Giving your car to a mechanic for service and maintenance? Everyone fears this. Since you don’t know what the mechanics could be doing to your cars, may that be a driving abuse or may that be a part swap, our local mechanics are capable of everything.
I have a personal experience of mechanic abuse. Back in 2010, I gave in my Corolla for an AC repair and when I picked it up, the AC was working fine. Just after a few days, the same problem emerged and I went back to the workshop. I was surprised by the fact that the workshop no longer existed and my trip to another one revealed that the original AC evaporator was replaced with some low quality used one and that was not even of the Corolla. With a heavy heart, I got the evaporator replaced with a new one, which was quite expensive.
I could not track down the culprits because it’s next to impossible, but this incident lead me to one thing, I never trust mechanics with my car anymore and for even the slightest repairs, I stand on their heads while they do their job.
It’s not just me who has faced this calamity. There are thousands of people who become a victim of this problem everyday. Recently, a friend of mine parked his car at a local workshop for some repairs and on his return, he noticed a significant amount of drop in the fuel gauge. Upon inquiring, the mechanic said that they took out some fuel to wash some parts but his response proved to be a lie when the ODO meter running was checked. They mechanic surely had taken the car out and only God knows what he did that for.
Not only in Pakistan, but the mechanic abuse problem persists globally. An article from a British forum tells about a car abuse story:
Wayne Clinning, a British man, took his Ford Focus ST for a few checks and a set of new tires to the official Ford Motor’s garage Pye Motors in Morecambe, Lancashire, England.When he picked his car back, he saw the half empty fuel tank and to his horror, checked the secret dash cam in his car which proved that his car was abused by the mechanics. It was revved and driven at severely high speeds reaching up to 118mph in low speed zones near the garage. Moreover, the dash cam and audio recording revealed that the mechanics went through the bags in his car and scrambled through his personal belongings.
When reported to the authorities, very serious action was taken against the mechanic responsible of this calamity, resulting in the loss of his job and financial compensation for Mr. Clinning.
The dash cam footage below would show how the brand new Focus ST was abused:
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, there are no dash cams in cars and more sadly, there is no one to report to. The reasons are obvious. In local workshops, the mechanic himself is the owner, or in case of high end workshops, the higher authorities present would take no action against their labor, since a capable mechanic, despite of his character, is very hard to find.
So my advice to you is always remain present while your car is being worked on, even if you trust your mechanic. And never leave your valuables in the car. Also, make sure you check all the parts prior to leaving the garage. These simple measures would help you avoid such situations and going through hassle.
If you have any such experience of mechanic abuse, please share it here in the comments with your PakWheels family and let’s make everyone aware of what might happen with their cars when they leave them unattended in the workshops.
My car alloy rims were changed at Honda Avenue and there was a cigarette burn on the front. Very unprofessional.
The same thing happened with me 3 months back. I left my car for Ac Gas filling in morning and the same night i picked my car and that time Ac was working awesome But after 20 days My ac just work for 10 mins then stopped , I went to same workshop from where i filled ac gas and the workshop was no longer existed.
Then i went to another Workshop and the guy told me that the original AC setup including compressor was replaced with some low quality used one and that was not even of the Corolla.
that’s why me and dad always fix our car ourselves
A guy who worked at BMW islamabad workshop told me, that once a guy came in with the problem that the front passenger side window was not coming down. some junior mechanic took a look at it and told the owner that it needs to be replaced. the owner went and got a new one, now to install it the junior called in his senior to help him, when he opened the side panel, he whispered to him ” Abay gadhay ye to thek hai , naya kiun mangwaya”,but in anycase the new one was installed and the poor owner never had slightest of idea what just happened, in another instance another 7 series came in and a part needed to be replaced, they told the owner that when the part will arrive from Germany they would install it, instead they took the same part from another car (this one belonged to Indian embassy) that was with them for repair and installed it in the first car and when the new part arrived from Germany they installed it in the second one…….
It’s always wise to learn about the workings of your own vehicle. Granted you won’t be able to repair everything on it but , you should be aware and be able to do basics yourself. Perhaps we can have a stats on how many of which vehicles people own and run some basic diy classes on the forum to teach people how to maintain and repair their own vehicles, together with common faults and fixes.
Regards
Sarge
Not only mechanics, the car wash guys are the biggest thieves. Ash tray of my brand new Lancer was replaced with a broken one at a car wash in Lahore. I immediately found out and complained but the owner of the place simply refused to believe me. Another older Lancer was in for service at the same time.
When I was in Dubai I had bought a new Corolla (this was back in 1986). I went to the Toyota Dealer to have the engine oil changed at the 1,000 km service. When I went to pick the car up, I checked the oil level. It was over filled. I asked them to drain the excess oil out.
Initially the mechanics in the workshop were mostly Pakistani. Then one day I went for the 20,000 km service and noticed that all the mechanics were Filipinos. On inquiring, I was told that the Pakistani mechanics were found cheating and stealing. Yes it is always best if you stand next to the mechanic when he is doing the work. Though at the main dealers they do allow you to go into the workshop area.
In addition to servicing your own parts, you can also save money by utilizing a scrapyard to pick your parts out and get them at a discount.