Honest Mechanic??? Isn't that an oxymoron? Those two words do not belong together....Kind of like "Political Leader"?, or "Semi-Boneless"?, or Jumbo shrimp.:bwahaha:
In all honesty, most mechanics are honest but are under pressure by the shop management to generate sales. If the shop does not make enough money, the mechanics are often the first people who get laid off.
If the Mechanic did not pull the brake drums off, he probably does not really know if you need new brakes....That's just a suggestive ploy to get your to authorize the work and they rarely write down that you need rear brakes. If you agree they will put "Customer said replace rear brakes", and that's what they will do, because you asked them to.
Kind of like you take your car to a shop because it might be running a little rough. The standard reply by the mechanic or Service Writer is "You probably need a tune up", without ever looking at the car. You say, OK and sign the work order that says "Tune-up". Later, you pick up your car, pay several hundred $$ and it runs as rough as it did when you came in.
You complain, but the a different person or the shop manager will point to the work order and it just says your requested a "Tune up". That's why you should only agree that the problem be fixed and not pay for the mechanic's or Service Writer's misdiagnosis.
Of course you are always better off fixing it yourself if you have the tools, the know-how and the time.
PS: Some of it is just incompetency on the mechanics part. Often times they don't even know much about your vehicle nor have the equipment to properly diagnose the problem, or if they do have it, they don't know how to use it or interpret what it's telling them.
...Rich
