One of the most watched mechanics on YouTube has offered a number of ways in which drivers can avoid getting scammed when getting their vehicle serviced or repaired.
Scotty Kilmer has worked on cars for more than 55 years and regularly creates short videos in which he offers tips to help drivers cut down their motoring bills and avoid costly repair work.
In a recent video, Scotty warned viewers about some common mechanic scams, urging drivers to mark any parts the garage is meant to replace with a paint pen or a metal scraper.
He advised: “Today I’m going to show you how you can avoid common mechanic rip-off scams. How do you know if they even changed the parts they say they did? Well, before you have them do the work, take a picture of the car and all the parts they’re talking about.
“And if you really don’t trust them, get some paint or, even better still, a little metal scraper and put an ‘X’ somewhere on the part. If you get your car back and it still has that little ‘X’ etched on it, you know they ripped you off.”
When getting a vehicle repaired, Scotty urged motorists to mark all of the components that the mechanic claimed will need to be replaced.
Doing so will help drivers see how honest the mechanic was once the vehicle has been repaired, checking to see if any components that should have been replaced remained on the vehicle.
Drivers were advised to do this by making a light etching or spot with a permanent marker, or by taking a photograph of each component.
Later in the video, Scotty also recommended that drivers take a look around their car before it is serviced to prevent components from being replaced unnecessarily.
He continued: “Also, avoid services that your car doesn’t need – learn a little about your car. Take this Toyota, it uses the company’s own coolant. It’s good for seven years or 150,000 miles.
“If they tell you that you need to change it before then go somewhere else, they’re trying to rip you off.”
Finally, the mechanic suggested that drivers only get their front wheels aligned if the vehicle already has a fault, such as a shaking steering wheel.
He added: “Lastly, people are always trying to sell you [wheel] alignments.
“If your car’s wheels don’t shake, if it doesn’t pull, if your tyres don’t wear out weird [unevenly], you don’t need a front end alignment.”
