adminFact Jeke Behind the Wheel
Servicing advice will save you from the lies some of these service providers make us believe when we go in with our vehicles.
The wheels game can be a minefield of innuendos, misleading suggestions and even some blatant lies.
In this issue I separate the facts from the fallacies in common scenarios.
This past week a girlfriend of mine took her car in for service, she was told a whole bunch of parts needed replaced, skimming and all sorts.
As a chic, she thought, “Ooh my, I have been a moving landmine because all these things could have easily killed me or someone”.
Thing is with most people not just women, these service people have analysed us like a book or experiment.
They know that there are those that are knowledgeable and those that have no clue where to even find a bolt on your vehicle.
So because of that they have two diagnosis structures and two pricing structures too.
The clever group are charged the right amount and told exactly what’s wrong with their vehicles and the not so clever group get it raw, overpriced and imagined, with new unnecessary parts and a whole bunch of things changed.
The classic scenario which at one point I fell for was that the brakes must be skimmed.
When times are tough and new car sales are few and far between, there is more pressure on workshops to turn a profit.
When you take your car for a service and it’s hoisted up for a pre-service inspection, the workshop manager may try to bamboozle your brain by claiming that all sorts of work needs to be done.
Brake skimming is a particularly common example.
If you don’t subject your brakes to extra wear and tear (by breaking hard and unnecessarily frequently) this could be a lie.
The solution is to take along a friend who is technically minded.
The second scenario and most common lie by far is the issue of parts.
You have had an accident and your car has been at the panel beater for ages.
Every time you call, you are told the matter is out of their hands because the parts have not arrived.
The solution is simple, you just call around local dealers looking for those same parts, if they are available, then you know the panel beater is lying and may have actually ordered non-genuine parts to fit on your car at a low cost and still charge you the full price.
Now this, I have always come across it.
You are buying a new car and the salesman says that you are getting the deal of a century.
Yeah right, don’t rush into any transaction.
Shop around and you will find that car dealers are hungry for business.
Prices are generally not fixed and there’s an excellent chance that you will find a better deal elsewhere. Don’t be in a hurry to buy what you have been ordered to purchase, take your time and look around.
Also don’t forget to factor in the trade in.
It doesn’t help to secure a good price on a new car if you are getting next to nothing for your old banger.
Trading is good as you get something for your old car whilst also getting a vehicle for yourself.
The fourth and funny one is the cost which some service providers use to dupe the unsuspecting public.
Some garages will tell you in an advert that service starts at US$150, this figure is fictitious and they use it to lure those people who like cheap things.
There is a very big chance that this will be a lie and the service will cost you even more than that at your regular service centre.
Keep a tight rein on servicing costs by insisting that you authorise each and every repair or replacement.
Insist on seeing that parts that have been replaced (even if you have no clue what you are looking at) also, be adamant that you want the boxes that the replacement parts came in, that way you can see if genuine parts have been used.
Lastly, what we all go through every day during the rainy season.
Imagine you are parked in town, sitting in your car waiting for someone then the guy looking all shabby comes to your window and says you need to change your wipers.
I am sure all of us motorists have encountered that. Even at service centres they do those things to us.
You have taken your car for a service and you receive a telephone call from the dealership insisting that they have to replace your windscreen wipers for safety reasons, at a fee of course.
That’s utter nonsense, if you ask me.
You can do it yourself in minutes and save a bit of money in the process.
You just go to your local spares shop buy the wipers and slip them on. It’s as easy as brushing your hair.
You have to very careful when you take your car service because some of these providers are mere crooks who are bent on making a quick, but at your expense as well if you are not very careful.
As I said before it is very wise to go with someone who is technically minded when you take your car for a service that way you can not be ripped off.
So handy advice from yours truly . . . Please make use of it and save a bit of money. Till next week, happy motoring and God bless you.
Fact D. Jeke is a motoring enthusiast. She can be contacted via email on [email protected] and on Yookos & Facebook.
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