When you book a car in for work, how much detail do you go into?

[Akagi]

This is a bit of a rant, but I'm also curious.

I am very anxious about garages doing things wrong, but I also worry about being patronising or annoying when describing HOW I want a job to be done, and I struggle to find the right balance.
I want to trust that they know what they are doing, but from past experiences I know that I cannot always do that...

I just booked the BMW in to have the rear subframe modified for camber and toe adjustment (and have a few other bits done) and I had to write a fairly long email explaining what and how I want it done. I felt like I had to, because if they balls it up somehow, I'll feel like an idiot for not explaining it to them. Even though I don't feel like I should have to.

One example I have (about I garage I no longer use I hasten to add) was that I needed the exhaust modifying on my car, I had pieced together an exhaust from parts and it was a bit of a bodge, blowing in two places.

I bought flanges, fixings, gaskets, and flared sections of exhaust, from the dealership. I instructed the garage specifically where I wanted the pipes cutting and welding, and that I wanted them to re-join it using the proper hardware supplied, I even printed out a picture which I had drawn on, to make it easy for them, and left it on the passenger seat with the box of bits.

I left it with them for two days to do this work. When I went to pick it up, all of the parts I had bought were still sat in the footwell, and they said that it "just needed re-joining with some exhaust paste mate" - I refused to pay, they got the manager, I refused to pay and explained why, he argued, and in the end I gave them some arbritrary amount of money for the 10 minutes they spent on it, £20 or something.

It started blowing again on the way home from the garage...

I also have to tell tyre fitting shops specifically where to jack my cars up because I've seen several seperate places jack it up in improper locations, and sometimes they give me a look which says "why are you talking to me?" - I've even had places put wheels with directional tyres on the wrong sides of the car!

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TL;DR I want to trust that mechanics know what they're doing, but often they are thick and make daft mistakes, and I'd rather not take the chance. How much detail do you go into, and do you worry about patronising them or rubbing them up the wrong way somehow by not simply trusting their experience?

 

[Temujin]

i'd say it's a fine line to tread, really you don't want to be teaching a mechanic how to do his job but you're going to be paying for it, and if it's not something as simple as changing tyres [ha] then some direction of what you're expecting shouldn't be too bad, but you probably shouldn't be telling them how to remove the subframe.

I mean, you don't go to a barber and just say you want a haircut do you?

But i guess some of it might come down to your wording, i'm sure most mechanics wouldn't be too fussed, but then some [as you've experienced] probably don't listen/read what you ask them to do!

 

[Rroff]

Generally you are wasting your time IMO most garages especially dealers just go through a sort of checklist standard course of work for a given problem with little reference to any notes or any real detective like application of diagnostics, etc.

 

[Cookeh]

I wouldn't trust the average mechanic as far as I could throw them. I tend to give garages small jobs and see how they handle it, before working up to bigger jobs. It also helps if you get lucky enough to find a mechanic with an interest in your type of car (i.e. drives one, takes an interest when you pull in, etc).

At my local independent there are two mechanics, one them likes 850s, one doesn't think they are proper Volvos. Guess which one I talk to.

I always prefer face to face too, most people will skim an email at best. A concise explanation of what you want in person will normally get things done. If it doesn't, don't go back - simples.

 

[Heisenberg]

Sounds like you need to find a better mechanic. Unfortunately there are some absolute clowns in the trade.

 

[Heisenberg]

Generally you are wasting your time IMO most garages especially dealers just go through a sort of checklist standard course of work for a given problem with little reference to any notes or any real detective like application of diagnostics, etc.

Struggling to even understand what you mean here. A tech will work through a checklist without referencing the customer concern during a diagnostic job? Complete nonsense.

 

[vanpeebles]

If you want a job done to that kind of detail then do it yourself.

 

[Nasher]

Better off using a specialist for anything other than something basic.

But even then if its something exotic it can be dangerous even to just lift/jack it up if they do it wrong. On some mid-engined cars if you lift them in the wrong place and then take the front wheels off, it will fall off the lift and squash the work experience boy. They should research things themselves, but average Joe mechanic won't because they are in a rush to finish.

 

[wedrum]

Do it yourself acme finding a good mechanic nowadays who gives a **** is like rocking horse, well you know the rest.

 

[Seearbe]

Just be honest. Tell them that you're a very anxious person who likes to research things, and that you'd like to explain how you want it done based on what you've looked into. Then ask them what they think and if they have any suggestions for how they want to do it differently. That way, you've engaged with them but also put them in a position where they have to specifically contradict you. Be light hearted, take the mick out of yourself etc and nobody should be offended.

 

[kaiowas]

If you want a job done to that kind of detail then do it yourself.

It’s the point I reached some time ago. I’m now at the stage where I’ll do basically anything bar paint and fitting tyres. I’d have a crack at those too but I’m limited by lack of facilities. As I see it cars are my hobby and even if it costs me more and takes me longer I’d rather learn something new and know it’s done right than let someone else screw it up.

 

[Holst1981]

My regular mechanic is pretty good and I'm happy to trust his judgement and rarely have any specific requests. If I do he will do as asked unless I'm asking for something daft.

Finding a reliable mechanic is harder than it should be.

I had a sticking caliper and asked a local place to change it.
Returned at the end of the day to find that they had ignored me and merely cleaned it up.
It started sticking again a few days later and I then had to return, ask for a refund on the previous work and wait for them to do the job I asked them to do in the first place. I didn't go back.

It's not that I can't do stuff myself but I don't have the time or the inclination these days.

I plan on keeping my car and prefer a propper fix rather than a notch, but I think I'm in a minority.

 

[MassiveJim]

Found a good mechanic about 17 years ago, have used him ever since and only go elsewhere for specialist jobs. he's a one man band now, I'd guess he is 10 years older than me, god knows what I'll do when he packs up.

 

[Akagi]

I've not had a poor experience with this mechanic yet. I've known him a while, since before he opened his own garage.

I can do almost everything to my car myself, but some jobs I'd rather outsource.

This one is because dropping the subframe is a PITA, and because I can't weld to save my life.

I'm also getting him to put my new suspension in and track it all up while he's at it.

 

[Rroff]

Struggling to even understand what you mean here. A tech will work through a checklist without referencing the customer concern during a diagnostic job? Complete nonsense.

Maybe ask what I mean instead of jumping to a conclusion.

What I'm saying is many, though not all, of them seem to work to almost work to a script so to speak - if what you want done or looked at, etc. doesn't quite match up with the types of work they do on a regular basis it can be hard to get it done quite how you wanted.

 

[gc123]

tbh if the garage is doing the sort of special work your looking at with your rear axle i dont see the problem in explaining leaving instructions etc . they may view it as a help than hinderance.if its normal servicing repair type stuff that they do on a regular basis then they will more than likely ignore it and do it there way ( good or bad).

 

[Akagi]

tbh if the garage is doing the sort of special work your looking at with your rear axle i dont see the problem in explaining leaving instructions etc . they may view it as a help than hinderance.if its normal servicing repair type stuff that they do on a regular basis then they will more than likely ignore it and do it there way ( good or bad).

I wouldn't "advise" him on more run of the mill stuff.

For instance I had him do lower arms, CV joints, drop links, ball joints, subframe bushes, etc in the past (through sheer laziness on my part) and didn't say anything at all.

But this time I sent him a message saying things like:

The rear top mount bolts may need replacing with shorter ones and they are M8x12.5.

The rear top mount holes might need a tickle with a file so the coilover assembly clears the body.

Check the rear toe and camber before deciding where to put the adjustment plates so they allow for the proper range of adjustment.

The front ABS sensors might be a fight to remove so try not to break them but its not the end of the world if you do, just unplug them and remove them.

Two wheels are 7J and two are 8J and the tyres are directional so you might want to have your morning coffee first. (This one was tongue in cheek, and he knew it.)

That sort of thing... But when fleshed out into proper sentences, and adding on things like alignment specifications and asking him to keep the caster setting in the middle, and showing him the ride height I want, it ended up as a 400 word wall of text...

After I sent it and saw just how god damn long it looked on the narrow Facebook message display I started to worry that he would read it and think "I wish this guy would just let me do my job" or whatever.

In fact I'll just show you what I sent, which ended up being longer than I intended, and prompted me to post this thread:

Spoiler

 

[Haze]

For the best part I have taken my cars to the same garage for 22 years, and they have always been good at doing what I have asked, they are not specialists, so have had write guides before on how to do things on my cars, do my best to avoid going to any other garages, especially as a lot of them just automatically presume that you are thick, like the garage that tried to charge me £18 for a £6 rear wiper blade

 

[Vita]

Want a job doing to your own standards?

Do it yourself.

 

[Dominic-Toretto]

There are 2 solutions to this op.

1. Do it your self.
2. Find a mechanic who works to high standards and only use him.

 

[adam cool dude]

Either a) find a specialist who will care for your car or b) do it yourself.

I have a guy that I have used for over 10 years. I only use him for things like air conditioning and jobs that I can't legally do. Problem is most garages are working to time constraints so getting the job out the door is more important than caring. When I do a brake pad change I fully clean the carriers. Treat the rubber seals, grease sliders, clean the hubs, file the pads to ensure smooth operation, ceratec all the contact points etc. I would hazard a guess that a normal garage will just remove the old and stick on the new and be done with it.