By Larry Carley c2007
A friend of mine forwarded me the following TV news report about auto repair scams being perpetrated by some local quick lube shops:
Click here to view TV News ReportNormally I don't like news reports that bash the auto repair industry because many times the reports are one-sided, ill-conceived and are set up in such a way to make honest technicians look like crooks. But in this case, the TV reporters uncovered a blatant pattern of deceit. These shops were charging for parts and services that were never performed. Stories like this need to be told to expose the crooks who are out there. Nobody hates these kind of guys more than the honest technicians who strive to do their best when they service and maintain their customer's cars.
I'm not surprised at what the TV reporters found. These kind of rip-offs are easy scams any dishonest employee can pull to stick a few extra bucks in their pocket. In some cases, employees may actually be encouraged to cheat people by their managers (so they can split the spoils later).
I don't condemn quick lube shops, but I don't patronize them either becaue of reports like this. I avoid these kind of businesses for a variety of reasons:
Most quick lube franchises are owned by absentee owners who hire managers to run the daily operations of their business. The owner may not know his employees or manager(s) are ripping off customers and skimming profits.
Most of the people who work in these places are minimum wage high school kids who may or may not have proper training. Some may be tempted to supplement their meager income by cheating customers. Others may be lazy and not do the work they have been assigned (like replacing filters or other parts). Or they may screw up the jobs they are assigned to do (sometimes accidentally, or sometimes on purpose out of boredom or spite or malicious intent).
I've heard too many stories about quick lube shops selling cheap mineral oil as brand name oil, about oil distributors selling these shops substandard oil, and about employees mixing up brands and viscosities of oil, installing the wrong kind of oil, dumping motor oil into the brake fluid reservoir or power steering pump, not tightening a spin-on oil filter properly which later comes off and ruins the engine, stripping the drain plug in the oil pan, etc., etc. etc.
That's why I maintain and repair my own vehicles as best I can. And when I need a repair I can't do myself, I take my vehicle to a local repair shop or car dealer who I trust and I know does top quality work. I look for a shop that (1) has a good word-of-mouth reputation locally, (2) has ASE certified technicians, and (3) follows the MAP guidelines for auto repair.
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