Fiesta wrote:
Never take anything to a service shop without telling them what to do. Never have a female take anything in. (Not sexist). Always get a firm estimate. Have them stick to it. Never give them all the keys.
And best of all fix what you can. I've saved over a $100,000 in my life time not getting ripped off.
Most of what you say is true.
The shop is only as good as the customers analysis. The more info a customer gives the easier it is the make the repair.
If the customer is vague and unsure the mechanic can have an unnecessary challenge.
To all the back yard mechanics it is much easier to fix your own vehicle because you have a history with it. Fixing an unknown vehicle based on 2nd hand info is much more of a challenge.
Diagnosing can be much harder than fixing the problem.