How to Spot a Scam Mechanic 

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I wish Scotty was my local mechanic 👌🏼

I know I've found a good mechanic when i see him pop outta the trunk & ring a bell

"There's book learning, and there's real learning." -Scott Kilmer, 2018

I made the mistake if taking my 2001 Maxima to Meineke years ago for an oil change. After 15 minutes the mechanic sat down next to me and essentially told me I needed about 3 grand in work done, but he'd do it for $2500 if i agreed to do it then and there that day. The car drove fine and i didnt have any issues with it soni was immediately suspicious. I told him no after he tried convincing me that I'd be lucky to make it home, and he went ahead and did the oil change. I took the car to a independent mechanic that a friend recommended and the guy confirmed that aside from some very minor stuff that would cost no more than $300 to fix, the car was in excellent shape. Needless to say I tell everyone to stay the hell away from Meineke now.

Scotty has helped save me a couple thousand dollars just fixing my own cars. With that, I honestly don't trust ANY mechanics to touch my car, all they do is cut corners and rip you off. Paid $55 at nationally known oil change place that took an hour to do what takes me 30 mins by myself. They broke my air filter housing, then put back only 3 of the 10 screws holding the wind cover under my Ford Focus. I took my Expedition to another well known automotive shop because of loose steering, he informed me that it was worn out struts and shocks, upper and lower control arms, tie rod ends and gave me a quote of $1300 to replace all that. He looked astonished when I informed him all of those parts were less than a year old because I installed them myself. As it turns out it was a $27 Pitman arm that took an hour to replace myself. It just goes to show you thousands of people get screwed over every day out there and there should be tougher laws to crack down on such crooks.

Mechanics that rip you off should be locked up like the crooks that they are.

I worked at a mechanic shop during the summer. The mechanic there never used a computer but immediately knew what was wrong with almost every car. That man was amazing.

"lucky to find a guy like you around you" You are the last mechanic I would ever want. You spend half the day burning rubber and the other half sleeping in trunks. lololol thumbs up as always.

We need a credit bureau for Mechanics service quality & honesty!

just because you can pass a driving test doesn't mean you can drive a car. same goes in ALL walks of life.

Even the quick oil change places try to scam. Took my daughter's car in for service (I was visiting from out of town, and she had no way to change at her apartment). Mechanic called us into the garage area, pointed to a drop of oil in the oil pan area, and stated we had an oil leak. Only problem was, I already knew she didn't have a leak, because I had checked her parking space at the apartment, and the oil drop he was pointed to was honey-colored... indicating he had placed it there himself. After speaking with the manager and threatening to call the local news, we got her oil changed for free. Although I should've called, anyway.

First up front sign of a scam mechanic, they will have a salesman in the front office.

My mechanic retired and all of his customers are sort of heart-broken. He had a heavy Italian accent so you had to listen carefully but he was brilliant. Dropped my car off for front brake pads and saw a 12 cyl. engine on a stand and asked what it was from. Ferrari America!! Another time I was driving by and saw him under a RR, so I stopped. He showed me what he was doing and why it was a very poor quality car. Then there was the time he was so busy he knew he wouldn't be able to get to my repair quickly so he showed me the defective part and told me how to install it (only one way and simple). I did it in 10 min. Brought him a xmas gift one year and he thanked me then showed me his office stacked floor to ceiling with other gifts and said that, in the future, he really rather I give the money to charity. He was very honest and never over-charged anyone that I know of. You were very lucky if he'd accept you as a customer. I saw him gently turn down several.

I didn't see a single calendar in your shop with a female model, you are clearly NOT a mechanic.

A lot of cars out in the front with dust because it takes them a week to get to your car is a sign of a bad shop, period. He nailed that one. Good shops get cars in and out of there in all but a day or two, unless it's a serious job like an engine swap, then it's usually a Saturday gig. Still, no lots of cars. Avoid those places!

I made the mistake of saying no rush. I was not in a rush, I was out of work at the time. Took 2 weeks for a 2 hour job.

Scotty, you really tell it like it is..... hard to find honesty these days..... We need more mechanics like you....

I took my wife's vehicle in to a Stealership for a mandantory State Inspection a few years ago (the only time I ever take a vehicle to a shop). The service tech not knowing I'd been turning wrenches for 40 years, a young, wet behind the ears guy came and got me in the waiting room and informed me of a very bad leak in my rack and pinion..... "Come out here, I'll show you, the rack and pinion is all wet because of a leak, " he said. As we walked he said he had time to do the replacement today for $985 if I wanted to go ahead and get it done. He then took me under the vehicle on the lift and a sure enough, and area of the rack and pinion was all wet..... he said, "you see, this is very bad!"................ I looked, sure enough it was wet, and I said, "Oh, the wetness coming from the AC Condensate line just above it???" To which he said, "Uh, uh, uh, yea, I guess it cooouuuld be............." I laughed, and said, "Get our vehicle off this lift, and don't ever try to scam me again....do I make myself clear!!"

In many fields, clients don't have the experience or skill set to recognize whether the work is at a high standard. So, you end up with glowing reviews by less informed customers if the front office said the right things and gave them a warm glowing feeling when the visit was over. Interestingly, those with experience often define 'good' with a very different yardstick. In many fields I have noticed a disconnect between customer and peer reviews. Not all the bad experiences are the fault of the shop, and not all the 'great' RU-vid mechanics have the respect of their peers. Stuff happens, even in the best hands. As for those who advise doing things yourself, just remember that the average customer would be near the incompetent side of the scale, not even as good as a typical Walmart shop. Getting into DIY auto repair means your learning curve will include inevitable errors, which is OK as long as you're up for that. Strangely, confidence builds before competence, so in a few years you go through a phase of overconfidence that can get you into deep trouble. After a few decades you'll accumulate enough experience to have the right balance of confidence and humility. Most never get there.

That's so true mechanics, doctors, dentists, lawyers, every industry has both good and bad.

You could not have said it better! Finding a good mechanic is as hard as finding a good dentist 100%

I have had the best luck with little country shade tree mechanics. My dad was a good mechanic and he couldn't even read or write.

_Everything_ Scotty has said is true. I speak from personal experience.

Amen, Scotty! "test taking" does not equate to really knowing how to fix something.

"There's book learning and then there's real learning." Amen amen! Wise words from a wise man.

RU-vid was invented for you, Scotty.

A good mechanic is one who loves his work and truly cares about his customers. A mechanic who is knowledgeable with his diagnostics tools and knows how to use his tools properly. A mechanic who goes over his work after its completed and testing his work to make sure the problem it came in for is fixed. Reputation in a repair shop is everything, all the way down to management. Do your homework when shopping i.e. word of mouth, google shop customers reviews etc.... Scotty is right in that good well established shops in the past may no longer do quality work.

Don't go to jiffy lube. They tried to charge me to change my transmission fluid even though they didn't even do the job.

I'm my own mechanic thanks to crooks.

Saul Goodman, real life version

Scotty really is a legend and will have a huge legacy

Scotty Kilmer the real OG

I stay away from dealerships. My alternator went out on my tundra and the local Toyota dealership wanted 995.00 for the alternator and 600.00 to put it on. I laughed and bought one online for 225.00 with a lifetime warranty. My mechanic put it on for 100 bux.

"very good tools can be very small" -Scotty Kilmer

Scotty, you are the man! It's about time someone told the truth.. you wouldn't believe the prices I hear that people pay for car repair. Thank you for being truthful! Knowledge is power!! Keep up the good work!!

Thanks Scotty, I got my first car a few months ago and haven't had any major issues yet, but wanted to make sure I was aware. Your kind of content helps a lot in making everything easier.

I Love this Dude! He Has literally helped repair Almost ALLLL my Vehicles through Osmosis ... He's A Beast!

Love your video mate. Wish I could find a mech like you.

I refuse to deal with mechanics that work in commercial shops. I have a few friends that wrench on their own cars, like myself, and none of us own cars that we can't fix ourselves. I spend a bit of time most everyday watching RU-vids. Scotty, you have saved me a few times and I have learned a bunch of good, real world stuff watching your schooling. You are a good mechanic and I can spot that a mile away.

Do your own work!!! My ac went out in my truck so i got a quote for 1200. I went to advance and bought everything i needed to do a complete rebuild for 550. I took it to the shop to vacuum and recharge for 90. Total cost was $640 saved almost $600. 👍👍

You make car repairs interesting and fun ❤

I once took my motorcycle to a Honda shop due to a vibration in the front end. The mechanic stated it was caused by the single disk brake on the front wheel. He claims since the disk was on the left side of the wheel, only the left side of the tire was doing all the stopping. His only cure was to add a second disk to the front wheel to balance it out. With that logic, all cars stop using only the inside of the tire. Needless to say I never went back to that place. A new tire solved the vibration issue.

Dealerships and chain repair places are the worst. They try to upsell with all sorts of crap you don't need. Labor rates are the highest, and parts are charged at retail prices. Don't do it.

I wish Scotty had opened his own chain of garages across the country. We need more mechanics like you!

I listened to a show by a guy named The Car Doctor. His saying was something like, Good Mechanics are not expensive, they are PRICELESS!! Thanks for your good work Scotty!

Two things to never say to a mechanic: 1. No hurry, take your time. 2. Money is no object.

Unbelievable how accurate this is.

As a mechanic myself, I absolutely agree with everything this gentleman said. ESPECIALLY the word of mouth part. I've never had to advertise myself, and will never need to either. Thanks Scott! Your videos is spot on!

Pricing is same with many craftsmen, like I called a plumber to change a pump to my boiler. And he wanted 1000$ for it without giving much details. I called another plumber, hand he came by the same day to look at it to give me a quote. We made a deal that I got all the parts needed and that I would drain the system so he could do fux the pump and plumbing. The bill landed on no more than 500$. Thats what I call a good craftsman

This is exactly what every RU-vid video should be like! I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation sir.

Scotty. Thank you for your service. I know this is off subject, but I wanted to tell you this because I retired from the USAF after 22 years on active duty. It was about 24 years after I returned from Vietnam before anybody other than my folks said "welcome home" to me. It was another truckdriver at a fuel stop who saw my "Vietnam Veteran and Damned Proud of It" cap I was wearing. He walked over to me from the next fuel island, stuck out his hand and shook mine, as he said those words. Anyway, that's what I want to tell you, PLUS, I enjoy your videos and am a subscriber.

You don't pay for advertisements, but you get them for "free" through your You Tube channel. If I lived in Texas, you would be my go to man, and this is coming from Canada. Honesty goes a long way, especially after 50 years. Thanks again for the great content Scotty!

50 years?! Wow! Scotty you have been working on cars almost twice the years of me being on the planet. You've help me on my car repairs and saved me money. I really respect this video, and what you do sir. Living legend.

My mechanic pops out of hatchbacks to tell me the job is done 😊

The best way to find trustworthy mechanic, dentist and so on is to ask round good neighbors, friends and overall "good" people. I never trust advertisements.

Yeah, my dad worked with one of those clean mechanics. He said he was technically proficient and did do the job, but he rarely ever beat book and that doesn't make the department manager happy when you are working in a dealership. My dad was so much happier when he left there and worked for a small independent shop. Word of mouth got him business, and he didn't have to worry about book rates.

Not a single curse word...thanks Scotty

I wish he was my neighbour lol!

Scotty we need more people like you ! The world would be a much better place !,God bless you!

Just remember that a great mechanic will be paid like a great mechanic. Quality work will cost money. He will be priced very competitively along with the other good mechanics. A mechanic deserves to get paid what he is worth nobody works for free. So sick of customers complaining about the hourly rate for a mechanic like scotty with 30 years experience. All those snap on tools and tool chests arent free folks. A good mechanic has 50-75k worth of tools in that 15k tool chest.

SCOTTY WINS AGAIN!!!!! Absolutely love this man!!

When I worked in a motorcycle shop, the boss took on a new mechanic. He duly arrived Monday morning with a large steel cabinet on wheels. Inside its drawers and trays were beautiful shiny new looking tools all neatly arranged in compartments. It looked very professional and impressive. The boss had to let him go on Friday because the guy didn't have a clue what he was doing.

You can't learn to ride a bike by reading a book on it. Truth.

Lets clone scotty

This the only guy's videos I always hit the like button at the start of the video because he never disappoints.

Pep Boys came to my area and bought up a bunch of local shops. I went to get an alignment at the small Collierville Tn. Pep Boys. The guy I saw working was young. I found out he was still in school for auto maintenance. I was already suspicious. Sure enough I was told my car couldn't be aligned and I needed to replace the tie rod. I get home and first of all the hood wasn't latched all the way. SECOND, you could tell he never tried to properly break the big jam nut on the tie rod, he appeared to have left tool marks on only the rod itself. Pitiful! They turned this kid loose without supervision. I happen to be mechanically able bodied to check behind people but what about the other people who aren't!! Sad that a large company allows their name to suffer because of greed. I went back to tell them after my van was aligned somewhere else.

If you are in Long Beach, don’t go to Gretchen’s... Owner is never around, and considering the employees cuss each other out in front of the customer and they break parts putting them on. I recommend H and J. I saved so much money going to that shop in Stanton. I’m just hoping someone in Long Beach sees this... this is a warning!

Your just too cool for being brutally honest! Love it! Keep up the great work!

I wish you were my mechanic. My good mechanic was off for a year, what a nightmare. One time I had this vehicle, 90's van, just had it cert/safety checked for the gov. to license it. Everything was done, a vacuum hose popped off, towed my vehicle to my friends garage, mechanic said I needed about $1,300 to do the job. I called my mechanic, he said all those things on the list were just done for the safety check, so I towed it out of there fast and it was a $20.00 fix. What a cheat he was, I told my friend, and she just wouldn't believe me, since he was such a ''great guy''. Goes to show you. Like I said, I wish you were close to me, but I'm close to Niagara Falls!!!! Singed RoseMarie

I've found my mechanic, been doing my maintenance/installs for like 5 years now

this is the only mechanic ive seen with such clean hands.. and not a scar on either arm!!!

Scotty you always make amazing videos!!

When I was about 19 I decided to become a mechanic to repair my own vehicles to avoid getting scammed and be sure the job was done properly. In my 3rd year I had enough of working on other peoples cars. I treated them well as if they where my own cars but after 3 years I had completely lost interest. Now I am in a living situation where I dont have all the tools I use to have and have no place to work on my car(s).. So I am back to being at the mercy of these shops.. its very stressful for me. When I explain to them I may know the problem because I already diagnosed it they just look at my and say "yea sure you did" as if I know nothing. I really need a garage!

From one mechanic to another...... Really Great Video! The insight you offer in this video is completely accurate. I hope people listen.

I take automotive maintenance classes and work as a lube/maintenance tech for a Kia dealer. Work taught me so much more! Auto classes are more meant to enhance a hobby. I didn't have any major experience with cars despite being a gear head by heart, and starting from even the bottom was quite difficult. There were many missing tools I need, I was unfamiliar with almost every car coming in except Kias (you'd be surprised how many different brands come in), and this made me awfully slow and nervous at first. 5 months after starting, I've gotten WAY better, and very familiar with most cars coming in. My tool set is becoming stronger, my co workers like how I sell more work from inspections, and the service advisors are much more comfortable trusting me doing light line repairs and even some recalls. I'm taking it slowly. Don't want to be overconfident. Already had a few customers come back because I forget just 1 small thing like a cabin filter cover. Can't be perfect.

If the mechanic says your flux capacitor needs replacing...you probably need to find a different mechanic.

had the same mechanic for almost 30 years, few weeks ago my son bought his first car, he was immediately introduced to my mechanic for new belts all round and a service, you keep a good mechanic in the family ;) I also always throw him £10 on top of the price to get himself a drink, if you find a good one keep your mechanic happy guys ;)

So cool Scotty is uploading more videos finally.

I've had some mechanics, including a dealer, vandalize my car. Put hole in different parts of the car. Oil leak. water leak air conditioner compressor leak master brake leak. Coolant leak into the engine-it hurts working people! Happened in Texas.

Sure wish there were more mechanics like Scotty. He's honest and reliable. I swear if he was the only honest mechanic left on the face of the earth I'd probably travel all the way from Florida to have him work on my vehicles.

Finding a dishonest mechanic might not be too scary cause you can get away with it, BUT a dishonest doctor can be a very scary thing cause if you need urgent treatment and the doctor did a lousy job, you'll be in trouble.

Recently I took my car in to one of the most reputable, and busiest, shops in my town for a clunking sound (wish I had watched Scooty's video on warn out control arms) coming from the left front wheel when leaving a stop light. I told the service writer about it and said I thought it was a strut toping out when weight shifts to the rear of the car under excelleration, but I wanted a mechanic diagnose the problem and give me an estimate. After about an hour the writer called and said it was the struts just like I thought. So I order new struts came in a week later to have them installed. The bill came to just over $1000 dollars and when I left the clunk was still just as it was before, no change. I think the writer order the repairs, knowing it would playcate me since it was my idea. The moral of this story is, I think you should never offer your opinion about what might be causing a problem even if you know what it is.

I love you Scotty! You crack me up at least once a day when I feel bummed I watch your videos. Have a great day!

Scotty, I feel tempted to be a mechanic myself and open up a shop in front of the scam shop and charge cheaper and get things done right, then thank the bad ones for bringing me more customers.

Scotty my friend. Most probably we will never meet but I want to say "Hi" from Pakistan.

This guy reminds me of car talk the tapped brothers...he is funny, honest and bold.

Best bet is to go to like five diff places and go with the cheapest has never failed me if they agree what is wrong. I had a small oil leak ,One shop said oh a rear main 2k to fix, One shop said valve cover gasket $80 to fix .One shop said front main 1k to fix. One shop said oil pan gasket $900 to fix. The 5th place said valve cover gasket $300 to fix.Turns out it was a Valve cover gasket and cost $80 to fix .

I have a '94 Toyota Celica. I don't need a mechanic

U said it scotty! There's a big difference between book smart and actual experience..

Correction: there's book learning, real learning and RU-vid! I've followed RU-vid videos on repairing a heat exchanger, cv joints (axle replacement), fuel pump, ... I only need to see it done properly once. ;-)

I’m just waiting for Scotty to reach 1 million subs

Scotty is a gem.Hizs knowledge saves you money.Super practical mechanic and more!

Scotty is a fantastic guy, and i'm glad i found a mechanic just like him, he even looks like the guy :-D -and the best thing is i hardly see the guy, he just sold me a decent car, did some little work here and there on it, and charged me nearly nothing for the work he did. NOt bad at all for a car that is more then 10 years old and ran for more then 148.000 kilometers (almost 100.000 miles). Now the only times i see that guy is once a year for the check-up and if i really wanna see him i bring him a box of cookies or sweets :-D (true story) just to stay in touch :-p

All very Valid Points. thnx Scotty and remember to ring that bell before its to late!

Scotty Kilmer, not the mechanic we deserve, but the mechanic we need..

Speaking of crappy mechanics - for me, the biggest nightmare is ... (drum roll) the SERVICE WRITER! I had an encounter with one of these doofuses several years ago when I bought a car that turned out to be not very well maintained - the guy's wife drove it for quite a while without bothering to have the oil changed, a fact I discovered when the oil light came on, and when I tried to drain it, nothing came out. So I called a garage that seemed to be reputable, and even offered free towing. Next day I get a call from the SERVICE WRITER telling me that there was all kinds of blockage in the engine, and goes through a laundry list of everything that was going to have to be disassembled and cleaned, and mentioned along the way that there were (another drum roll) BRASS FILINGS in the oil pan. Anyway, he quoted me $972 to take it all apart and reassemble it, adding that he couldn't say how long it would run even after he did all of that. Two things wrong with this: (1) how could he know everything wrong inside the engine if he hadn't bothered to take it apart yet? and (2) brass is a very soft metal - not something one is going to find in a car engine. I told him to let me know what it would cost to tow it back to the house and to forget about it. An hour later, he calls back and the price magically drops by over half! It was ready a couple of days later, and when he called to tell me the work was done, as well as when I went to pick it up, he repeated the bit about "I don't know how long it's going to run" like it was a newly-assigned mantra. In the end, I never had oil problems with it for the years I drove it afterwards. But it instilled a new distaste for SERVICE WRITERS, who I suspect are there for two reasons: to pile on additional (and possibly unnecessary) work, and to enrich himself with bonuses earned by suckering the ignorant owners who swallow the hook they throw out. Great video, Scotty!

That looked like my garage. The problem is the amount of tools you need to work on a car. I may not use a tool for years but I know were its at although I may have to dig through a couple layers to get to it

I miss my dad in so many ways , a great mechanic passed away to young in 1999 from cancer. I’ve had nothing but trouble and rip offs ever since when I do need a mechanic. I hope to find that good mechanic one day.

I've put bad reviews on a shops website. I got a call from the owner wanting to correct their problem and I told him sorry buddy I found someone else to do it 3 times cheaper. (He wanted 1,500 in just labor to install a differential...) I got it done for 500 with my parts provided from someone else. He had no interest after I told him that and then proceeded to remove all of my reviews from his web page. This is whats really bad. He told me one price when I brought it in which was 600 dollars. So I dropped it off, 3 DAYS later I get a call saying no its going to be 1,500. He wasted my time and left me borrowing a car for 3 days.