What type of mechanic works on your car?

[ShamelessMcBundy]

I take my car to the dealer. I know i'm paying more money, but they're certified mechanics and use genuine parts, so i don't mind.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

I don't drive, but if I did I would take it to the mechanic at the dealership.

 

[Sephiroth]

Dealership for things I can't do myself, but i take my Toyota pickup to a friend, he and his father used to run TRD, he was a mechanic in the Corps. and a fucking artist

 

[Mr. B]

Until recently I had work done at a local shop near my house but they closed down last month.

 

[NCC1701]

I try to do as much as possible myself, for what I can't do/don't have time for I take my car to the local garage.

 

[BigFoot]

With the exception of things like tires, I always take my car to the dealership.

 

[Orac Zen]

Basic services (oil change etc) I've always done myself. Otherwise...

I use an independent mechanic who's a friend of the family.

Same here. The bloke's a genius - I decided long ago that he's not allowed to retire.

Tyres, batteries etc I used to get from a local independent store. The manager was a mate; it was nice to go in there and always discover top-quality tyres to suit my vehicle just happened to be on special that week. But she got fed up with working for dickheads and left, so I'll have to either go elsewhere or get used to paying proper prices.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I always go to local independent shops, either the one near my house or the one near my Mother's house. And I go to my Uncle for tires, as he owns an independent tire shop.

 

[Kommander]

First, I try to do it myself if possible. I'm kind of limited in what I can do mostly because I don't have the tools, and partly because I don't know what I'm doing.

If I know what's wrong, but I can't fix it myself, I'll usually have someone I know do it. I have family members and friends that are mechanics. Usually one of them is available right away.

If I don't know what's wrong, my family/friends don't have the equipment to diagnose the problem, so I'll take it to a local independent place. If it's something that's not an immediate problem, I'll pay them the $50 for the diagnosis and take it to one of my friends/family members. If it is an emergency, I don't really have a choice. The place by where I used to live was awesome and I still go there when possible. They know I never have any money, so once they do the diagnosis they give me the option of buying parts myself and bringing them in and then only charge me for labor.

The place nearest to where I live now I only use for emergencies. They don't lie about what's wrong generally, but they overcharge a lot on parts and labor. My mom went there once and they charged her $400 to replace a starter... $150 of which was for a rebuilt starter... I found a new one for that car for $30. After that I went into the place and after an hour of bitching they knocked $100 off the price of parts...

I'll only go to the dealership as a last resort because, in my experience, they charge about three times as much as independent places.

 

[SmoothieX]

I had been taking mine to the local dealer, until they starting playing games with us. I think sales must be hurting, as they conjured up stuff to fix that wasn't broken.

So I go to a different dealership now for big stuff. But, its a lot further away and kinda inconvenient, so I get all the little stuff (oil change, tire rotation , etc.) done at a Monroe shop right in town. So far, so good with them.

 

[Cayla]

My husband usually does all the work on our vehicles.

 

[John Picard]

First, I try to do it myself if possible. I'm kind of limited in what I can do mostly because I don't have the tools, and partly because I don't know what I'm doing.

If I know what's wrong, but I can't fix it myself, I'll usually have someone I know do it. I have family members and friends that are mechanics. Usually one of them is available right away.

If I don't know what's wrong, my family/friends don't have the equipment to diagnose the problem, so I'll take it to a local independent place. If it's something that's not an immediate problem, I'll pay them the $50 for the diagnosis and take it to one of my friends/family members. If it is an emergency, I don't really have a choice. The place by where I used to live was awesome and I still go there when possible. They know I never have any money, so once they do the diagnosis they give me the option of buying parts myself and bringing them in and then only charge me for labor.

The place nearest to where I live now I only use for emergencies. They don't lie about what's wrong generally, but they overcharge a lot on parts and labor. My mom went there once and they charged her $400 to replace a starter... $150 of which was for a rebuilt starter... I found a new one for that car for $30. After that I went into the place and after an hour of bitching they knocked $100 off the price of parts...

I'll only go to the dealership as a last resort because, in my experience, they charge about three times as much as independent places.

Dealerships charge more because that's how they make money. Their mechanics aren't any better trained than most independent shops. In the past, I had a car that activated the SERVICE light at 100,00 miles (it was programmed to do that) and the so-called technician at the dealership screwed it up badly. Two trips back and arguments with the service rep yielded nothing but a complaint to the manufacturer and then taking the vehicle to another dealership. The second dealership had their top tech spend two days on the car, and he reported that whomever worked on it before didn't have a clue. Hoses were routed wrong and many other screw ups.

 

[Tim]

I usually do the work myself.

For larger jobs, I'll go to a national chain--or the dealer if it's some sort of warranty issue.