that regulates car shops, kind of like the food industry, where restaurants get A-F rating to see if these shops are actually fixing the cars?” one asked.
“Unfortunately, no” @motorcarnut responded.
Car Parts states that if you were ripped off by a mechanic to first, “Let the auto repair shop know immediately. They should acknowledge the damage and either refund you or fix it at no additional cost.”
Otherwise, “you can file a case for a dispute. If you paid the mechanic with a credit card, you can request a chargeback (if the company offers that) or dispute the charge.”
@motorcarnut How Not To Get Overcharged By Auto Repair Mechanic Or Dealership #motorcarnut #carlovers #dealership #mechanicoftiktok #autorepair #carenthusiast #mechanic ♬ original sound – Motorcarnut
The Daily Dot reached out to @motorcarnut via TikTok comment section and direct message for comment.
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