Let's bring some clarity. Most mechanics, and indeed people working in car services, are honest and respectable people. And if the manager tells you that you need to replace some part, this does not mean that you are necessarily being deceived. It may very well be that the work is really needed, and the malfunction really affects safety.
However, almost every motorist has encountered deceit or even outright fraud in a car service. Most Russians live in major cities where customer traffic is very high. All this leads to the fact that some auto repair shops believe that it is easier to try to "divorce" the client than to really help him. quality service. And even he will go to a competitor - it's not scary, three new ones will come. Therefore, vigilance will not be superfluous. For you, we have compiled a list of the most popular "wiring" car services.
Unnecessary work
This method of deception is as old as the world. And do not think that it is found exclusively in "garage" workshops - official dealers sin the same no less often. Everything looks very simple: you are given an order-order for signature, but in the list between times there are works that were not necessary to be done. Let's say you arrived at a scheduled maintenance, and the list includes the removal / installation of the rear drum brakes(and you have disc brakes on your car). The calculation in such a "divorce" is solely on your inattention, as in the joke about the waiter, who "well, it didn't work out." But such a technique can bring additional money to the service. Moreover, everything is according to the law - you were offered to carry out the work, and you agreed. So everything is fair?
Protecting yourself from such a divorce is very simple: read the document carefully before you sign it. Any doubts? Ask questions! And in a good way, even before visiting the service, try to find out what is included in the list of works in your case - for example, by phone. Basic knowledge about the design of the car also does not hurt.
Overestimation of standard hours
Everything usually looks like this: you come to the service, announce the list of works, you are given a preliminary invoice, which indicates the list and cost of the work. You agree, and do not even think that you are overpaying. Why? Everything is very simple. The work order indicates the number of standard hours, which does not correspond to reality. Let's say you've been given a few hours to do a simple filter change. If you start to resent, the manager may say that they work according to "internal regulations". And as a result, the cost of the work will be a third, or even twice, more than planned.
Nevertheless, it is possible to protect yourself from such a "divorce", although it is not easy. First of all, before starting work, specify how many standard hours are required for this or that operation according to the regulations. If you come to an official dealer, then the task is simplified, since manufacturing companies usually indicate the rules for routine maintenance on their websites - use them as a guide. Check with what is indicated on the official website, and with what is given to you for signature. In case of fraud attempts, it will not be superfluous not only to change the service station, but also to send the manufacturer a scan of the proposed cost of work.
Old or "Chinese" parts
This method of deception can most often be found at unofficial service stations, although the masters of official dealers sometimes come across this type of fraud. What is the point: you come to the service, ask to change this or that part, and instead of a new branded spare part, they install either a "second-hand" one or an outright counterfeit. According to the price list, you will pay for a new part, which the auto repair shop naturally keeps and then sells, and either a fake is installed for you, which is sometimes very difficult to distinguish from the original, or old spare part from another car. In such a simple way, a cunning mechanic can earn an extra few thousand rubles, and if not one person, but the entire car service is involved in fraud, then the income will be much higher.
To protect yourself from this method of deception - try to control the work in the course of their implementation. As a rule, customers are not allowed into the repair area, but you can monitor your car through a monitor that broadcasts a picture from a camera, or through a special glass. Secondly, before starting work, be sure to ask for the return of old spare parts and packaging from new ones (however, if the work is carried out under warranty, they may not be returned to you). Thirdly, if you have a post-warranty car, it is better to come to the service with your own spare parts - at least you will know exactly what will be delivered to you. And, of course, try to choose a service station with a good reputation - and it does not have to be a major official dealer. "Club" services are afraid of losing their name and regular customers much more.
The breakdown that doesn't exist
Another old way, which dishonest mechanics do not disdain. You arrived at a car service with one breakdown, but quite unexpectedly it turned out that there was another one. For example, it turned out that your light bulb is not on or the shock absorber “suddenly” dripped. Although when you went to the service station, everything seemed to be in order. But the manager insists that there is a malfunction, and is even ready to show it to you in the repair zone!
If everything is really so, do not rush to agree to the proposed work. It's possible that your headlight bulb isn't really on. But this does not mean that something serious has happened - the mechanic could simply carefully disconnect the corresponding wire. The same applies to "oil leaks" - simulating oil stains on your own is not worth any work. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to prevent such a "divorce" attempt. However, no one can oblige you to do certain jobs! Just pick up the car and try to figure out the cause of the "breakdown" yourself or take it to another service and check everything again! You may spend more time, but do not overpay. And at the same time you will find out how honest people work at a suspicious service station.
Vandalism
Let's be honest - such a rude way of "divorce" is not very common. In the end, the dashing 90s have already passed, but sometimes, due to circumstances, you can find yourself in a dubious workshop where your car will be "mutilated" and immediately offered to "eliminate" them. Not necessarily, it will be something serious. For example, you may have a tire punctured or a cut made on a hose, showing "how badly damaged it is."
In order not to get into such a situation, firstly, stay away from dubious workshops and "Uncle Vasya's garages", unless the latter is your childhood friend whom you trust as your own. Secondly, keep a close eye on what is happening with your car. For the same reason, it is better to come to the service on clean car and do not put a signature that "the car was handed over to dirty". It is better to wait a few minutes until the car is washed, but to protect yourself from scratches that may "accidentally" appear on the body. And one more thing: if you are faced with an attempted divorce using such "service vandalism", do not be too lazy to write a statement to the police. This will allow you not only to protect your rights, but also to protect other motorists.
Car holding
Finally, perhaps the most egregious case of "divorce" is when service representatives refuse to give you a car until you pay for all the work, including those that you did not order. At the same time, everything looks very unpleasant: the manager claims that you yourself asked to do this or that operation, and now you are refusing to pay for services. And the fact that the list has increased by several positions is due to the fact that “well, it’s impossible at all” without them, although no one agreed with you on the work performed or the cost of the installed spare parts.
You do not agree with this vision of the situation and are going to write a claim and contact Rospotrebnadzor. And the manager doesn’t even seem to mind, but says that at first you still have to pay for everything, and only then will they return the car to you. In fact, no one has the right to keep your legal property (including a car). This is Article 330 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Arbitrariness". Therefore, if you are not given a car because of unpaid services that you did not order, feel free to call the police. Law in this case definitely on your side.
Have you been scammed at the service? Tell your story in the comments.
Car service scamhow not to fall for a "divorce"?
No matter how hard you try to take care of the car, but from time to time it still needs to be shown to specialists - as for a planned technical inspection as well as for repairs. Naturally, most of us turn to a car service for this service. How to behave and what you need to know so as not only not to overpay, but also not to be deceived?
text: Oleg Slavin / 27.08.2018
Before revealing some secrets of servicemen, here's what I would like to say. Who do you think is easier to deceive, a woman or a man? “Of course, a woman,” you say, and you will be only partly right. In the service center, anyone who is poorly or does not understand cars at all, regardless of gender, can be deceived. Therefore, if you feel that you are a complete layman in the car device and cannot distinguish crankshaft from the gimbal, better take it with you on preliminary diagnosis at least a little bit versed in the machines of a friend. So the risk of being divorced in the elementary will be less.
Which service to contact? Of course, the best one is the one that your friends will recommend to you, based on the positive experience of communicating with him. But if there is no patronage, then it is better to choose one in which there is no spare parts store. On the one hand, this, of course, is inconvenient - the replacement part will have to wait for some time. But it is in the service, where there is a warehouse of spare parts, that you will most likely be dug more faults, moreover, those that require "only" replacement, and not bulkheads and adjustments. Parts have to be sold. For example, “soured” caliper fingers can be unscrewed, cleaned of rust, lubricated, put in place and thereby completely restore their performance. And you can do it by changing stopping support entirely. Money is, you know, different. For the "buildup" of the caliper, say, Renault Logan the master will take a maximum of 500 r. A new caliper for this model costs about 3000 rubles. So first find out if the part can be restored by sorting and lubricating, and only then, if not, settle for a new one.
It is also worth being wary of garages in auto parts markets. Already there you will not only find a whole list of parts to be replaced, but also, be sure, under the guise of a new one, they are pumping in an old, but brought to a visual condition, part. No matter how huge the market for new parts is now, the old ones are no, no, and they appear on sale. They will trick you, stick non-original rubber bands, rub it with white spirit for shine, or even tint it from a spray can, and now the old shock absorber is like it was just out of the box.
But now an acceptable service has been found, what's next? Be sure to agree on the repair and its cost before starting work. Check the declared cost with the price list for the work, as a rule, the master-acceptor has it. It often happens that the declared price and the one in the price list approved by the director of the service station differ not in your favor. In addition, after the diagnosis, a great specialist knows exactly what needs to be changed, how much time to spend and how much it costs with consumables, if any. Thoughtfully pronounced "an autopsy will show" should immediately alert. Yes, there are times when a malfunction is difficult to diagnose, but this is rare. So, one motorist turned to more than one service to identify an incomprehensible knock when the car was moving. Well, only servicemen - relying solely on their "intuition" - did not offer to change, starting with bearings and ending with the steering rack, which fears they did not catch up if they did not do repairs right now. But the car owner was inflexible and drove from service to service until his car was given an accurate diagnosis: in the fourth or fifth place, a conscientious master inspector, having driven a few meters by car, examined the wheels, and found that a piece of fresh asphalt had stuck to one of them , it was he who made this incomprehensible knock. So, if they start to tell you the alleged reason, it is better to go to another service. Believe me, it will be cheaper, even if in the first "service" you leave some amount for an indistinct diagnosis.
Before you give the car to the repair zone, be sure to conduct a joint with the receiver visual inspection showing all cosmetic defects. Then there will be fewer reasons for litigation about a dent or scratch that has appeared. Knowing this, on good service inspection cards have already been prepared, in which all defects and completeness of the car are entered, and the cars themselves, before being sent to the repair zone, must be washed.
If possible, do not leave the car in the service unattended. Of course, when it comes to overhaul engine or body repair, it is almost impossible to do this - such things are not done in one day. But if the replacement of one or another part will be carried out for half an hour or an hour, then it makes sense not to sit out in the visitor's room, but to ask for it in the repair zone. By the way, knowing that you will go for repairs, it is better to dress more modestly so as not to smear your expensive suit on the lift rack. As a rule, in a service that tries to work openly, the presence in the repair area is not prohibited, or the repair area is fenced off from the visitor's room panoramic glass, where you can see what is being done to your car.
However, even if you can be present at the repair of the car, be on the lookout. The fact is that this or that repair can be done in different ways, that is, with the dismantling of a unit or unit, or it is enough to open it. If you know what is to come, for example, a replacement front oil seal crankshaft, then ask in advance on the Internet how this procedure is performed on your car. Indeed, it will depend on whether it will be necessary, for example, to open the oil pan or whether it is enough to remove the belts and the crankshaft pulley, it depends on how much work you will be counted. On some machines, in order to remove the same pan, you need to lift the engine from the pillows above the front beam, otherwise you won’t crawl. Knowing this, many locksmiths, in the absence of a rush record on the day of your appeal, deliberately delay elementary procedures, thereby winding up the amount of work in order to shake extra money out of you.
There are frequent cases when the work indicated in the work order is nothing more than a postscript. For example, it is written that this or that part was replaced for you, but in fact it did not even touch. Feel free to clarify everything. After all, you pay money for it. Ask to see a new part installed on your machine, its original packaging, and also to show the dismantled one. Often the master says that the part is below, and the car has already been removed from the lift, and now nothing can be seen. Insist that it be raised again for inspection. Insist even if all the lifts are occupied. In general, you can see what has changed by briefly lifting the car in the interval between repairs next car. If the master wriggles and makes excuses in every possible way, there is reason to think about it. Usually, in a good service, the parts removed from the car are placed in boxes from new parts and left in the trunk.
It happens that the master strongly recommends changing an expensive part, although in fact it did not even half its resource. What is it for? Yes, in order to later sell it as a used one for the car where it really has already fallen into disrepair. As a result, and new part sold to you, and little used attached. And do not be fooled by the fact that the locksmith defiantly throws your "faulty" part into the scrap bin. Psychologically, this has a strong effect on the client, only in this tank everything is prepared in advance so that the “trash” lands without damage. So if you are already changing something to a new one, then be sure to take the old one.
By the way, this is especially true for exhausted catalysts. You know why they are so willingly left to themselves by a locksmith. Because for every old catalytic converter, depending on the model, they help out from 1,500 to 3,000 rubles at specialized reception points. There, precious metals are subsequently extracted from them, with which they are literally impregnated. Now remember how much you were charged for a flame arrester embedded instead of a sintered catalyst. And if you yourself handed over the old part to the collection point, the flame arrester would cost at least half the price. Something...
It is no secret that girls are much less likely and certainly worse in understanding the device of a car than men. Many are simply not interested, and the rest cannot know everyone technical subtleties. This ignorance is successfully used by dishonest car service employees.
Situation 1
The autolady contacted the service with the following problem: the dipstick in the windshield washer reservoir broke. Employees intimidated the unfortunate that the broken tip could easily get through the pipes further into the engine and break it, after which the car could no longer be operated. The lady was not stingy to give the amount 3 times more than the solution to such a problem usually suggests.
Situation 2
A frequent situation develops when a lot of parts are listed for replacement, the presence of which in the car the girl does not even know. Even fictitious names may be included in the list. Over time, some or all of the parts may not be replaced: few people ask to see the old ones or climb to inspect the new parts on their own. Yes, and it will sometimes be difficult for a man to understand whether your old details were provided to you.
Situation 3
Having an ignorant customer is a goldmine. There's no point in making a car in at its best. On the contrary, poor-quality repairs increase the likelihood of re-applying to the same car service, which means that the girl will be “bred for grandmas” for a long time. The car can be repaired, but the car will not drive properly for long, and in a couple of days the same car service is waiting for you with some new breakdown.
There are many unfortunate situations of this kind. Now girls do not need to have a personal idea about the structure of the car, or they only need to contact trusted craftsmen, they do not need to waste time and be present during car repairs, they do not need to ask men they know who are knowledgeable in the device of cars to keep company.
For you, dear girls, there is a solution - the V-Autoservice website.
You have a personal master consultant. Any situation and he will connect to the solution of the issue, and if necessary, he will come to the service. It's free.
The cost of work is not only the lowest, but also clearly fixed
You will not be "divorced" for unnecessary services - for types of work and necessary spare parts supervised by a personal master.
Ride your car and don't worry about its maintenance! We'll take it all
Vlad Chizhov, an anti-fraud specialist, host of the reality show "Decisive" on the Che TV channel, tells how not to become a victim of deception in a car service.
The first thing every car owner should know after buying it is how to choose the right car service. The best technical centers specialize in individual brands cars or types of work. For example, there are services that only repair gearboxes and will not even install pads for you. There are those who work only with cars DM, and if you arrive in a "Japanese", you will be politely refused. Be wary of car services that do EVERYTHING and for ALL brands.
Make your choice ahead of time. Be sure to read reviews on the Internet, listen to recommendations. Take a closer look at the service that is nearby, go to get acquainted, look around, make friends with the master. First, give the car for simple work: changing pads, something simple, not fatal, see how the masters work, what they put and what recommendations they give. After that, draw your own conclusions.
The most popular methods of divorce in car services
- Masters impose unnecessary work on your car and come up with complex diagnostics, actions that in fact you do not need or do not exist at all.
- They drive a fake or outright nonsense at the price of original spare parts.
- They wind up the "left" standard hours. For example, to change a part, the master has 2.5 standard hours, and you can easily drive another 1.5 under the pretext - “the bolt broke, they drilled out” or “the fasteners got stuck”.
How to start a conversation with a specialist in a car service
Price list request
Each normal service has a price list or calculation of standard hours for certain works. The cost of a standard hour is always indicated in the most prominent place.
Making an order
In this document form, you approve all your expenses and sign, and the car service announces warranty obligations for work and installed spare parts. The work order must be on the letterhead of the enterprise, and not on a piece of paper or in words.
After all work has been approved
Your task is to evaluate the quality of work, to check whether the defect has been eliminated or not. If not, feel free to object, don't listen to "this is how it should creak". Call senior. You must decide for yourself whether to buy spare parts in this service or elsewhere. But be prepared for the fact that the warranty for work with spare parts provided by you will be canceled.
The main advice for novice drivers who are faced with the need for the first time car repair, - know your car, learn to understand it. What system does it have an engine, what transmission. There are several counter test questions that are asked to the client in a car service, and if he is not oriented in them, he is offered services at the highest price. Based on the first questions about your car, the “master felt-tip pen” will determine whether he is a beginner or a trained person. If you don’t know your car, then you can be “loaded” with work and services: after all, you still don’t know how this or that part works.
The main rule, a signal indicating to the owner of the car for a divorce, is the dismantling of the car without the consent of the driver. Not a single normal service will even put a nut without the consent of its client, since for them there is always a risk of non-payment for the service.
If that happens, you've already hit it. Just file a complaint with law enforcement. Do not forget to leave your person at the car and record the result in a photo or video. Come with a police officer and draw up a protocol. All decisions and agreements must be made before actions: work order, list and cost of work, price of spare parts, terms and other nuances.
What to do if the work was done poorly and you are still divorced
In good technical center you will definitely be given a work order with a guarantee for the work and installed spare parts. It is necessary to achieve the performance of work until the defect is eliminated, in accordance with the warranty obligations.
- Have you been divorced, and there are no documents confirming the work? Enjoy being a sucker. Re-read the article again and understand how not to do it. If the losses are too great, write a statement to the police.
- The owner also has the right to refuse payment for the services performed if the work is not agreed with him. But in this case, you need to be prepared for the fact that installed spare parts can be removed from your car, “breaking” others in the process or “finishing off” your spare part from harm. IN good car service if all documents are signed, you do not have the right to refuse payment - they simply may not return the car to you. Just as in the case if you did not pay for coffee in a restaurant, they will detain you and call the police.
Methods of deception practiced by station employees Maintenance, easy to organize. There are three main types of these types of scams: tricking a customer into making unnecessary repairs, making them pay for things they didn't do, or selling the same part twice.
Moreover, which is typical, you can expect amazing tricks from any car service:. From the latter, of course, to a lesser extent, since the officials go not only under the letter of the law, but also under the eye of the automaker.
Although there are fewer fundamental types of deception than the fingers on one hand, they are brought to life with great ingenuity and variety. Therefore, it is easier to describe typical cases of "divorce" and fraud on the part of the masters.
It's a business, nothing more...
To begin with, one cannot fail to mention a fairly harmless way of divorcing a client. When extra items are added to the work order Consumables. The author of these lines, for example, personally encountered this when, in an order for a small body shop in a service station official dealer, among other things, there were 200 (!) "jars for mixing paints"! Then I didn’t want to get into the “high relationship” between the insurance company and the service station, but I had to “wind on my mustache” such a trick. Indeed, in the case of a serious repair of the car, the client may not notice such a “trifle”. Conclusion: always and meticulously control what the craftsmen write in work orders.
Best the enemy of the good
The next way to talk about is to replace fully functional parts with new ones. They especially love this business in large service stations that have their own warehouse of spare parts. The method is good because it is difficult to prove a scam on a crane. Yes, and no one really tries: car service workers try to “breed” in this way either people who do not understand cars, or easily suggestible citizens. It is worth noting that this method workers love to practice. Under warranty, the allegedly failed node on the client's machine is replaced with a new one. Removed (quite functional) or then sold on the sly to another client, who, on a car that has already gone out of warranty, has a similar part out of order for real.
In order not to “sponsor” an auto mechanic with your own spare parts, it is enough to obey not his advice, but your own common sense. If the part that the mechanic "sentences" outwardly looks normal, its term scheduled replacement it is not even visible on the horizon, it does not make unnecessary sounds and, in general, behaves normally when moving - you can safely send the storyteller from the service station to ... the repair zone, in general.
Diagnosis without diagnosis
The above method is bordered by another, called "diagnostics-dummy". It is used, as a rule, when the car owner arrives at the service station with the textbook "something knocks" (buzzes, creaks, etc.). The main thing is that he immediately pay for the diagnostics and calmly go to the client or somewhere else. No one actually diagnoses the car, and then the client is told that everything is fine with it. Or they announce that it is necessary to “change half of the suspension” (to sort out the engine, sort out the gearbox, change steering rack etc.) - as in the above case. You can easily avoid this: do not pay for the diagnostics in advance and be present during its conduct in person.
Change the broken to... the broken
Moreover, expensive repairs can result in the transformation of a more or less serviceable car into a truly broken one. For example, in the case of “changing the suspension”, fully functional parts can be replaced with practically “killed”, but washed, repainted and with new “rubbers”. And then go and prove it. They especially like to trade like this, when the main thing for the client is often to reach the goal. Avoiding this kind of "divorce" will not work, even if you demand to return the "old" parts removed from your car. Real money for scrap metal under the guise of "new" parts and their installation has already been taken from you. If you can’t avoid it, then at least you can reduce the likelihood of getting into such a story in only one way: monitor the condition of your car, carry out all maintenance work and replacement of parts within the period recommended by the manufacturer. In general, do not count on chance, do not postpone repairs until the moment “it breaks down”.
The devil is in the details
That is, in dubious service stations, it is better to try to be present in the repair zone for all manipulations with your car. Although this is not a panacea. A normal auto mechanic will quickly understand who is in front of him: a person who understands cars, pretends to be a professional layman, or whose knowledge has little to do with practice.
Available, for example, on some models German cars some operation to repair the gearbox. You can crawl up and do it from the outside, even without dismantling the unit. And you can do everything according to the rules - by disassembling half of the car and removing the "box". Accordingly, the price of the work will differ dramatically. And a person who does not know such subtleties is doomed to pay this difference. There is only one way to deal with this kind of expense: by increasing your own level of knowledge about your car. On the Internet, you can now find a lot of useful information almost any more or less mass model of any brand of car. There would be a desire.
Treaty more expensive than money
In general, the price and scope of work with the car must be agreed upon before handing over the car for repair, and not wave your fists, considering the bill after it ends. And require prior approval if the need arises for any additional work. For example, at first the master will say that replacing candles will cost, say, 1000 rubles. And at the end of the repair, it suddenly turns out that for this you need to remove intake manifold engine. And this operation costs 3000 rubles. In such a situation, you should not immediately shake the bag. Demand to return everything back, as it was before the repair, and, most likely, they will not take extra money from you.
The key is to start!
For owners of expensive or “demanding” models from the point of view of hijackers, it will not be out of place to remember that even an auto mechanic who is not particularly literate in electronics is able to “sew” an additional key fob or transponder to the car alarm. Subsequently, with the help of this "extra" key, attackers easily and naturally steal vehicle. With the massive introduction of keyless car access systems by automakers, the danger of such a development of events, as they say, is “stepping into the masses”. A certain guarantee of safety from this kind of trouble can be the maintenance of the car either at the "official" or in a large and civilized informal one. Such organizations, as a rule, value their reputation and get involved in criminality is out of their hands. On the other hand, it usually clearly records which of the auto mechanics, when and why had access to the car. In which case, this will allow you to calculate the attacker. And therefore the latter, most likely, will not take such risks.
In conclusion, let's say that the old saying of auto mechanics says: "Did the car well - lost the client." After all, a conscientiously serviced car requires only the replacement of consumables, and the routine replacement of spare parts. And it is beneficial for any car service that the client comes for repairs much more often. And for this, all methods are good. Therefore, the only way to avoid trouble is to use the services of the same service station. The one where the qualifications of the masters and the prices suit you. The staff of such a service will know you as a permanent, but knowing how much client, with whom you should not even try to turn all sorts of “tricks”.
