My son was sure his 91 Honda Civic (200,000 miles) needed a transmission rebuild (about $1,200), but the mechanic said no. He took the mechanic for a test drive yesterday, and today the mechanic replaced the fuel injectors and the oxygen sensor and one other sensor, plus replaced all the fluids, for about $250.

And last year when my son went in with ignition problems, the mechanic said - you're lucky, it's the distributor and we replaced that 3 days less than a year ago, so you're still in the warranty period for the part (of course, he had to pay labor, but still).

This is the same mechanic that told me I didn't need new tires when I was sure I did - I just needed to keep them inflated properly.

How nice, and from what I hear, how rare.

By Sandysmom on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 06:52 pm:

That's wonderful, Ginny. Our mechanic charges 60-65$ and hour for labor. I don't understand that. i also hate the fact that my mechanic takes forever fixing my car. They've even had it for almost 3 weeks one time. He must think that i have plenty of cars in my garage. LOL. Thankfully, we haven't had any major repairs lately, only oil changes and routine stuff.
What a blessing that is for you. Good mechanics are hard to come by.

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 07:07 pm:

Almost 3 weeks for routine stuff? I can't imagine that. If it is because he's waiting for a part, he should order the part in advance and call you when it comes in - that's what my mechanic does.

Most mechanics use a sort of hourly rate for work, but most mechanics also use a book that says in essence - Repair X takes, on the average, xxx hours, and the mechanic multiplies his hourly rate by the time in the book, no matter whether it takes him less time or more, plus the cost of the part and the shop's overhead+ add-on.

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 07:12 pm:

Reliable, knowledgeable, HONEST mechanics are few and far between. We are fortunate to have one nearby. He's the only shop we will take any of our cars to.

By Tripletmom on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 08:09 pm:

We have a GREAT mechanic also.We've been with them for 18 years.They throw us tires for free when we need them.They shuttled me to work in the past and they give us credit.We really can't ask for more.I'm glad you're son saved some money.

By Crystal915 on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 08:27 pm:

What a gem!! It seems honest mechanics are few and far between, we had a friend take her vehicle in with brake problems, was told she needed all kidns of stuff replaced, almost $1000, after having new rotors put on less than a year prior. I had run into the same problem with my old car, the mechanics were turning the rotors, but charging me to replace them. I had DH look at their car, ordered the parts for about $250, and had the work done in 30 minutes in their driveway. *Sigh* I hate people who try to sucker you!!

By Cocoabutter on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 09:41 pm:

Yes, good mechanics are hard to find. My husband is a mechanic, but some repairs that he would be able to do he can't b/c he doesn't have the right tools or equipment. It's amazing how much they can soak you for labor! But he knows what to tell them, so they know not to try to take advantage of him.

By Sandysmom on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 09:48 pm:

I'm sorry Ginny. I meant to say that the routine stuff is in and out but for the more complicated stuff, that is where they take forever.